Will You Ever Buy Another DSLR?

Dale.

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Dale.
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For those of us still working with a DSLR, do you think you'll ever buy another or move onto mirrorless?

I got my first DSLR around 2008, a Canon 350D. I had no idea how to use it properly, it was in 'Auto' mode for most of its life. I've owned various DSLRs since, a 40D, 7D and now a 5Div. I love my 5D, I have no plans to stop using it but I am considering a back up to it, maybe an M5, for it's compact size which is great for hide work and walking to wildlife locations, there's the crop factor too as well as AF with a TC through the viewfinder.

The M5 is a bit long in the tooth I know but there are some mint 'out of box' examples on the dealer's websites as well as a grey importer with brand new ones and for the money (£400 or less), it's a lot of camera, albeit with slightly compromised image quality compared to full frame but for my purposes, that doesn't matter. The M5 is to all intents and purposes, a repackaged 80D, so decent enough.

Thinking about the M5 made me consider something last night. I have no plans for now to replace my 5D but when I do, I am almost certain it will be FF mirrorless for my main camera. I'm heavily invested in Canon glass which would mean it would probably be Canon mirrorless (adapted) but I could sell up and buy new, buying just the lenses I need rather than the indulgence I've had over the years with Canon L. It could even a change of brand as I'm not biased to any particular brand.

My question isn't about what camera do I buy next though, I don't know yet and I'm not even thinking about it just now but my question is about how much longer DSLRs will be around as mirrorless gets better and will mirrorless gradually take over?

:)
 
I sold my D810 and the best of my lenses last year and replaced it all with a Z6 and a couple of Z mount lenses. I wasn’t too bothered about the depreciation of the value of the body but the likely depreciation in the value of lenses bothered me a bit. I reluctantly swapped systems to avoid this.
 
I just have - a Nikon D850.

I have absolutely no interest in mirrorless at all. Of course they are the future, but I doubt I'll be alive long enough to be forced into it and I certainly won't opt into it.

To me an optical viewfinder is a must in an SLR; I think EVFs are horrible. For me, they have their place in small lightweight cameras and are great for this - I don't suppose it will be long before the signal will be transmitted to one's spectacles to save the trouble of looking through a hole in a box.

I bought my first SLR (an Olympus OM1) in the early seventies and it is still usable as are the others I bought subsequently. Older DSLRs are mostly obsolete after ten years and I think mirrorless will be a lot less than that.

Although I can see the appeal of new technology to most people, I prefer to remain a dinosaur. My SLRs will still be around many years after I'm dust and hopefully will still be taking pictures . . .
 
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I recently bought a D780 as I have an F4 and a set of Nikon AF-D series primes and fancied the idea of taking out both cameras using the same lenses so I can shoot film and digital.
I also have a Sony A7R3 so have the best of both worlds.
I must admit I prefer the handling and ergonomics of the D780, I don't find the extra size and small weight difference an issue.
 
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No. IMO there are just too many advantages with mirrorless plus the cameras and lenses I have now are about the same size as the film cameras I had for decades, they're heavier though as back then cameras were basically boxes to hold and expose film. I had DSLR's for over a decade but I never came to terms with the bloated lumps they were compared to what came before, and indeed what came after.

As for new tech and dinosaurs, this is a mirrorless camera with a manual lens fitted, and I also often use film era lenses on it.

CnD4wDX.jpg
 
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As a small mirrorlesss body, I love my Olympus E-M10 MK2, it's perfect for street photography and I'm looking forward to eventually trying it for landscapes.
At this point in time I'm not prepared to swap from my Canon 80D to a mirrorless body.
Due to Covid-19 I've hardly used it for wildlife so it's hardly been touched in the last year.
I've been wanting to buy a Tamron 150-600 G2 for quite some time but it's pointless until I can get a chance to use one properly.
I have previously said that if weight becomes an issue for me, then I might change to a mirrorless body.
Having said that, I would imagine something like the 150-600 with a lens adapter fitted to a Canon mirrorless body will still be quite heavy.
 
