What I’ve Learned from Using Mirrorless Cameras for Travel Photography

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Whether you're a hard-core DSLR shooter that's been at this photography thing for a while now or you're a brand new photographer looking for the ideal camera for your upcoming travels, I have a newsflash for you...

Mirrorless cameras are hands-down the best travel photography rigs.

There's a ton of reasons for my opinion on this issue, which I explain below.

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Cameras for Travel Photography: Mirrorless Helps You Save Weight

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For me, the biggest reason why mirrorless cameras are ideal for travel photography is their weight-saving size.

Think about it - my Nikon D850 weighs 32.3 ounces without a lens attached. By comparison, my Sony Alpha a6300 weighs just 14.3 ounces.

That's important on two different fronts.

First, when you travel, baggage fees loom over you, and saving weight where you can is a great way to keep a little money in your pocket.

Second, every little bit of weight that you don't have to carry during the day as you explore will help you keep your energy and avoid fatigue of having a huge kit cutting into your shoulders and neck.

So, in a very real way, making the switch to a mirrorless camera system for travel photography can help you have a more productive and less expensive trip!

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Travel Photography Tip: EVFs on Mirrorless Cameras are Awesome

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Don't get me wrong...

I love shooting with my Nikon D850, and its optical viewfinder is fantastic.

But not all DSLRs have great optical viewfinders. In fact, most DSLRs don't have good optical viewfinders at all.

So while optical viewfinders have features that electronic viewfinders can't match (i.e., excellent for shooting in low light, feeling as though you're actually in the scene rather than observing it), having an EVF at your disposal can help your photography in many ways.

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For starters, you can have big and beautiful EVF on a mirrorless camera (like on the FujiFilm X-T10 shown above), so you get the best of both worlds - a big, beautiful view of your subject while having a small and tidy camera that's easy to carry.

Additionally, with an EVF you can preview your camera settings before taking a shot and check out the histogram which are both great features when time is of the essence and you need to be sure you get the shot right the first time.

You can also see how lenses behave (i.e., whether there's barrel distortion or not) and use focus peaking to perfect the focus of the shot. Those features make EVFs ideal for travel photography!

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The Best Travel Photography Cameras Have Fast Burst Shooting

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Not every subject that you photograph during your travels will be stationary.

And though your memory cards might fill up with things like landscapes and architecture, having the ability to rapid-fire shots is a huge benefit - a benefit that mirrorless cameras have over DSLRs.

The gap between the burst shooting speed of mirrorless and DSLR cameras has certainly closed in recent years, but for my money, mirrorless cameras are still where it's at when speed matters.

For example, the Sony Alpha a9 shown above can shoot at a whopping 20fps. Granted, not all mirrorless cameras can achieve that mark, but the point is the same - if you want to take a ton of photos in short order, mirrorless is the way to go.

Whether it's the Running of the Bulls, Le Mans, a soccer game, or something in between, mirrorless cameras are great for capturing action in beautiful detail.

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Final Thoughts

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I get that mirrorless cameras aren't for everyone, and that's okay.

But considering the direction that photography is headed, sooner or later, I think we'll all be using mirrorless cameras.

It just makes sense to me to carry a small, yet capable camera when I travel, which is why I'm such a big proponent of mirrorless cameras for being the best travel photography cameras out there.

Remember, I have a Nikon D850, so it's not like I don't appreciate DSLRs.

But as I mentioned earlier, when I travel, I take my Sony each and every time, and I think you should do the same!