I switched from Canon to Sony a year ago. Here are five things I miss (and five that I like)
Mar 1, 2017
Dunja Đuđić
Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, concerts, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.
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You’ve seen many photographers switching from DSLR to mirrorless. Manny Ortiz did the same thing and switched to this system completely. After shooting with Sony mirrorless camera for a year, he gives an honest review of the system. He is very satisfied with it, and as you know, he makes awesome photos. But, he speaks honestly and mentions both advantages and disadvantages of this camera. So, if you’re thinking of switching to Sony mirrorless, you should definitely watch this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_Jw60-WWn0
Manny used to shoot both Nikon and Canon. He used Nikon D600 and Canon 5D Mark III. When he tried out the Sony mirrorless system, it grew on him and he switched slowly but surely. He uses Sony A7R II and A6500, and this is his review of the system.
Pros
1.Electronic viewfinder
For manny, this is one of the options he likes best. With a Sony’s EVF, You can preview the image exactly as it’s going to look like when you press the shutter. In other words, what you see is what you get.
This has one important advantage: you can preview the image in the eyecup of the camera. And when you do this, you reduce chimping and get more consistent results.
2. Image stabilization
Sony’s image stabilization helps when you want to shoot videos while handholding the camera. The body stabilizes the lens, so you won’t get shaky footage. It also allows you to use slower shutter speeds and still take sharp images.
3. Continuous Eye Autofocus feature
This feature puts a little box over the model’s eye. No matter how much the model moves, the camera will continue to track their eye. Because of this, you’ll get a perfect focus on the eye almost every single time. With a DSLR, you either need to focus and recompose every time the model moves, or change the focus point.
4. Size
Well, this one’s probably the most obvious advantage. However, it’s not necessarily the case when it comes to lenses. Sony manufactures some professional lenses they are pretty much the same size as those for DSLRs (maybe even bigger). But, you can always use smaller prime lenses like 55mm f/1.8
5. Image quality
According to Manny, the A7RII has the best image quality of all the cameras he’s used. And he’s used a lot of DSLRs.The dynamic range, resolution, sharpness – they are all exceptional. After all, you can see that from Manny’s photos.
Cons
1.Battery life
This is the biggest problem of Sony mirrorless cameras. Manny says he carries 5 to 8 spare batteries when he goes shooting. With longer shoots, not even the battery saving tricks can help you.
Because he brings many batteries, the camera doesn’t fail manny at the photo or video shoots. But just imagine the charging process, with chargers plugged in all over the place. So, these systems definitely have a stronger and/or bigger battery.
2. Start up lag
When you turn the camera on, it takes about 3 seconds for it to be able to take a photo. When you put a new battery into the camera, it extends to 7 seconds. When you’re trying to capture the moments and action, this can cost you a lot of great shots.
3. Only one SD card slot
This is is the feature that drives some professionals away from Sony mirrorless. If you’re shooting a wedding (or anything that matters to you for whichever reason), you want to have a backup of all the files you took.
4. Low light autofocus
One thing that Manny misses from DSLRs is flawless low light autofocus like he had with the Canon 5D Mark III. When he switched to the Sony mirrorless, he realized it doesn’t perform that well when focusing in low light situations.
5. Lack of budget/APS-C lenses
Unlike Canon or Nikon, Sony doesn’t really have budget lenses. If you want to switch from DSLR to mirrorless, you’ll need to spend a lot of cash. Also, Sony keeps releasing APS-C cameras, but they don’t release lenses for them.
These were the five honest pros and cons of Sony mirrorless system. Of course, they are working hard on their cameras and lenses, and there certainly are many improvements to come. But for now, this is how the things work, and I’d say these are some fairly objective points. Would you agree? What would you point out as the biggest advantages and disadvantages of Sony mirrorless cameras?
[My Switch from DSLR to SONY MIRRORLESS- My HONEST one year REVIEW of SONY! | Manny Ortiz]
Dunja Đuđić
Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, concerts, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.
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28 responses to “I switched from Canon to Sony a year ago. Here are five things I miss (and five that I like)”
IMHO – cons: 1) cameras too expensive, 2) lenses too expensive, 3) poor battery life / pros: 1) I.Q., 2) almost every good vintage lenses can be adapted via cheap adaptors
For your cons:
(1) You[re just not in the Full Frame league.
(2) You’re too poor – see (1).
(3) You do not understand the importance of small/light weight gear for pros – see (1).
Battery life is a massive deal for me as a working professional. Small / lightweight is not important in my world, I’d rather have my grip and not worry about battery for a solid day of shooting.
How difficult is it to change a battery? Considering how much weight the A7 system already shaves off?
So add back a grip with any of the 3rd party vertical grips from Meike etc. that allow you to use 2 grips! Plus remote control etc.
How easy is it to not have to change a battery?
End of the day, when mirrorless matures a little bit more (flash ecosystem, battery life etc.) I’m sure I’ll end up switching but, until then, I’m not going to compromise on what I expect from my camera and lenses.
One pro you don’t see mentioned much: in extreme low light, the EVF beats the pants off OVF courtesy of noisy, but usable, amplified display.
Nothing experience won’t solve in a instant….
And how does that work for people who don’t have experience? In basketball you can’t teach height. In photography you can’t teach experience.
