The mirrorless wars have been raging for several years now, with Sony going all in with its Alpha line-up of full-frame mirrorless cameras, but should you make the switch? Let’s talk about why you need to be shooting Sony mirrorless cameras and to ditch the Canikon cameras of olde.
Reason One
The Sony Alpha a7R IV mirrorless camera. Yes, I’m stating a singular camera that was just announced and has yet to be in the public domain, but really, hear me out. Sony is at the leading edge of technology available right now when it comes to camera bodies with three previous iterations that it’s built on. Sony finally has a history to move forward from, and that means they have staying power. With the camera industry wars leading some to switching systems entirely based on what camera comes out next, Sony is paving the way with giving you access to the class-leading technology you crave every year without needing to jump to another camera ecosystem and lens lineup.
Reason Two
Professional-level bodies made for unique niches based around expansive needs. Sony has built its lineup of Alpha mirrorless cameras with a goal to reach a mass market of individuals while concentrating on their specific set of needs and not holding back technology or specifications to entice multiple camera body purchases. Look at the a7R series of cameras with the high megapixel count with their ability to add a crop mode with more than enough megapixels to still zoom in on the image. You essentially have a portrait and landscape camera that’s been crossed with a wildlife and birding camera body. You have both at the same time. You want low light and video? They do that too with the a7S line of camera bodies fulfilling your 4K cinematic dreams under starry night skies. Want the best available autofocus, 4K video, and up to 20 frames per second? The top-tier a9 camera body is what you should be looking at. Lastly, do you just want enough camera that can do what you need it to do? The a7 line is where you can hang out and enjoy the freedom with a little extra cash in your pocket.
Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS Lens
Reason Three
A complete lens lineup. Sony has finally been able to increase its market presence and has had enough time to grow its lens ecosystem where it has a fully committed lens lineup for professionals, prosumers, and hobbyists to take advantage of. It’s grown beyond the expected “holy trinity” of zoom lenses and prime focal lengths that so many people adore to more specific lens needs like Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS Lens with competitive pricing to the contemporary players in the market with their red and gold rings. There’s little reason to not jump into the Sony lens ecosystem with the high-performing and high-megapixel resolving lense,s especially when their mirrorless competition are now the ones with the even more expensive glass offerings in the mirrorless space.
Reason Four
Lighting manufacturers have fully embraced Sony for the camera company they are. Only a few short months ago, you would have thought one of the most highly touted lighting companies were ignoring their Sony shooters until they released the complement to their on-camera lighting setup with the Profoto A1X. Third party lighting has always stayed keen on how they offered their customers accessibility and options, but if you aren’t a player in the market in their eyes, you don’t have complete access. That’s now changed, and Sony is on a level playing field with the big names, though I would say Sony has already entered that group by claiming the number two spot from Nikon only a short time ago. The benefits of the Sony system are now just as prevalent as any other professional system and are intended to be used as such.
Profoto A1X Off-Camera Flash
Reason Five
A company that professionals want to be a part of and work with. You will always have a group of people that couldn’t care less about what camera they use and then, the exact opposite with the “fan boy” group that cannot get enough of what their camera brand of choice can offer them. When you have storytellers wanting to partner with your company because they see the advantages of what you offer, that’s what your company should be striving to be. We recognize that technology makes working with equipment easier (and sometimes harder), but if what you are doing makes it more valuable for a storyteller to build on their vision, then you are going to create a movement. Sony has spoken to photographers and filmmakers in that regard and have helped remove the obstacles for them to tell stories that build on our imagination and excitement. It’s that which excites us as creators where our attention and pocketbook will go.
