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When will mirrorless take over DSLR ... and time to sell mirror DSLR equipment??
- Thread starter mtbdudex
- Start date
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Besides new camera day, it’s also the bittersweet moment of selling a very dependable camera and gear … 
![5352f89dcb950ded9b9198bc4f91af97.jpg]()
Note:
Not using this forum to sell it, just sharing my description of it.
I’ve got 2 potential buyers in 45 minutes listed
I’m the original owner of this Canon 70D DSLR and gear, selling as a package what you see. This camera package is perfect entry into DSLR photography, the Canon 18-135 zoom is perfect “walk around” lens! The Canon 50mm f 1.4 is classic prime lens.
I’ve taken great pictures and memories with it, daytime and nighttime. Never dropped, no dents or scratches.
Camera Package; Canon 70D 20.2 MP camera & strap, 64GB memory card, 2 lens with caps Canon 18-135mm IS STM f3.5-5.6 with hood & Canon 50mm EF f 1.4, 3 batteries, battery accessory grip holds 2 batteries, Yongnuo remote control for flash and camera, intervalometer for time lapse.
$550 cash only, no trades
Meet at Hartland CVS M59 / old US23
Note:
Not using this forum to sell it, just sharing my description of it.
I’ve got 2 potential buyers in 45 minutes listed
I’m the original owner of this Canon 70D DSLR and gear, selling as a package what you see. This camera package is perfect entry into DSLR photography, the Canon 18-135 zoom is perfect “walk around” lens! The Canon 50mm f 1.4 is classic prime lens.
I’ve taken great pictures and memories with it, daytime and nighttime. Never dropped, no dents or scratches.
Camera Package; Canon 70D 20.2 MP camera & strap, 64GB memory card, 2 lens with caps Canon 18-135mm IS STM f3.5-5.6 with hood & Canon 50mm EF f 1.4, 3 batteries, battery accessory grip holds 2 batteries, Yongnuo remote control for flash and camera, intervalometer for time lapse.
$550 cash only, no trades
Meet at Hartland CVS M59 / old US23
It's always tough letting go of gear that has served you well and you really still like.
I still vividly recall the last day that I spent with my Nikon gear, much of which I'd had for years....putting it into the cases and bags to be transported to the store which would be taking it in trade, watching the store's staff members examining each item and evaluating it..... I stood there, one hand on the box of the new Sony camera body that I was about to buy and take home, occasionally flicking a glance at the boxes holding the new Sony lenses, but again and again my eyes returned to the gear which held so many memories for me.... That was a day of very, very mixed feelings.
Memories good and bad... *sigh* sometimes I wish I never bought the gear from 2009-2015. Would have saved me so much grief and a better outcome in life
If I could do a do over I'd just stick to these
Then jump to the RF equivalents by 2020-onwards if the iPhone isn't enough.
I can't believe I went mirrorless back in 2017. It all started when a co-worker who loved to travel and posting pictures on IG. She wanted to grow and become an influencer... so she asked me to take pics of her during lunch. She had 300 followers at the time... and now over 30k. Now I'm shooting IG influencers up to over 200k. hahaha... We started with a EOS Rebel T2 and T6... both with stock kit lenses. Bought my Sony A7riii at release, and never upgraded since... but I do drool on the glass people use on this forum. I was reckless when I purchased this gear not knowing anything or even an idea why... but I learned a lot by shooting my friend and her influencer friends through the years... also YouTube vids, and from all the creative photographers in this forum. In the pic below... I still use my EOS T3 (lens poking in on right) as a webcam focusing on my tablet and keyboard when streaming my post processing/edits with the people I shoot. I also use my A7 as a webcam through a Elgato Cam Link 4k.
![phonepic_a7.jpg]()
I apologize to the community here, I posted about someone who stated they’d buy my camera, I put it on pending for them, then upon trying to meetup 3 times each meetup they gave excuse for missing. Ugh, but yea this is not the place to out them out.
I’ve learned seller beware: get details on buyer before arranging a sale meetup. Vet them out.
