The Real Cost of Mirrorless Cameras: Art vs Science? Nikon Z8 vs Df
The Nikon Z8 is bigger and heavier than this ten year old DSLR, so what did we gain by losing the mirror?
If you’re starting out today, for work or play - is it mechanical operation or soulless computation?
Objective performance vs subjective preference.
Art Vs Science.
There is a lens that could take its place, but it’s buried in Nikon’s archives.
When it comes to next-gen tech in my collection, the Z8 is first.
But for “pick-upability”, the impulse to grab and go to shoot, it comes in second, or on some days third. The Z8 is the best camera I’ve ever used, but it’s missing 4 “flaws” that make DSLRs more fun to shoot with. It’s not just me, for my friend Phil from Introvert Amateur, DSLRs are making a comeback too.
Today I’ll talk about the best value Nikon DSLR you can get right now (not the Df), but this backwards move isn’t logical. It’s not until I shot the Z8, Df, side by side, that I figured it out.
Mirrorless tech is exacting, every detail rendered.
But it’s what’s out of frame that best defines the things that fit inside it.
Flaw 4: What you see is not what you get (WYSINWYG)
The Z8’s EVF might not have the highest resolution, but it’s big, bright, lag free and blackout free - it never gets in the way. Optical viewfinders in comparison are not as bright, there’s less information overlay, and you can’t preview white balance, depth of field, or exposure anywhere near as accurately as an EVF. But for the style of abstract street photography I like to shoot, a super accurate image preview can be limiting.
When the electronic feed is superimposed with the manufacturer’s colour science, sharpness enhanced through digital rendering, I find its baked in look harder to separate from my own work. What you lose in precise metering you gain in creative license through the OVF. The world is not pre-defined, still open to interpretation?
What’s out of frame shapes the things inside it.
***
It’s not everyday a photographer gets a Fellowship from Harvard, so in 1991 Felice Frankel had a choice.
For this project it would have been easier to stay within the frame of her visual arts training. But a last minute audit of a chemistry lecture launched a decades long quest.
To prove that art and science can mix.
***
Flaw 3: Innovation?
Another “flaw” of DSLRs that makes them more fun to shoot is simply a lack of innovation.
Not just the bodies, also the lenses, but the fact that this is now a closed system can be a plus? In a mirrorless ecosystem with sharper and sharper glass, the lenses are getting bigger AND there’s always a new version around the corner. The era of new DSLR lenses has come to an end, there’s no mark 2, mark 3 coming, so you can temper your expectations and stop pixel-peeping.
But is the last gen DSLR glass good enough?
The images above were all taken on the Nikon Df with its entry level budget 50mm f1.8 G AF-S.
Less than half the size, weight, and price of the 50 f1.8 S for Z mount, it’s very well corrected. Not much fringing, minimal CA, but of course less sharp and contrasty than the 50 f1.8 S on the 40+ megapixels of the Z8.
Sure these old AF-S lenses lack the newer focus motors - there’s back focusing and misalignment.
If you go back further to D, AIS, AI glass there are no modern coatings.
But to build your visual signature, that unique look?
It’ll be what’s missing from your frame that defines what’s within it.
***
Frankel’s decision’s to become a science photographer didn’t come with guarantees.
A stark contrast to her architecture photography roots, even the widest of wide angle lenses couldn’t capture the edge of these chemical properties. Distilling the expanse of science, previously unimaginable concepts - into single frames was an impossible task.
Until she found the common thread that binds both Science and Art.
***
Flaw 2: AF-C.
As soon as you turn any mirrorless camera on, they start recording.
30, 60, 120 frames every second just to show you the live feed. That’s a lot of extra information for the camera to interpret, and the biggest application is AF-C. One of the hallmarks of the mirrorless revolution, on the Z8 even wide open you can track a subject and keep them perfectly in focus with just one button. Not having to work as hard to get the shot makes pro photographers’ jobs much easier.
But for street with aspirations of fine art photography there’s a tradeoff.
It’s easier than ever to surrender to the camera, automatically tracking the closest face or eye.
Sure everything’s in focus, but you’re the out of the picture.
Manual focus, or single point autofocus and recompose are imprecise old school techniques, but at least you’re the one making the decision.
***
With a 105mm macro lens and lightbox in tow, Felice Frankel has shot everything from spinal cords to semi-conductors.
Frankel instills intrigue with minimal, elegant, compositions, and the main takeaway from her Open Courseware class is how to deal with uncertainty.
In both Science and Art, we can never fully grasp what we fail to imagine.
What you choose to put in frame:
however abstract…
illusory…
previously inconceivable…
It’s all defined by what’s left out.
Flaw 1: Size
I’ll admit this is a flawed comparison.
The Z8’s a flagship hybrid body, the Df a niche photography-only use case, but the best mirrorless cameras are approaching the size of old DSLRs. For entry-level mirrorless bodies, or ones using smaller sensors, there’s no denying their size and weight advantage compared to the bulky pentaprism and mirror box.
But there’s worse thermal management - almost all mirrorless cameras overheat, and there’s a less stable shooting platform which requires IBIS. That’s why I prefer bigger camera bodies these days, handheld video just looks more stable.
The Best Value Nikon DSLR?
So which Nikon DSLR should you get for fun?
I’d go with the D700 - big beefy grip, 12 megapixel sensor - with good autofocus and dynamic range in decent lighting conditions. 12 megapixels is all you need shooting for web, no need to downsample files for your website. You can get a very decent copy for $300 USD?
If it’s only for fun, any camera newer than this - say the D750, D780, (or the DF if you’re a sucker like me) I think it’s paying too much for a second hand shooting experience. The DF is a unicorn, the smallest full-frame DSLR ever made, and even though I love it it’s too expensive for me to recommend.
Form factor isn’t everything.
I fell in love with DSLRs on my last Japan trip.
Even though I brought a full mirrorless setup I ended up shooting with old lenses way more than I thought? The gear I packed vs the gear I actually used while travelling is an ongoing evolution.
We’ll talk about that more next week.
Happy shooting everyone, talk soon.
Jack.
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