Conclusion
No one can tell you what to value or how to create, but it’s always valuable to keep your choices open and loyalties for camera brands checked in reality. Sony is making huge waves in the sea of camera manufacturers, and they seem to be listening to their customers directly, rather than through the filter of a few chosen professionals. They want disruption, and Sony absolutely will make money from the change they have introduced, but does this new reality fit the expectations and burgeoning developments in how we tell stories? Do we get more out of changing our kit to a different camera company than the company makes from selling you that new camera or lens? If your answer is a resounding "yes," then you should switch right now and go all in on the mirrorless camera train. It’s here and boarding, and missing out may mean more than you know.
On the other side, does changing to a different camera system mean nothing to you? You can’t tell the stories you want to or create your images faster, better, or easier. It’s only a change of equipment, and it will honestly only be a hindrance for your creative output. In that regard, then Sony may not be the change you want or need. That’s perfectly fine, and you should keep creating and building your way. The fact is it’s an exciting time to be a photographer and storyteller today with so many ways to share what you do with the world. No technology should get in the way of creating.
If you’ve jumped ship to Sony, why did you make the change and was it any of the reasons above? If you’re still with your camera brand of choice, why are you staying with them and what do they do for you that you love?
Oh, baby, bun buns, don't be like that. If you want to be mad at someone/something, be mad at Canon. They are the real let-downs.
In the meanwhile, carry-on and validate to us your nervous breakdown by continuously complaining about Sony's improved "grip" and lack of "touchscreen". lol
Well, it seems less and less people share your opinion. The turnover went down 10% but the operational profit halved.
Look up the word: delusional
Overall it’s getting tougher to stay with Canon, but I have other reasons to use the system I’m on. I’m not a “fanboy” for any brand. I just started on Canon and have stayed with them ever since. If I need other options that the camera I’m using can’t offer I would simply rent something else for the time being.
So the new title of this article is Five Reasons Why Everybody Except JT Should Switch To Sony Mirrorless.
All those reasons are compelling to me and I’m much more inclined to act on them for the reasons I mentioned in the article. Some photographers may have similar feelings to mine which is why the article was written. New companies and tech are always big ifs for people spending years or a decade or more on a system. Also, my conclusion states as much that your work is not a best but a best for you which has a lot of factors. I appreciate your interest so keep an eye out for follow up article next week.
Your reasons to "LOOK AT" Sony and decide if a change is warranted aren't in question. (By me, anyway.) The issue is that you, and many other sources of info on the internet, tell us that we "SHOULD" change. That title is you saying "Hey, go out right now and trade your gear in for Sony!!" Do you get the difference? I know your intention wasn't to frame it like that, but that's the way you wrote the title. FStoppers, and many other blogs and YouTubers, need to look at what they're saying versus what they're trying to say. That's my only issue. Enjoy the rest of your weekend JT.
Is that the new editorial line of Fstoppers?
I'm sorry but this article strikes me as somewhat irresponsible -- and I've been a happy Sony user since 2014.
Every camera system has its pluses and minuses.
And it seems downright bizarre to recommend a system based on an unreleased camera!
I wrote an in-depth article discussing the pros and cons of switching here:
https://www.onportraits.com/sony-from-canon/
Hey Michael, good breakdown article that you wrote and I agree with a number of your points as they’re spot on. The grip issues would cause me some problems as my hand and forearm muscles can cramp up quite bad already after a few hours of event photography. I don’t agree with the “irresponsible” comment rather an opinion based on what many creators are looking for which is what system best fits them and my recommendation is really about what you value as you read through the article. I’ll be writing a follow up to this next week which I hope you read as well.
Owning and using are two different things. I also have no qualms about jumping from or to another system as long as I can qualify the value of a change. The conclusion of the articles states as much. I appreciate your passion about the gear, I just think there’s many considerations for anyone switching systems and this is at the forefront for me if moving to the Sony system. There will be a follow up article next week which I’m sure will be just as divisive.
Does anyone know how much kickback FSTOPPERS gets for these useless weasel word equipment endorsements???
Custom articles are a thing. I know this because I purchase the for my media clients.
Let's all make a conscious effort to watch his gear list and see how long it takes for it to change to Sony. It would pretty much have to change after writing an article like this, shouldn't it??
