Mirrorless vs. DSLR - Advantages/Disadvantages?

Horoscope Fish

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
NIKONIAN_DREAMWEAVER said:
But, maybe there's one out there that is equivalent to FX?
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The Sony A7S and A7II have full-frame sensors, as does the Leica M. There are probably others I'm just not aware of.

That being said, I rarely know what "pro's" are using; I would suggest you buy your gear based on a serious, honest assessment of YOUR specific wants/needs and budget. Don't worry about what anyone else is doing.
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PapaST

Senior Member
I feel the same way as Horoscope Fish about mirrorless. I've owned 3 mirrorless cameras now and they have their place with me. Just not yet as my main go to camera.

In my mind there is no doubt that mirrorless will overtake DSLRs. That is, if the upscale camera market can withstand the overall downturn of higher end cameras. I don't see any advantages to having a mirrored camera. And I see lots of advantages without it. And to add, mirrorless has only scratched the surface on what the photographer will be able to do with their pictures, setup, etc. Super fast fps, zebraing, real DoF, real-time views, etc., there will be lots more to come.
 
AC016

AC016

Senior Member
NIKONIAN_DREAMWEAVER said:
That's the impression I got a few years ago. Like I said, I still don't see any professionals using mirrorless. They seem to be all using DSLR's. They're usually a smaller sensor, from what I've seen. I know there are some advantages to having larger sensors...But, maybe there's one out there that is equivalent to FX?

I really like the battery life in my DSLR. It's really good.

I have a feeling that you're right, though. Someday, mirrorless will probably be the choice of professionals. :peaceful:
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There are plenty of professionals using mirrorless cameras, either as their secondary or primary shooter. Furthermore, mirrorless cameras do have APS-C sensors and "full-frame" sensors and have had so for a while now.
 
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NIKONIAN_DREAMWEAVER

Senior Member
AC016 said:
There are plenty of professionals using mirrorless cameras, either as their secondary or primary shooter. Furthermore, mirrorless cameras do have APS-C sensors and "full-frame" sensors and have had so for a while now.
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I thought there probably were some (pro's). I just haven't seen any (at all). Even the photo shows I watch occasionally on pbs (Art Wolfe, etc.), those guy's are all using DSLR's, and so are the field guides that travel with them.

You know, eventually, we're going to have the ability to change focus and focal point in post-processing. So, there are some very big changes coming in the next decade or so. Mirrorless may be integrated into that.
 
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NIKONIAN_DREAMWEAVER

Senior Member
Horoscope Fish said:
The Sony A7S and A7II have full-frame sensors, as does the Leica M. There are probably others I'm just not aware of.

That being said, I rarely know what "pro's" are using; I would suggest you buy your gear based on a serious, honest assessment of YOUR specific wants/needs and budget. Don't worry about what anyone else is doing.
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I generally agree with the personal needs analysis, however, I pay a lot of attention to what the pro's are using, and not just for cameras. If the pro's favor certain technologies, there's usually a reason for that. I've been served very well by observing the equipment that professionals use.
 
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Bill16

Senior Member
I personally, though no a pro by any means, feel that some older tech seems the way to go for me! Sure I own the Nikon 1 V1 and lenses, but for a goto is my D700 and hopefully the D3s in the future! Using mostly af-d lenses being reasonably priced, this gives me a real pro quality setup with awesome low light performance to suit my needs and desires! :D
 
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NIKONIAN_DREAMWEAVER

Senior Member
Bill16 said:
I personally, though no a pro by any means, feel that some older tech seems the way to go for me! Sure I own the Nikon 1 V1 and lenses, but for a goto is my D700 and hopefully the D3s in the future! Using mostly af-d lenses being reasonably priced, this gives me a real pro quality setup with awesome low light performance to suit my needs and desires! :D
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Bill,

Why isn't the V1 your go-to camera?

That sounds like a good way to get great lenses at a reasonable price. It's nice that Nikon takes older lenses isn't it?
Canon doesn't go way back with lenses like Nikon does...
 
