The switch: DSLR - Mirrorless
I ANGERED THE GODS OF CANON & NIKON
The big switch from DSLR to Mirrorless.
You know from the word GO which side you’re on as soon as you buy your first camera. For me? I was handed down a Nikon, the Nikon D40 from my older sister almost 9 years ago. My first Digital SLR, wow was it a treat to use. I can take how many photos? On this weird thin piece of plastic called an SD card. WHAT? No more loading 35mm film into my camera, none of this 36 photos before having wind the film back up, then getting it developed at Tesco’s and having hundreds of photos that are typically useless. I used and cherished this Nikon for over a year, until the sensors started to fail and my parents thought it was best to purchase me a camera of my choice for my Birthday/Christmas present. Weeks of research went into this. During these times I rode BMX, friends of mine had their own cameras. I travelled a lot around the UK to different skateparks with my sponsorship and everyone seemed to shoot with Canon’s. WHY OH WHY? “Canon is better for sports. We all use them, so if any of us forgets something out of their personal kit, another member probably has it with them, if they’re not using it we can.” - SOLD! I asked for the Canon 60D and that’s what I got.
I loved and cared for this camera more than anything, it was a lot of money to my parents and I wasn’t going to let anything happen to it. I became the go to guy when out riding to constantly be shooting. I spent more time shooting than I did actually riding, which was great for me… Years went past and my equipment grew and grew. Although the battery life for the Canon 60D was great, I ended up purchasing a battery grip as I was always shooting and often away from a plug socket for a few days at a time. Plus, I suck when it comes to remembering to charge my camera. This is when I angered the Gods of Canon, I grew up. I started shooting models, clothing and beauty. I became a studio guy, my Canon was great and I learnt a lot from it but it was getting old, the top screen was smashed, it was taking a lot longer to power up and the quality just wasn’t up to scratch. It was time for an upgrade. But wait? Do I go for the Canon 5D MK iii or switch back to Nikon, meaning I could steal some of my sisters equipment? This was a big deal for me, I loved using Canon but I also loved the fact that the Nikon has a multiple exposure function in it, I needed a camera that I could use to get me through university. As much as I wanted to Canon 5D MK iii, I wasn’t exactly cash rich during this time and opted for something a little bit within my budget.
I switched back to Nikon (sorry Canon). I loved the fact that the Nikon D7000 had multiple exposure function, at the time I was really into the whole double exposure malarky. Having that ability to be able to do it all in camera was such a great feeling, no more slaving away for hours on Photoshop and combining the two perfect photos. Bish, bash, bosh… It was done all in the beautiful camera that it was.
The Nikon D7000 got me through 3 years of university, countless of projects, it even served me for shooting campaigns for fashion houses, magazines, blogs and websites. Gee, I even used it to film a few videos that were later used for tailoring house Joshua Kane and not to forget my entire final project for university. Then it takes me to now, don’t get me wrong I still use my Canon 60D on certain times, it does shoot better video than my Nikon but when it comes to shooting in the studio, my trusty Nikon comes out.
Now I’m not saying that Nikon is better than Canon or vice versa. To me, they were amazing during my use of them, but I do prefer the Nikon over the Canon as I just find it 100x easier to use (probably doesn’t help that my Canon is now 8 years old with a cracked top screen, making changing the settings a chore). I know so many people have made the switch before and alongside me from DSLR to mirrorless and there are still those who are firmly against the idea. At no point am I saying you’re wrong, because there is no right or wrong. It’s simply a matter of preference. However I have found that mirrorless cameras suit me better and heres a few reasons why I made the big (or little in this case) switch:
THE REASON I SWITCHED:
After months of research and wrapping my brain around which mirrorless camera was best suited to me and within my budget, I came to the conclusion the Son A6500. Now I spent a few more weeks researching when it's likely the replacement would be released. The A6700... But there was no reliable rumours and Sony didn't say a word. So I bought the Sony A6500, here's why:
The Sony A6500 is significantly smaller and lighter. The thought of lugging around a big DSLR and my kit whilst travelling actually sounds like back breaking work already.
4K video recording and 1080p at 120fps. This was the big one for me, I wanted the ability to shoot at 4k as well as being able to shoot at 1080p at 120fps, just some DSLR’s aren’t able to do both.
Electronic View Finder (EVF). I love this, being able to look through your viewfinder and what you see is what the you get, make adjustments and the changes are made and you’re able to see it clicking the shutter button. This also means that you’re able to see your photo that you’ve just taken in the viewfinder. NO MORE CHIMPING, well minimising chipping (when you’re looking through the viewfinder, taking a photo and then checking your screen, make adjustments and taking another photo etc etc)
5-axis image stabilisation, allowing me to use a lower shutter or record video without using a tripod or a gimbal to create smoother shots.
Sony’s continuous eye focusing. Shooting portraits, this is such an amazing and time saving component to have. Every time I shoot with DSLRs I’m constantly focusing, composing, focusing. Now, the camera can automatically track the portraits eyes and keep them in focus all the time.
Image quality. They don’t compromise, I actually think the quality on my Sony is better than my Nikon and Canon. They’re all crop sensor, but the Sony A6500 has got to be the best of it’s class.
24MP… WHAT! That’s more than my Nikon and Canon combined, yet it’s so little?
Things that already kind of suck:
Battery life, it kind of sucks. I haven’t had the camera for long enough to really know about this too much but I have heard that it’s not the longest lasting. I figured that because it has so much tech in it, it uses a lot of battery to run it. For those who know me, I’m a sucker for a battery grip so I ended up buying a Meeker battery grip for my Sony, as well as a few more batteries so I can change whilst I’m out and about just in case. It’s not something that highly bothers me, but it does make the camera a little bigger and goes against the reason I made the switch to a smaller camera, but hey… I love my battery grips.
Vertical shooting with the battery grip. Now, I’m not trying to complain to much because it is my own fault for adding the grip. However, to be able to shoot vertically, obviously I’m going to use the shutter button on the grip. HOWEVER, for this to work you have to plug in the cable from the side of the grip to the camera. It’s even more annoying that the wire faces the wrong way and is way too long. I mean, it’s like 1cm too long meaning it’s in my way when holding the camera.
Which takes me on to my next issue. Having the battery grip is super useful, especially as it doubles my use time from 2-3 hours to 5-6 hours. However this does mean that I have to substitute the fact I can’t reach my SD card very easily or quickly.
1 SD card slot. Super annoying, especially with using the Nikon I got use to having two SD card slots on it meaning that I could back up the content that I just took whilst on the go. Or simply using 1 to max and not having to worry about rummaging through my bags to find another empty SD card to use.
The start-up lag. It takes a few seconds from turning it on to actually being able to take a photo. Then when you have to change the battery, it takes a little longer to take a photo, which is a little frustrating. Nothing I’m not used to with my Canon, but my Nikon. Fire it up and woof you’re away.
Now don’t get me wrong, these are minor issues that I’m having so far with the camera, I knew some of these stuff before making the purchase (minus the battery grip malarky) and the pros still outweigh the cons. I love this little camera and I honestly can’t wait to make more use of it. So, heres to 2018 and using the Sony A6500 to it’s full potential. Yet again, my apologies to the Gods of Canon and Nikon.