CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Mirrorless is far, far more than just another technology advance, it's a way of life. Mirrorless is a way of living free of the dictates of flopping mirrors and unmagnified details of the focus point. The mind of the MILC photographer is fully employed in a methodical examination of every aspect of the image as they control and create a new reality.

neillaubenthal

Dude…it's not just the sensor and the improvements are due to better technology that just happened to come along with the shift to mirrorless for fewer mechanical parts. Every component in the newer models is better than the ones in the older ones regardless of whether there's a mirror or not. EVF, AF, sensor, FPS, and so on.

Mirrorless happened because the camera makers could make bodies smaller, lighter, and with fewer mechanical parts…hence getting more reliable operation and fewer warranty repairs. But at the same time…Moore's Law made better sensors, EVFs, processors and all the other advances that come with newer tech.

None of that means a whit that your older DSLRs can make good pictures…they certainly still can. However…in many situations the better sensor provides lower noise, higher ISO capability, more DR, and more MP…all of which contribute to better images since they can do more. Whether the improvements in FPS and AF and SD make a difference to an individual photographer is depending on what they need or want.

It's pretty simple…even the D850 which is arguably one of the best DSLRs ever made cannot match the AF and FPS performance of a Z9 for BIF sequences and get all of the images in focus and with good exposure…and the equivalent models from other vendors likewise.

zug55 Loc: Naivasha, Kenya, and Austin, Texas

Seriously? Are we still having this conversation? This ship has sailed. I still drive a 5-speed 2003 Subaru. Both living anachronisms.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

So are Luddites serious or not?

(I don't care what people call me,
as long as it's not late for dinner.)

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

When the new models ended, DSLRs passed into legend. And mirrors became myth. And by 2024 only those with the longest beards could remember a time when photography was limited by mirrors.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

or film.

Canisdirus

This is a thread from 2005...apparently.

It's been settled.

RKastner Loc: Davenport, FL

Okay....this is my opinion that's still forming...

I just dumped my Canon T7i and got a Canon mirrorless camera. I like the screen for the most part, though I'm finding with my zoom lens I'm still using the viewfinder. It seems to work better for me. Because of the screen being on so much....you do burn through batteries faster.

Overall....I like the mirrorless camera over the DSLR. The sensor is better...it just is. My images are noticeably better.

KillroyII Loc: Middle Georgia

This topic should be repeated at least once a year, until everyone replies... what is a DSLR.

If nothing else, I find CHG_CANON's replies amusing

SteveFranz Loc: Durham, NC

RKastner Loc: Davenport, FL

DSLR - Digital Single Lens Reflex

I take it to mean any digital non-pocket camera pre-mirrorless.

MJPerini

This is really getting old.
People should use whatever they choose to use and unless we are asked for our opinion, it is pretty much none of our business. Why should we even care why someone chooses to use a particular camera? Let alone the disparagement of someone else's choices.
If the camera you use, produces the results you want, it is adequate for the task. Period.

By the same token, if you choose to use a previous generation of camera technology, don't 'justify it' by suggesting that mirrorless technology is not better technology in many demonstrable ways, that point is beyond argument.
But use what you want and no 'justification ' is ever necessary.

The truth is, very few of us are "Camera Limited", if we are honest, most of us are skills or effort limited.... we have plenty of room to improve before the camera becomes a limiting factor. If a new feature becomes available ,...say.. Subject tracking, Eye tracking etc and it would be a game changer for the work we do, THEN we are closer to being camera limited. But it is still a personal choice.
Personally, I am still using cameras with mirrors. 2 Canon 5D IV's and a 1Ds III. Not because I think these are better than the latest available, but because I know how much better they are than ME. I do not use subject tracking etc, because the work I tend to do is SLOW. The latest generation of lenses I have are incredibly good. I can make any picture I want to make. Frankly , I am surprised by this, I thought I would have moved long ago, but I just have not felt the need or desire.
Another factor is age, my cameras seem to be gaining weight each year and a couple of R5's would not be significantly lighter with lenses attached.
But something else has changed, some of the best, most expressive photographs I have ever made have been made with my phone,---not by specific choice, but because it was ALWAYS there. That has changed me.
So it is increasingly likely that my next camera may be something like a Leica Q3.
I've spent a good part of my life in Photography as a pretty good Professional with Clients like IBM, Cutty Sark , lifestyle & drug Companies , Architectural work etc, But also as a pretty good Amateur with gallery representation.
Good Pictures are camera dependent only in so far as you need one.
Pictures can be objectively good, subjectively good, or neither, and all three can be important to us for various reasons. The reasons are always Ours.
So this recurring theme of Judging people by the camera they choose to use is shallow and a waste of time.
The world could really use a little less judging, especially among people who share an interest.
At its best , this place can be genuinely helpful and entertaining.
This is as close to a rant as I get. I do not mean it that way.
I really think we can do better, and it would be more fun.
...all the best

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Rongnongno Loc: FL

Neither can I.

Rongnongno Loc: FL