I've used mirrorless and none of the touted advantages were of any advantage to me over what a DSLR has to offer. If one of my DSLRs dies before me it'll get replaced with another DSLR - even if it's a S/H one.

if I was ten years younger I'd look at things differently. I still wouldn't transition right now though as none of the systems have a lens line up that has everything I'd want.
 
I've used mirrorless and none of the touted advantages were of any advantage to me over what a DSLR has to offer. If one of my DSLRs dies before me it'll get replaced with another DSLR - even if it's a S/H one.

It's something that anyone looking at a new camera has to assess.

I ran mirrorless alongside my Canon 5D and I was convinced quite quickly by being able to see the exposure and DoF and by the AF accuracy and consistency. Later I started using eye / face detect and realised that these together with being able to focus accurately and consistently anywhere in the frame (not just in the central area as with a SLR/DSLR) were real game changers. I also love the ability to manually focus very accurately to a degree not possible with any unaided optical system but of course you need the time to manually focus accurately so it's not suitable for all subjects and situations.
 
It's something that anyone looking at a new camera has to assess.

I ran mirrorless alongside my Canon 5D and I was convinced quite quickly by being able to see the exposure and DoF and by the AF accuracy and consistency. Later I started using eye / face detect and realised that these together with being able to focus accurately and consistently anywhere in the frame (not just in the central area as with a SLR/DSLR) were real game changers. I also love the ability to manually focus very accurately to a degree not possible with any unaided optical system but of course you need the time to manually focus accurately so it's not suitable for all subjects and situations.

Yes I’ve been thinking the same thing, I would probably go mirrorless with something like the canon R5 if I had to change so I could keep my existing L lenses , can’t ever imagine getting rid of my 300 2.8
But I’m retired now so at the moment a new camera is out of budget at at the moment
For the foreseeable future I’ll continue using my 6D 2 and 7D 2
 
My thoughts pretty much echo Ed Sutton's above
Whereas I agree with Alan (though I still use a D600 alongside my 8 mirrorless bodies)... :naughty:
 
Switched to mirrorless about 2 plus years or so ago. Can’t think of any reason why I would ever buy a DSLR again.
 
I would - if it could be a Pentax 645 like Steve STF's.

My reason for buying an A7III was mostly around dynamic range and eye AF, but outside of those I don't care about the tech inside. If the Sony A99ii hard been a better price I'd have had that instead, although mirrorless lenses seem a big step up in quality.
 
It's something that anyone looking at a new camera has to assess.

I ran mirrorless alongside my Canon 5D and I was convinced quite quickly by being able to see the exposure and DoF and by the AF accuracy and consistency. Later I started using eye / face detect and realised that these together with being able to focus accurately and consistently anywhere in the frame (not just in the central area as with a SLR/DSLR) were real game changers. I also love the ability to manually focus very accurately to a degree not possible with any unaided optical system but of course you need the time to manually focus accurately so it's not suitable for all subjects and situations.
To misquote Cartier-Bresson, focus is is a bourgeois concept.

You don't see the final DoF in a view finder, or on a rear screen. Not unless those are the sizes you always view your pictures at. So it has as little value as using a preview button in an SLR.

Ever looked at an EVF while wearing polarised specs? Or used them under fluorescent lighting? Nasty, nasty experience. The first blacks out in portrait orientation and the second has dark bands scrolling down the frame!

I've missed pictures when using face detect on a mirrorless camera because the stupid thing has focused on a face I wanted out of focus.

Mind you I'm not a bokeh whore, so single point, focus recompose, at f5.6 or smaller gets me close enough for rock'n'roll.

Swings and roundabouts.

I wouldn't recommend DSLRs to anyone taking up photography today, and if I was new to the game then I'd go for mirrorless 100%. But to suggest that anyone who has DSLR gear should consider mirrorless is b*****ks. The idea of constantly 'upgrading' is also b*****ks. Ten year old DSLRs are as much as 99% of people need.
 
