Mirrorless or DSLR?

bieberhole69.

bieberhole69.

Member
Been getting into photography recently and I'm looking to get my first camera. I've done some research and I'm sort of interested in getting a mirrorless camera, particularly the sony a6000. I like the fast autofocusing, quick frame rates, and smaller size, as well as the improved video performance. My main concern is battery life.

Should I be considering a mirrorless, or just stick to an entry-level dslr?
 
This link should help a bit. If you are going for more photo I highly suggest DSLR's, mirrorless cameras are getting better the DSLR is just better all around for photography. It just comes down to what your are shooting and budget.
 
If you want to shoot sports, get a dslr. I have used both systems (gh2, played with a few sonys, owned many canon dslrs), and dslr's have much more accurate and faster autofocus when it comes to sports. If you are doing video, dslr's can offer decent results, but mirrorless will typically be better. Another benefit is size and weight. Many landscape photographers like the sony a7/a7r because it takes a very high quality image, but weighs much less than a comparable dslr setup.

Just to reiterate because I noticed you wrote about fast frame rates and fast AF. The AF can be very quick, but results for tracking are variable. As far as fast frame rates, buffer is also very important. 10+ fps is sweet, but if its is only a 10 frame buffer, then it isn't all that useful. 6+ fps for a buffer of at least 20-30 would be better if you goal is to shoot sequences. Also pay attention to raw vs jpeg. While it affects the performance on all cameras (that I know of), some the difference in performance is very significant (aka half as many shots per burst before the buffer is full). Let me know if you need any clarifications or have any questions.
 
Definitely get a DSLR if you are interested in using it for photography. If you play your cards right you can get a Canon 7D for around $550-$600 and it has a good RAW buffer. The problem with mirrorless is that there is no viewfinder and its almost impossible to see the live view on a bright day in the snow.

You will be very limited in lens options as well. I have a 7D I got used for $550 and a Rokinon 14mm f2.8 for about $200 'used' on Amazon and it covers 90% of what i need for park shooting.
 
13357471:RandomHeroes said:
Definitely get a DSLR if you are interested in using it for photography. If you play your cards right you can get a Canon 7D for around $550-$600 and it has a good RAW buffer. The problem with mirrorless is that there is no viewfinder and its almost impossible to see the live view on a bright day in the snow.

You will be very limited in lens options as well. I have a 7D I got used for $550 and a Rokinon 14mm f2.8 for about $200 'used' on Amazon and it covers 90% of what i need for park shooting.
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The 7D does not have a good raw buffer, 25 is decent, roughly the same as the a6000, nothing to write home about.

The a6000 has a viewfinder, granted it's not an optical one, as far as electronic one's go it's quite good, and unlike the 7D you can actually use that peeking hole during video on bright days in snow because the mirror doesn't have to slap up and block the view.

Also with the Sony you are absolutely not limited in lens options. Native, a bit but with the E-mount's 18mm flange focal distance which is one of the shallowest there is and with proper adapters, your options are so numerous it's overwhelming.

The 7D is not a bad camera, it has it's uses, although nowadays in almost all fronts an a6000 has it beat.

Also this, not that I care about pixel-peeping.

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For general everything-ness photography, DSLR's are the way to go. If you're going to be doing video 70+% of the time, then a GH-whatever would be fine, but yeah... DSLR's slay for actual photography. Get a Fuji X-system camera if your'e doing just photography but want a smaller package than a DSLR
 
If youre really torn due to the video vs photo look into some of the Sony a-mount DSLRs. For instance I have the a65. While it does have a mirror its semi translucent so for video it doesnt have to lift the mirror draining your battery. Also means you have the option of AF while shooting video. And your viewfinder still works (referencing your last post). Just a little tidbit of info for ya, probably not nearly enough to base your decision off of though.
 
I've gotten into photography over the past year and have been learning on a

ae-1, but I would like to invest in a digital camera. As of now the a6000 seems to be a good option, opinions?
 
13360449:ForeverYung said:
I've gotten into photography over the past year and have been learning on a

ae-1, but I would like to invest in a digital camera. As of now the a6000 seems to be a good option, opinions?
Click to expand...

I mean, it kinda depends a lot on your shooting style. The a6000 and other smaller mirrorless cameras are fantastic for travel and street photography, but their native lenses are limited and sorta pricy. They will take your lenses from your AE-1 though, so that's pretty fucking cool.

That said, a DSLR would be nice if you wanted an optical viewfinder and faster auto focus. They tend to be much better for action stuff in my opinion.

Look into the Fuji X-system as well. Their lenses are fucking incredible, and if you got something like an XE-1, it's really pretty affordable.
 
13360852:DingoSean said:
I mean, it kinda depends a lot on your shooting style. The a6000 and other smaller mirrorless cameras are fantastic for travel and street photography, but their native lenses are limited and sorta pricy. They will take your lenses from your AE-1 though, so that's pretty fucking cool.

That said, a DSLR would be nice if you wanted an optical viewfinder and faster auto focus. They tend to be much better for action stuff in my opinion.

Look into the Fuji X-system as well. Their lenses are fucking incredible, and if you got something like an XE-1, it's really pretty affordable.
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XE-1 looks like a good option. Would that take my lenses from my AE-1 too? I also like having the shutter speed dial on top.

I'm leaning mirrorless over a DSLR because I want a smaller size camera for street photography.
 
13361122:ForeverYung said:
XE-1 looks like a good option. Would that take my lenses from my AE-1 too? I also like having the shutter speed dial on top.

I'm leaning mirrorless over a DSLR because I want a smaller size camera for street photography.
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Yeah, any mirrorless camera will accept Canon manual lenses with an adapter.

If you want mirrorless for street photography, Fuji kinda is the way to go. It's pro-quality stuff the whole way around. Lenses have aperture rings and everything. The FBW manual focus isn't always the best, but it's better than the M4/3 lenses, and the AF, though not the quickest is plenty good as well.

Other than Fuji, I'd go with an Olympus EP-whatever with a Panasonic 20 f1.7. Throw on the EVF and it's an absolute beast little camera. Used EP2 bodies can be found for like 100$ or something awesome.
 
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