Main motivation for mirrorless

[ttran88]

Its really all of the above. And I would like to add one more that is important IMO, eye AF.

 

[Anthelix]

Size and weight are my main motivations. The sharpness race has led manufacturers to gigantism. Switching to mirrorless was part of my strategy to alleviate it.

The EVF probably comes a close second. Being able to see what the sensor sees is a huge advantage, as are manual focus assistance or live histograms.

 

[Simon Zeev]

My main motivation: I prefer the EVF to the reflex viewfinder,

The second is the size and weight.

 

[davidedric]

Toe in the water: size and weight

Jumped completely: all the other stuff (and not having a fetish about OVF)

Dave

 

[Jonathan Brady]

Definitely the third option (which, to me, includes Eye AF), but also many other reasons.

 

[yardcoyote]

Nope. JPEG only. My goal is getting it 90% right in camera, with FastStone to help with the last 10%. Fujis are JPEG monsters.

I know a lot of Fuji users shoot RAW with great success, though-- search the Fuji forum for many discussions.

 

[Heritage Cameras]

For me it's mainly the ability to use and test lenses like Canon FD/FL, Konica AR and Minolta MC/MD on digital, with simple non- optical adapters.

--
Dave, HCL

 

[Alex Zeee]

Mainly the EVF since I spent a crapton of time on my 80D figuring out the exposure in LV. I tend to disagree with the metering through the OVF so I prefer to just set it to what it is I actually want than take a picture, find it wasn't metered how I want and take it again. Also being able to have focus peaking and manual focus magnification through the viewfinder is really cool and opens up a whole new world of lenses

AF coverage is also massive for me and apart from the D500 I can't think of any other DSLR that comes close to the A9/A7III or even the DPAF on the current Canon bodies and considering I like to focus in random corners of the image it's also a huuuuge bonus. Having in built stabilization is also a plus and Pentax is the only DSLR maker I know of to incorporate it in their body.

I probably won't buy another DSLR unless the 80D replacement has 4K and/or a massively upgraded DPAF system, but that being said I'm still really happy with my current body and even when I eventually get an FF mirrorless body I'll definitely keep it around

 

[Glen Barrington]

As is the ability to work silently (compared to a DSLR). But the "real" truth is my ability to continue using my Olympus DSLR lenses with m43s.

I have a couple of lenses that I love, and could not replace in another brand at a price I could afford. Actually, I think they are optically better with the newer sensors in m43s cameras than they were in my Oly DSLRs. So I am content.

--
I look good fat, I'm gonna look good old. . .
http://glenbarrington.blogspot.com/
http://glenbarringtonphotos.blogspot.com/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/130525321@N05/

 

[sportyaccordy]

Other- cheap way into FF through adapted glass with the bonus of IBIS. When I bought my A7II the only other options in that price range were the D610 and 6D. D610 might have worked but the 6D was a no go.

A lot of people say "the point of mirrorless is light weight and small size!" That is an option, yes. But my A7II with a grip extender and a bag of 1.4-1.8 primes is as big and heavy as something like a 6D kit. However that 6D does not have an EVF, IBIS or alignment issue free AF.

--
Sometimes I take pictures with my gear- https://www.flickr.com/photos/41601371@N00/

 

[Lee Jay]

I don't find mirrorless cameras to be useful for day-to-day photography, but on a telescope where the viewfinder is mostly useless (because the camera is often in a really odd position), they can have some advantages.

 

[Anthony1970]

of all available cameras formats makes me a happy person.

So I have no special motivation to use mirrorless or anything else except the right tool for the job.

 

[araudan]

I chose other. All the options listed are things I appreciate. What I really missed was the size and feel of my old manual focus film SLRs. I used the Minolta x-370n, x-570 and x-700 models. The Sony A7II is the closest thing available for me to use. Being FF, I use my Minolta SR mount lenses without any thought of crop factor. I get a lot of enjoyment from it. Since the prices fell with the A7III coming out I was able to get a used A7II at a good price.

 

[Carol T]

While I agree all the features listed are great, this is the number one reason I love mirrorless, both for autofocus and manual focus. While spherical aberration ('focus shift') can still be an issue, most the focus inaccuracy goes away. The biggest weakness in this approach has been horrid C-AF, but Sony at least seems to be cracking this remaining problem (though it does seem to currently be at the expensive of creating other problems).

 

[liopleurodon]

Initially it was because there's no APS-C DSLR that can shoot 4k video with good AF. Now its because I can adapt all kinds of cool lenses to it.

 

[zackiedawg]

When I picked up my first mirrorless in 2011, the primary motivation was size and weight - I wanted a second body alongside my DSLR with the same sized sensor but much lighter and smaller for travel and portability.

As the bodies improved with each generation, additional motivations started to take over - ability to adapt other mount lenses was fun, good EVFs became a nice addition, no MFA needed became very convenient, addition of OSPDAF made them more usable for a wider range of photography and started to push my mirrorless system from second body to primary body, and as OSPDAF got much faster and more advanced, eventually mirrorless became a preferred system for all of my shooting, including wildlife and BIF where they previously trailed. New and better lenses continued to come along also adding to the performance and versatility of the system.

Now, I am mostly shooting with a mirrorless system because I find it to be the best camera system for all of my needs. Size and weight are quite a ways down the list of important factors, though still in the mix, since the mirrorless system acts like a modular tool that can shoot with big, long lenses, fast primes, or compact travel zooms and kits or small primes, covering all bases from lightweight travel cam to full-on wildlife rig.

 

[confused circle]

Personally, if it was a singular factor then I wouldn't have bothered. It's truly the combination of things like af accuracy plus mf assist tools, exposure previews with blinkies, live histogram, and film sims, silent shutter with burst rates and shutter speeds not even in the imagination of DSLRs, flexibility of the short flange for adapting hundreds of existing lenses, with speedboosting between formats. if it wasn't a total package for my personal view, then I would have remained content with mirror flap. It still doesn't bother me, but there's too much else involved.

 

[The Ghost of Caravaggio]

The OVF enables me to compose while considering what's outside the frame line estimates.

In other words, I can use a digital camera as I used an optical rangefinder film camera without having to trust Leica's digital M implementations.

 

[MikeyBugs95]

I kinda just got started in this whole "serious photography thing" but I wanted a second body and I like the shape of the OM-D series. So I got an OM-D E-M5. I rarely use it but I love the look, size and weight of the camera. If I ever find a good Pentax K to M4/3s adapter I'll probably use it more with my Bigma.

--

It's a pretty simple task of 3D modeling something. It's getting it to fit that takes most of the time!

 

[Marty4650]

It wasn't just one thing that made me go mirrorless with the Olympus EP1 in 2009. It was all the things you listed plus a few more...

• I was a Four Thirds user, and I could use all my old lenses and get AF
• The files were essentially the same as my E30 files
• The lens catalog is much deeper than Four Thirds ever had
• This is especially true for prime lenses