Cameras are just Tools…
Think about those four words. If I were a sports shooter, who stared through the finder of a camera all day, or even for significant periods…I would actually likely not be shooting mirrorless. Same goes for portraits, weddings too really. I mean how hard is it to move a little AF box about? Why would you want to look at a TV screen all day? I love the OVF of DSLRs for weddings, portraits and deliberate shooting that can use the viewfinder. The reason I prefer ML, is when in astro or landscape mode, when it is traditional to use the back screen…ie essentially what a mirrorless camera is, a feed directly from the sensor, in finder or on the back LCD monitor. Everyone will have their use case, however it seems crazy to me to want to move away from an OVF for things like portraits and weddings, things that involve long staring and waiting for the shot through viewfinders (most tend to not use the LCD monitor and hold the camera at arms length). I personally think DSLRs are greatly suited to these tasks.
Okay, so why do You have a Z 8?
I spent a huge percentage of time in my recent years with cameras, almost exclusively using the live view function of DSLRs, or the LCD monitor as it is called on mirrorless cameras, barely touching the OVF. This is for landscape and astro work. I spend huge amounts of time in darkness, and the Z 8 ditches the old test shot routine at night as the monitor is so sensitive, I can compose in the dark and just shoot! I also gain a dual flip screen, which stops me laying on the freezing ground in winter to take vertical shots. I wanted to upgrade all my primes to a decent zoom, it made little sense to go with the old f mount zooms which are outclassed now, a couple of other factors - but the major being the way I used the camera. For portraits - heck, I still use the D800 and D810 cameras with their huge OVFs. There is no huge difference in image quality with any of these cameras, from the D800, D810, D850, Z 8. There are some subtle differences and they should be considered by shooters who really push their files. You know who you are. So that means if you have a Dxx body think about the real reason you are upgrading. In fact, if you really are a image quality zealot as I am, the D850 is the best technical quality of all of these bodies…That said, in real life, compromise is always afoot, however I had many logical reasons to add the Z 8 into the mix for my shooting.
Mirrorless Advantages
What you see is what you get view finder, with live histogram *
Eye AF and some other technical goodies
Access to most modern lenses **
USB charging
Can get smaller bodies
Video implementation and functionality
DSLR Advantages
Much better battery life
Optical Viewfinder
Build quality and ergonomics - especially if using the super magnesium based bodies such as the D810, D850
If you own one, you already own one - seem obvious, however…
Like mostly everything in life, there are pros and cons. This should be thought of in the context of your work, your shooting style, the way you do things. If you use your DSLR like a mirrorless camera - ie you are always on the back screen and are not taking advantage of the OVF, this along with other considerations may sway you to switch (or better add mirrorless, as I did).
* I have noted that people that know how to use a camera meter, do just about as well shooting with a DSLR in terms of obtaining a proper exposure, as they do on mirrorless. It is that simple. If they are messing up exposures on DSLRs, it shows more work is needed to understand the tool that they are using. What I tend to see is mirrorless doesn’t necessarily help - screen brightness throws them off as much as not understanding how metering works does. So whilst some might view this as some huge advantage, it is a weak one in my mind.
** Access to modern lenses may not be as important as it sounds, depending on the shooter. You might be perfectly happy with your lenses; newer is not always better.
Final Thoughts
I almost wish I did not ‘need’ to add a Z 8 into the mix. Why? I don’t like wasting money! However, I could not overlook how much easier using the Z 8 makes my life, especially when shooting at night. If you are content with what you use: be content. Only you know how you work and that should be the paramount concern. The final image on screen is all that matters. Most of the time the only obstacle to success is figuring out how to work out that thing about 2 inches behind the viewfinder…
