6 Reasons Not to Ditch Your DSLR for a Mirrorless Camera

Sure, you’ve heard the arguments in favor of new mirrorless cameras—they’re smaller and ultra-fast, offer tilt- or touch-screens, are built solidly dust-proof or with stronger sensors. But they’re not perfect, and DigitalRev TV is here to prove it to you. Check it out:

To summarize, here are the six reasons they point to:

  1. Battery life on mirrorless cameras is notoriously awful. For every 1,000 shots a standard DSLR can manage, Kai from DigitalRev estimates that the the Panasonic DMC-GH4 can take 500 shots, while the Sony A7R2 and Olympus OM-D series offer around 300 shots apiece.
  2. The autofocus sucks. The video doesn’t go into much detail on this subject, but DSLRs use their mirrors to create phase detection—dividing light into pairs of images and comparing them. Mirrorless cameras use what’s called contrast detection, which measures the contrast between pixels. This process is slower, worse at finding movement and weaker in low light.

mirrorless camera autofocus problems

  1. Image quality breaks down at ISO 3200. The DigitalRev team doesn’t go into much detail about this, and in fact the Sony A7R2 is known for being a strong contender in this department, but the majority of mirrorless camera still suffer from low-light noise and focus issues.
  2. The size difference isn’t as significant as you might think. Put a hefty lens on any camera, and you’re going to feel the weight. The cameras themselves, too, are getting bigger than they were when the first models were released.

mirrorless camera slr comparison

  1. Lens choices are more limited than you think. Sure, you think the selection is huge, but budgets ultimately wind up limiting what you can afford.
  2. Electronic viewfinders are problematic. For one thing, you can’t see through them when the camera’s off—but keeping them on saps the battery. Optical viewfinders are also known to be clearer and offer a stronger dynamic range.

Some of these points are stronger than others, and the debate, of course, is ongoing. Ultimately, the question boils down to whether you—the reader—are convinced. Let us know in the comments below where you stand.

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