Anyone move from DSLR to mirrorless? What did you miss the most?

[m3thods]

Hey all,

I was going to leave this in off-topic, but figured that responses would get buried.

Basically, I'm running a Canon full-frame setup and a handful of lenses, most of which are L's (not the super expensive ones). Aside from camera and lenses, I have a number of extra batteries, filters, remotes, and a wireless lighting setup as well (2 flashguns, 4 transceivers). As for photo subjects, it's a mixed bag: 30% sports, 40% landscapes, 25% people, and 5% macro. I plan on continuing this as much I can going forward.

For a while now, I've been contemplating moving to Fuji or Olympus OMD series, but can't bring myself to actually committing to the full change. I know what I'd be getting in terms of IQ and weight savings, as well as what I'd be leaving behind.

What I'd love about switching:

1. A greatly reduced system. UWA prime, 35 equiv, 85 equiv.
2. Cut weight by more than half.
3. Actual space taken up by the camera when transporting and storage is greatly reduced.

Things I'd miss:

1. full-frame
2. wide angle lenses actually being wide (I shoot predominiately less than 50mm).
3. So many lighting options with respect to triggers, receivers, and flashes.
4. The awesome DOF you get with FF.
5. Lack of long lenses for sports/nature
6. Battery life with mirrorless is atrocious.
7. Used market for FF lenses is expansive

I'd be interested to hear stories from people that have made the switch, and most importantly the things that they missed after they made the switch.

[J____]

i've not made the move myself but would like to hear other's input. For me, it's like going from a V8 to an electric car...

[Marshall Placid]

Battery life is... atrocious on a mirrorless.

That is definitely true.

I have 3 spares and each battery lasts about 3 hours.

But, it is simple to use and it is much smaller for trips, etc.

You won't get all the bells and whistles of a DSLR, but for myself personally, I get more time enjoying the moment/event/trip/attraction/etc. rather than focusing on adjusting a DSLR to take the perfect picture.

If are you into the perfect picture, there is nothing else comparable to a DSLR.

For convenience and the small form factor, mirrorless is much better than a regular point-and-shoot camera (photo quality wise).

[twitchyzero]

how about the best of both worlds, mirrorless FF?
fuji is rumoured to have one next year, by then Sony FE will have a better lens selection too

[Razor Ramon HG]

Went from a D7000 to a Fuji X-E1.

Love the size, hate the focusing on live subjects.

[meme405]

I have a Nex-5 and it is a fantastic run around camera. In fact automotive stuff is probably the only thing I pull out my DSLR for nowadays.

I had a chance to play with the new A7, and I was really impressed, but when I heard the barrier to entry price, I almost burst out laughing. The A7 with 16-50 F2.8 (a mediocre lens AT BEST) is 1700 bucks (here in canada its actually like 1850).

Unless they can get that price down below 1500 and team it with a way better lens, I can't imagine moving mirrorless yet.

[ae101]

friends got a sony alpha, battery is no good at all but its nice & handy

dads gonna be lieca M9 digital in the future & his reason for that is cuz he wants to match his non digital M9 , yes u heard me right my dad has a lieca M9

[m3thods]

Originally Posted by Razor Ramon HG

Went from a D7000 to a Fuji X-E1.

Love the size, hate the focusing on live subjects.

The XE-2 seems to fix most of the focusing issues, at least it's what I've seen using my friend's XE-2.

FF mirrorless is way too expensive. At that point I'd rather keep the SLR, since the lens selection is better anyways (without the use of adapters). I also don't want to fuss around with FF lenses on the body, which defeats the purpose IMO.

I've toyed with getting rid of my 6D and short lenses, and replacing that with a XE-2, UWA prime (like the Rok 14), 35 equiv, and 85 equiv. Then I would pick up a 60D or 50D for sports. My only issue with this is that indoor sports would basically be non-existant, since the 50D I used to have was SO bad, even with a 70-200 2.8 IS II.

The battery life and lack of long lenses really are the only barriers. Battery life less so because I can buy a ton of batteries. But losing out on sports and nature shooting would be a deal-breaker.

[Szeto]

Originally Posted by ae101

friends got a sony alpha, battery is no good at all but its nice & handy

dads gonna be lieca M9 digital in the future & his reason for that is cuz he wants to match his non digital M9 , yes u heard me right my dad has a lieca M9

LEICA. and cool story....