“you can’t teach experience” has to be the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard, as that’s the only thing you can teach…
You have a complete lack of logic. Experience is gained over time and is something observed, not taught. One can teach someone else the relationship between ISO, aperture and shutter speed. Living alone on an island one would gain experience in many areas with nobody teaching them anything. Maybe stick to trolling things you have a greater understanding of. English … learn it. http://www.dictionary.com/browse/experience
Or maybe you can pick up a book or two and learn that knowledge is nothing but experience. Since you seem to need someone to things drawn out for you: teaching someone the relationship between iso, aperture & shutter speed is nothing but teaching accumulated experiences, i.e. knowledge.
It is not rocket science, as isn’t making an exposure in low light with an OVF. Like Larry said above, one shot with a traditional DSRL gives you all the info you need to find out if you need adjustments, while still being instant focus, which mirorless won’t give you. And yes, you can teach that, everyone who’s ever taken a photography class has learned that. Your analogy with a basketball player’s height is dumb and non applicable.
Keep digging that hole at first you were just ignorant of what the term means. Now you have been taught so ignorance isn’t an excuse anymore you’re just being stubborn and stupid.
Great points! I can see you’re a man of many thoughts who can definitely admit when you’re wrong.
I see now that you’re 100% correct and you can’t teach someone how to make an exposure in low light, you’re either born with the gift or your not. You win the internet.
This Cthulhu is so stupid, he says stuff like “all I need to do is take a picture to see what I need to adjust”.
Then he says stupid stuff about experience. He’s an A-Hole professional hole digger.
“one shot with a traditional DSRL gives you all the info you need to find out if you need adjustments”.
The typical dinosaur who chimps like a chimpanzee. The kind of idiot who doesn’t know his photography and presses the shutter just to see what he got!
Grow up and learn your photography! Learn pre-visualisation and zone system.
Or pull your ass out of your ass and learn what an EVF is. We don’t even need to chimp anymore when we are seeing what the sensor is seeing real-time! Dinosaur idiots like you are still OVF-ing your way around seeing what your lens is seeing. That’s why you don’t know what you are shooting exposure wise and come up with that novice crap about shoot first think later.
Either I’m a dinosaur or I need to learn the zone system, invented by dinosaurs, you gotta pick one.
It means you’re all of the above… dope…
It means all of the above, stupid dinosaur…
I’ve used both OVF and EVF and if you know how to read the meter in the OVF you don’t have to worry about your exposure, Also it’s called using Live View with OVF that’s basically what’s inside the EVF. I have an 80d and the DPAF in Live View is just as fast if not faster sometimes then using OVF but OVF is great for being able to really see the scene for what it is. EVF is great too, don’t get me wrong but at this point it’s all about Preference and what your comfortable with using. I would prefer a hybrid view finder and the only one that has that is fuji, but I already have canon gear.
Like I said above, tis one of the Canikon dinosaurs who think their eye sight gets better over time. They’ve never looked through an EVF before LOL!
These dinosaurs are the same ones who said the same about experience with manual focusing beating autofocus. LOL
OK, now you’re just proving to be a douchebag. I actually own a couple mirrorless cameras. Nothing is as dependable as a DSLR.
You don’t need good eyesight to get an exposure right, just half a brain. Sorry yours isn’t good enough.
Yep, exactly the dinosaur that you says good eyesight isn’t important.
If dinosaurs like you need to think so much for autofocus or exposure, you don’t have much of a brain do you?
Are you high, or just stupid? Sorry you don’t know how to get an exposure right. Good luck sucking at photography
Are you retarded are just a retarded dinosaur. You need the trial and error for every shot! Yeah… go on… press that shutter and chimp along!
Are you drunk? I think you need a break from the internet.
Yeah… keep chimping, you’re so fixated on that 3 inch screen, its not like you can do anything else anyway. Retard.
Says the stupid one who needs to take a shot first to chimp … duh … suck on…
As I have posted repeatedly in DPreview all these years (since the A99) – I wish that people can understand why seeing realtime what the sensor is seeing is so important. You see the exposure decision of the camera in real-time so you only make an exposure when it looks right. An OVF is film era relic. Its periscope technology from the American Civil War submarine and WWI trench warfare. It only allows you to see what the lens is seeing. Its stupid in the digital era.
It means that I take a lot fewer photos compared to the Canikon crowd who shoot first and chimp or Photoshop later.
I also wish people can stop repeating these fallacies ad nauseum:
1. Lack of lenses
Brian Smith, a Pulitzer prize winner, has already debunked this. Look at all the lenses available for the A7 system due to the reduced flange distance – thus allowing you to ADD back the flange distance. A7 is the only thing in the world that can use just about any lens with the right adapters. Can you attach a Nikon/Leica/ lens to a Canon body.
http://briansmith.com/canon-ef-to-sony-e-mount-smart-adapter-compatibility-guide/
That point about lack of APS-C lenses is ridiculous. A7 mirrorless systems work with them way better than Canikon. The EVF displays the APS-C crop image full size whereas the Canokon OVF shows a laughable tunnel-vision view.
2. Low light.
The EVF functions like a pair of night vision goggles. In very low light, you can’t even see anything in the OVF. And yes, you will appreciate this the older you get. The same way all the Nikon dinosaurs in the 1980s and 1990s who claimed that manual focus is better than autofocus are able to continue photography today only because of autofocus.
3. Heavy lenses
Full frame sensors require full frame size image circles. What do you expect?