Are you going mirrorless?

[rdunative]

Mirrorless cameras such as the Sony NEX-7 seems to be a hot topic these days from the WSJ to blogs such as Trey's in which he states " no more DSLR cameras for me."

What are your thoughts?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304444604577342094118995830.html

http://www.stuckincustoms.com/2012/01/04/dslrs-are-a-dying-breed-3rd-gen-cameras-are-the-future/

Maybe it will drive the cost of DSLR bodies and lenses down for those who aren't interested. ; )

 

[wbeem]

Perhaps as a supplement to my DSLR, but I don't think it's ready to be a replacement. Trey recently posted a review of his Sony NEX-7 he bought at the Sony Store here in Orlando. I met him that evening with some other friends as he bought it and took the photo of him in his review.

The camera is very lightweight and seems to have great quality. We noticed that reviewing the image in the electronic viewfinder seems miraculously better than looking at it on the LCD screen on the back of the camera. You can see dimension and separation. When composing a shot by looking through the EVF, it definitely showed a LOT of noise, but that noise wasn't on the image after the shot.

It needs more range for auto-exposure bracketing. As it stands now, it's less than 1-stop for three intervals. The in-camera HDR shows promise, especially for moving subjects. We took pictures in the mall as people were walking past, but there was no ghosting in the combined photo. Trey took a shot of me waving my arm and I had to move relatively quick to fool the camera. It can eliminate ghosting in HDR at a walking pace, but not at a running pace.

Other than the auto-exposure bracketing, I'm curious to see more about the selection and quality of the lenses. Trey seems to be initially impressed with the kit lens, so maybe it's all good. I'm just hesitant to be the new kid on the block when spending over a thousand dollars.

 

[rossb]

I have a Lumix G3, which is a very nice MFT camera. It did not replace my SLR, it compliments it.

 

[JoeDif]

I'm using an Olympus PEN as my travel camera. For any serious shooting I still pull out the DSLR

 

[photo_chick]

I would love to add a mirrorless kit to my bag of toys, but I keep spending the $$ on my DSLR setup. If I come into extra cash and get one it wouldn't replace my DSLR at this point in time, the technology isn't there yet.

 

[HPS3]

William, I sold my D5100 and Nikon lenses and made the move to a Nex 7. I also have the LA-EA2 which adds the use of Alpha mount lenses and Phase Detect AF. The only thing missing is the OVF which is nice to have in dimly lit areas. The grain you see in the EVF is due to the signal gain. You will also notice this on the back display. The picture quality is fantastic. I usually shoot with a Sigma 17-50 f2.8 OS so I can't really speak about the kit 18-55. I think the image quality is better than my D5100. I like the Nex lineup because you can throw on a small lens and put the camera in your pocket.

Some of the best features of the 7 are:
1. Tri Navi Controls. The 3 dial layout is awesome.
2. Panorama Mode
3. Hand Held Twilight. When shooting at night handheld, the camera takes 6 photos then combines them for a noise free shot.
4. HDR Mode. Not available in RAW (bummer for me).
5. You can use any lens via an adapter. I have a few. You can pick up legacy
lenses under $50.

Disappointments:
1. No OVF. I'm use to the OVF but the EVF is growing on me.
2. Record button in bad location. Thumb always hits it.
3. Bracketing limited to +-.7

 

[wbeem]

I think your summary is right in line with comments I've heard from other owners, and what little I know about the camera myself. If I had the spare change, I'd buy one for a convenient camera. My D700 is a bit hefty at times, particularly with the 70-200 on it.

Since there's no mirror, I don't see how you could have an optical viewfinder. There's no path to let you see through the lens. I'm OK with that, because I just need to see the composition I'm framing. However, the auto-bracketing limitation would be a real deal-killer if I could only have one camera - this wouldn't be it.

Lens adapters concern me. Either from losing a stop of light or having a poor mount connection. I'd rather see the camera and lens mate to each other without an adapter. Just don't trust them that much.

 

[Experiment_626]

Mirrorless cameras such as the Sony NEX-7 seems to be a hot topic these days from the WSJ to blogs such as Trey's in which he states " no more DSLR cameras for me."

Trey changed his mind; he's getting a Nikon D800. He still thinks DSLRs are "a dying breed," though. See: http://www.stuckincustoms.com/2012/03/30/nikon-d800-first-photo/

I don't really want a smaller, lighter camera than the D7000. A mirrorless camera might make its way into my hands eventually, but I like the heft, mechanics and form factor of an SLR. Maybe it won't always have a mirror, but while I agree that there's nothing that says a digital camera has to adhere to a design that derives from the film days, I don't think that means the basic design must (or should, necessarily) be abandoned.

SSB

 

[wbeem]

Trey changed his mind; he's getting a Nikon D800. He still thinks DSLRs are "a dying breed," though. See: http://www.stuckincustoms.com/2012/03/30/nikon-d800-first-photo/



SSB

He's already got it. His wife brought it along for their Disney Cruise trip. I'm considering whether I want a D800, also. I like the fact that its native ISO is 100, instead of 200. That can come in handy for some studio/lighting work. My other reason is to have the larger image size to sell some background photos for people who like to do compositing. It's compatible with my lenses, so it would be cheaper than going for a medium format camera system.

However, I still want a D4 to handle high ISO and action shots. It sucks to want it all!