[Lomac]

Originally Posted by ae101

friends got a sony alpha, battery is no good at all but its nice & handy

dads gonna be lieca M9 digital in the future & his reason for that is cuz he wants to match his non digital M9 , yes u heard me right my dad has a lieca M9

M9...

If it's for the brag factor, go for it. Otherwise, there are far better cameras on the market for the price. Don't get me wrong; I love Leica cameras, but the M9 is absolutely not worth the price difference from the M-E.



AAAANYways, I've got a mirrorless camera and I don't mind it at all. I think the battery life depends on the brand (my Sony tends to last a fairly decent amount of time... much longer than Marshall's, though I may simply shoot fewer shots in the same amount of time as he does). I haven't had an issue using adapters for lenses designed for slr cameras, though the lack of a decently priced full frame is a bit of a downer. I'm sure that'll change over the next couple years though, as mirrorless cameras become more mainstream.

[woozzle]

Originally Posted by ae101

friends got a sony alpha, battery is no good at all but its nice & handy

dads gonna be lieca M9 digital in the future & his reason for that is cuz he wants to match his non digital M9 , yes u heard me right my dad has a lieca M9

what in the world is a NON-digital M9??

[gars]

Fuji has a 10-24mm now, so a 16mm equivalent on FF, as well as their 14mm, and a Zeiss 12mm. I don't know about the OMD options though.

Battery life is definitely not as good, but I understand because the sensor always has to be "on", as opposed to an SLR, but batteries are pretty cheap and I just carry extra.

[m3thods]

Fuji lenses are excellent, but as with anything with excellent IQ they're very expensive (and there are no real 3rd party options yet). Used selection is also very scarce (and deservedly so).

Like you I always carry extra batteries. There are times when I'm shooting a ton, and I get to the end of extra battery juice. I would have to carry double the amount of batteries to have the same experience with mirrorless.

One thing I forgot to mention though- EVFs on the top-end mirrorless cameras are SO GOOD. Yeah they're not OVFs, but not having to guess exposure and the end result is a plus in my books.

[twitchyzero]

i rarely see the OMD line on sale...the odd clearance here or there
pricewise if you're only buying 3 lenses i think going either fuji or oly is going to work out similarly in the end

[gars]

Originally Posted by m3thods

Fuji lenses are excellent, but as with anything with excellent IQ they're very expensive (and there are no real 3rd party options yet). Used selection is also very scarce (and deservedly so).

yeah, it's also because the vast majority of their lenses have only come out in the past year or so. unlike Canon/Nikon where most of the lenses have been out for 5+ years.

there was a deal on both Zeiss Lenses (32 f1.8, and 12mm f2.8) together for $1000 in the states (separate they're $1800) a while back. I would've loved to have added those to my collection, but I didn't have $1000 kicking around at the time.

[Ronin]

Why not just have both?

I have a 5D3 setup for "work" and I'm going to buy a Fuji system for everything else. I'll never travel with Canon gear again.

[Moo Man]

I have a 5D2 and recently just picked up a used EOS-M at a great deal off an RS member. I picked up a canon lens adapter off ebay so I can use all of my lenses on the EOS-M as well.

The mirrorless is definitely much more handy to carry around. I can fit it inside my suitcase with my 16-35mm attached to it and have it with me wherever I go, which is quite handy. The photo quality is quite decent as well.

For more serious shooting though, I would still go back to the full frame. I also need to get used to not having a view finder on the mirror-less camera.

[m3thods]

Originally Posted by Ronin

Why not just have both?

I have a 5D3 setup for "work" and I'm going to buy a Fuji system for everything else. I'll never travel with Canon gear again.

Quick answer is cost. All photography for me is for pleasure. I can't justify having both systems because, well, it'd be a lot of gear tied up for just a hobby. If anything, I'd be selling my Canon system (the majority of it) to fund a mirrorless system.

Part of me thinks I can get by with a Fuji system for wide/med tele, then pick up an old crop 50D or 70D if the price is right for sports and wildlife. The Fuji would be for travel, and the Canon for local stuff. The tough part with that is I try to go to zoos/wildlife refuges wherever I travel to, so that would leave me in the dark in that respect if I were to leave the Canon at home. There isn't a suitable selection for long lenses to fix that, so I'm left with compromising just as much as staying with my current set up.

