Moving the gear discussion here...
CCD I'm debating going the same route and getting a mirrorless set. I might get a used mirrorless camera to dip my fingers into that world and see how it plays out. If I like it I'll just get rid of the Nikon though I really like my lenses. I feel like I'm missing out on excellent 4k video features and while the D7500 takes great 4k video, the autofocus sucks, it's auto cropped by 1/3 and has barely any stabilization. I find myself taking more and more videos of the kids and wished the camera would take capture better video.
The clincher for me was that I do a lot of hiking/biking.....so both volume and weight GREATLY favors the mirrorless bodies/lenses. And what I discovered in the process (spent a $100 on a cheap Sony mirrorless the NEX C3 to experiment).....I was getting the same quality shots from the mirrorless bodies/lenses as I was the DSLR's.
Been catching up on the various A6000 models. If I had to get one I would go for the A6400. It looks like it's exactly what I want. But I might not make the move for a while. My sole purpose for switching to the Sony A mirrorless would be for 4k video and its 425 autofocus points (as opposed to the 52 in my Nikon). From what I've learned so far their autofocus is by far the best and most accurate. I didn't really get my DSLR for video, I always viewed it as a perk and the D7500 does take amazing videos, it's just handicapped in some areas. The Sony would more than makeup for those, I just have to think if it's a switch I want to do anytime soon. The autofocus doesn't bother me as much on my Nikon as much as the stabilization does.
Bizarre thing is that none of the A6000s seems to be available online, which has kinda driven up the price of used ones by a lot.
I get you about the weight, everything adds up and it makes it really heavy. It's why I've now got two bags, one for the full gear and a small pouch for just the camera and one extra lens should I need it. I've been also entertaining the idea of getting a GoPro at some point. Not sure of the use I'd get out of it just yet.
Yeah mirrorless are good cameras, and probably what my next purchase will be whenever I decide to upgrade.
I have a Canon T7i with 18-55mm lens and a 24mm f/2.8 lens. The 18-55 I use for daytime photography while the 24mm I used for night sky. Every so often I mount the camera to a travel scope (70mm) if I want to shoot the moon or a wide area in the sky. Then I have a ZWO ASI224 for deep sky imaging (still learning how to use this one).
When using the travel scope for imaging, I use the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer tracking mount.
I'm very curious about this sky imaging camera. The T7i looks to be the equivalent of my D7500 apart from video. I've always been curious why Canon has a different naming scheme for different regions. I had to look it up and the T7i is called the 800D in other places.