five reasons I switched to sony mirrorless
I always loved taking pictures as a kid. I remember having several 110 film cameras that I would make my mom take to get developed all the time. So of course, I took photography in high school as one of my electives. Mr Draper taught me the fundamentals of photography. We studied textbooks about composition, proper exposure. He taught us how to develop our own film in the darkroom as well as basic Photoshop skills. It was honestly my favorite class in high school even with the challenges to using film.
When we found out Lacey was pregnant her nephew offered to sell me his DSLR with two lenses and everything I needed to shoot for $200. I couldn't pass it up! Learning on film it felt like cheating to be able to see my pictures on the back of the camera right after taking them. I didn't have to wait for the film to get developed or anything! I used that little 10MP Nikon camera for years. I invested in books, online training videos and scoured the internet for any information I could get my hands on to improve my photography. I even took my lunch breaks at Barnes and Noble and finished a few books on photography there!
When my ability exceeded the cameras features I decided it was time to upgrade to a full frame camera. I bought a Nikon D750 and one 85mm lens. This is the camera I started my photography business with. For years I just had the one lens and one camera. I decided it was time to add some more lenses to my collection but then I started wondering if I really wanted to stick with the DSLR platform. Everyone is talking about mirrorless. The internet said it's the next big thing, it'll phase out DSLR cameras blah blah blah. After hours on the internet and countless video reviews I decided to take the plunge!
I ended up selling my D750 and I bought a Sony A7III. I absolutely fell in love with this camera and can't imagine shooting with anything other than mirrorless now. Here are five reasons why...
1. Real time settings in viewfinder
I was able to grab the shot with confidence settings were correct!
This feature isn't talked about a whole lot. There is something that is fundamentally different with mirrorless cameras. The viewfinder is electronic. Its like looking into a little LCD when you look in the viewfinder. Sounds strange right? Its really not. You can always see it no matter how bright or dark it is which is nice. Its really high definition. The best part.....YOUR LOOKING AT THE FINAL IMAGE!
This sounds confusing. Let me break it down. When you change any settings such as aperture, shutter speed, ISO, color temp etc. it changes real time in the viewfinder before you even take the picture. There are absolutely no surprises how the picture will look after you take the pictures. There is no need to chimp on the back of the camera to see how the final image looks. It really has changed the way I take pictures.
2. Auto Eye focus
Picture my wife took of me using Eye Autofocus on Sony
Not all mirrorless cameras have this feature (at this time of writing). Every brand does it a little differently too. I can tell you from firsthand experience Sonys Eye autofocus makes me feel like I'm cheating while taking pictures. I used to use single point focus and move the point over someones eye while composing an image. During a photo session there is inevitably a lot of movement assuming your taking pictures of people and not landscapes, objects etc. I shoot in manual mode and when your worrying about exposure settings as well as moving your focus point around the screen it can get cumbersome.
I introduce to you auto Eye focus! You literally hold down a button and if there is a eye in the scene it will not only automatically lock on, it will also track the eye no matter how fast your subject is moving. This is a dream come true for any portrait photographer! It feels like cheating because it frees me up to compose the image and fine tune exposure settings (which is lot easier on mirrorless, see the point above).
3. High dynamic range
This isn't only a feature on mirrorless but the Sony Alpha series has amazing dynamic range. What does this even mean? You have so much more leeway in post now due to the impressive sensor in this camera. I tested this out by taking a picture when it was basically dark outside. I took a picture of a car in a parking lot. In light room you couldn't even see the color of the car it was so dark. I could lighten up the exposure so high on this image that it looked like the sun was at high noon with virtually no loss of quality. I'm a huge advocate to strive to get every single thing right in camera the first time. Lets be honest, that is not always possible. Its those times that I feel confident to take the shot rather than miss it because I know what this camera can do in post.
4. In body image stabilization
This is a feature that is on many camera bodies as well as some lenses. The Sony does it so well its worth mentioning. I've tested this out hand held at dusk at 1/15th sec shutter speed and the lettering on the sign I shot was still clear. This gives me the ability to have confidence shooting portraits at 1/30th-1/60th if lighting is darker and I don't want to crank up my ISO.
I knew I dog would be frozen due to IBIS!
So why am I all in with mirrorless? I know that the gear doesn't make the photographer. Cameras are simply tools to capture beautiful pictures. For me, my Sony A7III has brought my photography to another level. The camera takes takes a lot of the frustrations making sure the settings are right and allows me to focus on the main thing, my connection with my subject and composing images that bring out their natural beauty. Getting sharp portraits are such a breeze with the auto-eye focus too.
One of my biggest concerns switching to mirrorless was a fear that it would change my style of photography. I shoot outdoor natural light. My style is light and airy. I can tell you mirrorless cameras can shoot this way with little effort!
Here are two pictures at the same location. One with my Sony mirrorless and one with the D750. Both shot with a 85mm at F2.2
This is with my D750 at Rosedown Plantation
Same location with Sony A7iii
I know these aren't the best comparisons but I feel like shooting with a mirrorless has not compromised my style in the least! I am confident in my shooting ability. The camera does not make or break a photographer. If it did I wouldn’t be posting this! I would want it to be my little secret!
I am a total gear nerd. If you have questions or just want to talk comment below!