Tomcat5133 Loc: Gladwyne PA

This too small to hold is not what I understand. All the Nikon's I had over the years were heavy and I enjoyedholding them sometimes with one hand. If your mirrorless is small (my a7s II is small but heavy)
get a flash bracket and attach as a handle. Or add the battery pack. And with some lens the camera
is heavy. I am aware of Canon color science. The look is pleasing. I really like the Sony camera's.
I like the imagery. I am into video now for cash and their camcorders and cameras are the best
for the buck. Price is an issue. The Sony a7sIII shook up the market. And Nikon and Cannon
and changing prices to adapt.

Waxhouse Loc: Tampa Via Philadelphia

Take a good look at the Fuji X-T2 or X-T3. If you like the feel of the old DSLR I think you may like the Fuji. Since the X-T3 is new you can get some great deals on the X-T2.

Glenn Harve

Go to a camera store. Skip all of this and do real world evaluations, based on YOU and YOUR preferences. Take or buy cards, shoot, compare. Then buy from that camera store that provided what no on-line seller can....an informed decision taylored to YOUR wants.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

What is your budget? Do you have any legacy equipment that might transfer to your new system? The adapters for the Nikon Z line a re quite good.

nadelewitz Loc: Ithaca NY

Don't buy ANY camera without experiencing how it feels in your hands. Size, comfort, holdability, access to controls with your fingers, are ALL-IMPORTANT in determining what is right for YOU.

jaycoffman Loc: San Diego

Try some of the big box stores--I found one at Best Buy that I could handle. It's a good camera and an interesting change. I just went from a Nikon d7100 to a Sony a7iii. To me the feel of the camera was not that much different. However, getting used to the menu system (which maybe tries too hard to be everything to everyone) is still part of the learning curve. Also, maybe too many buttons and wheels. This is not minor because I still tend to hit buttons that I'm not used to and don't intend to and am changing settings. It's still a slow process figuring out what went wrong. But it's fun and I have really improved low light performance and I'm getting better picture quality. The Sony is heavy--about the same as a DSLR so no gain with weight.

FJS

As others have said, make sure the camera feels comfortable in your hands with a variety of lenses. I just added a Canon L Telephoto lens to my collection replacing my earlier and lighter tele lens. It feels great on my 7D-II but does not feel right on my Rebel.

Another consideration: If you have high end lenses that will work on a DSLR, you may want to stay with the same manufactured since the lenses is where the real investment is.

lautenk2

There's a lot of good advice in this thread, and I especially agree with Nadelewitz's "ALL-IMPORTANT" opinion. Curious nobody mentioned their hand size, kind of obvious that it makes a difference. I have medium size hands. I bought a Sony NEX-5n, then later an a6000, because they're easy to pack & travel with, but I often wish for one more control dial, a couple of more buttons, and a place to grip with my pinkie finger. I can see where somebody with large hands would regret buying a NEX-5n or an a6000. Recently picked up a Nikon Z7, and my medium hands seem an excellent fit for that or for a larger camera.

35mm film SLRs back in the day were smaller than most DSLRs now, but they also had fewer controls & displays. Bottom line, already repeated many times here, you need to actually have the camera in your hands to know if it will fit.

Bazbo Loc: Lisboa, Portugal

I have been a Nikon shooter for decades and currently use Nikon digital (D850 and D800). On a rip to Europe last fall I found that the weight of lugging all of the Nikon gear and the heavy lenses to be quite burdensome, to the point that I was not enjoying the trip as I should have.

When I got home I looked into mirrorless and bought the Sony a6500-kind of he crop sensor version of the Sony you are considering.

I am quite happy with the purchase--at least for my intended use (travel and casual photos). It renders beautiful pics when using the Zeiss lenses and pretty good pics when using the Sony Lens. I love the EVF, the technology embedded (far superior to my D850) and the weight difference is the real game changer.

