DSLR owners that 100% moved to mirrorless?

Not to make a ubiquitous 2018 thread topic.  But new if I can.  I'm thinking about making a new camera purchase either a Nikon D850 or going with the mirrorless full from Z7.  Now if I do go the Z7 route, I'm not going to get rid of my D800.  

Not at least something I'm considering right now.  Just putting the topic up here.  

Those that have moved to mirrorless, any regrets or things you miss from the DSLR world?  

I do not miss anything about a DSLR. In my opinion mirrorless offers numerous advantages. The one area a DSLR has been superior in is CAF with sports and action. The gap has closed to a very small gap and may disappear all together very soon. I will never carry all that weight around again. I bought an Olympus m43 to use as a travel camera. Once I bought it, I never used my Nikon stuff again. After a couple of months, just picking up the Nikon felt all weird, bulky and cumbersome. I had always been someone who liked heft in a camera but the Olympus changed that for me. I have considered the Nikon Z7 and it may enter the picture someday. I did buy a Sony A7III and I really liked that camera. I couldn't get the lenses I needed at that time so I had to send it back and go in a different direction with a newer Olympus body as time was critical. If you are doing anything but sports and maybe very, very low light stuff, you will find the mirrorless will exceed your expectations in my opinion. It is the future of photography. The bang, slap mirror days are numbered. Saying all that, the D850 is the best DSLR camera on the market in my opinion. Good luck in your decision.  

G'day JH

I have a similar - but in some ways different - experience

Having film SLRs & a bevy of lenses to go with them since the 1960s, when the time came to "go digital" I turned to fixed-lens superzoom cameras - and have never regretted it. Yes- they have a small sensor, yes they are 'mirrorless' by nature, and yes they have pioneered the EVF and associated technology that current mirrorless SLRs have today. A decade ago I also bought a Panny G-series m4/3 plus a couple of lenses - one reason was the body size & weight was almost identical to my film SLR bodies from years ago, another reason was to ascertain if / what there was by way of better image quality when compared with the small sensor superzoom Panny FZ camera that I also used.

The current in-the-shops batch of dSLRs leaves me most unimpressed with their size and weight, and their overall features are essentially no different from my 10-yr old Panny G2 camera [more up to date, but overall much the same specs]

The m4/3 system is now going to a beginner, probably a senior-school student doing art-photography as part of their studies, and I will remain with the 'mirrorless' superzoom cameras as I cannot see any advantage whatsoever in changing to a battle-tank size & weight dSLR.

ps: is I were entering the digital camera marketplace today, I would go for the Panny FZ-300 as the best, all-round camera for use by someone who was a 'photo enthusiast'

Phil from the great land Downunder
www.flickr.com/photos/ozzie_traveller/sets/

I used to shoot 1D's.  For fun I picked up a Panasonic mirrorless.  It was small and fun.  Then I got more serious with OMD's.  As a former pro, I was only concerned with doing whatever I had to do to get 'The Shot".  Camera weight fell into the ... it is what it is category. While camera weight was never a concern, I did appreciate going light.  I evolved from MFT to APS-C, which I found to be a great compromise between the IQ of FF and the footprint of MFT.  For what I shoot and how I shoot, the differences between FF and APS-C are largely insignificant. For me and generally, for what I shoot, a bit thinner DOF or a bit more low light noise will not make an image successful or more successful.  My shooting is more about Image Impact than Image Quality. (Granted there are always exceptions.) Now I shoot Fuji's. I shot SLRs professionally way back in the film-only days.  I found all the external controls on Fuji's to be quick, second nature and wonderfully SLR-ish.  

I'm still on the DSLR side of the fence, although came close to jumping on Sony a7R band wagon recently, however didn't.  I just felt at the time, I should wait. 

Now a couple of you have spoken about Panasonic, I had looked at them, that new SR1, however found the camera to be rather large.  Their next camera is their GH5, which is nearly 2 years old.  Perhaps I'll keep an eye out for their GH6.  Which is a good question, anyone know the release date of that camera?

Ozzie_Traveller wrote: G'day JH

I have a similar - but in some ways different - experience

Having film SLRs & a bevy of lenses to go with them since the 1960s, when the time came to "go digital" I turned to fixed-lens superzoom cameras - and have never regretted it. Yes- they have a small sensor, yes they are 'mirrorless' by nature, and yes they have pioneered the EVF and associated technology that current mirrorless SLRs have today. A decade ago I also bought a Panny G-series m4/3 plus a couple of lenses - one reason was the body size & weight was almost identical to my film SLR bodies from years ago, another reason was to ascertain if / what there was by way of better image quality when compared with the small sensor superzoom Panny FZ camera that I also used.

The current in-the-shops batch of dSLRs leaves me most unimpressed with their size and weight, and their overall features are essentially no different from my 10-yr old Panny G2 camera [more up to date, but overall much the same specs]

The m4/3 system is now going to a beginner, probably a senior-school student doing art-photography as part of their studies, and I will remain with the 'mirrorless' superzoom cameras as I cannot see any advantage whatsoever in changing to a battle-tank size & weight dSLR.

ps: is I were entering the digital camera marketplace today, I would go for the Panny FZ-300 as the best, all-round camera for use by someone who was a 'photo enthusiast'

Phil from the great land Downunder
www.flickr.com/photos/ozzie_traveller/sets/

I applaud Phil for speaking to Bridge Camera on a site which largely focuses on cameras with have interchangeable lenses.  An interchangeable lens camera isn't for everybody.  I suspect that many shooters here would get by nicely with a Bridge Camera. 

GaryA wrote: I applaud Phil for speaking to Bridge Camera on a site which largely focuses on cameras with have interchangeable lenses.  An interchangeable lens camera isn't for everybody.  I suspect that many shooters here would get by nicely with a Bridge Camera. 

Thanks Gary ...

My overall attitude is that "we are photographers who use cameras ~ just like golfers who use golf clubs.  The important issue is the enjoyment and the result - not the type of golf clubs in the bag"

I could also add to your final sentence to say that in my experience / with my students / watching others as we travel ... 95% of "average amateur photographers" who are using a dSLR plus kit lenses would be better off with a good superzoom camera instead

Phil

I have nothing against mirrorless, for me, before making 100% jump, I would want to get a couple more years under the mirrorless belt.  

Not I.  I'm sticking with DSLRs for at least one more camera cycle.  I'm after the EOS 90D which should be out this August.  I have a friend who shoots only with Sony and Panasonic.   Not for me at this time.