The Transition to Mirrorless (2 Viewers)

[Scott Merryfield]

I have just a single EF mount lens left in my kit from my dSLRs -- the Sigma 105mm f/2.8 OS macro. I just put my EF to RF mount adapter on it and will leave it there (unless I pick up an old EF mount lens somewhere cheap). I tried the lens on my new R6 M2 full frame body. These were hand-held:

 

[Scott Merryfield]

I was trying to figure out how best to pack and carry my equipment for an upcoming trip to Colorado, and remembered my old Lowepro Flipside 300 backpack. I haven't used this pack in many years, as my equipment had outgrown it, and I had forgotten about the bag. I had transitioned to a larger Lowepro Flipside 400AW. Anyway, the smaller bag fits the equipment I intend to take almost perfectly.

That's a full frame Canon R6 M2 with RF 24-105mm L f/4 IS mounted, APS-C Canon R10 with RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS mounted, and RF 16mm f/2.8. This gives me the full frame equivalent focal range of 16mm - 640mm in a pretty small, light weight kit.

Contrast this with our last big trip on an airplane in 2019 to Iceland, where I had the Flipside 400AW jam-packed with two large dSLRs (full frame Canon 5D3 & APS-C Canon 7D2), a mirrorless APS-C Canon M50, and EF 24-105mmL f/4 IS, EF 70-200mmL f/4 IS, EF 1.4x TC, EF-M 11-22mm, and EF-M 22mm f/2 pancake lenses. I took the 70-200 + 1.4x TC instead of the preferred EF 100-400mmL f/4-5.6 IS II to save space and weight.

 

[JohnRice]

Well, this year ended up being a serious brain drain, and I simply haven't had the motivation to use my new gear much.

I will reiterate how awesome mirrorless is, though I definitely agree with @Sam Posten that the one weak point, of the Nikon line at least, is the quality of the electronic viewfinder. At least with the Z9 and Z8, it should be on par with the Sony A1.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Canon has quietly discontinued the EOS M mirrorless system. While this was expected, it's still a shame. I had an M50 and a few EF-M lenses for a few years. It was a great setup for traveling light. The system never took off here in North America, although it was quite popular in Japan. Knowing this was coming, though, I sold off my M50 and three EF-M lenses earlier this year to fund a Canon R10 and one RF-S lens.

Rumor is that Canon will be announcing a ultra wide angle RF-S zoom lens this autumn, which would allow me to complete my transition from EF-M to RF / RF-S mounts. I need such a lens for a trip to Hawaii next year, as we want to take a guided night hike to the lava flows in Volcanoes National Park. This will allow me to hike through the area without swapping lenses -- R6 Mark II full frame with RF 24-105 f/4 L IS + R10 APS-C with RF-S ultra wide zoom. Swapping lenses in such an environment at night is something I wish to avoid. I had a similar setup with the M50 for past hikes in geothermal areas in Yellowstone and Iceland.

 

[JohnRice]

Canon has quietly discontinued the EOS M mirrorless system. While this was expected, it's still a shame. I had an M50 and a few EF-M lenses for a few years. It was a great setup for traveling light. The system never took off here in North America, although it was quite popular in Japan. Knowing this was coming, though, I sold off my M50 and three EF-M lenses earlier this year to fund a Canon R10 and one RF-S lens.

Rumor is that Canon will be announcing a ultra wide angle RF-S zoom lens this autumn, which would allow me to complete my transition from EF-M to RF / RF-S mounts. I need such a lens for a trip to Hawaii next year, as we want to take a guided night hike to the lava flows in Volcanoes National Park. This will allow me to hike through the area without swapping lenses -- R6 Mark II full frame with RF 24-105 f/4 L IS + R10 APS-C with RF-S ultra wide zoom. Swapping lenses in such an environment at night is something I wish to avoid. I had a similar setup with the M50 for past hikes in geothermal areas in Yellowstone and Iceland.

Yeah, I’m surprised it took this long.

 

[GeorgeHolland]

Well, this year ended up being a serious brain drain, and I simply haven't had the motivation to use my new gear much.

I will reiterate how awesome mirrorless is, though I definitely agree with @Sam Posten that the one weak point, of the Nikon line at least, is the quality of the electronic viewfinder. At least with the Z9 and Z8, it should be on par with the Sony A1.

What weaknesses do you experience with the Z 9 viewfinder? I love both the Z 9 viewfinder and monitor and experience no weaknesses in my use, even before subsequent firmware enhancements. I am not aware of any fellow Z 9 users having any complaints either. I don't own nor have I tested a Z 8, or an A1 for that matter, and won't comment on what I don't have personal experience with.

Nikon Z9 Review (Updated for Firmware Version 3.0)

We've done a major update to our Nikon Z9 review - the entire review has been revamped and is now current for Firmware Version 3.0. New sample photos and other updates have been added along the way, too. Check it out!

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