How you know when it is time to consider Mirrorless.

[Sanford]

<p>Pros usually bring the whole arsenal no matter what the event.</p><div></div>

[Matt Laur]

<p>Time for mirrorless when, for the people who rely on the rigs in question to achieve specific results, they can get the same results using mirrorless. AF performance, frame rates, ergonomics with long lenses, large optical viewfinder with no night-vision killing back-lit displays/finders. The usual stuff. I have a nice EVIL mirrorless body with a couple of very nice lenses, but couldn't possibly give up the DSLR rigs and expect something like that - so far - to step up and fill the same roles. When they can, then maybe it will be time. No time soon, though, especially with big lenses.</p>

[benny_spinoza]

When your back and neck hurts....then it's time to move to mirrorlesss.

[Lou_Meluso]

<blockquote>

<p>Time for mirrorless when, for the people who rely on the rigs in question to achieve specific results, they can get the same results using mirrorless</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Agreed. And Matt makes good points as to the specifics, but I will add that for many photographers, super long lenses, blazing AF/ frame rates and night vision issues are of little concern for a lot of image making needs. For an old, nature/portrait guy like me those things are "unusual stuff". While I still have and use my big DSLR's in a studio environment, mostly because I have the gear and all the bits to go with it, when I walk out the door for anything else in life, the DSLR stays and the mirrorless comes. That's a small, yet powerful dynamic. On the street or on the trail, for travel or simply day-to-day life events, it's a camera I can carry all day without fatigue. Nothing dampens my photographic enthusiasm more. The posture of the photographers in Sanford's photo above (seated, slouched) is very telling. Most of us have been there. The "Ascent of the Photographer" pictograph on the top of the <a href="http://fujifilm-x.com/photokina2014/en/"><strong>Fuji site</strong></a> is a spot on. Note the posture of the last figure.</p>

<p>So to answer the question: It's time to consider mirrorless when you want a camera you can easily carry, has all the quality of the larger cameras and <em>one that you will actually take with you</em>. The benefits of that are immeasurable.</p>

[lex_jenkins]

<blockquote>

<p>"When your back and neck hurts....then it's time to move to mirrorless."</p>

</blockquote>

<p>This.<br /> <br />I've been considering toting my Nikon D2H, tripod, etc., downtown for some infrared stuff, now that I've discovered how good the D2H is for that without modifications. But anticipating the back and neck aches from lugging that gear... nope. I probably should consider an IR conversion for a smaller camera.<br /> <br />There are some limitations to mirrorless right now, but what these cameras do well happens to coincide with what I need. So it works for me.<br /> <br />And they're pretty good values compared with dSLRs at the usual price points/market niches in the entry level, mid-grade and enthusiast class.</p>

[graham_line]

<p>For certain types of work, my choice for years was either a Minolta CLE or a Leica M4P, with a 28-35-50-90 lens set. I'm now able to get excellent results from a Sony A6000 with a 20mm and the 16-50 lens. The Sony photos do not look exactly like the M-mount work, but they fit the current flow of work, and the time frame that clients expect.<br /> With an adapter, all of the M lenses can and have been fitted to the Sony.<br /> The only downside is the battery capacity -- it takes a minimum of two batteries and preferably three to get the Sony through a long day.</p>

<p>Edit: I would strongly disagree with the tag line at the top: "Pros bring the entire arsenal . . . " A professional will assess the shoot and bring whatever is needed. An amateur will bring everything "just in case." </p>

[pics]

<h1 >"How you know when it is time to consider Mirrorless."</h1>

<p>When all of the podcasts, magazine articles and industry marketing finally convince you that it is physically impossible to make effective images without a petite camera and that you are foolish for trying to do so.</p>

[Wouter Willemse]

<p>Matt's right, and Louis is right in stating that mirrorless is a perfectly fine solution for a lot of us. I live in a city with a lot of tourism, and see a lot of DSLRs, and lot less mirrorless. And given the amount of bickering I hear from spouses on "that large camera", the market for mirrorless really has still a lot of growth left. But if people really want DSLRs - even for silly reasons - it's their wallet. Who am I to argue?</p>

<p>And personally, despite a lousy back, I really do not find a smaller camera to handle any nicer. I do not experience the same with a EVF as I do with an OVF - silliness, and totally personal considerations. When I want to go lighter, I accept that I've got one single ISO to choose from, and bring a filmbody (A F65 is lighter than quite some mirrorless cameras) with two small primes, rather than the usual D700 with 4-5 primes. There are various ways to skin that cat, in the end.<br>

When to consider mirrorless? When you feel like it'll be the better tool for your photography than others.</p>

[danielheller]

<p>Now.</p>

[frank_page]

