On the move to mirrorless: So a few weeks ago I tested out a pair of mirrorless cameras: Sony A7 and Fuji XT-1. I ended up returning them both. So heres what I found. These cameras were both quite a bit smaller and lighter than my current main shooter (Nikon D7000). That was a big part of the point. I wanted to shrink my gear down. The other main reason for moving to mirrorless was to move to an EVF. I shoot with a couple of manual focus lenses and they can be particularly difficult to nail focus / exposure with a DSLR viewfinder. The focus assist available with these two was a big reason that I was so excited. An EVF also means that you could easily see and shoot in black and white, which could be really great for shooting street. I shot with a lens from each, and bought a lens adapter for Nikon mount lenses to work my manual lenses on each. What I thought about each: Fuji XT-1 Build quality felt great. Lightweight, but solid & grippy. Menus of the Fuji were less overwhelming than the Sony. Focus assist seemed to be easier to operate than on the Sony. Sony A7 Full frame gave me a different view with some of my other lenses, which I thought was quite exciting. Slow startup (2-4 seconds) was a deal breaker to be honest. Build quality didnt necessarily feel like it could keep up with me. Menus (there are lists and lists and lists) could be overwhelming. Though I didnt get a chance to try them out, the NFC and Wifi on the Sony seemed to have a lot of promise. Conclusion: When I first got my hands on them, I focused on the drawbacks of each. Battery life that is 1/4 of my DSLR, slow startup times, less solid feel than my current gear. It was on the last day that I really began to see the creative possibilities come out. In the end, I didnt think it was the right time for either. I think Ill wait until the next generation of the A7 comes out (likely in the next 4 months or so) and likely move in that direction.
Posted on: Sun, 14 Sep 2014 15:48:02 +0000
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