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Bill16

Senior Member
OK, feels wrong,not pro setup,no enough great lenses, won't AF with my af-d lenses,too small of a sensor,and I prefer at least 12 MPs and the v1 is only 10! It just lacks what I look for in a goto camera!

But I would love to have the adapter to try my macro lens out on it! Lol :)

NIKONIAN_DREAMWEAVER said:
Bill,

Why isn't the V1 your go-to camera?

That sounds like a good way to get great lenses at a reasonable price. It's nice that Nikon takes older lenses isn't it?
Canon doesn't go way back with lenses like Nikon does...
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NIKONIAN_DREAMWEAVER

Senior Member
Bill16 said:
OK, feels wrong,not pro setup,no enough great lenses, won't AF with my af-d lenses,too small of a sensor,and I prefer at least 12 MPs and the v1 is only 10! It just lacks what I look for in a goto camera!

But I would love to have the adapter to try my macro lens out on it! Lol :)
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That's funny, that's quite a list. There's a lot of overlap there with how I feel about my little Nikon point-and-shoot camera. Although, I like having it and do use it occasionally...

Of course, you could upgrade to a newer mirrorless. The new v5 is 21 MP...
 
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gqtuazon

Gear Head
NIKONIAN_DREAMWEAVER said:
I generally agree with the personal needs analysis, however, I pay a lot of attention to what the pro's are using, and not just for cameras. If the pro's favor certain technologies, there's usually a reason for that. I've been served very well by observing the equipment that professionals use.
Click to expand...


Definition for a “Pro” photographer, which relies on photography revenues based on services or products that he or she provides can be misleading.
There are Pro photographers out there who only have the basic kit lenses and a flash, and they call themselves a wedding photographer. Some of the larger companies who cover sports are normally well funded and uses the larger PRO cameras and the more expensive prime or zoom lenses.
Most “pro” photographers really don’t care much about their equipment and are more concern on how to make money. Enthusiast like me worries more on equipment. I could care less if I make money out of it.
If you are serious about great technical data with regards to cameras and lenses, check out this guy’s website. I find his studies more accurate and thorough.

http://diglloyd.com/index-zf.html
 
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Rick M

Senior Member
NIKONIAN_DREAMWEAVER said:
Has anyone used both mirroless and DSLR's? I have a D7100. What are the advantages/disadvantages of these? I noticed that I don't see any pro's using mirroless yet; perhaps there are a few out there? Nikon just announced a new Nikon 1 J5 today.
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I've shot most formats and have settled on mirrorless the pro's for me are:

-Faster fps
-Completely silent shutter (awesome for wildlife)
-Greater reach on a smaller sensor
-Increased DoF at the same aperture
-Using higher shutter speeds for equal DoF (most important overlooked factor, many are too hung up on shallow DoF to understand this benefit). When hiking in dark woods, I can use f2.8 for more speed and have the DoF of 5.6, important for wildlife shooting.
- Much smaller size. lighter
- No mirror slap = smaller lighter tripods.

Cons:
- less shallow DoF
- C-AF not as good (but usable)
 
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sonicbuffalo_RIP

Senior Member
J-see said:
What I wonder about is how constant exposure affects the sensor.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I assume the mirrorless sensor is constantly exposed to light the moment the focus is activated while the DSLR, if not using live, is only exposed during the exposure of the shot.

I don't know if there are any long term tests or comparisons done but from what I know of photocells in other applications, they tend to degrade the more and longer they are exposed to light.

