I’ve been a photographer for 14 years — ten in Boston, Massachusetts, and the last four in Austin, Texas. I’ve photographed weddings, concerts, portraits, travel stories, and countless events where the light was less than perfect.
I own and use both DSLR and mirrorless Nikon cameras. I enjoy my mirrorless cameras for what they are: light, compact, fast, and easy to travel with. They’re wonderful in daylight, in well-lit studios, and on the streets during golden hour. When I’m walking through a new city or hiking with minimal gear, they’re perfect companions.
But when it comes to low-light work — evening parties, wedding receptions, dimly lit portraits, night travel photography — my mirrorless has let me down more than once. And because of that, my DSLR still earns its place in my bag.
The Struggles I’ve Faced with Mirrorless in Low Light
On a recent trip to Australia, I was photographing people in street markets under weak bulbs. The light was barely enough for the human eye. I raised my mirrorless, ready for that perfect candid moment… and the camera hesitated. The focus hunted back and forth. By the time it finally locked, the expression I wanted was gone.
It happened again in Colorado — a group of friends laughing under a single porch light. I saw the shot, raised my mirrorless, waited for the live view to brighten… and waited. The scene appeared in the EVF just in time to see the moment slip away.
That’s been my main frustration: in low light, mirrorless cameras often take longer to display a clear, usable live view. Even when they do, they sometimes can’t find focus without continuous light. In a studio, if I’m using strobes without modeling lights, the mirrorless still struggles unless I add an LED or constant source.
Why My DSLR Still Gets the Job Done
The difference comes down to how these cameras focus. My DSLR uses a dedicated autofocus module, separate from the main imaging sensor. It doesn’t depend on the brightness of a live image to work. It can see enough contrast to lock focus quickly, even in near darkness.
That means at a dimly lit party, I can move from one moment to the next, confident that when I press the shutter, I’ll get the shot. At a wedding reception, I can catch a spontaneous laugh without worrying that my camera will hesitate.
In the studio, my DSLR locks focus instantly even if I’m working with just strobes and no continuous lighting. I’m not waiting for the viewfinder to adjust. I’m not hoping the focus catches. It just does.
Why This Matters to Professionals
In photography, some moments happen only once. A quick smile, a hand on a shoulder, the look between two people — you either get it or you don’t. As Henri Cartier-Bresson famously said, “Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.” I’ve shot far more than that, and what I’ve learned is that gear isn’t just about features. It’s about trust.
For me, my DSLR has earned that trust in low light. My mirrorless hasn’t — not yet.
A Note to Fellow Photographers
If you’re shooting low-light events, don’t give up your DSLR just because mirrorless is the trend. I use both systems and I love both, but each has its place. Mirrorless shines in daylight and travel situations. But when the lights go down and the stakes are high, I still reach for my DSLR.
A Note to Camera Manufacturers
We love the portability and speed of mirrorless. We want to move forward with it. But autofocus in poor light still lags behind what DSLRs have delivered for years. Real-world low-light focusing speed needs to be as dependable as it is on paper. That means fast lock-on, minimal EVF lag, and the ability to focus without continuous light.
Bring that reliability into a mirrorless body, and you’ll have the tool every working photographer dreams of.
Until then, I’ll keep carrying both — but when it really matters, I know which camera I trust.
As Peter Adams put it best: “Great photography is about depth of feeling, not depth of field.”
In low light, that feeling is everything — and I’m not willing to miss it.
About the author: Bimal Nepal is a professional photographer based in Austin, Texas. The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
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