The way forward?

So what is the way forward? For as long as I can remember SLR and more recently DSLR cameras have been the camera of choice for most serious photographers, but with the advancements in technology mirrorless cameras are now coming to the fore and for an increasing number of photographers mirrorless is being seen as the way forward.

Without a doubt there is a distinct weight advantage to the mirrorless camera and there also seems to be a cost advantage, although perhaps not as great as you would possibly expect but at the end of the day, can they do the job? I suppose only time will tell.

For the moment there are an array of options out there, and perhaps a little surprisingly, the main names for DSLR cameras are not the front runners. Who will come out on top? I suppose that has to be the burning question because as always happens some will survive and others will fall by the wayside. Make the wrong choice and you’re left holding a dinosaur, A piece of kit that, no matter how good you might think it is, has no future because the support has disappeared. Mini Disc players were a prime example, seeming like a brilliant step forwards for storing music but eclipsed so quickly by the rapid move forwards in computer technology and cheap data storage. Those of you as old as me will also remember the name Betamax, a video recording system that couldn’t survive due to the popularity of the VHS system. 

So for the moment the options are vast and already there are forerunners but I have stepped fairly cautiously into the realms of mirrorless. Panasonic is not one of the top “to have” mirrorless cameras of the moment and neither is the GX8 a particularly new camera but I have had several Lumix cameras, compact and mirrorless and I have always been satisfied with them and so considering the lenses I already have and the comparatively low price of the GX8, for me, this had to be the best option. There are downsides as well. Very little kit that I have amassed over the years for my Canon cameras is readily compatible with my new camera and so workaround solutions need to be found. Will it all be worth it? As yet I don’t know. The Panasonic is only just out of the box, so check back shortly and you could begin to see some images from the GX8.