re: Worth upgrading 11 year old DSLR for Mirrorless (Nikon specifically)

I don’t post much, and I rarely come over here, but I saw this and couldn’t resist.

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Is it worth getting a new mirrorless camera considering the advancement in technology?

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From a technical perspective, phase detect autofocus in DSLR's is vastly superior to the contrast detect AF used in mirrorless cameras when it comes fast moving subjects. The problem is, since there is no mirror, you can't split the light beams in a mirrorless cam. Now contrast detect AF has come a long way since it were first introduced, but since contrast detect is predictive, it will always be slower. But autofocus isn't the reason to go mirrorless. Size and convivence are.

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THIS is correct ^

Even though some of the relatively newer mirrorlesss cameras now have Phase Detect AF pixels integrated into the imaging sensor, there is still the issue of whether the software has enough “muscle” to drive the lens fast enough to re-acquire focus from frame to frame.

Before you decide, you need to “define your mission”.

For targets that move slowly (Ex: a bride walking down the aisle) mirrorless AF systems are fine.

For targets that move quickly and erratically (Ex: Birds in Flight, Football, Soccer, Lacrosse), you need an autofocus system that can “keep up” -- and this is where DSLRs are, still, generally, just better (and your D7100 is excellent).

>> Before the D5, D500, and D850, the D4 was Nikon’s AF champ.
>> Nikon lifted the D4’s 51-point AF system, and plopped it, unchanged, into the then-new D7100.

I have a D7100, and I love it. It has none of the autofocus QC troubles that plagued the D7000.

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I rarely venture off the auto settings

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“Focus Priority”, “51-Point 3-D Tracking”, and “Continuous Autofocus” will open up a whole new world on your D7100. I predict that you will be astonished.

But you must have very good glass, to take full advantage of the D7100’s capabilities.

I have a Nikkor 300mm AF-S f/ 4 IF-ED that's practically welded to mine.

Good Luck