Lately the wedding photography world has seen the rise of a new breed of camera – led by the likes of Fuji, Olympus and Leica the more compact, mirrorless cameras have started making more and more appearances at weddings in place of the more traditional figure of the larger DSLR. But are mirrorless cameras the way forward? Time to put it to the debate!
In the Red Corner, fighting for Mirrorless cameras, she’s photographed using everything from Box Brownies to DSLR’s to her brand spanking new Fuji mirrorless, it’s Dom “The Tog Bride”
In the Blue Corner, DSLR’s are his weapon of choice and he’s here to represent them (even if he does stick them into video mode most of the time!) It’s Matt “The Gormless Groom”
Wedding Photography – Mirrorless Vs DSLR’s
FIGHT!!!
Dom: Mirrorless cameras are incredibly discrete and many take photos almost silently allowing you to disappear amongst the guests and capture incredibly natural photographs where a DSLR would have drawn attention to you and ruined the moment.
Matt: Digital SLR’s have long been the professional’s choice and as such they are what brides and grooms expect to see on the big day. Arriving with only a camera that looks almost the same as the one they bought themselves for £150 doesn’t inspire confidence which can lead to them questioning your approach throughout the day.
Dom: But the bride and groom and guests alike will soon forget that and appreciate how unimposing mirrorless cameras are. In fact as you look more like a guest people are likely to forget you’re not one and to allow the photographer to take the kind of relaxed photographs normally reserved solely for friends and family.
Matt: DSLR’s are big cameras for a reason – they pack an awful lot of processing power designed to cope with the rigorous demands and fast pace of a wedding where a mirrorless camera might struggle for speed.
Dom: But sometimes a slower pace can be a good thing – it can encourage the photographer to be more considered in choosing the right shot rather than “spraying and praying” as can sometimes be a temptation with the high speed DSLR’s.
Matt: DSLR’s are also designed to be incredibly rugged yet flexible – they can accommodate a wide range of lenses and accessories designed for professional users and are well protected inside (usually) strong, weatherproof housing which many more compact cameras lack.
Dom: Mirrorless cameras are incredibly light in comparison to DSLR’s and whereas after 8 hours of shooting with a heavy DSLR most photographers are cursing their cameras under their breath and trying to summon up the energy to pick it up again, with a mirrorless camera you don’t feel the strain and are even quite happy to have two cameras on your person at all times!
Matt: Modern pro DSLR’s generally have dual recording capabilities so that you can record the same image to 2 memory cards simultaneously, acting as an instant backup. They also tend to have far better battery life and easier quick-change capabilities so that you never miss a shot.
Dom: Mirrorless cameras have electronic displays and often digital viewfinders which allow you to see the image more like the way it will eventually look when finished.
Matt: Most DSLR’s have a live-view capability if for some reason you need to see that type of image but their optical viewfinder allows you to see the image in front of you the way it really is before camera settings get in the way. This allows you to see the changes in light and consider the best settings to use without being distracted by the image the camera wants you to see.
Well, we could argue this one for hours but for now those are our points so where do you stand? Leave a comment to join the debate or simply place your vote in our poll below!
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