I have not taken it on the road yet (I have three overseas trips scheduled for this year) but if it performs as well as I think it will, I will probably add another body and lens to the system. My only concern is that it seems a little delicate (I am pretty hard on my camera gear) but learning to be more careful is not much of a sacrifice.

To be sure, it will not replace the FF Nikons. But for my intended use, it seems, so far, like an almost perfect solution.

Good luck and let us know how it works out.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Ergonomics and menu navigability are HUGE. Some manufacturers get that right... others DON'T. But which is which varies with user experience! So yes, try before you buy, or live with frustration if you pick the wrong system.

nadelewitz Loc: Ithaca NY

My first DSLR was going to be an EOS Rebel. Did all my research, had all the features I needed and then some, affordable, etc. Went to the store and picked one up. It just felt too small in my hands. Pinkies hanging down, not a real good grip on it. I noticed that the EOS 60D looked bigger. That's when I learned about variations in size with different model groups. It's the same with Nikon. I ended up paying $500.00 more than the Rebel for the 60D solely because of this.

And I do not have huge hands. My wife thinks they are big and "graceful".

Then I bought a battery grip for it, not because of more battery life, but because I wanted still more firm holdability.

I later acquired an EOS 40D and discovered it is bigger than the 60D. Still bought a grip for it. Sigh. Manufacturers think they have to downsize to modernize.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

When I decided to expand to full frame, I bought a very nice Nikon D610 on this forum for a very attractive price. Similar to the post above, I found out very quickly that it was not going to work for me ergonomically. Within a week, I traded it for a D810, which fits my hands perfectly. All of the additional features didn't matter initially, just the larger size. I've added a couple of other cameras since...all full size DSLRs. Looked extensively at a Z7. Like the D610, it just doesn't work for me.

ronaldwrightdallas

I used many nikon cameras starting with the D1 and ending with the d800. I loved them. I got tired of the heavy cameras and lens and wanted to go mirrorless. my first sony was the a6000. used it and the lens it came with on a two week vacation trip. it is definitely a little smaller. but I got used to it. upgraded to an a6500, got some lenses, sold all my nikon gear. when the a7r3 came out I bought it and a few lenses.

I love it all. no reason to even think about a larger camera or going back to nikon. so I guess I am a convert.
you will need to use it awhile to get used to it. mirrorless allows you to do things different. for example I very rarely put the camera up to my face. therefore I use a long strap and keep it at my hip.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

When I was looking at cameras to record both video and stills, I tried an Olympus OM-D E-M1 (original) first. It was too small, and it felt awkward in my hands. The menus were a mess.

Next, I tried a Lumix GH3. It felt like a slightly smaller and lighter version of my old Nikon F3, and it had all the right buttons and physical controls in the right places. Its menus were organized for rapid access to the most used features, and nearly all buttons were reassignable. So when the GH4 came out, I bought that one.

If weight and size are important to you, go to the manufacturer web sites, look up dimensions and weights, and add up the total of the kit you expect to create. Don't just fall for the "lighter camera" feature when "going mirrorless". Unless you use Micro 4/3, the LENSES are the same average weight they always have been with full frame or APS-C gear. So a bag full of full frame or APS-C format lenses and a mirrorless body will not be noticeably smaller or lighter than an equivalent dSLR kit.

Micro 4/3 lenses are roughly 1/3 to 1/4 the size of full frame lenses, and 1/2 to 1/3 the size of APS-C lenses, if you compare equivalent maximum apertures and fields of view. Of course, there are other trade-offs, one way or the other, so study options and features carefully.

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

That may be true to a great extent, I have the X-T2 and agree that the dials on top of the camera somewhat resemble a film camera but I find the menu system to be a bit perplexing and it is easy to hit the wrong button and change menu options. Can be frustrating, but all and all the Fuji is a great camera, and unless you are shooting fast moving nature or sports there is no reason not to go mirrorless, the ability to see exposure effects through the EVF is just one of the many great creative aids these cameras offer.