I’ve learned seller beware: get details on buyer before arranging a sale meetup. Vet them out.
This never sold, pulled it last year.
Relisted just this morning.
>>not selling here, just sharing, I priced this $200 below what other like listings are.
![6c329744ea04d8ebd1fff8fd0f896250.jpg]()
Relisted just this morning.
>>not selling here, just sharing, I priced this $200 below what other like listings are.
I know I'm late to this thread(very late) but for me I don't see myself abandoning my DSLRs any time soon.
The only system I'd seriously consider is the Nikon Z system, and from what I've seen the Z7 offers at best marginal improvement in image quality over my D850 and likely worse AF performance. The Z9 of course can beat the D850 in that department and probably even the D6(with over double the pixel count) but until they hit the secondary market they are out of my comfortable price range.
The one big benefit I see to mirrorless systems-and this can't be downplayed-is the "clean sheet" optics designed around a shorter flange distance and, for Nikons at least, going from having one of the smallest 24x36mm mount diameters(F mount) to one of the largest(S mount). The lens designers did have a decent amount of freedom in F mount with super teles and I doubt that future improvements will be much different from what could be seen if F mount designs continued. It's a really big deal for wide angle to moderate focal lengths.
With that said, I'm deep in the F system and even though I could dump it and likely build a competent Z7 based kit, I'd likely not be able to replace 1:1 or something as versatile as what I now have. Also, F mount prices I suspect have bottomed out(maybe not) which would mean a big loss for me but also lets me continue building my F mount kit occasionally and for far less than I've been able to in the past for comparable quality.
That's where I am, and why I'm not changing.
The only system I'd seriously consider is the Nikon Z system, and from what I've seen the Z7 offers at best marginal improvement in image quality over my D850 and likely worse AF performance. The Z9 of course can beat the D850 in that department and probably even the D6(with over double the pixel count) but until they hit the secondary market they are out of my comfortable price range.
The one big benefit I see to mirrorless systems-and this can't be downplayed-is the "clean sheet" optics designed around a shorter flange distance and, for Nikons at least, going from having one of the smallest 24x36mm mount diameters(F mount) to one of the largest(S mount). The lens designers did have a decent amount of freedom in F mount with super teles and I doubt that future improvements will be much different from what could be seen if F mount designs continued. It's a really big deal for wide angle to moderate focal lengths.
With that said, I'm deep in the F system and even though I could dump it and likely build a competent Z7 based kit, I'd likely not be able to replace 1:1 or something as versatile as what I now have. Also, F mount prices I suspect have bottomed out(maybe not) which would mean a big loss for me but also lets me continue building my F mount kit occasionally and for far less than I've been able to in the past for comparable quality.
That's where I am, and why I'm not changing.
I'm in the same boat; been collecting F-mount Nikkors since 1989 and would not be gaining enough to start over at this point...
...except...
...the Z cameras have that "eye-focus" mode, where the camera is smart enough to focus on a critter's face (or eye if it's close enough) and that would be a boon for my photography/my old eyes. I don't see that feature backwards-migrating to any new F-mount camera (if any), but I am tempted to get a Z body with that F-to-Z adapter, just to gain that feature.
Personally I never saw a good reason to continue the SLR into the digital age. The design provided a great way to frame the image in camera, reducing or eliminating cropping back in the film era. However once into the digital world so much could have been accomplished with a properly shaded display at least until electronic view finders were finally mature.
My early on ventures with digital were very much limited by an almost non-existant budget. That is no longer true so I may at some point spring for something mirrorless above and beyond the Lumix ZS200, but so far nothing is reaching out and grabbing me. And I really love having cameras that don't park themselves on a shelf at home when I go for longer walks and hikes, or excursions on lakes and rivers.
My early on ventures with digital were very much limited by an almost non-existant budget. That is no longer true so I may at some point spring for something mirrorless above and beyond the Lumix ZS200, but so far nothing is reaching out and grabbing me. And I really love having cameras that don't park themselves on a shelf at home when I go for longer walks and hikes, or excursions on lakes and rivers.
