SLR to mirrorless? Any regrets?

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RKA

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How many of you SLR guys have transitioned from SLR's to mirrorless?  Any regrets?

Background:  I've got a slew of Canon L lenses, a 1D mkII and the original 5D.  Much as I love what I can do with the equipment, it's time to update the bodies.  I had my heart set on the next incarnation of the 5D, whenever that arrives (1D will not be replaced).  But, I've stopped doing paid work, so this is hobby only, and frankly, I'm tired of dragging the gear bag around, so I don't.  I find I don't have the time or inclination to make photo-only ventures, and when I can get out, I'd rather go out with the wife and do things. 

So one of two things is going to happen.  Either I sell all the canon gear and go to mirrorless (thinking about Fuji at the moment), or I sell off most of it, keeping only a few select lenses and upgrading the 5D when the time comes, but still getting a Fuji with 1 zoom and 1-2 primes.  The later leaves me with little indecision, so that's easy.  The former leaves me with some hesitations, hence my question to any former SLR users.  My biggest want in my next camera is more dynamic range.  The 5D mkIII is more than acceptable to me in this regard.  I'm not sure how the mirrorless cameras compare.  The EVF is a little wierd, but I could get over it. 
 
I'm starting to consider making that transition as well, I've noticed that the slr stays in the bag and ends up being dead weight. I saw the sony rx1, and the idea of a full frame sensor is very appealing to me, just not at $2800.....
 
Hi RKA,

I'll chime in one this one as I have more photo gear than Festool and that is scary. Answer is, it depends on what you shoot. I have pairs of bodies in film SLR, DSLR and Mirrorless and still shoot all of them. The mirrorless easily could do about 90% of the shots and is the first cam I reach for due to portability. However, I like to shoot birds including birds in flight and no mirrorless todate can handle this demanding subject. Mirrorless is close but because it is driven by the smaller companies and big electronic giants (not Canikon) they lack the expertise along with emerging tech that isn't quite there yet. Once the next gen Olympus comes along it will be time for Canikon to get serious about Mirrorless. So, long answer but that Fuji system looks great and easily could do anything the 5DIII will do except fast moving targets and pro video. DR is no issue. Enjoy!

Jamie

Ps. checkout dpreview for all you ever wanted to know about photogs.
 
I have gone over to a Panasonic Lumic G5 micro 4/3. I previously had a canon DSLR and got fed up humping it all around. I now get the camera and 3 lenses in a small shoulder bag. I confess that I don't do a lot of photography but do enjoy doing macro. I have posted this picture here before but it is a good example of what the camera is capable of.
 

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I went from a Nikon D70 to a Panasonic GH2 to a Panasonic GH3.  I got tired of dragging around the DSLR camera and lenses. 

Here is a link to my Belize vacation pics taken with the GH2: Belize Vacation Pics.  Most are just vacation pics, but some are pretty decent.  FYI...  Most of the bird pics were taken handheld (no tripod or monopod) and some from a small boat bobbing around.  The egret pics were hand-held with my 300mm lens (equiv. 600mm).  The underwater pics are my favorites.  They were taken with the GH2 in a waterproof bag.  Here's one:

DTC_2011_0323_967-X2.jpg


Would I do it again?  Yes, probably the GH4.

Regards,

Dan.
 
No regrets at all!! Mostly smaller & lighter and for my uses much better cameras.

Love electronic viewfinders over optical (now that the resolutions and refresh rates are improved over a few years ago) I like seeing my exposure & white balance etc in the viewfinder, just so much simpler.

And the advancements of  camera functionality by mirrorless manufacturers put the aging DSLR manufacturers to shame.

I wouldn't want a DSLR for free these days.
 
It is nice to have a 35-mm fl on a rangefinder.
The mirror less results in similar lens layout /element-arrangements. It was the requirement for the mirror that was difficult. With digital things like barrel distortion can be fixed with math post facto.

It is more pleasent to travel light sometime.
 
Holmz said:
It is more pleasent to travel light sometime.
Click to expand...

Is it ever!!!  Long gone are the days when I'd travel with two bodies and 9-10 lenses plus two flash units.  Never again!!!  Sometime next year I'm planning on migrating to the Fuji X-E2 and carrying far less glass around. 
 
[member=7493]Sparktrician[/member] - It reminds me of needing 10 sanders....

... versus a sanding block.
 
You know, I forgot to thank all the contributors to this thread.  I did eventually end up getting a 5D mkIII back in May.  Love it, except the weight, wasn't willing to sell the dSLR gear yet.  Mirror less has been pushed back a little, but one day I'll pick up a kit.
 
Metabones now sell adapters for Canon lenses to mirrorless with Auto Focus!  Plenty of info around on the web. Just FYI.
 
