Mirrorless = Simpler Photography

Do you ever get “gear overload” where you’ve been buying too many photo gadgets and reading too many equipment reviews or photo forums? Now that winter is over here in the Northwest my mind turns to getting out and taking more photos. I’m also headed to California for five days and I don’t want to haul a lot of camera equipment with me.

All of this got me thinking about how my photography changed when I started using mirrorless cameras. I’d used Nikon film and digital SLR’s for years and loved them but never carried them with me. I always had to have a reason to want to take this big, expensive camera with me when I walked out the door. I started to carry a point and shoot with me all the time but it’s small sensor and limitations in low light left me wanting a better image. And don’t even talk to me about phone cameras.

When Panasonic first sent me a Lumix G1 I found that I had no hesitation having it in the car all the time or carrying it as I walked around town. It truly changed the way I shoot and in some ways the way that I see things. I started to notice a lot of things that I would normally pass by because I stopped to photograph them. This is the same way I shot when I first started in photography as a teenager. I could only afford one body and one lens and it went everywhere with me.

I’m going to take one camera and one lens on vacation. I’d like to challenge you to try the same thing. For one week force yourself to only use one camera and lens and carry it with you everyplace. If you are on Flickr send me —Mark Toal—a contact request so I can see your images. Meanwhile I’ve included a couple of images that I’ve taken since I switched to mirrorless and an early photo I made in the 1960’s with my 35mm camera.—Mark Toal