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I have feet in both camps - a Nikon D4 & D810 DSLR’s, and a Fuji X-T2. The Nikon’s are my go-to cameras for the most part unless I need something smaller and lighter. I’ve only had the D810 for 5 years so nowhere near ready to replace it yet, and I’ll probably get a used D850 when I do, and probably flog the D4 as well. Although the Fuji medium format cameras may well tempt me, as the body and GF lens line up will have matured by that point.
 
It's nearly 10 years since I got my first mirrorless, but I still use DSLRs occasionally.
I don't expect to but another as I have a backup for each of the roles where I use a DSLR in preference to mirrorless.
For that matter I don't expect to but another mirrorless for at least 5 years, but if a good friend wins big enough on the lottery there are one or two I wouldn't mind. (Chances are only marginally higher than me winning & I don't waste money on it).
 
I went mirrorless a few years ago and think they are great for many reasons. However I also use film cameras and have just picked up a Nikon D700 and enjoying using it, its for a project going to be used with my Nikon F4 as well.
Would I buy another one after this? Maybe but I doubt it :)
 
I am looking at buying into the nikon mirrorless system in the next few months hopefully and will be coming from a d750. For the foreseeable i will be running the two in tandem as i still love the d750 and really other than the improved focussing don't have a real need to change other than knowing that the arse is starting to fall out of the dslr market and nikon are finally shifting away from it more formally. I plan to buy an 85mm prime with the new body, but tend to buy lenses over a longer period of time due to their expense, so will be using my dslr lenses with the adaptor for quite a while to come i suspect.
 
To misquote Cartier-Bresson, focus is is a bourgeois concept.

You don't see the final DoF in a view finder, or on a rear screen. Not unless those are the sizes you always view your pictures at. So it has as little value as using a preview button in an SLR.

Ever looked at an EVF while wearing polarised specs? Or used them under fluorescent lighting? Nasty, nasty experience. The first blacks out in portrait orientation and the second has dark bands scrolling down the frame!

I've missed pictures when using face detect on a mirrorless camera because the stupid thing has focused on a face I wanted out of focus.

Mind you I'm not a bokeh whore, so single point, focus recompose, at f5.6 or smaller gets me close enough for rock'n'roll.

Swings and roundabouts.

I wouldn't recommend DSLRs to anyone taking up photography today, and if I was new to the game then I'd go for mirrorless 100%. But to suggest that anyone who has DSLR gear should consider mirrorless is b*****ks. The idea of constantly 'upgrading' is also b*****ks. Ten year old DSLRs are as much as 99% of people need.

I do wish you hadn't quoted me as now I feel the need to reply:D

Focus isn't a bourgeois concept to the vast majority of people who'll read these posts and even if it is it's only a non issue for a minority of uses and subjects and people.

Back when I used a Nikon SLR at music gigs I saw that there was all sorts of stuff in shots to complain about, noise and motion blur being the biggies (ISO 1600 film and a lens starting at f3.5) but no one ever mentioned these problems. No one. Not once. So, I suppose in that sense noise and motion blur don't matter even today? Yeah. Right :D and of course having relatively small prints back then did hide a multitude of sins (such as those caused by focus and recompose) that will be immediately apparent on a large screen today to anyone who cares.

And yes you can at least get a good feeling for the DoF if you've got the evf an inch from your eye as it's the equivalent of a massive flat screen tv filling your view. To compare that to a dark DSLR DoF preview is insane.

But your post does at least prove that there's always an opposing view and no matter what the advances the last DSLR will need to be prised from your dying grip. Good for you but just as everything I post is my own personal opinion you too need to accept that there's another view.

Oh and with face detect you can set the priorities, for example I have Mrs WW plumbed in so the camera will always look for her in a group shot. The camera isn't the stupid thing here.
 
