If you have a DSLR camera…
Plus a bunch of expensive lenses…
And you want to switch to a mirrorless camera…
But haven’t yet.
If you’ve been feeling kinda stressed about it…
Because you just don’t have the cash to replace EVERYTHING all at once…
We have great news!
You don’t have to replace everything at once!
We’ve been wedding and portrait photographers for over a decade.
Over the years, we acquired tens (and tens) of thousands of dollars in DSLR cameras and their corresponding EF lenses.
When we upgraded to mirrorless cameras, replacing ALL of our lenses was out of the question.
It just wasn’t affordable.
So, what did we do instead?
We remembered something our mentor photographer told us YEARS ago when we were first starting out:
“Camera bodies come and go as technology changes. Invest in good glass. It lasts a lot longer.”
You know what? He was TOTALLY right!
The “older” DSLR lenses we have are STILL AMAZING.
The difference between our two camera bodies: the Canon 5D Mark IV (DSLR, older technology) and our Canon R6 Mark II (mirrorless, newer technology) is BONKERS though –– especially the focusing system and low light capability.
The newer mirrorless camera body technology is INCREDIBLE.
And, YES, the new RF lenses are amazing, too.
They focus faster, they handle lens flare easier, the quality of glass is better etc.
HOWEVER…
In our opinion, if you’re trying to decide where to spend your money, *most* of the value you’ll notice will come from upgrading your DSLR to a new mirrorless camera body.
With this $200 adapter, all our older EF lenses work great on our newer mirrorless bodies.
So if you don’t have enough cash to upgrade to a new mirrorless camera body and a whole new set of mirrorless lenses all at once (who does?!), getting the adapter and using your old lenses is an amazing solution.
How do we know?
We tested it!
When we bought our new mirrorless cameras, we purchased an adapter and also a new RF lens.
TO BE TOTALLY HONEST…
When we tested the new RF lens against the same old EF lens we already owned with the adapter…
The results were so similar (in terms of focusing speed, sharpness, and image color, clarity, quality, etc.) that it was clear our work would be getting a major upgrade with the camera body alone.
What we’re saying is you don’t have to replace your older lenses right now!
Are the newer mirrorless lenses fun?
YES.
Are they awesome?
YES.
Do we need them to do an amazing job?
Definitely not!
It’s the 80/20 rule for us.
–– 20% of the money gets you 80% of the value
–– 80% of the money gets you the final 20% of value
Here’s what we mean:
Let’s say you have $10,000 in a DSLR camera and lenses.
You could spend $10,000 upgrading to a new mirrorless camera and all new RF lenses.
Or, you could just spend $2,000 on a mirrorless camera (20% of the money), buy this inexpensive adapter, and use your old EF lenses with your new mirrorless camera.
Remember, glass lasts.
AND BOOM!
We just saved you $8,000!
So, what should YOU do?
As Dave Ramsey fans, we’d never encourage you to go into debt to purchase photography gear.
We’ve always paid cash for our gear, even though it meant building our bag slower.
If you have all the cash in the world and want to sell your old gear and upgrade all of your cameras and lenses overnight, God bless you! That’s awesome and we’re happy for you! So fun! You’re gonna love it!
But… if you’re like most people… and upgrading to a new mirrorless camera is going to be a financial stretch as it is…
We’d recommend upgrading just your camera and plan on using your old lenses with an adapter until…
1. You feel like your old lenses are holding you back
2. You can afford to pay cash for new lenses
3. There isn’t something more important you need
If you’re looking for our recommendation on which mirrorless camera to get, you can find that here!
Hope this helps relieve some pressure so that when the time is right, you can upgrade your older DSLR to a newer mirrorless camera with confidence!
In this picture, you might notice we’re holding one DSLR and one mirrorless. If you can’t upgrade right now, don’t sweat it!
We believe it’s the photographer that makes the camera, and not the other way around.
If you want to learn how to use the camera you already have to take amazing photos, you can check out our Shooting & Editing Course here
