The merits of Mirrorless (Page 4): In my opinion the main advantage of mirrorless is EVF vs OVF. With EVF, what you see is what you get.

stevetassi

Bruce Moore wrote:

I have a Canon 550d (T2i) and various lenses. I am considering swapping systems to a mirrorless set up and wondered what people's thought were in terms of the timing of such a switch and which system to go with. I have been reading about the Fuji xt3 and it intrigues me but I am an amateur photographer and it is more expensive than my Canon system. I am considering switching to reduce weight and because mirrorless looks like the future of hobbyist photography.

In my opinion the main advantage of mirrorless is EVF vs OVF. With EVF, what you see is what you get.

BebuLamar

stevetassi wrote:

In my opinion the main advantage of mirrorless is EVF vs OVF. With EVF, what you see is what you get.

That is the only important factor. If you like the EVF then the mirrorless is for you. If you don't then not. Saving weight by buying smaller format cameras and lenses that's because you're going for smaller format not because you are going for mirrorless.

rodpark2 Loc: Dallas, Tx

I use both and one thing I'll say is if you go mirrorless, keep extra batteries and a charger handy at all times.

ncribble Loc: Albuquerque, NM

Time changes all things and even in the photographic world. You're a Canon shooter, why change? You need not accept a cropped body, when you have the opportunity to move to the 'R' mirrorless full frame Canon just announced. It is not GAS in my book it is advancement and to that end I just sold my 7DII and will shortly sell my 5DIII to make that move. My current lens will adapt plus Canon has some very challenging new lens considerations. In my book there was a reason for choosing Canon, so I'm staying the course.

jtwind

Lots of talk here about weight savings and if you go with the smaller format sensors like the olympus you will save weight. You'll even save some weight going with the APS-C sensors. So it all depends on what you are looking to do with the end result. I'm shooting with a Sony A7iii, it's full frame and while the camera is smaller and lighter than most DSLR's if you add something like sony's 24-70 f2.8 it's not much if at all lighter than a DSLR with similar lens. But you get lots more in my opinion with the mirrorless, one of the main ones for me is live view in the viewfinder, it's a game changer. Wouldn't leave home without it!

davyboy Loc: Anoka Mn.

Panasonic G85 comes with a 12-60mm lens. Magnesium front removed low pass filter 4K video and 5 stop stabilization all for $800

ole sarg Loc: south florida

I went with the sony a6000 and bought an adapter for my canon lenses. works great but I have to manually focus which is not a problem with the sony system.

Bruce Moore wrote:

I have a Canon 550d (T2i) and various lenses. I am considering swapping systems to a mirrorless set up and wondered what people's thought were in terms of the timing of such a switch and which system to go with. I have been reading about the Fuji xt3 and it intrigues me but I am an amateur photographer and it is more expensive than my Canon system. I am considering switching to reduce weight and because mirrorless looks like the future of hobbyist photography.

knessr

I switched earlier this year from a Canon 60D with a 70-200mm lens (at 4 1/2 pounds) to a Canon EOS M3 mirrorless with a 55-200mm lens (at 1 1/2 pounds) due to 2 reasons. One is I just can't carry that much weight anymore for long periods of time and two we were going on smaller airplanes with carry-on restrictions of which my camera backpack with the 60D and lens would not meet the maximum limit.

I have used the M3 on 2 different long trips this year (Australia/New Zealand and Alaska) and the images are as good as what I get from my 60D. I'm happy I made the switch and so is my back and neck. Oh ... and I also have a 18-55mm lens for the M3 also, so I have coverage from 18 to 200 mm for a little over 1 1/2 pounds of weight.

Retina Loc: Near Charleston,SC

bsprague wrote:

With Nikon and Canon joining Sony in full frame mi... (show quote)

A few thoughts about your reply, not to argue but because it interests me. EVFs should have the same perspective as ground glass, or do I misunderstand your point? Do sports photographers anticipate a key shot and make use of burst mode? Seems like a mirrorless would work for that. As for the difference in viewfinder images, I may not be alone in using the viewfinder mainly for composing, metering, and focusing, so either a SLR or EVF camera do basically the same. How the final image turns out also depends on other decisions not related to the viewfinder. I admit to chimping like I sometime actually proofread something before sending it and as a quick check that I am not doing something wrong, like leaving out the SD card. Also, since better SLR cameras used by pros who (supposedly) never use the rear display, why are they built into the camera? Maybe it is for us amateurs who have GAS and don’t dare give up chimping.

jtwind

rodpark2 wrote:

I use both and one thing I'll say is if you go mirrorless, keep extra batteries and a charger handy at all times.

