…or so I was told by many fellow Nikon shooters and quite a few Canon shooters. What had I done? I’d gone mirrorless. Compact system. The dark side.
It started with the OM-D E-M5 after watching Damian McGillicuddy shoot with it and seeing the results he got. I was gobsmacked and knew I had to have a closer look. After trying it out, I found that it did live up to the hype and I converted. I still get the “that’s not a proper camera” comment every now and again; sometimes jokingly, sometimes not. Some clients can’t quite believe I use an Olympus OM-D either, and there is something to be said for playing to client expectations, but when they see the images, everyone’s happy. So why did I go mirrorless?
- It’s small, so I can take it with me easily
- It’s light, so I can carry my entire kit with me and still be carrying less weight than a body and two lenses with my old Nikon system
- Related to 2, the kit being light saves my back from a lot of pain
- It’s (relatively) inconspicuous, so people don’t worry about the lens as much, making candid shots easier
- It takes quality images for what I do and I can print to 40″ x 30″ and 60″ x 40″ without problem
- Image stabilisation in the OM-D is amazing
- Clients are happy with the images I deliver on the system
- It’s cheaper than DSLR systems
Are there drawbacks? Yes, of sorts. I still personally think that my Nikon D3 and D700 performed better in low light, but it’s a close call. Handling can be an issue for people with big hands – some find mirrorless cameras too small to handle comfortably. Yes you can stick a grip on it, but you start to defeat the object of the smaller system. And that’s about it.
Ultimately, it’s a tool and it has to be the right tool for the job that you do. For me, it is. Try it – it might just be for you too.
Come join me on the dark side. We have cookies.