I would love to get a Sony but the native lense selection is just not that good at this time.  From what I have seen with the lense adapters the AF speed would just be to slow for me.
 
I have have been using SLRs for many years. The last several I have been using a Canon Rebel XL DSLR.
As others have said, carrying around all of the equipment & having to swap lenses is not always convenient.
I decided to get a Fujifilm S1. It can be used with an electronic viewfinder or LCD screen.  It does pictures, HD video, has a 50X zoom lens & has Wi-Fi connectivity. I am really impressed with it so far.

Here are couple of pictures I took out the back door of my shop. First is no zoom, the second is 50X zoom. I was holding the camera with my hand resting against the door frame.

[attachimg=1][attachimg=2] 
 

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It really depends on what you shoot.  If you shoot action or especially low light then DSLR is still the way to go.  I've got a mirrorless Canon M that I've had converted to IR and I've got a 6D with a bunch of quality lenses.  I find the 6D easier to use then the M and the picture quality is better with the 6D. 

When I don't want to lug around the 6D and lenses I use my iPhone camera.  The newer iPhones produce some very good pictures especially the plus versions with optical image stabilization.  I went on a cruise a year ago and most of our pictures were taken with the 6 plus.  Of coarse for the ones that needed a zoom or low light performance I used the 6D.  I find myself using the iPhone a lot for pictures because of the quality and because it's always with me.
 
Why would one even care about curvalinear distortions?
The ability to flatten and undistort an image an image is pretty straight forwards when it is digital. So all that is required is suppressing chromatic aberrations, coma and flair.... And not barrel distortion or pin cushioning.

This is where a RF or mirrorless has a huge advantage as one does not require a bunch of room for a mirror, so either less elements can be used, or they can be placed better.
 
I just purchased a 5d4 and have been reading about this topic a lot. It seems like if you can get a smaller camera to operate as quickly as a DSLR then your good to go. Something where you can work in full manual and work your focus modes as quickly as a dslr?

My next camera will be Panasonic GH5 for 6k video
 
Since this question was originally asked in December... did you make a switch [member=21249]RKA[/member]?

Like a few in here, my Canon collection far outweighs the Festool one.  I shoot natural history (landscape & wildlife) and have been incredibly impressed with the landscape shots one of my pro buddies gets off his Sonys.  The dynamic range is amazing!  How he can pull details out of shadows in post is mind blowing.  But he can't take his camera wildlife shooting nor into inclement weather.  So he still has all his Canon gear. 

For me, 400 & 600mm lenses don't focus fast enough with the adaptors and you don't want to be caught in a storm on a kayak or on the mountains while still trying to shoot.  Canon handles snow-shooting incredibly well.  I've had mine in Antarctica and regularly shoot at Stowe.  1,000 shots per battery, machine gun firing, and weather sealing in a snow storm are nice luxuries.  But man, it sure seems like Sony is super close to bridging those hurdles. 
 
I actually asked the question in Dec 2014, but no I ended up with a 5DIII in spring of 2015.  I don't do the kinds of extreme shooting you do.  It's looking like mirrorless has come far enough along for me to take a leap, except the price.  I would want the feature set and capabilities of the top end Sonys, but I'm not paying what a 5DIV costs, so more waiting.  If I had a regular need for a travel camera, it might be a done deal.
 
RKA said:
How many of you SLR guys have transitioned from SLR's to mirrorless?  Any regrets?

Background:  I've got a slew of Canon L lenses, a 1D mkII and the original 5D.  Much as I love what I can do with the equipment, it's time to update the bodies.  I had my heart set on the next incarnation of the 5D, whenever that arrives (1D will not be replaced).  But, I've stopped doing paid work, so this is hobby only, and frankly, I'm tired of dragging the gear bag around, so I don't.  I find I don't have the time or inclination to make photo-only ventures, and when I can get out, I'd rather go out with the wife and do things. 

So one of two things is going to happen.  Either I sell all the canon gear and go to mirrorless (thinking about Fuji at the moment), or I sell off most of it, keeping only a few select lenses and upgrading the 5D when the time comes, but still getting a Fuji with 1 zoom and 1-2 primes.  The later leaves me with little indecision, so that's easy.  The former leaves me with some hesitations, hence my question to any former SLR users.  My biggest want in my next camera is more dynamic range.  The 5D mkIII is more than acceptable to me in this regard.  I'm not sure how the mirrorless cameras compare.  The EVF is a little wierd, but I could get over it.
Click to expand...
I owned a Canon 6D with lots of L Lenses and a few "Brand X" lenses that turned out to be very good.  I decided to go mirrorless and purchased a Samsung NX1 and a couple of their "S" lenses.  I loved the NX1, mostly because it took great pictures but also because it was much lighter.  But then the Electronic View Finder became erratic - sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't turn on.  It's now collecting dust and I'm back using my Canon6D
 
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