If your new to photography or looking to upgrade your camera there has never been such a large choice of camera systems , ranging from point and shoot , to bridging cameras all the way up to DSLR cameras. Add to this the mirrorless cameras and the choice can be very confusing and with some options costing well into the thousands of pounds it’s a choice you want to get right.

For me personally the choice was to spend my budget upgrading some of my glass ( or to use the correct term , lenses ) or to invest in the new fangled mirrorless camera. In the end I decided to change from my DSLR to Mirrorless. But before I explain why , what’s the difference ?

Both DSLR and mirrorless cameras both show the subject matter through the camera lens as you compose the picture. It’s how we view this image that’s the major difference . With the traditional DSLR a mirror diverts the view to an optical view finder , this is the image the photographer views. When you take a picture this mirror flips up allowing the the camera sensor to record your image. A mirrorless camera is just that. There is no mirror , so the image viewed by the photographer isn’t optical , but a digital image displayed on a screen.

So why did I change from DSLR to mirrorless ?

In no particular order , firstly weight. My old Canon 5ds and lens weighed in at just under 5kg. If you have to carry this weight around with you all day , you really do know about it by the end of the day. Compare this with the weight of my new mirrorless camera and lens at just under 2kg and I think you get the picture. to compound this I normally shoot with cameras. The other thing with weight is that once again I can now shoot my new mirrorless camera and 600mm lens handheld. ( the new in camera image stabilization helps here as well )

So that’s the weight issue sorted and now I can once again shoot handheld , which is a huge bonus when your on the move, next is in camera image stabilization . Now I don’t really understand the technology involved here , but whatever it is it works. ( image stabilization helps reduce camera shake when taking still photo’s )

Next , and this is really important , especially if you have timid subjects like wildlife with a mirrorless camera you can shoot in complete silence. This is a real bonus , there has been many times I have managed to conceal myself completely from my subject , only to be betrayed by the click of my camera taking a picture . No mirror , no noise. ( not quiet true if you shoot with a mechanical shutter , but the new R5 camera body allows you to shoot with an electronic shutter )

I chose to move to the Canon R5 , as well as the reasons above , other factors for me was the cutting edge autofocus , complete with the facility to track animals. In electronic shutter mode , the 20 frames per second and more importantly , the image quality delivered by the 45 mega pixel full frame sensor. Here are a few images taken with the new camera and the new Canon R 600mm lens.

DSLR cameras are a long way from being obsolete and I still own a canon 5ds , but for me mirrorless is the future. I will still continue to use my trusted 5ds , but I now have options. In my technically challenged hands the R5 delivers images as good as my old DSLR , but I can now hand hold and shoot images , a camera I can shoot hand held all day ? ( time will tell ) Plus the ability to shoot in complete silence is a massive advantage for me.