Canon EOS 6D (35mm, f/5.6, 1/20 sec, ISO1000)
If you follow reviews of mirrorless cameras today or if you shoot one of the newer ones and see the results you might come to the conclusion that the DSLR is dead. Dead as a dodo.
But of course that’s not the full picture. DSLRs have still substantial advantages over todays mirrorless cameras and here are the most important ones.
1. The Power of Choice!
The lens makes the picture. Mirrorless cameras are rather new. M43, Sony, Fuji, Samsung, … They all just started a couple of years ago. When I first got my NEX 5 in 2010 just before we went for a 3 week vacation to the United States I thought this is the future of photography. Unfortunately almost 3 years later I still think the same. Mirrorless is still a promise.
Now I’m using a Fuji X Pro-1 as my main travel camera and while I got already 3 lenses: 14, 18 and 35. This is still not what I consider to be a full set. There is a lot on the roadmap. Exciting stuff like the 4/10-24 OS or the 1.4/23 or the 1.2/56. But it is just a roadmap. You can’t take pictures with a roadmap. Everybody is exited now about the upcoming 55-200 OS. A rather slow 80-300 lens ( talking full frame ). Hardly the most exciting lens I can think of but the only longer lens in the Fuji line. Sony is just the same. If you look at the choice you got if you use a Canon DSLR and if you are interested in a tele zoom: 70-200 in 4 versions! Constant f2.8 or f4 with or without IS. A 70-300IS in L quality, a DO version and a “normal” version and of course the cheap kit lens: 55-200 IS. That’s 8 lenses! Just from Canon. And of course there is about the same number of lenses of the same focal range from third party suppliers like Sigma, Tamron or Tokina. That’s what I call choice.
For mirror less there is nothing longer than 200mm today ( except for m43 ) and there is a reason for it; The lenses would be huge. It makes no sense to use a small camera if the lens weighs 2 kg or more. Bird, wildlife and sport photography will always be DSLR home ground.
2. What you see is what you get!
I remember how exited I got about the X100 hybrid viewfinder. What a bless after all the pain trying to guess what’s in the frame with the screen of the NEX 5 in bright sunlight. A real viewfinder again! No more shooting with the camera held from the body at arms length.
But with the optical viewfinder you just look through a piece of glass. You don’t look through the lens. You don’t see what you get! You can use an EVF ( electronic viewfinder ) instead but that is usually a pain in the neck compared to real life. I remember when I first shot with my DSLR after using my Fuji’s a lot my first thought was: What a delight! A big, bright viewfinder that shows me exactly what my lens sees. No wonder SLRs became so popular and replaced rangefinder cameras in the 70s. Now we seem to step back again.
3. Just Get The Shot !
When I bought my first own SLR in 1989 of course it was an autofocus camera. A Nikon F801. AF was slow compared to today but it was faster and more convenient than to focus manually . Since then AF in SLRs and DSLRs developed to a level that you can track a hare running at you at full speed with a fast tele lens wide open and still get tack sharp results at a pace of 8 frames per second. I know – I did and I was amazed.
With mirror less cameras you have AF but you go back to the late 80s. AF is there but it is slooooow. Even the fastest ones like the latest Olympus m43 fail if you want to track something that moves faster than a turtle. Contrast detection is new tech and will develop within the next years. It already improved a lot but if you want to take pictures of your kids at play get an entry level DSLR. It’s still better than the fastest mirrorless camera.
And I didn’t even mention my favorite system yet: Fuji X. Expect some serious focus hunting and noisy AF in poor light just like back in 1989.
4. “It’s the ergonomic, stupid!” ( after Bill Clinton )
SLRs and DSLRs have developed a lot since the 70s. They became more bulky but also much better to hold. The fit into your hand like an expensive Logitech mouse. It might look ugly but it just fits. Mirror less are just like the very expensive and beautiful Mac mouse. They look beautiful but most of them just don’t fit and give you a cramp in the hand. Just like the Mac Mouse. Sonys NEX and the bigger Fuji X Pro-1 are best. The smaller cameras are rather hard to hold especially if you have bigger hands.
