gwilliams6 wrote:
Burkphoto you are a wonderful resource of knowledge ,and I always enjoy and appreciate your well though out posts. As a longtime Pro DSLR user (four decades) I switched to Sony mirrorless cameras, as some other top pros ,as well as many interested amateurs are doing.
I can say that with two cameras in particular, the Sony A9 and Sony A7R3 releases ,now there are no more real arguments that mirrorless can't handle any professional demands in terms of speed (20fps for A9), rolling shutter (A9s new exclusive sensor), image quality (the A7R2 and A7R3s 42+ megapixel back-illuminated sensor) , controls (A9 and A7R3 joysticks and control wheels and custom button functions), silent shutters (20fps A9, 10fps A7R3), mechanical shutter speed for high-megapixel capture (10fps A7R3), dual card slots (both A9 and A7R3), accurate and fast auto focus AF-C and Eye-AF (both A9 and A7R3), lens selection (now over 40 E-mount lenses available from Sony and Sigma), Pro support (Sony's expanding Worldwide Pro support network), video capture (top 4k capture from all levels of Sony mirrorless cameras, amateur to pro).
Not even mentioning great cameras from Panasonic, Olympus, Pentax and Fuji.
Cameras are just tools, but better innovative tools help us to create and expand our vision.
Burkphoto you are a wonderful resource of knowledg... (
show quote)
Thanks. That's a great summary of current Sony gear.
I think the main resistance to mirrorless gear is current lens ownership. Photographers, especially Nikon users, have been reluctant to switch to something new because they have a locker full of expensive glass. (Unfortunately, as I learned, Nikon lenses adapt LEAST well to other brands of mirrorless cameras, and for professional use, the Nikon 1 is, well, not very appealing.)
Canon EF lenses, on the other hand, adapt particularly well to Sony and Micro 4/3 (Olympus and Panasonic) cameras. By well, I mean that you can get smart adapters and speed boosters that retain all the automatic features of most Canon lenses. There are a few limitations, but at least that is an option for Canon lens owners.
Back in 2012, I looked around for ONE camera system that could do everything I needed to do for training project work. A lot of what I do is multi-media oriented. I need stills, video, and with the video, great audio. Eventually, in 2014, I found my solution, the Panasonic GH4. It was/is a very well-balanced set of tools for the "hybrid photographer." I have a MUCH more efficient workflow, with better results than I could achieve with my old two-camera (dSLR AND separate video camera) system. For what I do, I have needed nothing more. When I may need more, I can rent it.
Panasonic has since taken video to a whole new professional level with the GH5 (and GH5s, a special version made specifically for low light filmmakers) DPReview gave the GH5 their highest praise, a Gold Award, for video quality and features. They also chose it as their "best camera for video." Panasonic's newest camera, the G9, has capabilities similar to the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II. Both of those are oriented more toward still photographers, but still do a fine job with video. They each have some unique features that are simply not found on other cameras.
Meanwhile, Fujifilm has created some awesome gear. If you're mostly a stills photographer, it's worth looking at their whole line-up, especially the XT-2. It has great physical control layout, reasonably clear menus, and probably the best JPEG quality, straight out of the camera, of anything on the market. They put simulations of all their best films in their cameras, so if you like their film, try their digital.
The Big Four of Mirrorless all make some great glass, too. Sony partners with Carl Zeiss for their best. Panasonic partners with Leica for their best. Olympus makes their own PRO quality glass. Fujifilm uses Fujinon lenses, known in the graphic arts field for years as having some of the sharpest, cleanest optics on the planet.
The development of mirrorless cameras has been steadily accelerating since about 2008. Big Four of Mirrorless take it seriously, while Nikon initially considered it a fashion or lifestyle statement by introducing the Nikon 1 series, and Canon hasn't really supported their M series with native optics the way they could. Most of us who've been around the photo industry for decades are, frankly, a bit shocked at the complacency displayed by Canikon. It's a lot like watching BlackBerry (RIM), Nokia, Ericsson, and Microsoft cede the lion's share of the phone market to Apple and a few Android phone makers over the last decade.
This video is a good reminder of what that sort of complacency will get you. It's also hilarious to watch!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eywi0h_Y5_U