I wouldn't recommend DSLRs to anyone taking up photography today, and if I was new to the game then I'd go for mirrorless 100%. But to suggest that anyone who has DSLR gear should consider mirrorless is b*****ks. The idea of constantly 'upgrading' is also b*****ks. Ten year old DSLRs are as much as 99% of people need.

Spot on.
 
I highly doubt I'd buy a DSLR camera at this point in time, and the likelihood gets lower as time goes by. I occasionally think about getting a cheap Canon full frame body and lens, but for the cost of a 5DII or 6D, which are showing their age now, I could get a much newer mirrorless full frame camera.

With ef mount lenses slowly being discontinued, I don't think it will be long before Canon stops making DSLR bodies altogether.
 
I like my D850, I like the lenses I have (some are 8years + old) and whilst I'm still able to lug them around I won't change to mirrorless. I look at the prices of mirrorless kit and I look at the equivalent F mount lenses I have and couldn't justify shelling out a lot more just to have a mirrorless system. If I was 30 years younger it might be a different story.
 
To me an optical viewfinder is a must in an SLR; I think EVFs are horrible.

This....we've had Damien Demolder and Nigel Atherton at our club extolling the virtues of Olympus and Panasonic systems and both were taken aback about my feelings on EVF. They try to reassure me by saying that the technology improves all the time but that is like saying Bracknell is nice now because it has a new shopping centre....

For me D850 or the update (D880?) most likely and K3iii when prices are realistic. If I want to travel light I just use my iPhone 8.
 
but I am considering a back up to it, maybe an M5, for it's compact size
I've had my Gripped 7DII for a few years now, a couple of years ago, I started to find it a tad heavy for hand held macro.
I bought an M50 and coupled to the canon 100mm L IS via an adapter.
Obviously it can be a tad slow focusing in low light with the adapter, but in good light its brilliant.
On occasions I have used it with the canon 100-400 MKII but I find it very top heavy, but well balanced on the gripped 7DII.

No thoughts of replacing either body..
 
Size/weight, wide AF area, great AF for video, eye-AF are a few of things which drew me back to mirrorless.

I think it would only go back to DSLR if it were something very specialised, such as medium format but then they are going mirrorless now as well.
 
I liked my 1dx3.
There is something very satisfying about hearing the mirror slapping up and down at 16fps.

The reason I won't go back to dslr is the mirrorless lenses.
The RF 85mm 1.2 out shines any lens canon have ever made and I'm just not prepared to give it up.
 
To misquote Cartier-Bresson, focus is is a bourgeois concept.

You don't see the final DoF in a view finder, or on a rear screen. Not unless those are the sizes you always view your pictures at. So it has as little value as using a preview button in an SLR.

Ever looked at an EVF while wearing polarised specs? Or used them under fluorescent lighting? Nasty, nasty experience. The first blacks out in portrait orientation and the second has dark bands scrolling down the frame!

I've missed pictures when using face detect on a mirrorless camera because the stupid thing has focused on a face I wanted out of focus.

Mind you I'm not a bokeh whore, so single point, focus recompose, at f5.6 or smaller gets me close enough for rock'n'roll.

Swings and roundabouts.

I wouldn't recommend DSLRs to anyone taking up photography today, and if I was new to the game then I'd go for mirrorless 100%. But to suggest that anyone who has DSLR gear should consider mirrorless is b*****ks. The idea of constantly 'upgrading' is also b*****ks. Ten year old DSLRs are as much as 99% of people need.
Never wear polarised glasses but I've frequently used (5 different) mirrorless cameras under fluorescent lighting over the course of the last 8 years. The only time I've seen those dark bands is when photographing a computer screen.

I can judge DoF far better on a EVF than on any SLR I've used (digital or film).

Having a camera set up wrong for the shot you're taking doesn't put the camera at fault - unless the setting can't be turned off easily. I don't think I've ever enabled face detect focus on any of my cameras, though I'm fairly sure it's an option in several of them.

