Switching to mirrorless

In your letter of the week (AP, 5 January), on whether mirrorless systems are lighter or not, the writer asked what other photographers thought.

As a photographer who has taken that leap I think it depends on what you switch from and to. I first went from the Canon EOS 7D to the Fujifilm X-T1 and was very pleased with both the weight and function of the kit and the bag on trips out. I have now got rid of my Canon – I loved the camera but not the weight. I upgraded to a Sony A9 and mainly use that. Its function, image quality and weight for me is just right. I have some issues with my hands (I get a weak grip at times) but when I use my A9 I can hold it for longer than I could my Canon. My A9 lenses are also a step up from my Canon lenses, and give me better lens quality. In some ‘DSLR switch’ cases you may not get rid of all the weight you would like in all the lenses, but your bag is smaller and can be lighter. Mine is both.

A thing to think about that I have learnt: do you need to take as much kit? I got so confused about which lens I needed and was getting stuck changing them over on my trips and missing chances. Now I take one, or two at most.

Finally, if the camera is comfortable to hold, easy to operate and takes a great photo, does a few extra grams matter; surely it is about kit performance over the weight?

In the future who knows how far photography will have gone. I bet there will be a camera that we will say is too light and blows over on a tripod! Henley Hughes