Quite recently I made a dramatic decision that will change my life a lot: I bought a mirrorless camera, which will very probably replace my dear old DSLR (a Canon 30D). The decision was hard, as I can only know for sure that I like this new kind of camera by buying one and start playing with it. My new baby is a Sony NEX 6 and I just got
to know him/her!
These are the reasons (or a combination of them) I made the switch:
The moments I will use the Sony (and I don’t use my Canon now)
My husband and I spend 3-4 weeks a year backpacking in countries all over the world. I only bring my camera on these
trips. Because that’s the only time I bring a bag that is large enough to fit it. I, so to speak, ‘organize’ everything around the camera. Because, for the type of photography I want, you need good lenses, that have a lot of glass in them, and I would never forgive myself standing in a beautiful spot in country X and I left them at home
(there’s always my husband carrying his 5D Mark II, but sadly that doesn’t count). So that was a choice: good photography = a bigger bag that I normally would not dare showing myself with in daily life (ugly bulky trekker backpack) = only this kind of photography when I travel.
But when I travel, I also do my best to bring the lightest of the lightest (small toothpaste tubes, tiny bottles of shampoo that always run out after two weeks etc).
This seems a little contradictory right? True: you don’t need a heavy toothpaste tube for anything. But still.
With a little Sony NEX and lenses that I can fit into the pocket of my wind stopper, or slides easily into a normal sized (more feminine) backpack OR handbag, I would definitely bring my camera on more occasions. To anything: a party, dinner, on the way to work, doing groceries. And the best camera is the camera you have with you, or so I heard.
The Pleasure of (Photographing while) Traveling
Another important moment was the three days in Ankor Wat, Cambodia with 1.5 kgs of camera hanging around my neck (I am a small woman), taking a million pictures (what else is there to do) and finally using only 3-4 of them in my book. Was it really worth it carrying all this weight? Did it maybe even make the visit less enjoyable? Do I travel for photography only?
You wouldn’t believe the number of people that we passed during the 10-day Annapurna Sanctuary trek in Nepal sporting small mirrorless cameras. They laughed at us and said “Why on earth are you both carrying such a heavy camera!” We shaked our heads at that time because mirrorless cameras weren’t that good yet. But they are starting to get better and better…
The quality
Nowadays the possibilities of the lighter, nifty mirrorless cams have been enhanced so much, that I started to be interested. I needed a new camera anyway, my 30D getting a little old. The reviews are still not as convincing as in saying ‘Mirrorless can replace DSLR’, but I think that what I want to do with a camera is possible, i.e. portraits, taking sharp pictures in low light settings, street photography, bokeh. Especially with a couple of nice primes, such as the 35mm f1.8 (that I still need to save up for) I doubt my Canon 30d can beat what I can do with this one.
First experience
My Sony NEX 6 just came and it’s so cool and small and nifty, but still so serious-looking!
I started it up pretty fast and shooting and operating it is quite easy. I will need to get used to a few things:
- Zooming in at the pictures while you are viewing them: you have to push the OK button and then the scrolling wheel around it will allow you to zoom in and out. But you start fully zoomed in. Why? And why can’t you switch between photos while zoomed in?
- One thing I would immediately like to replace is the neck strap. What a stupid, scratchy plastic thingy. Guys, I paid almost 1000 euros, could the strap please be a little softer?
- Of course, the electronic viewfinder. This is very, very different from a DSLR. It makes me use the LCD screen a lot. But wait till have used it more.
To be continued (in my next blog entry which will be about Venice)!
to know him/her!
These are the reasons (or a combination of them) I made the switch:
The moments I will use the Sony (and I don’t use my Canon now)
My husband and I spend 3-4 weeks a year backpacking in countries all over the world. I only bring my camera on these
trips. Because that’s the only time I bring a bag that is large enough to fit it. I, so to speak, ‘organize’ everything around the camera. Because, for the type of photography I want, you need good lenses, that have a lot of glass in them, and I would never forgive myself standing in a beautiful spot in country X and I left them at home
(there’s always my husband carrying his 5D Mark II, but sadly that doesn’t count). So that was a choice: good photography = a bigger bag that I normally would not dare showing myself with in daily life (ugly bulky trekker backpack) = only this kind of photography when I travel.
But when I travel, I also do my best to bring the lightest of the lightest (small toothpaste tubes, tiny bottles of shampoo that always run out after two weeks etc).
This seems a little contradictory right? True: you don’t need a heavy toothpaste tube for anything. But still.
With a little Sony NEX and lenses that I can fit into the pocket of my wind stopper, or slides easily into a normal sized (more feminine) backpack OR handbag, I would definitely bring my camera on more occasions. To anything: a party, dinner, on the way to work, doing groceries. And the best camera is the camera you have with you, or so I heard.
The Pleasure of (Photographing while) Traveling
Another important moment was the three days in Ankor Wat, Cambodia with 1.5 kgs of camera hanging around my neck (I am a small woman), taking a million pictures (what else is there to do) and finally using only 3-4 of them in my book. Was it really worth it carrying all this weight? Did it maybe even make the visit less enjoyable? Do I travel for photography only?
You wouldn’t believe the number of people that we passed during the 10-day Annapurna Sanctuary trek in Nepal sporting small mirrorless cameras. They laughed at us and said “Why on earth are you both carrying such a heavy camera!” We shaked our heads at that time because mirrorless cameras weren’t that good yet. But they are starting to get better and better…
The quality
Nowadays the possibilities of the lighter, nifty mirrorless cams have been enhanced so much, that I started to be interested. I needed a new camera anyway, my 30D getting a little old. The reviews are still not as convincing as in saying ‘Mirrorless can replace DSLR’, but I think that what I want to do with a camera is possible, i.e. portraits, taking sharp pictures in low light settings, street photography, bokeh. Especially with a couple of nice primes, such as the 35mm f1.8 (that I still need to save up for) I doubt my Canon 30d can beat what I can do with this one.
First experience
My Sony NEX 6 just came and it’s so cool and small and nifty, but still so serious-looking!
I started it up pretty fast and shooting and operating it is quite easy. I will need to get used to a few things:
- Zooming in at the pictures while you are viewing them: you have to push the OK button and then the scrolling wheel around it will allow you to zoom in and out. But you start fully zoomed in. Why? And why can’t you switch between photos while zoomed in?
- One thing I would immediately like to replace is the neck strap. What a stupid, scratchy plastic thingy. Guys, I paid almost 1000 euros, could the strap please be a little softer?
- Of course, the electronic viewfinder. This is very, very different from a DSLR. It makes me use the LCD screen a lot. But wait till have used it more.
To be continued (in my next blog entry which will be about Venice)!