Photo How To

DSLRs are becoming a rarity these days, for reasons you'll see in the video below. If you're already using a mirrorless camera, or plan to get one in the near future, this tutorial is a must see.

Instructor Simon d'Entremont is a professional nature and wildlife photographer based in Eastern Canada who is always up to date on the latest gear. In this episode he explains why mirrorless cameras are so popular and demonstrates a few pro tips for achieving optimum results. You can see a complete list of the gear he prefers in the description beneath the video.

Simon touts the advantages of mirrorless cameras like this: "They have benefits inherent in their design that open up new technology and user interface opportunities that people really like." He then makes a comparison bwtween these camera and DSLRs, illustrating the key differences in both form and function. This way the tips he provides later make complete sense.

One area in which mirrorless cameras have made great strides is in autofocus capability, with some models using a hybrid of two types of autofocus; Phase Detect and Contrast-based. This combination can result in faster acquisition and greater precision under a wide variety of conditions. Simon says another advantage is how focus points cover the sensor and the field of view.

With the above information in mind, you'll see how Simon uses the focus system in his mirrorless cameras to nail focus every time. Another feature that's been popularized in mirrorless cameras is Eye Auto-Detect which locates and locks focus on the eyes of a subject. Simon explains why "this has been a huge win for portrait and wildlife photographers "when 99% of the time getting eyes in focus is what's critical."

According to Simon, another important advantage of mirrorless cameras is their ability to display a real-time exposure preview in the electronic viewfinder that, unlike with a DSLR, compensates for your camera settings. This preview allows you to adjust exposure while looking through the viewfinder until you see what you want.

Simon demonstrates several important tips for making the most of this very helpful capability. He also explains how to customize the camera's display options so that the most important shooting information appears in the viewfinder.

As you'll see, there are other advantages of mirrorless cameras, and Simon describes those he considers the most important. But the real meat of this lesson are the tips he provides for using these features to maximum advantage.

After watching the video pay a visit to d'Enremont's popular YouTube channel, where you'll find much more of interest for shooting in the field. And be sure to check out the tutorial we posted recently from another experienced pro, explaining how to get started in photographing birds with a beginners guide you'll want to save.