Should you ditch DSLR and go mirrorless?
For years I’ve been a DSLR user but with recent changes in photography and starting with video I’ve made the switch to mirrorless. Here’s what’s up.
I’ve been using a Nikon D7000 for the last couple of years and it has been my workhorse on many trips and never failed to satisfy. For those wondering, my golden combination was the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G with the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8. The wonderful bokeh of the prime lens accompanied by the enormous wide angle gave some pretty amazing shots.
The problem with the D7000 is that t’s a big and chunky camera. And because it’s a Nikon, it has minimal video support and no headphone jack which turned fatal on several occasions such as Corse Clienti. Many fragments were simply not useable in terms of sound due to wrong mic settings.
So initially I thought I’d get a D750 which would solve the limitations of the D7k. But being a full frame camera, it was even bigger than the D7k, no bueno. And although video output was better, there isn’t much support for video accessoires or native cine lenses.
I felt like it was time for a change, Nikon didn’t satisfy my needs anymore so I had to make the big decision of selling all my Nikon gear and going to another mount.
And thanks to Ward, our mirrorless guy, I got looking into the options there. I stumbled upon the A7 series and the Panasonic GH4. But what interested me the most was the A7’s. Sony’s full frame mirrorless camera’s have been known for shaking things up for CaNikon in the last few years. Especially with the mk2 which features 5-axis sensor stabilization.
I went for the A7ii in the end because of the IBIS, full frame sensor and because there was no need for 4K at the moment. Ordered it, picked it up (with a bit of delay) and I was ready to go.
First impressions were very good, I took it along during my holiday for some test shots. And even with the 28-70mm f3.5-5.6 kitlens it performs very good as you can see down below. (but stay tuned for more bokeh)
But what should you really do? Here’s my view into it.
Why you should go mirrorless:
Weight, obviously. They weigh way less than their DSLR counterparts mostly due to not having the mirror mechanism which leads me to the next point.
Size. Due to the lack of the mirror mechanism this means the whole body can be much less compact. The A7 might not be the most compact camera due to it’s full frame sensor but micro four-thirds camera’s can be amazingly small with amazing quality.
They’re more ‘present date’ than their DSLR brothers, they pack more new technologies, apps,… while most DSLR’s struggle for a decent wireless connection with a smartphone.
Compatibility. This is by far the biggest advantage mirrorless camera’s have. Due to not having a mirror inside, the distance from the sensor to the mount is much smaller. This means you can stick on almost any lens possible with the help of an adapter. From Nikon and Canon lenses to the amazing glass of Leica. Some adapter will even feature autofocus as well!
Why you should stay with your DSLR
Battery is way better. This if by far the biggest advantage they have over a mirrorless camera. Most will do 4 times as long on a battery in terms of shots and you can keep them on when you’re not shooting.
They are still the working horses for action photography. Autofocus and tracking is still where they excel above mirrorless but they’re gaining.
They have proven their system works, it’s been rock solid for decades and glass has been perfected with a wide range on offer.
So in the end it really matters how you’re using your camera, what kind of photography you’re doing and if you can cope with the poor battery life these guys have. I can only say I’m in love with my A7 II and I can’t wait to get better glass for it.