<p>When mirrorless will do x percent of what you shoot (subject and quality) comfortably at (maybe, don't quote me here...)1/4 the weight. The percentage (70, 80, 90, 100) is up to you. For the way I shoot, the Sony A6000 with a lens range between 10mm to 200mm all f4 zooms gets me about 98% of what I actually did with my old Canon system - all I am loosing is one stop on the lenses, which is not critical to me, and TTL flash meetering - and I have learned ways to deal with that. The ergonomics aren't quite as good, but more than good (95%) enough (a could not say that for the Nex 6, which drove me batty...) And the weight loss is phenomenal. Camera and the whole zoom range (three lenses) is appreciably less weight to lug around - it feels less than a dslr and just a 70-200 zoom. For me, the trade off is worth it. YMMV</p>

[Peter_in_PA]

<p>I had a nice (although amateur) Nikon rig, and I never carried it around because it was too big.</p>

<p>I experimented with Olympus and fell in love.</p>

<p>I can now carry my camera, two kit lenses (14-42 and 40-150) and my flash in my messenger bag. My Nikon with the 18-70 didn't fit in there all by itself.</p>

<p>So I sold all the Nikon stuff.</p>

<p>If I was a pro, that would be a totally different story.</p>

[danny_o]

<p>I guess when you've lost interest in photography, and want to concentrate on gadgets, that would be the time to start looking at " the latest new toy ".</p>

[Peter_in_PA]

<p>Or maybe somebody just comes out with a format that works better for you than the one you currently have...</p>

[dmanthree]

<p>For me, the day you leave a camera at home because it's too heavy, it's time to lighten up. Which is why I went mirrorless.</p>

[eric_arnold]

<p>mirrorless are great travel cameras. and good for casual/candid shooting. ive been experimenting with using my Fuji's for PJ stuff, but when it comes to covering events and anything which requires action and serious lenses, i use a DSLR rig. for landscape/nature photography, it's kind of a different story. i see no reason to bring a DSLR unless i want to use a specific lens i dont have a mirrorless version of.</p>

[jcuknz]

<p>I was a comfirmed bridge camera user but wanted a larger sensor and resulting higher ISO etc. .... I read a dpreview of the Pany G3 and though they said some negative things they didn't unduely affect what I do with photography so I went ahead and bought it ... a truely wonderful camera which currently delights my Son [ he climbs mountains with it].... I moved on to a new GH2 just before the GH3 came out [ I couldn't wait] for its knobs.</p>

<p>I have the 14-140 lens for it and it has become my 'large sensor bridge camera' which being an ILC replaced my DSLR bought purely for that reason.</p>

[Ed_Ingold]

<p>I switched to a "mirrorless" camera, notably a Leica M9, when I found I wasn't needing most of the features of a DSLR, but was suffering from the weight of the kit (about 35 pounds). The Leica and four lenses weighs only 7 pounds, including the bag, and I don't have to set the bag down to get at its contents. My back isn't what it used to be, to a considerable extent due to the abuse I've subjected it to.</p>

<p>The Leica is not a complete extravagance. I bought my first Leica fifty years ago, and collected several lenses over the years. I'm comfortable with a rangefinder, its limitations and benefits. The quiet, though not silent shutter is a real plus, along with the unobtrusive appearance.</p>

<p>At this point I would definitely consider a true "mirrorless" camera with an EFV for several reasons. They are light weight, highly capable, and several can take Leica lenses (also Nikon or Canon). Thus they can serve as a second body for the Leica, with added benefits. In particular, I'm considering a Sony A7r (36 MP) or A7s (12.1 MP but totally silent with incredible high ISO performance). With the EFV and inherent live view, there are no limits on closeups, long or very wide lenses.</p>

[danielheller]

<p>I second Edward.<br>

Sony A7r.</p>

[cc_chang1]

<p>When your dSLR kits are too heavy/big for the intended use. That's all, fundamentally. </p>

[jcuknz]

<p>Alternative to CC Chang .... when you want to get better results and greater flexibility from your P&S or Bridge :-)</p>

[Glenn McCreery]

<p>When I want to bring just a carry-on suitcase on an airline. Otherwise, I will stick with my Canon 5 DII.</p>

[steven_clark]

When you don't take any pictures that aren't planned in

advance because you're kit is too big.

[hjoseph7]

<p>When you suffer from arthritis.</p>

[Bill C1664885404]

<p><em><strong>"...How you know when it is time to consider Mirrorless..."</strong></em><br /> Just seeing this:</p>

<p>When you retire, want to heavily re-engage photography without huge expense, were lucky to have saved a good inventory of Canon FDn lenses from the 80's, and the Sony NEX-7 just became available.</p>

[phil_d]

When you start in photography, you care about what camera you can

afford.

 

When you are a serious amateur, you care about what lenses you can use...

 

When you become a professional you care about what your clients say...

 

Its time I become a professional, as I have way too many lenses...