You think that’s a strong statement? Well, I just say: Thumbs up!
5. Affordable Full Frame
Today there are two options if you want to shot with a mirrorless camera and if you want to have a full frame sensor: The stupidly expensive Leicas or an overpriced compact camera with a fixed 35mm lens. Not exactly what I call choice. I’m sure that will change in the future but at the moment it’s like that.
DSLR: Canon and Nikon offer very good entry level full frame cameras. Yes they are still a lot more expensive than APS-C but most enthusiast can afford them. Some time ago a Nikon D100 was 3.000.- EURO! Now a little over half of that money gets you a full frame camera. I think that is a good development.
Why is full frame so important? Just looking at high ISO noise or dynamic range does not provide the answer. I would not get a full frame camera just for a small advantage. There are two far more important points.
1. Better DOF control
It’s a full stop advantage and that makes a real difference. It’s always there and you got the same background blur with a kit zoom lens ( 4/24-105 or 4/24-70 ) on a full frame where you need to use the 2.8/24-70 on an APS-C beside the fact that you need to use a 2.8/16-50 to get the same range. If you use the 16-50 of course DOF is not comparable because the focal length is shorter.
2. Lens Choice
Of course within the last years all major manufactures made some specific lenses for the smaller APS-C sensors but if you want to use primes you still need to go full frame. There is no point to use an excellent but expensive 1.4/35 to get a 50mm lens on APS-C that can be bought for a fraction of the price. The same is true for the 1.4/24. There is a good selection of 85mm primes for portraits but on an APS-C body it’s more like a 135mm lens. Some prefer that but on full frame you got the choice: there is a 2/135 that is great for close head shots on full frame but almost useless on APS-C.
Sometimes it is almost funny. People get m43 cameras to have a light and inexpensive setup but buy expensive and heavy f0.95 lenses to get shallow DOF. Where is the sense in that? To get a small sensor and than try to compensate lack of DOF control with exotic lenses. Almost the same DOF can be achieved with a cheap 1.8/85 on full frame and there are also f1.4 and f1.2 versions.
6. Value for money
Just compare the features of a Fuji X Pro-1 to a Nikon D7100 or even a Canon 650D. Don’t get me wrong. I love my X Pro-1 but value for money is not it’s greatest feature.
Conclusion:
In my museum article I showed a picture of a Dodo in context with DSLRs but I honestly don’t think that DSLRs are dead. People that travel a lot like me might convert to mirrorless cameras because of size and weight but it will always be a compromise. I went to Croatia last year just with my Fuji X100 and my Sony NEX 5. In March I took my X Pro-1 for a 2 week business trip to South East Asia. And I didn’t miss anything.
But I can not imagine to go to Canada, Alaska or even the rest of the USA without a DSLR and a professional fast zoom or medium fast tele lens. High quality wildlife photography is unthinkable with the lenses available for mirrorless systems today. Sport photography is another area where you need to have a DSLR plus fast tele lens.
DSLRs are not for sport and wildlife shooters only. If you have young kids you are definitely better off with an entry level DSLR compared to even the best mirror less camera money can buy today. If your main reason to get a mirrorless camera is just the cool look rethink: At the end it’s the picture that matters. The coolest camera is of no value if you can’t take good pictures of your kids or pets as long as they don’t sleep. While the lousy AF tracking is no problem for travel photography it really limits action shots. If you don’t want static images of your posing kids or your sleeping dog or cat but some action instead get a DSLR.
SLRs/DSLRs are old tech. They are around forever. They are big and heavy. Today they look like dinosaurs, like things from the past. Just like crocodiles. But just like crocodiles they are highly effective designs. And just like crocodiles they will not die out.