ABOUT TIME
AT THIS POINT in time there’s a good chance quite a few of you will be starting to think about replacing your DSLRs. Believe it or not, it’s now been at least four years since the activity in new model DSLRs started to decline, so there’s probably plenty of you with cameras now coming up to five years old or maybe even longer in the tooth. Of course, if everything is going swimmingly and you’re completely happy with what you’ve got, there’s no law that says you have to replace or upgrade. But, hey, this is photography and part of the fun is buying new gear. Plus, in digital imaging technology terms, five years is a long time.
In the good old days you’d have simply checked out the latest DSLR offerings from your favourite camera maker, done the deal and happily gone on shooting. No really big decisions to make and limited financial pain. If you look at the DSLR page in our Camera Buyer’s Check Lists, you’ll note that there’s still a reasonable selection of models available to buy new. But look closer and you’ll realise that not many are actually new… in fact, quite a number of them are five or six years old. Unless you want more of the same, just with fewer clicks on the clock, the choice of more current DSLRs is actually pretty limited – Canon EOS 90D and Nikon D780 if you’re looking mid-range; EOS-1D X Mark III or D6 if you’ve got the budget for a pro-spec body.
What this means is that, like it or not, you’re essentially being herded into the mirrorless pen where the choice continues to expand (currently at 70 models from eight brands) and ranges from entrylevel to pro. There really isn’t any reason not to like the mirrorless concept – it brings quite a few performance advantages – but making the switch isn’t entirely straightforward. The electronic viewfinder makes for a different user experience and, I suspect, is at the top of the list why many DSLR users want to hang onto their reflex mirrors. But EVFs continue to get better and better, so it’s a case of taking a deep breath and moving on. Arguably the biggest issue is lenses and the fact that, just as we found out during the transition from film to digital, anything other than dedicated optics is a compromise. OK, mount adapters work fine, but you don’t get any of the benefits of the lens that’s been specifically designed to make the most of the mirrorless camera configuration.
So you’re gonna need new lenses and, that being the case, is now the time to switch brands, change sensor size or both? Decisions, decisions. We feel your pain.
It would seem to make sensor to stick with the brand you’ve been using, which means Canon, Nikon or Pentax, but it’s hard to ignore what’s on offer from Fujifilm, Panasonic, Olympus or Sony given all now have much bigger mirrorless lens systems thanks to getting started a whole lot earlier. And do you make it a gradual transition
(i.e. keep using a few DSLR lenses with adapters) or do you bite the bullet and do a full system switch lock, stock and barrel? Don’t forget you’ll need to think about all the accessories too… battery grips, flash guns and filters (although some fittings may be the same).
I’m probably not telling you anything you don’t already know here, but let me assure you of one inescapable fact – this is a decision you will have to make sooner or later. The DSLR’s days are numbered because neither Canon nor Nikon have the resources to keep developing them when clearly the main game is now mirrorless. Both are working overtime to get up to speed and, of course, to keep you in the fold.
The good news is that time is on your side – the mirrorless systems are only going to get bigger and better – so you don’t need to rush. Do your research, consider all the realistic options, and carefully analyse the pros and cons. Having been through the exercise myself about 18 months ago (and after over 40 years of shooting with reflex cameras), the one thing I can promise you is that you won’t look back.