On the Road

5 Reasons Why I Switched to Mirrorless Cameras...and Why You Might, Too

Deborah Sandidge  |  Jul 22, 2019

My DSLRs are on the shelf.

Which is not saying they'll stay there, but for now, and however long "now" lasts, my kit is built around the Nikon Z7 and Z6 mirrorless cameras, two dedicated Z lenses—the 24-70mm f/4 S and 14-30mm f/4 S (my go-to lens from the moment I got it), the mount adapter FTZ (so I can use my DSLR Nikkor lenses on the Z cameras), and whichever DSLR lenses I decide to take along on my travels.

Why have I parked the DSLRs? Here are my top five reasons why I have switched to mirrorless cameras:

#1 Weight, Weight, Don't Tell Me
The lighter weight of mirrorless camera bodies and their lenses is probably the first thing mentioned when you ask photographers about their liking for the format, so let's talk about that first. Simply, mirrorless is liberating; its lighter weight makes a big difference when I cover four, six, eight, or more miles a day on my travels. And because the Z camera bodies and lenses are smaller, I can pack a few more of my favorite DSLR lenses, like the 16-35mm and the zoom fisheye.

I start many days long before sunrise, especially when I have pictures like this in mind. Weight matters on long days, but so does the image quality the lighter, smaller mirrorless delivers. The 14-30mm Z lens wasn't available when I made this Oakland Bay Bridge shot, so I used my 16-35mm wide-angle DSLR lens and the Z-camera's lens adapter. © Deborah Sandidge

#2 The Long Good Day
Less weight and less bulk mean not only easier travel over terrain ranging from hills and valleys to city streets, they also make it possible to be on the go for a longer period of time—and if you're in any way familiar with my photography, you know that in pursuit of images I'm often up before dawn and still shooting after dark. Most importantly, mirrorless is making the longer day more productive as well.

For this photo at Fan Pier Park in Boston I had the 14-30mm. The Z7 was on a tripod, fairly low to the ground, and I waited until a boat moved into the frame so I'd get all the cool light streaks. The tilt monitor allowed easy composition for this 30-second exposure. © Deborah Sandidge

#3 Fast Times at Technology High
Photography is changing so quickly, and at a certain point you kind of have to decide: am I all in? A nature photographer I read about summed up her photography with a mirrorless camera by saying, "This is how photography is done now." I agree. Sometimes technology offers what we've been hoping for; more likely, it challenges us to put some new ideas to work.

A different view of Fan Pier Park, later in the evening with the camera lower to the ground on my Platypod Max "flat" tripod. The lens here was my zoom fisheye set at 15mm. © Deborah Sandidge

#4 Captain Video
The Nikon Z6 is my backup camera, but its primary purpose is motion. Videos and time-lapse videos are not new for me, but the Z6 is going to help me explore some new territory. A big plus is autofocus with video. And with the Nikon Z6, because of its lower resolution than the Z7—24.5 megapixels for the Z6 compared to the Z7's 45.7MP—there's faster buffering and a higher-speed framing rate for sharper, smoother videos. There's also better ISO performance in low light. I've set up the Z6 for video so it's ready to go if I decide on the spot to put some subjects in motion

Around town in New York City, through the zoom fisheye at 8mm. At nine in the morning I held the camera up to the sky, tilted the monitor, and waited for the sun to sparkle. The Z7's small size and light weight made it an easy decision to add the fisheye to the camera bag for a shooting day in the city. © Deborah Sandidge

#5 See It Now
You know all about this one—the electronic viewfinder (EVF) is giving you a real-time view of the scene, a view in which you can see the result of whatever settings changes you want to make. In effect, you're seeing the picture you're going to get before you take it. But for the way I shoot there's an additional benefit: I often use the flip-up screen for low-angle shots, and it's great to be able to compose the image at those angles and see instantly and exactly what I'm going to get. No knock on DSLRs, but I could never do that before.

It was a one-camera, one-lens evening for me, and I got this late blue-hour view of the Manhattan skyline from Brooklyn Bridge Park. I love how the city lights reflect their glow on the water and the way the old pilings lead your eye to the cityscape, where new buildings are always on the rise. It was a 13-second exposure with the 24-70mm Z lens at 36mm. If I'd gone wider, I would've had to crop out a lot of other photographers who had the same picture in mind. © Deborah Sandidge

Those are my top five reasons—not for simply trying out a mirrorless camera, but for deciding it was ideal for the way I shoot. A short time shooting with it showed me that everything got smaller except image quality, and it wasn't long before I discovered that I could customize not just the operation of the camera, but the actual images I made. I could change, on the spot, to best capture the mood of the image or project a mood of my own.

The New York City sunset's harsh lighting gave me the idea to shoot this with the Z7's graphite mode set in the picture controls menu. I got a stark, bold look and a big f/16 sunburst. The beauty of this shot is that you're seeing exactly what I saw in the viewfinder. Ansel Adams never saw the world in black and white—he had to envision it; we can see it through the EVF—and then see it change as we make adjustments. How cool is that? © Deborah Sandidge

I'd sum it up this way: carrying a mirrorless camera is a different experience, a better experience, a more creative experience—and a lot more fun.

Deborah Sandidge's website, deborahsandidge.com, offers a collection of her photographs as well as photo tips and a schedule of upcoming workshops, photo tours, and seminars.

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