I really want to ditch the weight/size of the DSLR, but it's tough to give up the other stuff as well. After my recent trip to SF, I've begun to seriously think about what I want to do. The 6D was fine walking around with, but worrying about weight restrictions on pickier airlines nowadays and having to debate on "what lens should I bring today" irked me a bit.

[m3thods]

I thought I'd update everyone with what I finally decided. After a few weeks of debating, I decided to put all of my Canon gear for sale (check the RS FS section!). I realized that, after many years of owning a SLR, I've come to avoid taking it out because of its size and intrusiveness. Having a lot invested in the system, I finally felt that it wasn't ideal to tie up that much cash in a system that didn't make it fun to go out and take pictures. Of the original list of things I'd miss going to mirrorless:

Things I'd miss:
full-frame
wide angle lenses actually being wide (I shoot predominiately less than 50mm).
So many lighting options with respect to triggers, receivers, and flashes.
The awesome DOF you get with FF.
Lack of long lenses for sports/nature
Battery life with mirrorless is atrocious.
Used market for FF lenses is expansive

The lack of long lenses was really the only thing that made me think twice. I thought the DOF difference was going to be night and day, but after seeing reviews of the Fuji 56 1.2 I find it hard to believe that a regular person could tell the difference between that lens and a premium FF offering. The lack of long lenses will hurt, but I travel infrequently, and if I need a long lens locally I'll borrow my dad's Nikon. Also, I find it hard to believe that Fuji will ignore long lenses for too long, so in the mean time I would be able to enjoy their excellent offerings <60mm.

Once I get everything sold and start to piece together my Fuji kit, I'll be happy to answer any questions for people who were in the same boat as me.

[Kamui712]

Interesting move!

What made you choose Fuji over the other companies? (e.g. Sony, Panasonic, Olympus, Nikon etc.)

[Ronin]

I chose Fuji because I think the X-trans sensor really does have a unique look to it, they produce some of the best lenses currently available for mirrorless and there are Speedbooster/Fotodiox lens adapter products easily available.

Oh, did I mention they make the best looking cameras as well? Except maybe Olympus?

I cannot wait for Fuji to come out with a full frame mirrorless camera.

[m3thods]

I went with Fuji because I feel they have the best mix of aesthetics, ergonomics, IQ, and lens selection for my use. I'm going with an X-T1, 23 and 56 on day 1. I'll add a kit, and likely a zoom and Rokinon 12mm before my next trip. I'm just waiting for a sale on the body, then the dominos will start to fall.

I looked into the EM-1, but I felt that with m43rds I'm giving up too much DOF control. It's a great camera with great lens selection otherwise. I gave the a6000 a serious look with that awesome AF, but their native selection is BRUTAL.

And seriously- once you take a look into that beautiful X-T1 EVF, you'll be hooked.

[TurboTalon]

I am also contemplating switching to mirrorless, was the panasonic GX7 ever on your list?

[m3thods]

No the only m43 camera on my list was the EM1. As this was going to (try and) replace my dslr, I wanted to look for a body that allowed me to access most of the things I use the most (ISO, shooting modes, metering) away from menus and onto buttons. I felt, for m43, that anything but the OMD series from Olympus was away from what I was after. The Fuji, by comparison, is perfect as it has everything and then some accessible on the body.

As you can tell by my choice of Fuji, I don't value AF and video performance as highly as other things. If I did, the EM1 or even the a6000 would probably be my camera of choice. However, the Fuji in my opinion hit almost every checkbox I was looking for in a replacement for my 6D. When their 2.8 zoom comes, every checkbox will be marked.

[m3thods]

A bit of an update:

After handling the X-T1 a bit more and taking a friend's X-E2 and kit lens out to the PNE, I went with the latter. The kit lens is phenomenal. Compared to every kit lens from every manufacturer (including 3rd-party), this lens is bar none the best in terms fit, finish, and IQ. Having shot primes with my Canon, this lens made me a believer in what Fuji can do with their zoom lenses. It's really something else. And with the X-T1, as much as I like the extra dials and that gorgeous EVF, I decided to invest the money on glass instead.

I also picked up a great deal on a used 23, and used that savings to buy the tele zoom lens which is on sale for over $200 off at the moment. Once I sell my remaining lenses, I'll pick up the 56 1.2 and I'll be set until my next trip where I'll likely borrow/buy a Rokinon/Samyang/Bower 12mm f/2.