DSLR vs. Mirrorless Weight Showdown
In this article, I'll be looking at DSLR and mirrorless systems in terms of weight. With masses of people moving from DSLR to mirrorless systems for the sake of carrying a few less grams, I'm going to take a look at whether the weight savings are justified and what are the other alternative ways you can save yourself from carrying a few extra grams apart from moving to mirrorless.
I'll be looking at this from two angles - from an APS-C (crop sensor) angle and from a full-frame one. For the APS-C showdown, I'll be pitching up the latest Nikon D5500 against the Fuji X-T1, both with the same sensor size and kitted out with similar and comparable lenses. On the full-frame side, the Nikon D750 goes up against the Sony A7 Mark II, again, both very similar cameras (in fact, they're rumoured to use the same sensor).
So let's add things up and see how we go. You might be in for a bit of a surprise, but safe to say, the results aren't a lopsided victory for the mirrorless teams, as most people would expect.
I'll be looking at this from two angles - from an APS-C (crop sensor) angle and from a full-frame one. For the APS-C showdown, I'll be pitching up the latest Nikon D5500 against the Fuji X-T1, both with the same sensor size and kitted out with similar and comparable lenses. On the full-frame side, the Nikon D750 goes up against the Sony A7 Mark II, again, both very similar cameras (in fact, they're rumoured to use the same sensor).
So let's add things up and see how we go. You might be in for a bit of a surprise, but safe to say, the results aren't a lopsided victory for the mirrorless teams, as most people would expect.
APS-C (DX) Showdown
For this kit, I'm just going to spec out a pretty general kit which should satisfy most photographers who read this site. A basic three zoom kit with a fast standard prime in the middle for when the light gets low, you can't go wrong with this kit. In this first setup, I'll be trying to stick with Nikon and Fuji where I can.
Interestingly, the difference between the two very professional grade systems is only around 450g. That's lighter than a 600mL bottle of water and is actually quite negligible in the scheme of things. In fact, the biggest difference here comes from the longer telephoto - Nikon doesn't have a fast 70-200mm equivalent for DX, so I've gone with a very comparable Sigma that's a bit heavier than the Fuji. The Nikon 17-55m f/2.8 is also a little heavier than the Fuji 16-55mm f/2.8. There's an alternative here, the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 VC, which not only has vibration reduction techonology, but actually comes in under the Fuji's weight as well, at 570g. That said, the Fuji and Nikon are more close in build quality - the Tamron feels a bit more plastic than the other two.
Now how about we go for a cheaper kit instead, so for each of the lenses, we'll pick a couple of cheaper options. I'm trying to keep this as fair as possible, so I'll have to turn to Sigma to find a lens comparable to the Fuji 18-55mm f/2.8-4, as the Nikon 18-55mm is slower and not as well built. But I'm surprised, this race is really closing in fast, with the difference only 263g. You'd be hard pressed to notice that difference in your camera bag.
Overall, I'm pretty happy with my Kit 1 and Kit 2. Kit 1 is a very fair kit. All of the lenses are very similar in quality and the only difference is that the Fuji 35mm is an f/1.4 lens, whereas the Nikon is an f/1.8 lens, but that's not that much of a big deal anyway. The Nikon wide-angle is an f/3.5-4.5, so it's faster at the wide end compared to the Fuji's f/4, but slower at the longer end, that's probably just a wash, so it's fair. Kit 2 is a little unfair in that the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 probably isn't as well built as the Fuji 16-55mm f/2.8, but still very close nonetheless.
Overall, I'm pretty happy with my Kit 1 and Kit 2. Kit 1 is a very fair kit. All of the lenses are very similar in quality and the only difference is that the Fuji 35mm is an f/1.4 lens, whereas the Nikon is an f/1.8 lens, but that's not that much of a big deal anyway. The Nikon wide-angle is an f/3.5-4.5, so it's faster at the wide end compared to the Fuji's f/4, but slower at the longer end, that's probably just a wash, so it's fair. Kit 2 is a little unfair in that the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 probably isn't as well built as the Fuji 16-55mm f/2.8, but still very close nonetheless.
And with the consumer kit, we're down to a difference of only 173g. That's nothing. As a bonus, the Nikon system costs less! There were some cases where I couldn't find a direct equivalent, but it balances out in the end. The Fuji has an aperture advantage with the 35mm lens, Nikon wins it back with the aperture advantage on the telephoto, it also has an 18-70mm lens rather than an 18-55mm lens. I would say that with this kit, the Nikon is probably a little better spec'd.
So what do you think of the first round? It's definitely much tighter than most people would have ever expected. Perhaps before running out and selling all your DSLR gear to buy a Fuji system, take a look at other ways to save weight. With all three kits having a difference of less than 500g, there are more weight savings to be had from carrying less lenses or to shedding a few accessories rather than switching systems, that's for sure.
So what do you think of the first round? It's definitely much tighter than most people would have ever expected. Perhaps before running out and selling all your DSLR gear to buy a Fuji system, take a look at other ways to save weight. With all three kits having a difference of less than 500g, there are more weight savings to be had from carrying less lenses or to shedding a few accessories rather than switching systems, that's for sure.
Full-Frame (FX) Showdown
Well, the APS-C (DX) showdown was the preliminary round. This is really the main event, Sony's full-frame A7 Mark II system against Nikon's FX system. I'm interested in this round because this is a move many photographers have been considering, but I doubt many have actually pulled out their calculators and added up the weight. Since there's a real lack of lenses on Sony, I'm going to have to try and make do with what lenses they have, but I think we could be in for a surprise here.
Unfortunately, the DSLR team couldn't quite punch as hard as the mirrorless team when it came to weight. This was to be expected all along, but what we didn't expect was for it to be so close. The DSLR combination weighed in at only around 600g more than the mirrorless system. If anything, I'd probably have to give the Nikon a little leeway because its standard zoom here goes all the way to 120mm rather than just 70mm, but again, it's clear that the Sony A7 Mark II system wins here, but not by the margin we were thinking.
If there's anything to have a little bit of a laugh at, it's that Nikon's FX system is hardly any heavier than its DX system and the Sony A7 Mark II system is actually lighter than the Fuji X-T1 system, they're actually all quite comparable.
If there's anything to have a little bit of a laugh at, it's that Nikon's FX system is hardly any heavier than its DX system and the Sony A7 Mark II system is actually lighter than the Fuji X-T1 system, they're actually all quite comparable.