You are correct, I am only Canon. That doesn’t diminish my opinion but adds to the perspective of what may matter to me and others about switch to Sony. Also, in your previous response above stating I received compensation from “Lego” (I’m guessing you mean Sony) I did not receive any compensation to write the article. As you may guess, if you read reason one in the article, it’s a timely question with the new a7R IV release and what made me re-question my reasoning for the system I’m on. Just like I posit at the conclusion of the article, we each have reasons to have the kit we do or stay with, this is only a few reason why I think it’s tougher to stay with something other than Sony.
Fujifilm all the way!!
I’m digging the idea of that 100MP beast!
Embrace your dark side.... :-)
Two of our writers have picked it up. Both are incredibly excited about it. Definitely debating (for awhile already) about the system.
Nice, I am gonna embrace my dark side and buy that one in 6 months. Currently I am enjoying my GFX-50S
As a guy who uses mostly Sony with a little bit of Canon and pinch of Hasselblad mixed in, I really think these Sony kissing articles are getting a bit embarrassing.
Here is my take on Mr. Blenker, Cr. Photog., CPP list.
Reason One: Sony is currently the technology leader, a honor that both Nikon and Canon have had in the past.
Reason Two: Doesn't every company have a spectrum of models, low, medium and high performance, speed or pixel count? I honestly do not know maybe they don't as I don't keep track of everything. There is no all in one perfect camera.
Reason Three: As John McClain would say, "Welcome to the party pal!"
Reason Four: That is a good thing that other companies want to sell stuff to the Sony owners. It is better than being ignored.
Reason Five: These days there are plenty of people who want to be ambassadors, masters of light, shills, spokespeoples, with any company that will #them or give free stuff... There used to be sponsored photographers who were famous for their photography work, not their IG count, their workshops or their HiGuys" yootoob videos.
In a week, another article explaining why I switched back to Canon, and few days later another explaining why equipment don't matter and a subsequent one explaining why equipment matters, sensor size full frame vs the others, importance of being original but also being a marketing savvy, and
other things that are common sense. Rinse and repeat. Is it anything new and interesting happening in the photography world.
Reason 6 go to Fuji instead they have MF..
"Sony is at the leading edge of technology available right now when it comes to camera bodies with three previous iterations that it’s built on...A company that professionals want to be a part of and work with. "
My ex-assistant, now a fantastic pro - works with sony team... and he told me even sony guys admit that a7r series are not for pros. Pros use it of course. But the only pro-sumer camera is a9 so far... so we wait for new version now. Hopefully it would be great. Sony listens to feedback... just they has their own business plan also dripping from above.
But otherwise all this reasoning can be applied to nikon and canon...
If you're looking to do more serious video work, and stay in Sony, I wouldn't consider the A7S line. Low light video isn't everything. Sony's FS line would offer many more features geared towards video. Higher bit depth and color sampling, internal ND filters being the main features
All good points. However once Nikon starts releasing its Z mount lenses I think you would not so emphatic about Sony's superiority. In my view, Nikon Z7 images are superior to Sony at present time. Similarly if Canon can start rolling out their own image sensors with high resolution they would not be that far behind. I think Canon should skip a generation and go with their 60 MP and 120 MP. Their R mount lenses could be a match for Sony GM lenses. For the consumer this can all be win-win if the prices go down.
I'm surprised he didn't state Sony is going to be the number one camera manufacturer and every other brand is going to go out of business. I especially like the articles that claim Nikon is going out of business. Those types of comments really make me chuckle. Nikon has been in the optics and camera business longer than Canon, Sony, and every other brand. I'd have to say, "they're doing something right to be in business over 100 years." Period. Who am I to argue with a "professional?" Yea, right. Give me a break.
Do you know who made the first lenses for Canon? Nikon!! How awesome is that!!
Yes, Tom. I was aware of that fact. :)
Did Sony buy this website or do they just rent it.
