I shot with the best of pro Nikon and Canon gear (both brands) SLR and DSLR for over 40 years and then moved over to Sony fullframe mirrorless in January 2017, and have never looked back. Hey I made great and award-winning shots with my Canon and Nikon SLR and DSLR gear. And now I am still making great and award-winning shots with my Sony pro mirrorless gear.

So why switch at all? Well I could write you a book about all the advantages and features of shooting mirrorless gear that no DSLR will be able to have, including the best top DLSRs like Nikon D850, Nikon D5, Canon EOS 1DX, 5D Mk III, all of which I owned and/or shot with. But there are plenty of UHH long discussions of the particulars.

If you don't need any of these advantages to help enhance and expand your creativity and to push the envelope of your photographic comfort zone, then by all means stick with what you already have.

But if you are like many that want the best tech and brilliance of the camera manufacturer's best efforts then go mirrorless. Will mirrorless make you a better photographer. Certainly better photographic skills and knowledge matter the most, but as a 44+ year professional and a longtime University Professor of Photography, I can honestly say YES gear does matter , more today than at any time in my long tenure as a photographer.

The best of mirrorless gear allows me to be more responsive, more accurate, more proficient and more adventurous in more new ways with my photography. And every time I pick up my mirrorless gear as a pro I have a real competitive advantage over fellow pros still using DSLRs.

AP (Associated Press) just dumped their pro Canon DSLRs and moved exclusively to Sony fullframe mirrorless gear for their staff photographers and videographers Worldwide. That should tell you a lot about the state of professional photo gear nowadays, as all makers are putting their best tech into producing their latest flagship cameras as mirrorless. And all that top mirrorless tech has trickled down to even more affordable mirrorless models offered by all the major camera makers .

https://alphauniverse.com/stories/why-the-associated-press-just-switched-to-sony/

DSLR will still be around for years and there will even be some newer mid-range and lower-end models released, but the top-end DSLRs are in their final iterations now and DSLRs will never dominate again.

If you are completely satisfied with the gear you have used for years and is well-paid for, then stay within your comfort zone and budget. I would never be the one to tell you to go out and spend money you can't afford to move to mirrorless.

As a pro, I can justify the costs to make the move as a business investment and expense. For me, more and more fellow pros and many hobbyists there is no turning back the clock and being satisfied and hampered with yesterday's outmoded technology.

DSLR sales have plummeted worldwide 50% in 2019 and again another 50% in 2020. Mirrorless sales have held steady and increased their share of the overall shrinking worldwide cameras sales.

And Sony now sells more fullframe cameras (mirrorless or non mirrorless) than anyone, including Canon and Nikon. Canon sells the most cameras when you add in all categories but even mighty Canon has not caught up to Sony's lead in fullframe camera sales, and there is where the latest tech is being applied by all makers.

Use what you like and be happy, DSLR, or mirrorless. There is still room for us all.

I will always love the service my DSLRs gave me for decades, but I am NOT one to stand on sentimentality when it comes to my gear, which is just a tool after all. I will always buy and use the best tools that I can afford for the job. Cheers

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This photo of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California: Sony A7RIV 61mp Mirrorless camera, Sigma Art 24-70mm f2.8 Lens, 24mm, ISO 200, F 10, 1/80 second, natural light (reduced to fit here in UHH)

Mirrorless is a silly monikor for the latest technology cameras. It is like calling modern autos crankless.

The biggest advantage of the latest generation cameras is the EVF. It has many advantages over optical viewfinders. Elimination of the ancient design flapper is the least of those advantages.

And of course the new cameras advance sensor and processor capabilities.

The touchscreens on these cameras are also a huge advantage over randomly placed buttons...especially if you have multiple cameras.

I tried a Sony a few years ago. I couldn’t get their terminology and approach to menus and controls. I dumped it.

Thank you! Thanks for your wisdom. I have moved through the ranks with the DSLR in the Nikon family. Each move was of course a learning experience. And like most learning experiences, you don't know what you don't know. I hope I never master any of the equipment of any brand. Always ready to learn something new. My photography over the years has changed. The rules of making an image stays the same, but the technology changes. It is not a business for me, but that doesn't mean I don't want to produce quality.

I am currently nurturing the idea of the Sony A7RIV as a starting point.

Thanks for the discussion.

Mirrorless is a silly monikor for the latest technology cameras. It is like calling modern autos crankless.

The biggest advantage of the latest generation cameras is the EVF. It has many advantages over optical viewfinders. Elimination of the ancient design flapper is the least of those advantages.

And of course the new cameras advance sensor and processor capabilities.

The touchscreens on these cameras are also a huge advantage over randomly placed buttons...especially if you have multiple cameras.

And of course focus on the sensor is an advantage to image IQ...no need to fine tune to lenses.

I tried a Sony a few years ago. I couldn’t get their terminology and approach to menus and controls. I dumped it.