The SLR stuck around for a while for several good reasons, not the least of which is real-time viewing. The display lag on most P&S cameras in the 2000s was horrible.
Also, for handheld shooting, eye-level viewing is a big benefit because it offers much more camera stability(particularly with larger/heavier lenses) than holding out far enough to see a screen. Even on my D850 with its excellent tilting screen, I use live view sparingly and mostly on a tripod.
I remember using some EVF cameras in the mid to late 2010s and they were horrible. The displays offered almost no fine detail and again lagged terribly.
None of this is true now with ultra-small pixel pitch displays that have almost no perceptible lag. Mirrorless has been perfectly viable even on a high end body for several years now, but the attempts at it earlier just were bad.
In a lot of areas around the world, including remote locations, SLR and DSLR (not mirrorless) will be used for many years to come. The average DSLR does not use as much power to operate as a mirrorless camera, and in some places electrical power can be iffy or non-existent. Some camera manufacturers have batteries that are interchangeable between camera models, so in this case one can use a battery that has a greater capacity with a DSLR camera, which in turn allows for it to be used for longer periods of time. But nowadays cellphones are becoming more common, specially with war photographers in the war zone. Maybe because of compactness, which in turn does not draw as much attention as a DSLR or mirrorless camera (?).
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Phones are just for occasional video clips from the war in my experience. And of course for communicating on a very busy WhatsApp channel. But for still photography? None who I know are using anything but mirrorless these days.
Old Macs wrote:
"Personally I never saw a good reason to continue the SLR into the digital age"
Even "mirrorless" cameras aren't yet fully "digital", so long as they still have mechanical shutters.
When "global" shutters become common, THEN they will have become fully digital cameras, with no "mechanical" moving components at all.
(well, there will still be buttons to press, I guess!)
EDIT:
I'm thinking that camera makers MIGHT still implement a mechanical "shutter cover" (as does Canon on some models) that comes down to cover and protect the sensor when the power is switched off. You can't "digitize" that...!
"Personally I never saw a good reason to continue the SLR into the digital age"
Even "mirrorless" cameras aren't yet fully "digital", so long as they still have mechanical shutters.
When "global" shutters become common, THEN they will have become fully digital cameras, with no "mechanical" moving components at all.
(well, there will still be buttons to press, I guess!)
EDIT:
I'm thinking that camera makers MIGHT still implement a mechanical "shutter cover" (as does Canon on some models) that comes down to cover and protect the sensor when the power is switched off. You can't "digitize" that...!
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It's no easy question to answer, in your particular case as with my case being a Nikon shooter with both Nikon and Canon not opening (yet) their firmware to third party lens producers it makes no sense to keep SLR stuff if you plan to move onto mirrorless in a few years, sell it all now as the longer the wait the bigger the drop of value of the gear.
I have no clue if Canon reflex lenses can be used onto a mirrorless body with an adapter, with Nikon that's possible and I do with some satisfaction, actually some lenses work even better on a ML body but the fact is that, sooner or later, they will come up with a Nikon Z version of the Nikon F one and given the prerogatives of different (and way bigger) diameter along with tech advance so it makes no sense to keep old stuff in the hope to use it on a new body.
I am keeping a reflex camera for more than one reason one of them being I wanna still use some lenses which I can sure use on the ML version but I'd loose AutoFocus and for my kind of shooting I do heavily rely onto AF.
If the plan is to drop photography for a while sell it all and make the most out of it, you can't tell what's gonna happen in this few years until you retire
I have no clue if Canon reflex lenses can be used onto a mirrorless body with an adapter, with Nikon that's possible and I do with some satisfaction, actually some lenses work even better on a ML body but the fact is that, sooner or later, they will come up with a Nikon Z version of the Nikon F one and given the prerogatives of different (and way bigger) diameter along with tech advance so it makes no sense to keep old stuff in the hope to use it on a new body.
I am keeping a reflex camera for more than one reason one of them being I wanna still use some lenses which I can sure use on the ML version but I'd loose AutoFocus and for my kind of shooting I do heavily rely onto AF.
