TAKES A DEEP BREATH… In brief, those gigantic, heavy ass DSLRs are becoming relatively obsolete unless you are a professional who is simply in a routine of using it/has already made the significant investment into a full-frame DSLR and doesn’t see the point in switching to what’s called a mirrorless camera or third-generation camera…EXHALES.
First things first, we need to address what a ‘full frame’ sensor is and why it matters: “The term full frame is used by users of DSLR cameras as a shorthand for an image sensor which is the same size as 35mm film” Thanks Wikipedia!
Think of an iPhone photo versus a photo from a ‘nice’ camera, you can tell there’s a difference because of the richness of the nicer photo. That’s mainly a better sensor and all the tech that supports it. You would call the iPhone sensor a ‘cropped sensor’.
These ‘full-frame’ sensor cameras are mainly used by professionals and costs $thousands$ of dollars.
However, some of the spectacular professional photos you see online these days are no longer exclusively from full-frame sensor cameras because post-processing is such a significant part of the photography process. Apps like Adobe Lightroom/Photoshop and Aurora HDR are mainly responsible for your final image and can make a cropped-sensor camera image look indistinguishable from a full-frame image.
Your average DSLR cameras is not going to be full-frame! Most amateur, entry level, and mid-range DSLRs and digital cameras contain a cropped sensor to hugely save on bulk and price point.
Why is this shit so big to begin with?
DSLRs are so big and bulky for a few reasons: bigger batteries, more tech for faster processing, weight for stability when using super zoom lenses, but mainly the gigantic mirror-pentaprism mechanism that is enclosed inside. Mirrors are delicate so the camera frame is built like a giant Otter-Box to keep it safe. The mirror is responsible for reflecting your image for you to see in your viewfinder, and long story short, is responsible for the sensitivity involved in tracking your subjects for autofocus. For a long time, these cameras dominated the market in terms of sensor capabilities and speed because of the mirrors inside.
This sucks for traveling.
I won’t pretend to be a camera expert, but I can tell you in the very least that I’ve tried to travel with a DSLR in the past. The fact that it needed its own freaking carry-on bag was hard to deal with.
What I Recommend: Switching to a Mirrorless
*This is all based on a crap ton of research, personal experience, and the honest recommendations of fellow bloggers and many professional photographers*
For beginners, amateurs, semi-pros, serious hobbyists, or serial travelers: get yourself a mirrorless camera. In simple terms, a mirrorless camera is like a bigger point and shoot camera that you can take the lenses on and off and interchange freely just like a DSLR.
Mirrorless cameras can produce the same high-quality photographs that DSLRs can because they have the same quality of sensors as most DSLRs do now. They are the perfect travel camera. Some of them can fit in your pocket depending on the lens you use, can be less than half the weight, and are way more affordable.
Mirrorless cameras have removed the gigantic mirror-box system found in DSLRs and simply came up with a different, often more accurate, method of auto-focus and tracking (a high-speed contrast detection vs. the DSLR phase based detection, if ya fancy).
For you cropped sensor non-believers, there are full-frame mirrorless cameras on the market that can also blow the full-frame DSLR game away.
My Favorite Differences
Through the viewfinder of a mirrorless camera you will see a live electronic screen displaying what the lens is picking up, rather than the ‘real’, flipped image from the mirror. I LOVE this because you can have lots of things superimposed right on top of the viewfinder’s live feed like the rule of thirds lines, your current settings (aperture, shutter speed, etc.) across the bottom, a histogram, and an electronic leveler to name a few. You can also mess around with and change all your settings (once you get the hang of where your buttons are without looking) while still only looking through the viewfinder to see your options listed right before you on the screen. I swear I feel like I’m in Star Wars whenever I use it.
The newest, mirrorless generation of cameras are fast. You will no longer have any problems if you are looking to photograph sporting events or anything high speed. With the Sony Alpha line, you can get 11 frames/second, and you can maintain a continuous autofocus in as fast as 0.05 seconds.