I have the Sony A7RII, I skipped the A7RIII and plan on buying the A7RIV. For landscape photographers that value high-quality images a Sony Sensor is a must. You can get the Nikon D-850 with a Sony sensor or you can go with the new Sony A7RIV. Not having to screw around with bracketing and luminosity masks is a tremendous advantage. Of course in extreme conditions, you can still bracket/luminosity masks, but at least for me, I hardly need to do that anymore. If you want some great lenses and can handle manual focus the Zeiss Loxia line is incredible. I am disappointed that Sony has not figured out how to minimize dust with their mirrorless systems. It seems like Canon has that figured out which is a big advantage for landscape folks that must change lenses outdoors miles from a car, or structure. If you have a solid system you can wait for awhile, but to spend big money on a DSLR is most likely a foolish investment at this point.
He doesn't know half of what he thinks he knows, Pat. Nikon may buy the Sony sensor, but it's an off the shelf one. Nikon designs the layout of the chip...i.e., transistors, photodiodes, resistors, capacitors, etc...itself. Next time, back up your comments with actual proof. If Sony is so great, how come they don't offer a 64 base ISO in their cameras. I'll give you a hint...it's all in the design of the layout on their chip.
JT, are you kidding about competitive prices? Check those: Sony: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1333230-REG/sony_sel100400gm_fe_1... and Canon: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1092632-REG/canon_9524b002_ef_100...
Don't be too hard on him, Romeo. He's a Sony fan boy. LOL!
Maybe, we should look at the whole picture.
1. That Canon is on sale $400 discount. It's normally $2200.
2. Also, was announced back in 2014 while the Sony 2017.
3. Sony beats out the Canon in both DXOMark overall score and sharpness. It's not even close.
https://www.dxomark.com/sony-fe-100-400mm-f4-5-5-6-gm-oss-lens-review-co...
I do think Sony glass can expensive. However, depending on which lens, it's not that much more expensive since you're getting newer and better glass.
Even with discount its 300 USD cheaper. And Canon offer IS mode 3 which help take >1700 with one battery (with Canon 5D Mark III). And do you believe so much on DXOMark scores? The entire article is (paid) ad
I believe DXOMark scores are technically accurate. I also believe when someone's brand is losing to another brand, especially to Sony, they immediately cry foul.
Do you have proof this entire article is a paid ad? Because the author is a Canon guy? Because it's about Sony Sony Sony?
Don't you worry your pretty little heart, someone will come along and write why you should switch to a Canon mirrorless, if/when Canon gets their act together.
Nothing seems to shake up people than the new kid on the block with disruptive and better technology.
It was like this in the age of the sailship when steam came around.
People will always tell that the old tech is better and more reliable than the new tech. That it will never replace the old tech etc etc etc
Boring.
It has often nothing to do with technology but more with psychology. Too many people hate change because it induces fear.
Sony may have advanced mirrorless technology. However, if you're already working with another system on the DSLR front, it's going to be a hit in money and time to make the switch (time being the learning aspect). So while the new tech is innovative, I'm on board with the concept on questioning the value of 'gain' in quality from what you're using right now.
To each his own and a 'your mileage may vary' statement from me.
Sure, switching systems is expensive. And especially if you shoot in controlled light as in studios, it is not worth the hassle.
Even for me as an amateur with seven lenses and a flash system is far too expensive.
Using common sense is always a good thing. However, bitching about the new player because your entire ego is linked to a system is blind stupid.
Innovation is a good thing. I especially like that Sony should be pushing Canon and Nikon to up their game. It's just good for everyone, and the end user will only benefit. I'm averse to being an early adoptor, and would only move away from DSLR when Nikon catches up to Sony on this front. I'm a couple / few years away if that.
@Vincent Alongi Sure, to each its own. I like new technology and loved the EVF even back in the days they were horrible. That was because I use reading glasses and got sick of chimping.