MIRRORLESS MARVELS
The similarly priced Canon EOS R6 and Nikon Z 7II are both spectacular cameras but which is best to suit what you shoot?
MIRRORLESS IS VERY MUCH THE
PRESENT AND EVERY BIT THE FUTURE. THE BRIEFEST GLANCE AT WHERE ALL
THE FOCUS HAS BEEN FOR CAMERA AND LENS DEVELOPMENT OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS MAKES THAT STARKLY OBVIOUS. FOR THOSE MAKING THE TRANSITION FROM A CONVENTIONAL DSLR TO A MIRRORLESS CAMERA, IT PAYS TO CHOOSE WISELY.
SONY HAS BEEN MAKING EXCELLENT MIRRORLESS FULL-FRAME CAMERAS FOR EIGHT YEARS NOW AND, INDEED, THE ALPHA A7 AND A7R WERE THE FIRST FULL-FRAME MIRRORLESS INTERCHANGEABLE LENS CAMERAS TO HIT THE MARKET. CANON AND NIKON ENTERED THE FRAY MUCH LATER, JUST THREE YEARS AGO, WITH THE LAUNCH OF THE EOS R AND Z 7 RESPECTIVELY. DESPITE THE DELAY, IT’S FAIR TO SAY THAT MOST OF THE WORLD’S TOP PHOTOGRAPHERS SHOOT WITH CANON OR NIKON CAMERAS AND, IN BOTH CAMPS, MOUNT ADAPTERS ENABLE THEM TO KEEP USING THEIR EXISTING FAVOURITE LENSES UNTIL THEY FULLY TRANSITION TO NEW, NATIVE GLASS. THIS MAKES CAMERAS LIKE THE EOS R6 AND NIKON Z 7II VERY APPEALING.
THE MEGAPIXEL COUNT IS THE FIRST THING MANY OF US THINK ABOUT WHEN BUYING A
NEW CAMERA, WITH THE FEELING THAT MORE IS MERRIER. A LARGER NUMBER OF MEGAPIXELS GIVES THE POSSIBILITY OF CAPTURING MORE FINE DETAIL AND TEXTURE, WITH ARGUABLY SMOOTHER TRANSITIONS IN SUBTLE GRADUATIONS OF TONE AND COLOUR. YOU COULD ALSO ARGUE THAT IT GIVES YOU MORE FREEDOM IN CREATING LARGEFORMAT PRINTS, AND FOR CREATIVE CROPPING.
THERE’S A FLIP SIDE THOUGH, IN THAT A MORE MODEST MEGAPIXEL COUNT IS LIKELY TO GIVE
YOU CLEANER PICTURE QUALITY WITH LESS IMAGE NOISE AT HIGH ISO SETTINGS, WHEN YOU NEED TO SHOOT UNDER LOW LIGHTING CONDITIONS, ESPECIALLY IF YOU NEED TO FREEZE ANY MOTION. DATA FILE SIZES FOR IMAGES ARE MUCH MORE MANAGEABLE AND, UNLESS YOU’RE INTO PIXEL PEEPING ONSCREEN OR VIEWING LARGE-FORMAT PRINTS FROM UNNATURALLY CLOSE DISTANCES, A LOWER MEGAPIXEL COUNT SHOULD STILL SUFFICE. THE SIMILARLY PRICED CANON EOS R6 AND NIKON Z 7 II BOTH HAVE A LOT TO OFFER, BUT WITH DIFFERENT SPECIALITIES. LET’S TAKE A CLOSER LOOK.