If the plan is to drop photography for a while sell it all and make the most out of it, you can't tell what's gonna happen in this few years until you retire
Giunniello wrote:
"I have no clue if Canon reflex lenses can be used onto a mirrorless body with an adapter"
Just about any EF or EF-s lens will work on the "R-series" mirrorless cameras with the $99 Canon adapter.
In fact, most users report that their old lenses actually work BETTER on the RF mount cameras, than they did on the older DSLR's...
"I have no clue if Canon reflex lenses can be used onto a mirrorless body with an adapter"
Just about any EF or EF-s lens will work on the "R-series" mirrorless cameras with the $99 Canon adapter.
In fact, most users report that their old lenses actually work BETTER on the RF mount cameras, than they did on the older DSLR's...
It's been a while since I purchased the Sony AR7iii mirrorless and while it's a great camera I still find myself shooting with my old 6D (original) just as much. Even though it's 11 years old it's still a great camera that I'm pretty comfortable with but in the end it comes down to whichever camera has the lens closest to what I want to use on it at the time.
I use all my EF lenses adapted to the R6. None of these lenses have IS, but they work quite well with the R6, since it incorporates in body IS (IBIS). I also use Tokina and other non-canon lenses adapted to my R6. The Northern lights photos I post now and then are taken with my R6 and a Tokina wide-angle lens for FF cameras.
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Perhaps, but cellphones are becoming quite useable in the war zone. The photographer in the link (below) tells his reasons for using cellphones:
The photographer documenting war with a cell phone
An early adopter of mobile technology, Benjamin Lowy was the first person to have a cell phone photo make the front page of a major magazine. He has since taken this fresh approach to the front lines in Iraq and Libya.
www.cnn.com
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Interestingly enough, the original Nikon D1 series(D1, D1H, D1X) were on a good track toward ditching the mechanical shutter.
As I understand it, back in the early days, an electronic shutter with CCD was doable, and the D1 series cameras were fully electronic above 1/250 second. This wasn't widely advertised but because of this flash sync is possible at any shutter speed. I actually still use a D1 to measure flash duration on my studio strobes(I keep increasing the shutter speed until I see the exposure drop).
The shutter only had a single curtain that would uncover it at the beginning of exposure and cover at the end. In a sense, it almost was more of a dust cover. I've heard stories of it failing and photographers yanking the leaves out just to finish a job.
The D2 series switched to Nikon's proprietary LBCAST for the D2H and CMOS for the D2X, and full shutters came back. I don't think the single leaf design was used on any of the lower end CCD DSLRs(D100, D200, D70, D40).
Nothing wrong with Lowy's work at all, but that story is from 2012, with an update from 2016. So when replying to your statement "nowadays cellphones are becoming more common, specially with war photographers in the war zone" I was referring to photographers working in Ukraine.Perhaps, but cellphones are becoming quite useable in the war zone. The photographer in the link (below) tells his reasons for using cellphones:
The photographer documenting war with a cell phone
An early adopter of mobile technology, Benjamin Lowy was the first person to have a cell phone photo make the front page of a major magazine. He has since taken this fresh approach to the front lines in Iraq and Libya.
A military photographer I know used cellphones and his cameras to photograph the war in Iraq. Yes, that was several years ago, but I have no doubts that cellphones are becoming quite useful at the war front.
What is happening nowadays is that not only professional photographers use cellphones to take some photos, but non-professional photographers as well. It doesn't mean that cellphone cameras are replacing other cameras, just that they are becoming very common in all scenarios (war, or not). From 2020:
www.dpreview.com
What is happening nowadays is that not only professional photographers use cellphones to take some photos, but non-professional photographers as well. It doesn't mean that cellphone cameras are replacing other cameras, just that they are becoming very common in all scenarios (war, or not). From 2020:
Study: smartphone camera use on the rise among pro photographers
Professional photographers use more smartphone cameras now than 12 months ago, but mostly for personal use and specific areas of their business.
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