LocalNavy433 Photography

Hello all and thanks for stopping by and if this is your first time here how the hell are you?  In this blog we are going to take a look at something that is a huge debate or at least it was a few years ago.  The debate is whether or not going to mirrorless is worth it.  The number one question that you have to ask yourself is the cost of switching going to be worth the small upgrades that you will get with switching systems.  Then you have to ask is the technology that much better than what you already have. The last question you have to ask is will this truly help me get better photos.  

These three questions are the ones that I asked myself when I switched to shooting a mirrorless system.  I answered the question like this.  Yes, the cost was worth it because I would not have to pay that much for the switch.  In fact I got paid for making the switch because I thought about what I wanted before hand and managed to earn money while selling my older gear to get the newer Sony system.  I was able to get into the newer system with all the lenses that I wanted for less than I paid for the Canon system that I was shooting on at the time.  This alone not only answered the question it made me a few hundred dollars.  

The second question I was able to answer like this. Yes, the newer AF features were worth it to me as I was shooting on an older DSLR that was made a decade ago so yes the tech was better.  I was able to have that eye AF that I was lusting after and I thought man this is going to be great.  The other way that this was light weight of the system was going to help me on the longer hikes. This was going to be something that I needed as the older DSLR and all the lenses was back breaking to carry on the longer hikes that I was planning to take.  I found that all the gear that I was buying was going to pay for itself on the first hike.  

The last question I answered like this. Yes, this is going to help me get better images because I will have the newer systems and it will help me get the shots better and faster.  The first 6 months I will not lie I fell into the trap of justifying my purchase.  I was so happy and collected all the lenses that I needed for getting the shots that I wanted.  I traded and sold images to pay for the gear that I was buying so to me it paid for itself.  I had all the lenses that truly made the Sony a6400 stand out for getting the look of shooting on Sony.  I mean the images looked so good to me but in the end not one person really cared that I was shooting on a system that hyped up for being one of the best mirrorless systems out there.  

In the end it was all in my head the gear was not going to make the images I was so why was I chasing what others said would be best for me.  In the back of my head I was still dreaming of getting the Canon 80d which is a camera that lusted after for so long.  I was shooting with a Canon rebel t6 and I lusted after the 80d when I first started out.  I was also missing the battery life that I was getting on my older DSLR.  I mean I would go through a batter on the Sony for every shoot that I went on (good thing I had 6 batteries) which was truly putting a bad taste in my mouth.  

Around that time I was seeing that it was not worth shooting mirrorless just for the features to get that eye AF.  I mean is it really that much better and the short answer is yes, but in the long run no it is not that much better for a landscape photographer.  I took a step back and realized that I needed to shoot with a system that I personally love and one that will work with me to the point that I don’t have to think when out shooting.  I needed to fell whole again so off I went to sell all the Sony gear and started buying the Canon gear again and I knew that I was going to be able to switch back with ease.  I sold all the Sony gear and was able to get a setup that would allow me to shoot whatever I wanted with good glass as well.  

The long and short of shooting in today’s world is you have to shoot with the gear that you know and what makes you happier when you are out shooting.  The hype is real about shooting mirrorless and yes it is a better system overall.  I mean the glass is sharper and the features are way better but the features are not what makes the images they just make it easier.  I wanted to shoot with something that felt like an extension of my hand and eye not something that would just have the features.  In the end you have to ask is this going to really help me.  If that answer is yes and you really love the newer system then by all means shoot it. I am here to say that I learned the hard way that gear really only matters to the person buying it not everyone else.  This lesson is not something that you can read about or hear about you have to experience it first hand to truly understand it.  

In closing the true answer is yes mirrorless is worth it in 2022 if that is the way that you want to go.  There is a group of people out that there really love the mirrorless system but like me it is not something that I want to shoot until they get the battery issue fixed.  That is the only issue that I have with shooting mirrorless but that is just me what has been your experience good or bad like mine and will you be switching this year?  I want to hear about it in the comments.