Mirrorless cameras can also compete with DSLRs in terms low light sensitivity, with ISO ranges of 100-25600, 100-512008, or 100-512005 respectively for the Sony A6000, A6300, and the A6500.
Its also easier to manual focus a lens using a mirrorless camera because, with some brands, it will display on your digital viewfinder what’s called focused peaking: your camera will highlight for you which areas of your image are currently the most focused. This is extremely useful and highly specific.
Cameras:
Sony, Fujifilm, Olympus, and Panasonic, respectively, are at the forefront of the mirrorless movement. Cannon and Nikon are starting to realize that they are behind the game, because they are still thriving off their hold over the DLSR market. The cameras below are some of the most highly reviewed mirrorless cameras you can buy right now that are also the most cost efficient. I listed them by price:
Sony Alpha 5100: $548
Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III: $599
Sony Alpha 6000: $648
Fujifilm X-T20: $899
Panasonic Lumix G85: $899
Sony Alpha 6300: $998, or the 6500: $1,1980 (Body Only)
Take your time looking into them and figuring out what matters most to you. Watch Youtube reviews! I watched dozens and talked to a lot of pros before I chose the Sony A6300.
Lenses
Remember to take the possibility of buying new lenses into account before deciding on a camera you think you can afford. Each of these cameras comes with a kit lens that is usually 16-55mm all-in-one with an average f-stop. They can get you pretty far in post-processing, but if that doesn’t do it for you, think about what kind of photography you’ll be doing most: street photography, portraits, landscapes, night shots, etc. and research the best lenses for those scenarios.
I think ‘pancake’ lenses are adorable and very convenient for traveling. The lowest millimeter lenses are going to give you the widest shots, but a ‘fisheye’ lens might not be what you’re after. Lower f stops mean more money. Spend time reading the buying guides and going through the reviews. Found a lens you like? Is it manual or automatic? Do you have a preference? Manual is a little more work but usually much cheaper.
I have two main lenses I use when traveling:
Sony E-Mount 35mm, f/1.8 Prime Lens
A ‘prime’ lens means the focal length is ‘fixed’: You are stuck with only one focal length unable to zoom in or out. This may sound like suck-town at first, but this means you are never compromising the quality of your image by zooming in or out too much. A 16-50mm camera may be able to zoom up to 35mm, but the quality of a 35mm image from a prime lens will provide the absolute best image for that very specific distance. You’ve probably seen this with a lens that can zoom very far: when the zoom is maxed out, the image usually looks like shit. Prime lens shots almost always look great.
I love using this focal length for just about every kind of photography other than landscape. Maybe its just my personal style, but it makes you think more creatively when looking for your shot. I love it for street photography and portraits.
Samyang E-Mount 12mm, f/2.0 Prime Lens
This is a manual lens I use for all my landscape photos and night shots. The cropped sensor in my A6300 crops the final focal length of my images, actually making it a 18mm equivalent lens. This is still very wide, and I haven’t thought that I needed anything wider since I’ve had it. Since I’m almost exclusively using this lens while my camera is on a tripod, the manual adjustments has never been an issue: I have time to work out which settings are best while the camera is locked into a fixed position.
Where to Buy
You can buy a beauty of a mirrorless camera, as well as lenses, right on Facebook Marketplace. Its quite honestly where I buy most of my tech these days, including my current lenses and my current laptop. I should’ve just bought my camera body from their too to be honest, but I wanted the warranty and accident coverage.
If you want to buy new, Amazon has all the best options, and B&H photo will also have the same cameras at the same prices. However, I bought my camera and all my gear at Best Buy. I needed financing options for my camera: If you get a Best Buy credit card, you are allowed to pay off your purchase interest free for 12 months. When you buy a new camera from them, they will also discount all your gear by 25%. This includes clearance and sale items! I was able to get my extra batteries, chargers, memory cards, camera backpack, camera straps, and all the fixings for a generous discount. I can’t imagine a better deal for new stuff anywhere else unless maybe you have Amazon or B&H photo gift cards.