024 - Mirrorless vs DSLR
Well, this has been an exciting year for mirrorless cameras so far. Canon has new cameras, Sony has new cameras, Fujifilm has new cameras, Lecia, Nikon, Sigma, Panasonic, they all have new cameras. This is truly the golden age of the mirrorless camera revolution. But why are we making the jump to mirrorless now? What makes them the go-to camera for manufacturers right now? Are DSLRs still worth buying? Those are all questions we are going to go over today in episode 24 of the Travel and Adventure Photography School podcast as we talk all about mirrorless cameras!They are all the rage in the market right now. With a plethora of amazing mirrorless cameras being announced and released this year. And with all the hype around them, it can be easy to sit there and think, should I be buying one? Or are they all just hype?
You can create amazing photos with either a DSLR or a mirrorless camera, and each has its pros and cons. Hopefully, by the end of this episode, you have a good idea of which type of camera you should be looking at if you are buying into the market right now and if you should be changing camera systems.
Before we get into that though, what is the actual difference between a DSLR and a mirrorless camera?
DSLRs use the same design as 35mm film cameras. Light travels through the lens, hits a mirror inside the camera body, reflects that light up and through a prism and into an Optical Viewfinder where you can preview your shot. When you press the button the mirror bounces up, the shutter opens, and light hits your sensor capturing the scene in front of you. DSLRs have been the most common type of interchangeable lens camera for decades now and have been the industry standard for professionals.
In a mirrorless camera, there is no mirror for light to reflect off, just as the name says. Light passes through the lens and right onto the image sensor, which captures a preview of the scene and displays that on either the screen on the back of the camera or in the electronic viewfinder.
The big difference here is the mirror box. Mirrorless cameras have removed the mirror entirely, which allows manufacturers to reduce the size and the weight of the cameras. Many of the mirrorless cameras on the market right now are smaller and lighter than their DSLR counterparts. The other big construction difference comes in the way you view images. On a DSLR, you utilize an optical viewfinder to see the scene through the lens. This allows you to see exactly what the camera is seeing in real life in front of you. On a mirrorless, without the mirror, there is no way for you to see through the lens. So the image sensor allows you to see what it is seeing by giving you a digital preview if you are using an eyepiece that’s with an electronic viewfinder, which simulates the optical viewfinder. Which you prefer will depend on your style of photography and, admittedly, the quality of the electronic viewfinder.
Optical viewfinders are nice because you aren’t looking at another screen. You are actually seeing the world in front of you. Some people say this allows them to connect better with their subjects. Optical viewfinders also tend to work better on average in low light situations and in situations with fast-moving subjects.
Electronic viewfinders on the other hand have the advantage of showing you what your shot will look like before you take it. So if the image appears too dark, you can increase your exposure until the image in the electronic viewfinder looks good. This is very helpful for nailing exposures. Higher-end electronic viewfinders (like those you will find in the Sony A7R III and the Canon EOS R5) can keep up with optical viewfinders in low light and high action situations. But most other mirrorless cameras won’t work quite as well.
So, that’s the actual construction difference between mirrorless and DSLR. DSLRs are generally bigger, heavier and use an optical viewfinder to show you the real world through your lens. Mirrorless cameras are generally smaller, lighter, and utilize an electronic viewfinder to show you a preview of the photo the sensor is going to take.
Beyond construction differences, there are differences in the way these cameras perform.
Let’s start with a big one.
Autofocus.
In most situations, the autofocus on both these cameras will work splendidly, especially for things like portraits and most brightly-lit situations. Where we start to see some differences is with low light autofocus and focusing on moving subjects.
For the most part, DSLRs have been better at autofocusing in low light situations. Although that is changing with advancements in mirrorless technology. Cameras released in 2020 should mostly be able to hold their own in low light autofocus situations.
The other space where DSLRs are better than a mirrorless camera at autofocusing is with moving subjects, particularly when tracking movement. DSLRs do a better job at keeping a tracked subject in focus than most mirrorless cameras do, although this is also changing with cameras like the Sony A9 II (it still can’t quite keep up with Canons DSLR 1dx Mark III though.)
ONe space where mirrorless is starting to take over in autofocus is with speed and how fast it can grab autofocus on a stationary subject. Both cameras will do this blazingly fast, but for the most part mirrorless cameras in 2020 will grab focus just a bit faster than a DSLR.
