Camera technology is moving fast. My 6 year old D300 Nikons are almost old hat now. They still take great images (despite having been hammered) but there are some things about them which are outpaced by new technology.

Mirrorless camera systems have been around for a while in compact cameras and now they’re growing up. With interchangeable lenses and ranges of accessories growing all the time ­ are mirrorless cameras the future?

I went along to see those lovely people at London Camera Exchange to find out what’s different about the new mirrorless camera technology. Having been a DSLR user for many years I admit to being skeptical about them thinking ‘this is just another gimmick trying to make us buy more stuff.

I was wrong! The new generation mirrorless cameras are very serious. And joy of joys, they’ve got the main controls a serious photographer needs on the body instead of being buried in a menu. Oh happy happy day :-)

There are a growing number of really great lenses coming along for the mirrorles system too. I was impressed by the Fuji XT-1 which comes with an f2.8 18-55mm lens as standard. But all the cameras seem to have some great features and suitability to suit a photographers needs. The Sony A7 has a full frame sensor which is great for low light photography. The Lumix has huge resolution video which means you can crop it and still be HD.

Costing over £1000 each these are serious cameras designed for the serious or pro photographer.

BUT ­ remember, the best camera in the world won’t improve the skills of the photographer and it’s the photographer’s skills which make for stunning imagery. Not the camera used to take the picture.

What you don’t see in TV camera ads is the investment in a top photographer, lighting, planning etc which went into shooting what appear to be some cool pics at a party or day out with the family. So before rushing out to spend a few £1000s invest about £100 in my Beginner’s Course and The 7 Building Blocks of Photography. When you can capture great images with any camera ­ that’s the time to upgrade to a great camera.

• I Mess Up Salsibury Catherdral Photo Shoot - EP31
• Photographing A Landscape Landmark PT2 - EP30
• Photographing A Landscape Landmark PT1 - EP29
• Exposure Bracketing Explained - EP28
• Woodland Photography with Gary Gough - EP27