docsteve

I went to upgrade my camera selection, thinking I wanted canon or Nikon; whereupon I was introduced to Sony mirrorless cameras which were quite light and impressive. the salesperson(Best Buy) said this was the new wave and that the other manufacturers were eventually going to mirrorless cameras. Said they were faster and AF far surpassed Nikon and canon. Comments solicited.

kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

They are the future but they haven't surpassed dslr's yet. Faster autofocus? Hardly.

Bill_de Loc: US

I have never used a Sony mirrorless. From what I have read they are the only ones that can really go head to head with Nikon and Canon DSLRs. Nikon and Canon are making great strides in mirrorless but are playing catchup.

I do own a Nikon Z6 and am using it to get familiar with mirrorless. It doesn't match my D500 or D850.

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Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

Sony makes great mirrorless cameras, for sure, and, if you go by the pro reviews, they seem to be the industry leaders in mirrorless development. But they’re not the only game in town, and I’m a sony fan. While Nikon and Canon are playing catchup, I don’t think it’ll be long before they’ll be right up there. Their first offerings have just been recently released, and there have been some hiccups.

That being said, don’t count the venerable DSLR out. I believe the DSLR is far from being extinct. They’re still a strong segment of the camera market, although that may be fading a bit as the mirrorless segment continues to develop and grow.

MDI Mainer

Canon and Nikon have been asleep at the switch as far as mirrorless technology; they will never be able to catch up with Sony. When Canon and Nikon are out with their 2nd generation mirrorless bodies, Sony will have moved on to something like their 6th generation.

And now that Sony (and others) are producing professional grade e-mount lenses, there's really no reason (other than nostalgia) to stay with the obsolescent technology of the DSLR.

ORpilot Loc: Prineville, Or

Check with the impartial review organizations as to the statistics. DSLR will not go away. The same was said about SLR vs the rangefinder camera. The Leica is still here. To the DSLR, the Mirrorless will not totally replace it. It is just another tool in the photographer bag of goodies. I personally prefer the Sony mirrorless state of the art technology over C and N brands. Each of us photographers has his own personal preference. It is for you to determine which brand fits your needs best not us. I think you will find that their are many advantages of the mirrorless vs mirrored. I think that the Sony A9 may be the fastest focusing made today. The Sony a7iii, a7Riii and soon the a7Riv are not far behind in speed of focus. All brands take great photographs and always will. The camera is just a tool. It is the photographer that takes the photo.

Jerrin1 Loc: Wolverhampton, England

He probably meant the Sony A9. My last DSLR was a Nikon D500 and AF doesn't come much better than that. I now use a Sony A9 and Sony A7III. My A7III readily matches my old D500 for AF speed and accuracy and my A9 surpasses it easily. To be honest, in the full frame mirrorless world, Canon and Nikon can't match the Sony A9 and may still be playing catch up to the Sony A7RIV in terms of AF capability. I have no loyalty to any manufacturer, but there is no way I would change from Sony given the performance of the A9, A7RIV and the forthcoming A9II.

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

Consider the new Canon EOS RP. Full-frame mirrorless. Not as great a camera as the 5D Mk IV, but it is also only $1100. With the adapter you can use any Canon EF or EF-s lens.

JDG3

I think many photographers are missing the point on mirrorless cameras. Everyone is trying to compare dslr's and mirrorless cameras based on quality, speed of autofocus, size, and weight. Personally I do not think those are the driving factors. What is very different between the two styles are the mechanics of the mechanism, ability to do good video, and ability to be more software driven.

Mechanically the mirrorless cameras are mechanically simpler and thus cheaper to build i.e. easier to build by automation and less human labor. They are also software driven which allows the designers more flexibility to fix issues, add features, and upgrade the system when desired. I also think the next big thing to happen in the future is the elimination of the mechanical shutter system. This should be easier to integrate into a mirrorless system than a standard dslr system. Another feature of the mirrorless system is video integration. Video to many younger consumers is just as important as still photography. The youtube generation cannot imagine buying a camera that does not do great video along with stills. This is more difficult to do with a dslr with the mirror.

Dslr's are not going away, they will just not be as many lower cost options especially in the consumer market. The mirrorless cameras will take over the consumer market or what's left of it after the cellphone camera saturation. Like someone else mentioned, just like there are still photographers still using rangefinder cameras, there will still be dslrs and diehards that will continue to use them. And as long as the diehards can still find good used ones or afford the news ones they will continue to use them.

Are mirrorless cameras better or worse than dslr's? Probably not, however, I think what we will see are mirrorless cameras with the specs and features of much more expensive dslr's at a much lower price point. We are actually seeing that now, the Sony A6400 and newer A6600 have features unheard of on a camera of this price point just a year or two ago, mirrorless or dslr.

So in the end - as always economics will decide the fate of these options. Dslr's will also be around, just like film. There will always be diehards and they will be able to continue albeit at a much higher cost. With decreased manufacturing and production costs the mirrorless model will prevail at some point for most photographers.

Jerrin1 Loc: Wolverhampton, England

You should try a Sony A9 if you believe a mirrorless camera can't take on a DSLR. My A9 easily out performs my Nikon D500. The new A9II will be even better. Even my A7III matches my old D500 for AF performance and both my Sony cameras have the brilliant EyeAF.

miked46 Loc: Winter Springs, Florida

I have 2 Canon's, the 80D and the mirrorless M50. check it out, and the new M6 MK2 is even better.

repleo Loc: Boston

The ‘other manufacturers’ have seen the writing on the wall and have just begun offering mirrorless systems, but none of them are close to competing with the Sony range of bodies or native mirrorless lenses.
Unless you are one of the dying breed who grew up with SLR film and converted to DSLRs and have already invested your childrens’ inheritance in Canikon gear, Sony mirrorless is the way to go.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

I have a Canon and a Sony; I find myself using the mirrorless more and more, and the DSLR less and less. I don’t think you can go wrong with a Sony.

DAN Phillips Loc: Graysville, GA

You will not get better than Nikon, period. He led you down a long, lonely road of marketing or trying to sell an inferior product. Beware!

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Sony has invested a lot in research and development. Right now Sony is way ahead in EYE FOCUSING systems. Sony, in this area, is in grad school and Canon and Nikon are in elementary school.
If I were getting into photography all over again I would have gone with Sony.
The two big advantages of mirrorless are, 1. you see the exposure you get in the viewfinder before you shoot, big advantage, 2. NO LENS CALIBRATION necessary.
Oh, 3. 20 fps on some Sony mirrorless camera's.