I am not one to upgrade camera gear every time a new model comes out, but I typically do replace older gear when truly major upgrades are introduced. There have been significant changes in cameras over the past few years as mirrorless designs have taken over. Yet I am still using a Canon full-frame DSLR for half of my photography — the half that includes my landscape work and much of my wildlife photography. (I also use a smaller Fujifilm system, primarily for travel and street photography, but sometimes for wildlife, too.)

So, at a time when it seems like everyone is shifting to mirrorless, why do I continue to use the Canon DSLR? I explore that question a bit in this post.

The Appeal of Mirrorless

Today’s mirrorless cameras have advantages over old-school DSLRs. A few years ago, as they were introduced, mirrorless cameras still had shortcomings. But those have largely been resolved and these cameras now are objectively better than the older DSLR designs. Things like auto-focus performance, operational speed, and IBIS (in-body image stabilization) were once weaknesses of mirrorless cameras, but they now are strengths. Display technology has improved a lot. Battery performance is improving. Autofocus is now arguably better on mirrorless than on DSLRs.

Why Wait?

If mirrorless systems are now better than their DSLR predecessors, one of which I continue to use, why haven’t I upgraded my full-frame system? The answer is a little complex, but let me explain.

The first issue has to do with the actual increment of improvement and its effect on my photography. The majority of the photography I do with my larger, full-frame system is tripod-based landscape work. Here the advances in auto-focus are not that important, as I virtually always focus manually for this kind of photography. Similarly, the improvements due to IBIS are irrelevant on the tripod.

Some would correctly point out that the image quality of newer cameras has continued to improve. Current sensors provide better noise control, better dynamic range, and higher usable ISO settings. But again, these don’t really limit me for the photography I’m mostly doing with this system.

The new systems also come with new lenses designed for the mirrorless camera bodies, and some of these lenses have advanced features, including better optical performance, lighter weight, zooms with larger focal length ranges, larger maximum apertures, and more.

In the end, it comes down to a cost/benefit question. Not every better thing is worth the cost to acquire it, especially when the thing that it would replace is already quite good. While newer cameras (and the newer lenses) are objectively “better,” my Canon 5DsR and EF L lenses are still very good — so much so that you would be extremely unlikely to notice a change in the quality of my photographs if I upgraded.

A camera Upgrade Isn’t Just About the Camera

There’s another element at work here, too, and it may be the biggest one compelling me to take a “go slow” approach.

I have used Canon for about twenty years. In the past, the introduction of a new Canon camera body meant upgrading the body but keeping the lenses. But today’s Canon R mirrorless system comes with an entirely new lens mount system and new RF lenses. You can continue to use the older EF lenses on the new cameras by means of various adapters, but eschewing the newer RF lenses diminishes the benefits of moving to the mirrorless R system.

Further, my 5DsR has a high resolution 50MP sensor. That is advantageous for my kinds of photography — tripod-based landscape images that can be reproduced at large sizes. So far, Canon’s highest MP mirrorless camera sensor is only 45MP, as found on the R5 and R5 II bodies. These are fine cameras, and there is not a significant difference between 45MP and 50MP, but the new sensor offers no high resolution advantage over what I have.

(Canon had been rumored to have a 80MP or so high resolution mirrorless body in the pipeline, but those rumors have dried up. If such a camera existed, my decision would be a lot easier — I would move to it and start upgrading to RF lenses.)

To summarize, while the newer Canon body and lenses are better than what I have, I’m not sure that they are enough better to warrant the expense of moving to an entirely new lens mount. The cost of the camera is one thing, but the cost of all of the lenses is a bigger concern. And, as we’ll see below, it opens up a much wider range of choices.

More Options

Let’s say that I was convinced that the new body and lenses do enough to warrant the upgrade. At that point, the old advantage of sticking with my existing system is no longer compelling — other options from other manufacturers would likely be cost competitive if I’m looking at all new lenses whether I stick with Canon or try something else.

This, of course, expands the range of choices and makes any decision more complex — and more far-reaching, as buying into a new camera/lens system would likely lock me into a new camera ecosystem for some time. Such decisions are complicated and take time, which is a big part of my decision to go slow.

So, what else is on my “watch list” right now?There are three primary options that I’m pondering:

• Move to the Canon R system with RF lenses. I could decide that the pluses of the R5 II (better AF, other IQ advances) outweigh the negative of decreasing sensor pixel resolution rather than increasing it. After all, 45MP is pretty good resolution, and these camera have other attractive attributes. Or I can continue to wait to see if Canon does eventually get around to at least matching the higher MP offerings from other manufacturers.
• Move to a Sony full-frame system with Sony lenses. This seems like a viable option, too, though I have a lot to learn about the Sony bodies and (even more) lenses. I know quite a few photographers who have moved to Sony and are very happy with the system. Most likely I would be looking at the A7RV and a set of lenses that roughly replicates (or slightly expands) what I have for my Canon system.
• Move to the Fujifilm GFX “miniMF” system. The cameras built around the 33mm x 44mm “mini” medium format sensors have intrigued me since I first saw the Pentax 645d years ago. They offer some pluses for tripod-based landscape work with their larger sensors and 100 MP resolution. I’m very interested, but the current problem is lens availability. My photography relies on high quality zoom lenses covering a range from about 16mm to 400mm+ on full-frame, and Fujifilm does not offer comparable lenses that come close to meeting my needs in the longer focal lengths. There are work-arounds with third party lenses, but those have issues, too. And, of course, this system would not be ideal for the wildlife photography that I do.

As you can probably see, each of these options has its pluses and its minuses. Ideally, Canon would introduce a camera that restores their former leadership in the high MP full-frame camera market. That would be the easy choice for me, but such a camera is barely even rumored any more. The Sony option would almost certainly work well, but for this outsider it is a bit tricky to figure out all of the lens implications. I’m sure there is an answer, but it will take time to sort it out. The Fujifilm option has some powerful attractions, but I’m held back by the lack of long zoom lenses — something I rely on a great deal in my landscape photography — and the question of how I would do my wildlife photography.

So I Wait

So, to end where I started, I’m fortunate that the system I currently have still works quite well for half of my photography. It is no longer the newest, state-of-the-art thing, but it continues to work very well. This gives me the time to ponder the options and, in the end, make the best choice possible.

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G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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