Moving on from autofocus, let’s talk about something related.
Frames per Second.
Frames per Second is how fast a camera can possibly take photos in ideal conditions. This is a spot where mirrorless cameras have a huge advantage in the market. Most mirrorless cameras shoot at a minimum of 10 FPS. And the more professional bodies go upwards of 12 to 20 fps with their autofocus enabled. And it’s far more if you don’t want to track a subject.
High-end DSLRs can achieve 20 fps, while advanced bodies shoot around 10fps. After that, the speeds drop off drastically. And year over year mirrorless cameras get faster fps.
So, chalk one up to mirrorless cameras here.
Video Quality
Another space where most higher-end mirrorless cameras will win out. Mirrorless cameras are generally better suited for recording video. This is partially due to the focus mechanism that DSLRs use when the mirror is locked up (the less accurate contrast-detection system) and partially because manufacturers are pouring video specs into their new mirrorless systems. Essentially just investing more R&D. Panasonic has some of the best small video cameras in the world ATM and Canon just unveiled an 8K monster. So chalk another one up to mirrorless cameras here too.
Lenses
The all-important part of a camera system. The lenses.
And, for now, DSLRs win out. There are far more lenses (and other accessories) available to DSLRs than to mirrorless systems. Lenses that are beautiful and fast and have decades of use behind them.
But this too is slowly changing. Canon and Sony have both just announced a whole new batch of lenses for their mirrorless systems. Canon in fact is no longer even making DSLR lenses, they are focused entirely on the RF mount. So, for now, DSLRs have more lenses but in the near future, I can see this changing. Chalk one up to DSLRs, for the moment.
Micro-adjustments.
On a DSLR you need to perform micro-adjustments on your lenses to achieve optimum focus. Without micro-adjusting your lens you can have lenses that are front focusing or back focusing, meaning your camera doesn’t always quite hit on the focus spot you’ve selected. And even once you have performed a micro-adjustment, you still need to keep looking out for the adjustment to slip out of place and you will need to perform it again, and again, and again. It gets irritating and if it happens at the wrong time it can be devastating if you don’t notice it before an important shoot and, rather than your subject’s eye being in perfect focus it’s their nose or their ear. This can ruin a shot. Especially if you are shooting wide open at things like f 1.4 or 1.2. I had this almost happen on a recent shoot but thankfully was able to fix the problem that morning.
On a mirrorless camera, you do not need to perform micro-adjustments. You don’t have to worry about your camera and lens falling out of sync with one another. They just work nicely together. This is huge! Missing focus is one of the things you cannot recover from in post.
So this, to me, is one of the greatest advantages of the mirrorless camera. Not needing to worry about micro-adjustments.
With all those comparisons here, which one is better suited for you. The travel and adventure photographer?
I would buy a mirrorless camera. And here is why.
For the most part, they are lighter and smaller, making them easier to pack and carry around. I’ve told people this for years if you buy a big heavy camera you are far less likely to just take it with you because it becomes a process and a chore to lug around. You are mostly going to walk around the door with your cell phone and just take pictures on that. A mirrorless, especially fantastic small and lightweight ones like the Canon RP (which is a tiny full-frame camera) or a Micro 4/3s camera is much more likely to go out the door with you.
They are making massive advancements in lens and body technology, while DSLR advancements are slowing or stopping completely (depending on the company). Many new advancements in mirrorless cameras don’t actually come in physical upgrades but in firmware updates. Meaning companies add features to their cameras every once in a while. You are much more likely to get new features on a mirrorless than on a DSLR.
You can get adapters to use DSLR lenses, lowering the cost of investment on mirrorless systems. Currently, buying into a full-frame mirrorless system is expensive. The bodies are expensive and the lenses are expensive. But, by using a company’s adapter (like Nikon’s’ FTZ adapter that allows you to use F mount glass on the Z mount system) you can buy fantastic glass from a DSLR system and use it on your mirrorless with no degradation.
Finally, micro-adjustments. I can’t stress this enough. So awesome to not have to worry about micro-adjustments.
With all that being said, both of these camera systems, your phone and every camera on the planet are capable of producing amazing images. You need to find the system and camera that suits your style as a photographer. If you are buying something new, go and try out a few different cameras. You will likely find one that suits you perfectly.
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