{"id":16120,"date":"2015-06-22T14:18:54","date_gmt":"2015-06-22T23:18:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/danbaileyphoto.com\/blog\/?p=16120"},"modified":"2016-12-30T15:41:49","modified_gmt":"2016-12-31T00:41:49","slug":"mirrorless-cameras-and-the-legacy-of-photography","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/danbaileyphoto.com\/blog\/mirrorless-cameras-and-the-legacy-of-photography\/","title":{"rendered":"Mirrorless Cameras and the Legacy of Photography"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Last week, I went out shooting with my friend Ryan Greeff<\/a>, who lives here in Anchorage. He also likes to photograph\u00a0outdoor adventure subjects and sports like mountain biking. He’s only been shooting for a few years, but he’s got a great eye and as much\u00a0enthusiasm for photography as anyone.<\/p>\n

I first met Ryan a couple years ago when\u00a0we were both shooting a cyclocross race. He drew my eye because he had the same orange Lowepro Photo Sport 200 pack that I often use, and over the past couple of years, we’ve enjoyed talking about photography whenever we get together.\u00a0And although he shoots simply for fun and not money,\u00a0Ryan\u00a0doesn\u2019t seem love photography any less than I do.\u00a0I feel that\u2019s the case with just about every enthusiastic photographer out there. We\u00a0all<\/em>\u00a0do it because we love the craft.<\/p>\n

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Anyway, one evening last week, I flew us\u00a0out to the Knik Glacier in my little yellow Cessna, where we spend the tail end of the day\u00a0hopping around on the icebergs and shooting photos\u00a0out in this\u00a0incredible, rugged environment. In short, just two dudes with cameras exploring photography, just for the sake of fun and creative experimentation.<\/p>\n

I had my new\u00a0Fuji X-T10<\/a>, which is an amazing little camera (read my full review here<\/a>) he had his new\u00a0Olympus OM-D EM-1<\/a>, which he recently upgraded to from the Nikon D90. (Olympus just released their brand new\u00a0OM-D EM-5 Mark II<\/a>\u00a0as well.)\u00a0In many\u00a0ways, the Fuji X and Olympus OM-D series cameras are so similar, and so it was cool to check out each other\u2019s gear, compare\u00a0features\u00a0and\u00a0share creative and technical ideas.<\/p>\n

Although I’ve spent my entire photography life shooting Nikon and Fuji, I\u2019ve always thought very highly of Olympus, and I’m\u00a0impressed by their mirrorless cameras.<\/p>\n

In my mind, Both Fuji and Olympus are running on the same track- they both are well-established\u00a0camera companies who have a long legacy with traditional photography, and they\u2019ve both transitioned very well from the film era into the digital age with capable, high performing cameras\u00a0that retain this legacy and yet continue to inspire with modern technology and a host of\u00a0creative features.<\/p>\n

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Both have worked hard to retain a traditional look and feel. However, this is not just a retro-marketing thing. Camera design has evolved over many decades, and some of these designs and features have been retained for a reason- they work and they make sense, both ergonomically and mechanically.<\/p>\n

Although mirrorless cameras are largely software based inside, the design of these cameras is still based on fundamental mechanical principles that were established decades ago by companies like Zeiss, Contax, Asahiflex, Praktica, and of course, Leica, Nikon and even Kodak.<\/p>\n

The same can be said for DSLRs. Although they’re starting to lose some ground to mirrorless cameras, they’re still solid, well designed photographic tools that can help you explore your creativity in endless ways.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a very exciting time to be a photographer right now, and no matter what camera you\u2019re using, whether it\u2019s a Fuji, Olympus, Sony, Pentax, Nikon, Canon, Panasonic, etc…<\/p>\n

So if\u00a0you came from film, or if your photography life\u00a0has existed entirely in the digital age,\u00a0you\u2019re holding a great deal of history in your hands and you\u2019re part of a wonderful legacy that continues to allow for\u00a0a world of fun and personal expression.<\/p>\n

Enjoy it. And Enjoy summer. And check out Ryan’s Instagram feed.<\/p>\n

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Flying in the #littleyellowcessna with pilot and photographer Dan Bailey. @danbaileyphoto<\/a><\/p>\n

A photo posted by Ryan Greeff (@akgreeff) on