DSLR vs Mirrorless - what do I buy?

Sometimes people ask me whether it's better to go with a D-SLR or one of the new mirrorless cameras, and as usual, my comment is "Well, it depends".  Here's my pro list for each type of system.

DSLR pros

-Fast auto focus

- Generally a very wide range of lenses and other accessories available, both new and used

- Fast operation - ie easy to access menus, very little shutter lag, optical viewfinder

Mirrorless pros

- Size and weight

- Ability to adapt a huge variety of old lenses

Similar

- Image quality

At the end of the day it really depends on what you will use the camera for.  If you need a small sized camera, but want to step up from a compact, then go mirror-less.  If you need flexibility so that you camera can shoot a wide variety of subjects, the get a DSLR.  I, like may others, have both; and this allows me to choose the perfect camera for what I need.

Barn on Prince Edward County  - Sony NEX 5n with Sigma 30mm f2.8  (mirrorless with AF lens)

Nikon D90 with Tamron 90mm f2.8 Macro - AF lens

Daffodil - Sony NEX5n with Leica 50mm f2 Summicron - adapted MF lens (Note: Pic is heavily cropped from original)

X Factor

Have you noticed that almost every Mirrorless camera launched recently has an ‘X’ in it’s name?  Strange but true.  Leica started the trend with the X1 (ie first mirror-less camera with an ‘X’ in the name); then came the X100 from Fuji who then added the X10 and XPro-1 recently.   Sony released their NEX series about 18 months ago, followed by the unusual Ricoh GXR.  Canon just named their fixed lens mirrorless compact the G1X, which looks almost exactly the same as the also just announced Panasonic GX1.

I call it all a bit exxy, pardon the pun; but at least Nikon and Olympus haven’t fallen into the X trap yet, though I am sure it won’t be long.

Kingston, ON - Sony NEX 3 with Voigtlander 35mm f1.4 Nokton