Mirrorless cameras have the reputation of being smaller/lighter than DSLRs, but are they really? John compiled a few lists of comparable Sony, Canon, Nikon and Pentax lenses to find out. At this time it seems only mirrorless bodies offer a size/weight advantage, while lens designs are fixed in size, when covering a comparable sensor size. I’ll let the numbers and John’s words speak for themselves and feel free to follow/thank John on Facebook at John Clark Photography.
1. The crop sensor nifty fifty.
The Sony E mount lens is the heaviest and most expensive, but it is also the only lens with stabilization, so the comparison is not quite valid, but all of these are quite small and light regardless.
2. The full frame 24-70 f/2.8 premium zoom
The Sony GM lens is again very similar to the others. Two of the lenses here have stabilization.
3. The crop sensor budget telephoto zoom
The two mirrorless system lenses here are the heaviest and most expensive. The heaviest lenses all have stabilization and the lighter lenses do not.
4. The full frame 70-200 f/4 zoom
Everything here is very similar. The Canon was announced in 2006 so it is a bit cheaper.