Maybe the total exposure over time is too short to have any effect on the sensor itself but it still makes me wonder.
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Is that true for blondes and redheads too! Oz
 
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Osantacruz

Senior Member
I have both a D800 and a7s. While I like the size and photo quality of my a7s, the auto focus just isn't good enough (for me) to replace a dslr. The quality is there, but I wouldn't rely on it alone unless for myself (vacation, travel etc). Also for use with strobes/flashes, there are fewer options (at least with ttl) so if that matters to you, it can be an issue. I just got an indra 500 ttl strobe and it has a remote trigger for Nikon that works amazing, but I don't think it comes in Sony flavor (only option with hss would be the mitros+ maybe, but no reviews to judge how well it works) and other systems (Fuji, m43 etc) I don't think I've ever seen any serious lighting options for that. Mirror less will probably be the future, but for me personally it's not there yet. For lighting, you'll need manual only (which is fine and in a lot of cases preferred) but in the case of Sony, I hate the proprietary hot shoe that makes it so you can't push the flash in all the way. I haven't seen a mirror less with dual card slots. Not a deal breaker but a disadvantage. One more disadvantage I experienced is controls. At least in Sony. Moving focus point requires too many button presses though m43 was awesome with touch to focus screen which could move the focal point and shoot if desired by just touching what you wanted focused.

Advantages? It's really nice to see the way your exposure in real time. The weight is nice (though a7s maybe not the best example since those full frame lenses still have a bit of weight) especially m43. When I had an Olympus em10, it was very easy to carry around. Ibis is a fantastic feature.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
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J-see

Senior Member
The exposure preview is a DSLR feature too these days. The D750 has it and it works reasonable well. The D810 has it too I assume but I'd have to check.

I don't know if it is a feature on the new D5500 and D7200 but if not; shame on Nikon.
 
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gqtuazon

Gear Head
topdogbobby said:
I have both a D800 and a7s. While I like the size and photo quality of my a7s, the auto focus just isn't good enough (for me) to replace a dslr. The quality is there, but I wouldn't rely on it alone unless for myself (vacation, travel etc). Also for use with strobes/flashes, there are fewer options (at least with ttl) so if that matters to you, it can be an issue. I just got an indra 500 ttl strobe and it has a remote trigger for Nikon that works amazing, but I don't think it comes in Sony flavor (only option with hss would be the mitros+ maybe, but no reviews to judge how well it works) and other systems (Fuji, m43 etc) I don't think I've ever seen any serious lighting options for that. Mirror less will probably be the future, but for me personally it's not there yet. For lighting, you'll need manual only (which is fine and in a lot of cases preferred) but in the case of Sony, I hate the proprietary hot shoe that makes it so you can't push the flash in all the way. I haven't seen a mirror less with dual card slots. Not a deal breaker but a disadvantage. One more disadvantage I experienced is controls. At least in Sony. Moving focus point requires too many button presses though m43 was awesome with touch to focus screen which could move the focal point and shoot if desired by just touching what you wanted focused.

Advantages? It's really nice to see the way your exposure in real time. The weight is nice (though a7s maybe not the best example since those full frame lenses still have a bit of weight) especially m43. When I had an Olympus em10, it was very easy to carry around. Ibis is a fantastic feature.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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Thank you for sharing your personal experience with the SonyA7s. That camera was something that Iwas considering to get when I had some extra cash that was burning in mywallet. However, like what you pointed out, the proprietary flash of the Sonyturned me off and the Zeiss lenses that I wanted to go with it were really notthat compact so it defeated the purpose of buying a MILC.
Otherwise, I am sure it is something nice to play with but itis the Zeiss AF lenses that I am more attracted to instead of the camera.
 
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Wolfeye

Senior Member
I recently sold my D7100 and my Fuji X-T1 to fund the purchase of a Mirco 4/3 system (and to pay off some debt too!) and the camera does what I need it to. The biggest limitation is in dynamic range. You're shooting slide film all the time, for those who recall such things :)

OTOH I get really nice images with a 4 lens kit that weighs only a couple pounds. As I get older I find myself engaged in a constant battle to keep excess pounds from attaching themselves to my person. The most insidious ones are beer-induced and as god is my witness, I have struggled valiantly against that foe with only limited success. It's a draw right now. I am at a healthy weight and fitness level because I choose to exercise. It's far easier to keep camera pounds at bay - not being rich adds immensely to that fight. :)
 
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