I'm not convinced ten year old DSLRs would work for as many people as you think, all my 10+ year old cameras are slow to focus & have poor low light performance, enough to hinder at least 10% of photographers on occasion (cat photo's indoors, Johnny running about in the garden...). Five year old cameras DSLR or mirrorless will be quite respectable for most enthusiasts, though newer models will certainly give some benefits for those with money to burn :)

I would think anyone thinking of getting a sophisticated camera should consider mirrorless. How long they spend considering is another matter, but it doesn't make sense to assume that the bad experience they had with an EVF 5 years ago is relevant to todays cameras.

I personally do still use DSLRs released in 2006 for some shots, but not for routine shooting only where their unique features are wanted.
 
I can judge DoF far better on a EVF than on any SLR I've used (digital or film).
You are evaluating the depth of focus (focus tolerance), which is the sharpness of things relative to each other... that's not really the depth of field in the final image/viewing condition. And any small screen is going to be about useless in evaluating the resulting depth of field in a significantly larger print/display. I can barely judge what might actually be in sharp focus.
 
I just have - a Nikon D850.

I have absolutely no interest in mirrorless at all. Of course they are the future, but I doubt I'll be alive long enough to be forced into it and I certainly won't opt into it.

To me an optical viewfinder is a must in an SLR; I think EVFs are horrible. For me, they have their place in small lightweight cameras and are great for this - I don't suppose it will be long before the signal will be transmitted to one's spectacles to save the trouble of looking through a hole in a box.

I bought my first SLR (an Olympus OM1) in the early seventies and it is still usable as are the others I bought subsequently. Older DSLRs are mostly obsolete after ten years and I think mirrorless will be a lot less than that.

Although I can see the appeal of new technology to most people, I prefer to remain a dinosaur. My SLRs will still be around many years after I'm dust and hopefully will still be taking pictures . . .

Obsolete... depends, so long as you can get a battery and the SD card still works, whats to go wrong? Speakig as a Kodak DCS Pro SLR user (2003), Canon D30 user (2000) and Rebel XT user (2005). I even use a CF - SD adapter for those canons, so I can easily transfer images to my ipad using the SD connector adapter (and ultimatey to mac via icould syncing)
 
Yes, I've just recently bought 2 DSLRs. 2 Pentax 645z's and specifically chose this system over the Fuji GF system to get a DSLR rather than a mirrorless medium format.

I'll buy DSLRs for as long as I possibly can over mirrorless. Just hope Pentax will develop further FF and medium format DSLRs beyond what they offer.

Sadly no news from Nikon on a 50 or 60mp replacement to the d850.

@ancient_mariner I'd recommend the 645z. If you're willing to buy used glass it's not hugely expensive and the dynamic range, colour depth IQ, AF accuracy is exceptional. Never mind the incredibly logical controls and two tripod slots. To say I love the system is an understatement and bar a phase one or Hasselblad H system there's for me no finer camera on sale today
 
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I recently changed from dslr to mirrorless . tried as i did to like it , i hated it and after a month moved back to dslr (lost a fortune) I hated the digital view finder , I hated the fact it felt like a toy ,I hated all the bells and whistles in the menu and even though i turned them off they always seemed to find a way to turn themselves on , I hated the battery life,I hated that it didnt make a reasuring clunk when I took a shot and the list coud go on. So I will stay with a dslr for as long as possible.
 
Probably not, although I'll keep my current DSLR until it dies and then move to mirrorless. EVFs are awful compared to an optical finder but it's the way things are going. I would imagine within a couple of years that new DSLRs will be a thing of the past and all the new stuff will be mirrorless. I think technology has got to the point where the benefits outweigh the drawbacks now.
 
For me there is no canon DSLR apart from 1dx3 in some respects that would be a worthy upgrade, and they are not doing any more. So apart from replacing anything in case it just breaks it looks like it is the end of the road.
It's a shame but I will have to consider Sony as my next one due to outrageous pricing of new canon gear.
 
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