 

[photo_chick]

Since there's no mirror, I don't see how you could have an optical viewfinder. There's no path to let you see through the lens. I'm OK with that, because I just need to see the composition I'm framing. However, the auto-bracketing limitation would be a real deal-killer if I could only have one camera - this wouldn't be it.

An optical viewfinder does not mean you view through the lens, it can be just a peep hole. A optical TTL view finder means through the lens.

 

[wbeem]

An optical viewfinder does not mean you view through the lens, it can be just a peep hole. A optical TTL view finder means through the lens.

It could, but I think that's a bit of a nit. Most people would expect an optical viewfinder to show the composition relating to the focal length of the lens.

 

[Gdad]

Now DSLR's are a dying breed? Good Lord don't tell my Yashica 124G- I don't want it to stop working in protest.

 

[HPS3]

William, from what I hear around the NEX forums is that hopefully the bracketing will be fixed through a firmware update. As for the adapters, I have been using them for months with no worries so far. Now with the LA-EA2 adapter you lose 1/3 stop of light but that's because of Sony's translucent mirror in all of their SLT cameras. I see you having issues with portraits with any mirrorless camera. I know you take portraits in dim lighting with off camera lights. I don't know if you use continuous lighting or flashes(strobes) mostly. When using flash in a dim lit room where you dont want too much ambient lighting, focusing is near impossible. The EVF and LCD will be black.

 

[zackiedawg]

I love my NEX mirrorless cameras - and they can match DSLRs for image quality and definitely bring convenience and lightweight portability to the picture. But for me, even as a mirrorless lover, they don't replace DSLRs...they compliment them very well. Much depends on the shooter - the more specific your photography becomes in certain subjects, the less the mirrorless cameras can match the DSLR for overall design, speed, and control. As William mentioned, portraiture work, especially serious studio type stuff, will be more challenging with a mirrorless. For me, as a long-time wildlife and bird photographer, DSLRs are a clearly better tool for that type of work in many respects, including focus speed, focus tracking ability, buffer size, battery life, optical viewfinder for better panning and tracking a subject, and low light focus speed & reliability.

That's not to say things like portraiture and birding can't be done with a mirrorless camera - it can, and it does...I've even successfully used my NEX for birds-in-flight shooting which is one of the more challenging types. However, it took much more of my skill and instinct and a little extra effort and lower hit rate to do it, compared to my DSLR...the mirrorless just throws a lot more barriers in your path.

Someday maybe they'll be near-equals...but even their design alone will prevent them from ever replacing a DSLR for some folks - many of us who use DSLRs don't necessarily want it to be a lot smaller and lighter - there are inherent advantages to the large grips, large bodies with plenty of acreage for controls and buttons, heavier weight to help stabilize and counter-balance heavy lenses, and larger viewfinders and LCD screens.

I cannot forsee mirrorless compacts ever replacing DSLRs entirely for me, but I also know I'll likely never be without a mirrorless compact to compliment my DSLR. The future of 'mirrorless' might eventually be full bodied cameras with the mirror removed from the equation - maybe that beast may someday replace DSLRs as it can answer many of the deficiencies...but there likely need to be some technological advancements in electronic viewfinder technology before that will work for a majority of semi-pro and pro shooters.

 

[wbeem]

William, from what I hear around the NEX forums is that hopefully the bracketing will be fixed through a firmware update. As for the adapters, I have been using them for months with no worries so far. Now with the LA-EA2 adapter you lose 1/3 stop of light but that's because of Sony's translucent mirror in all of their SLT cameras. I see you having issues with portraits with any mirrorless camera. I know you take portraits in dim lighting with off camera lights. I don't know if you use continuous lighting or flashes(strobes) mostly. When using flash in a dim lit room where you dont want too much ambient lighting, focusing is near impossible. The EVF and LCD will be black.

I use Elinchrom studio lights or Nikon flash for my portraits. The lighting really isn't that dim when I shoot, though. It's just blocked out of my exposure so only the flash shows up - unless I specifically want something from the environment to show up.

 

[photo_chick]

When using flash in a dim lit room where you dont want too much ambient lighting, focusing is near impossible. The EVF and LCD will be black.

Use modeling lamps in the studio and a focus assist lamp in the field.

 

[KCmike]

Played with the Nikon version the other day and it didn't leave me wanting one anytime soon. Still having glass envy over Janet's 17-55 2.8 Canon lens she uses at WDW.

 

[traylorc]

Personally...I do not see myself going mirrorless anytime soon. I have too much cash tied up in my DSLR body and glass, that I want to use those tools as often as possible. To be honest, I have a DSLR body that realistically exceeds my current photographic capabilities...so I am determined to learn every nuance of my camera. Being a gear head at heart, I know that if I get a new toy I will want to spend most of my time playing with that new toy.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

I have a Lumix G3, which is a very nice MFT camera. It did not replace my SLR, it compliments it.

I have a NEX5. It compliments my 60D and T2i but it hasn't replaced them, much like Ross.

If they ever get a decent viewfinder, I may re-evaluate. Maybe even the Nex 7 is the answer. Admittedly, I haven't played with one yet. On purpose.

I just can't stand having to put on my reading glasses (I'm 50 now.) just to take a photo. No viewfinder. No win. Not for me.

 

[bonnieappetit]

Right now I have a point and shoot. I have always wanted a DSLR, but now with these smaller mirrorless cameras that have come out, I am thinking that the NEX5 might be what I want. I just love to take tons of photos while I am in the parks. How does the NEX5 do for nighttime photography?