rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

I'm all in favor of staying with my DSLR/SLR cameras. I used a mirrorless digital between 1999 and 2010. I'm not a fan of the EVF. There is a bit of a lag between what is happening in the world and when one sees that in the viewfinder. It's improved a bit, but, as noted by one reviewer, it's still there.
--Bob

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

And full of useful information.
Not boring blather that goes on and on.

lamontcranston

Excellent post Bill. Thanks for posting it. Lots of good information in there to chew on.

StevenG Loc: Long Island, NY

Thanks for the great summary!
Steve

fetzler Loc: North West PA

Burkphoto has given a lot to think about. I have a D7200 and a new PEN F. I see advantages in both. The Nikon menus are, I think, better organized and there is a LOT of very nice NIKON glass. On camera controls on the Nikon are a bit better. The battery life on the Nikon is excellent.

I do like the size of the PEN F and can have a small travel system - small body and lenses. The weight of the PEN F is 427 g vs 765g for the D7200. I do think that the PEN F feels rather heavy in the hand, however. When using the mechanical shutter I do notice the motion in the shutter while hand holding. The EVF gives a very good impression of the final exposure BEFORE the exposure is made. The battery life on the PEN F is much shorter than the NIKON. I really like EVF focus peaking on the PEN F

As for image quality both cameras seem to be very close. Sometimes, I think the PEN F is a bit better.

As for weight savings I think this will be minor when comparing cameras with the same sensor size. The body weights may differ a little but the lens weights should be comparable.

I purchased the PEN F because

1. I can have a small travel camera
2. I wanted to have a camera with a flexible screen.
3. I think it will be useful for macrophotography (small sensor size, the flexible screen, focus peaking)
4. It might be good for some wildlife photos - small size and inexpensive lenses

Bob Smith Loc: Banjarmasin

The EVF lag is no longer an issue with modern mirrorless camera's. Most guys who have invested a lot of money in DSLR's won't change and rightly so, but if you are starting out fresh mirrorless is probably the best option the main advantage being what you see in the viewfinder is exactly what you are going to take and you can adjust the exposure on camera to your preference.

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

So much has changed since then.

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

Everyone gave good opinions on this topic.

olemikey Loc: 6 mile creek, Spacecoast Florida

Great job Bill, didn't mind the length at all... has me thinking, which is always good, but sometimes costly!!! (I see it is so long nothing shows when you hit quote reply)!!

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Thanks.

If you like Nikon menus, you would like Panasonic Lumix menus better than Nikon or Olympus, given a week or two. (I did, anyway.)

M4/3 native lenses are FAR lighter than full frame equivalents, and significantly lighter than APS-C equivalents. M4/3 bodies don’t save a lot of weight; lenses do.

Macro on M4/3 is great. Electronic shutter plus silent mode plus remote release from a smartphone makes it easier to get sharp images.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

If you want a great summary of the state of cameras today, check out Hugh Brownstone’s Three Blind Men and an Elephant posts. Be sure to watch part 2!

https://youtu.be/novJRxNOOVE
https://youtu.be/3CLtb_Jb828

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

There is plenty of information in the Internet. They are smaller, lighter, have no mirror and consequently less parts to use during manufacture. The lenses in general are smaller but not all of them.
One of the big advantages is that at the end of the day you will be tired and with pain in your shoulder while if using a mirrorless you will be like a spring chicken instead. Those cameras in general are small and fit anywhere. They are excellent for traveling and the quality using good optics is as good as that from a dSLR.

An area that till now was the domain of the dSLR was sports and wildlife. The new mirrorless cameras have excellent AF systems making life easier. Noise is greatly improved compared to mirrorless of the past.
In short, professionals are now embracing mirrorless cameras. I believe that there is a place for both of them.

jaycoffman Loc: San Diego

Well I hope all the positive things about mirrorless are correct. I have a Sony a7iii with 24-105mm lens coming in the mail and my Nikon d7100 and lenses in the mail going to B&H. I switched somewhat because I thought I was getting in a bit of a rut with my photography and want to change the focus (so to speak) a bit. I also wanted to see what full frame and mirrorless would do for me. At first I wanted to get smaller equipment with less weight but be careful what you buy in mirrorless as the full frame cameras weigh about the same as at least my d7100. Time will tell if it was a good switch for me but if I were starting out now I'd probably also go for mirrorless.

genocolo Loc: Vail and Gasparilla Island

Thank you for sharing all this very interesting information and your experience.

Hip Coyote

burkphoto...outstanding summary of DSLR v Mirrorless. I am a m4/3 user and like the system. The Oly OMD 5D mii works well for my purposes in that it can be carried in a very small package with the EZ lens or expand to a larger system with an extra battery holder / grip and 12-100 pro Oly lens. Add to that the 7-14 Oly pro and it is a nice system. Very crisp lenses. Further, I often carry a single fast prime for indoors / no flash photography. The downsides are the start up from a sleep mode makes me anticipate when I want to use the camera...and have missed a few shots due to that. The battery usage is pretty high but I monitor that and swap out when the battery gets low and there is a lull in shooting.