DSLRs and their lenses can be a real pain to carry around. The DSLR I currently use is one of the smallest and lightest around, but I’ve been thinking more and more about moving to the world of Mirrorless technology.

Mirrorless cameras are known to be much smaller and lighter than DSLRs and the lenses are considerably smaller as well. This makes traveling with the camera much more convenient and easier to manage. Mirrorless cameras also don’t have an optical view finder. This means in order to see the picture you are taking there has to be a screen (usually 3″ screen) on the back of the camera or an EVF (electronic viewfinder).

The topic of debate with Mirrorless cameras seems to be the quality of pictures they produce. Since they use a smaller sensor than most DSLRs, people seem to think that the cameras don’t have enough range or depth of field for high quality photos. Olympus may have somewhat changed that thought process when they released their newest Mirrorless camera, the OM-D E-M5. The camera has been highly praised by amateur and professional photographers around the world. Some professional photographers have even switched completely to the Mirrorless market using the OM-D camera and not looking back with regret. They say it’s much easier to travel with the smaller camera and have found a new sense of excitement in taking photos again.

Olympus, Panasonic, Sony, Samsung, and Nikon have all dived into the Mirrorless market, some succeeding better than others. But the question still remains: Will Mirrorless technology takeover the photography world or will larger DSLRs continue to reign as “top dog” forever?

To hear a really great podcast on the current state of Mirrorless technology, click here. The interview has one of the top Mirrorless experts and professional photographer, Gordon Laing, who discusses the camera he currently uses and how he was denied access to a location in the U.S. that only allows serious photographers. He basically was denied access because he didn’t have a large DSLR…