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Is it time to go mirrorless ?


fredscal

In my place (see post), would you go mirrorless ?  

6 members have voted

  1. 1. In my place (see post), would you go mirrorless ?



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Hello. I'm an artsy photographer with little professional experience or imperative.

 

A flood having destroyed some of my gear (including my Nikon D810 body), I hesitate between buying the same equipment, or selling everything left and go mirrorless.

 

My motivation mostly comes from the belief that mirrorless are the future, and reflex equipment is gonna be outdated and worth nothing soon, if not already... But I may be wrong about that?

 

Also, I find the quietness and light weight of mirrorless desirable, but not at any cost.

 

Here are a few questions I hope will help me decide:

 

- Are DSLRs on their way out, marketwise ?

- Are mirrorless bodies just as quick to react to actuation as DSLRs ? (not "almost" as quick)

- In that same spirit: are electronic viewfinders really latence-free nowadays ? Are they like the real thing?

- Is there a mirrorless body/lens combination that will give me the same amount and quality of bokeh as my Nikkor 85mm F/1.4 G on a full frame ? (see example pics)

 

http://lahoopa.org/_img/photodanza/ex/FS1407-DSC_6899.JPGhttp://lahoopa.org/_img/photodanza/ex/FS1407-DSC_7693.JPG

 

...and now the $1M question: if I asked these questions in the mirrorless forum, would I get the same answers ? ;-)

 

Shoot.

Edited by fredscal
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Would you buy a typewriter?

- no judgement, I have friends who would.

A SLR/DSLR finder was never realistic, it was always a matter of taste.

Mirrorless has been on the market for more than 10 years and has matured to an extend where doubts are no longer based on rational considerations.

You can put your lens on a mirrorless camera if you wish.

  • Like 1
Niels
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Your questions are repetitious of the hundreds which have been asked about mirrorless cameras. NHSN hit the button on the nose. Yes, I still keep my DSLR and Leica RF bodies, but most of my work these days is on a mirrorless body using vintage lenses via adapters & I'm extremely pleased with the functionality and results..
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- Are DSLRs on their way out, marketwise ?

- Are mirrorless bodies just as quick to react to actuation as DSLRs ? (not "almost" as quick)

- In that same spirit: are electronic viewfinders really latence-free nowadays ? Are they like the real thing?

- Is there a mirrorless body/lens combination that will give me the same amount and quality of bokeh as my Nikkor 85mm F/1.4 G on a full frame ? (see example pics)

 

 

  1. Sure as hell! If you don't count the huge used market.
  2. & 3. I don't own a contemporary top of the line mirrorless. Since you asked in the film camera forum: Why should it take a Leica M longer to get its shutter going, than an SLR to do the same, after(!) getting that mirror out of the way? My early(!) Fujis are awful. I expect modern high res bodies to be sufficient and assume sports bodies to do fine.
  3. Hit the petting area of an electronics mall, bring somebody to leap towards you or goof around and see yourself. Or even better: Rent
  4. Adapt your lens, if you can cope with a Nikon. Or dive into reviews of others' 85mm offerings' bokeh.

#"Reflex equipment worth nothing" Is that bad? I like paying nothing and being able to shrug losses off. But yes, I admit: I took pictures because I had a camera with me, because leaving it at home felt too risky. But should THAT be the secret of oir art?

I will not buy the EF 85/1.4 IS for my 5D IV, because I don't want to rely on SLR AF at f1.4. i.e. I am pondering that lens and the R mount alternatives with a mirrorless body.

Why didn't I buy already? Canon will improve something on the R 5 II and(!) that darn COVID spook doesn't feel over yet. 85mm might not match my distanced remains of a socialization. Trying to say: Re-evaluate, what floated your boat & choose wisely and accordingly. Could less be more?

#quiet: M9 sounds more annoying than 5D.

#light? Lens choice can ruin everything. R5 +85/1.2 would be way out of my everyday carry comfort zone.

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I only answer the first question that is Yes manfufacturers won't be introducing any new models of DSLR and will phase out their current DSLR line up.

Also the DSLR is onl its way out but their price may not be dropping. There is a chance that the price will increase.

 

The last 3 you should find it out for yourself.

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- Are mirrorless bodies just as quick to react to actuation as DSLRs ? (not "almost" as quick)

When the human brain is scientifically proven to be about 1/10th of a second behind reality, what difference does a delay of a few milliseconds between shutter press and actual exposure really matter? Timing a shot is about anticipation, not reaction time.

 

Having said that; IME a good modern MILC is just as fast as any DSLR, and the always 'daylight bright' EVF tracks reality just fine and allows you to see clearly in light too dim to read by. A MILC also offers dead accurate AF that few DSLRs can match unless you use Live View - thus effectively turning them into a mirrorless camera.

 

Also, theoretically, not having to wait for a mirror to shift itself out of the light path should make a MILC slightly faster to respond. This might be counteracted by the time taken to electronically erase the sensor image and close the mechanical shutter, but in practise a modern MILC is essentially instant to react to the shutter button. Certainly faster than most people's reaction time.

 

Anyway, in your situation I would hire or borrow the particular mirrorless camera you have in mind and just see how you get on with it.

Edited by rodeo_joe|1
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Are mirrorless cameras going to improve your photography ? Do you own a business where mirrorless cameras are essential ? Did your camera manufacturer send out a notice that they will no longer be servicing DSLR's ? Do you have deep pockets ?

 

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then by all means get a mirrorless camera...

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IMHO, dSLRs are going away for a variety of reasons, though prices may not drop because they're expensive to manufacture. OTOH, cameras in general are heading up in price because there's almost no low end market anymore. If you have tight budget constraints, a used dSLR might be the best bet. Mirrorless is certainly the future and rapidly becoming the present. You'll probably find your results improve with mirrorless because of the better view under many light conditions.
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No intention of going mirrorless. Most are far too small a body for me 6ft 5 and large, big hands too. Plus all my cameras I buy used market some quite long in the tooth Mamiya C33, Mamiya RB67 Pro S, Bronica SQA, Canon F1 New with winder, Canon A 1 with winder and a recently aquired Canon 7D Mk II with a grip. Like my cameras big.and pre loved. Even the flash I use is big and elderly a Metz CT45 I use on all my cameras I did own a modern flash FAR TOO COMPLEX AND FIDDLEY. plus grey on grey TINY LCD screen hard to read. None are a problem the big Metz has. Edited by laurencecochrane
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You ask if mirroless can react as quickly as a DSLR. Some can react more quickly, can go back in time, in fact. I understand that the Nikon Z9 has the capability of preserving frames from before you pressed the shutton button. You may be able to do this with other bodies as well, if not now then in the future.

 

In your situation, I would not hesitate to switch to mirrorless.

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Because that's what the OP asked about.

 

OK, the question is misplaced in this forum, but that's no reason to ignore it.

No but it does show a lack of basic understanding. Header CLEARLY READS Modern FILM cameras. Not as if there is not a specififc header for mirrorless

Edited by laurencecochrane
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I enjoy both with a Fuji X-Pro1 and Minolta Maxxum 9 and Sony A850. I still like the view thru a DSLR or a film SLR. But nothing beats seeing a real upside down image on a large format film camera, particularly on my 5x7 and 4x10 cameras. I always thought it would be nice to have a scanning back built to that size (like a really giant Seitz machine that weighed only ounces)
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