This is a blanket statement and just not true in many cases. Was on a photo workshop in Colorado 2 weeks ago, with canon, nikon and sony shooters, my sony A7iii battery out lasted all! The nikon fellow I was with used 4-5 batteries a day, I didn't use up one! We shot about equal #'s of photos.

NCMtnMan Loc: N. Fork New River, Ashe Co., NC

Not intended as a knock on mirrorless since I've been looking myself. I just did a quick comparison of the weight of my D7200 and my 70-300mm zoom to a Sony a6500 with a 70-300mm and there is approximately 7 ounces of difference in weight between the two with the Sony being the lighter. So is weight really the driving determination to mirrorless or is it the other features?

hawleyrw Loc: Dayton, OH

I totally agree, just like digital was replacement for film, mirrorless will be the replacement for the Pentaprism. It’s just a matter of time… For me I’m just about 60 so I don’t plan on investing in the future of enthusiast photography. I’ll keep what I have which is a Canon 6D, and several nice lenses.

jackpi Loc: Southwest Ohio

Bruce Moore wrote:

I have a Canon 550d (T2i) and various lenses. I am considering swapping systems to a mirrorless set up and wondered what people's thought were in terms of the timing of such a switch and which system to go with. I have been reading about the Fuji xt3 and it intrigues me but I am an amateur photographer and it is more expensive than my Canon system. I am considering switching to reduce weight and because mirrorless looks like the future of hobbyist photography.

There are tradeoffs, of course.

Weight of interchangeable lens camera systems (camera + lens) scales with sensor size: Medium frame is the heaviest; Full frame is the lighter than MF; micro 4/3 the lightest; and APS-C in between full frame and micro 4/3.

Image quality scales the opposite way with sensor size: Medium frame has the highest IQ; micro 4/3 the lowest.

Mirrorless cameras are lighter than DSLRs but the mirrorless lenses weigh just as much as DSLR lenses of equal quality. The advantages of mirrorless over DSLR are: Lighter camera weight, the ability to see exposure (including highlight warnings and a histogram) while composing/before shutter release, elimination of front/back focus issues, elimination of blur caused by mirror movement shock, higher frame rates (mirrors limit frame rates), and availability of in-body stabilization.

Another, and more important, tradeoff is between equipment and education. The biggest factor between poor and excellent photos is not the camera system--it is you. Most people would be gain more from educating themselves about exposure, composition, and post processing and by practicing and attending photography workshops than by buying new equipment. Otherwise more expensive equipment might only result in more expensive lousy photos.

Retina Loc: Near Charleston,SC

NCMtnMan wrote:

Not intended as a knock on mirrorless since I've been looking myself. I just did a quick comparison of the weight of my D7200 and my 70-300mm zoom to a Sony a6500 with a 70-300mm and there is approximately 7 ounces of difference in weight between the two with the Sony being the lighter. So is weight really the driving determination to mirrorless or is it the other features?

With shutter clatter and shake being part of life with the DSLR, a heavier camera can actually be an advantage. Mirrorless can offer less weight while reducing the sound and vibration at the same time.

Flickwet Loc: NEOhio

Delderby wrote:

The quality of my images is now better than with a Fuji system I used to have. It is not about better kit it is about a better photographer (me). My M43 cameras ARE better (for me) - easier to use and carry and have great facilities, but I now rely more on my knowledge and not just on the cameras.

I second this emotion 👍 I moved to primarily Oly MFT from Nikon. Love it, started too with the FT legacy glass 12-60 f2.8-3.5 ($200 on eBay) and 14-50 Leica and mix and match as $$$ is available.
I have just the EM-1 mark 1 with grip, em5 IR
And an e620 dslr with the 50-200 f2.8 So I’m like one or two generations behind new. I still have my D300s (35 f1.8 and D2X 80-400. Horses for courses.