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I'm going to dispute, a little, that mirrors are inherently inferior. 1. It's only recently that the very best mirrorless cameras (Sony A1, Nikon Z9) have real

I'm going to dispute, a little, that mirrors are inherently inferior. 1. It's only recently that the very best mirrorless cameras (Sony A1, Nikon Z9) have really reached the autofocus capabilities of the best SLRs…and arguably, they still aren’t quite there. It's close, but a Nikon D6 is still a bit better—but certainly not worse. The dedicated phase detection sensor is powerful. If only because you get more phase separation. 2. A DSLR, used like a film camera, has what feels like a perpetual motion machine inside of it. Just wild battery life. My old Nikon D700 had wayyyyy better battery life than a current camera, beacause if you kept the screen off, you were hardly touching the electronics in the camera. The imaging sensor was almost always asleep, and drawing next to no power. Obviously mirrors have drawbacks. Phase detect sensor/imaging plane alignment issues, and they are big and clunky, but they have benefits.

vmception 5y ago
Yes, I agree with all except the drawbacks weigh much more heavily, to me. The wear and tear and sensitivity to brunt force of the mirror mechanics make them inferior to me.
sudosysgen 5y ago
Disagree. The best mirrorless cameras, say A7iv/A1, are a lot better at focusing than any DSLR. Not only do they focus accurately, but they have eye-detection AF. Yes, it will take slightly longer for them to give you the AF confirmation in some scenarios, but that's because they only give focus confirmation when it's actually perfectly sharp on the sensor. No DSLR can do that, because of the way dedicated phase detection sensors work. As far as battery life, you're right, but now that battery banks are a thing I don't think it's a real issue for those days you're going to be shooting for 4+ hours, and otherwise they're just so convenient to charge by usb-c
Auracle 5y ago
I disagree with you in the autofocus front for most use. I have a D850 and Z6ii strapped to me for most jobs and the only time I don’t find the Z6ii to be leagues better is in heavy backlighting or extremely dark scenes. My hit rate for wedding dances goes way, way up when using the Z6ii. For regular portraiture they’re both fine, but only with the Z6ii can I get the front eye tack sharp 90% of the time at f/1.4. Sports might be another matter, but I did some Polar Plunges last year mostly with the Z6ii and it did extremely well. That has people running and jumping in to water, and it usually kept their faces in focus until a splash obfuscated them.

vmception 5y ago

Yes, I agree with all except the drawbacks weigh much more heavily, to me. The wear and tear and sensitivity to brunt force of the mirror mechanics make them inferior to me.

sudosysgen 5y ago

Disagree. The best mirrorless cameras, say A7iv/A1, are a lot better at focusing than any DSLR. Not only do they focus accurately, but they have eye-detection AF. Yes, it will take slightly longer for them to give you the AF confirmation in some scenarios, but that's because they only give focus confirmation when it's actually perfectly sharp on the sensor. No DSLR can do that, because of the way dedicated phase detection sensors work. As far as battery life, you're right, but now that battery banks are a thing I don't think it's a real issue for those days you're going to be shooting for 4+ hours, and otherwise they're just so convenient to charge by usb-c

Auracle 5y ago

I disagree with you in the autofocus front for most use. I have a D850 and Z6ii strapped to me for most jobs and the only time I don’t find the Z6ii to be leagues better is in heavy backlighting or extremely dark scenes. My hit rate for wedding dances goes way, way up when using the Z6ii. For regular portraiture they’re both fine, but only with the Z6ii can I get the front eye tack sharp 90% of the time at f/1.4. Sports might be another matter, but I did some Polar Plunges last year mostly with the Z6ii and it did extremely well. That has people running and jumping in to water, and it usually kept their faces in focus until a splash obfuscated them.