Sooner or later you'll be thinking it's time to get a serious camera. Something with fast autofocus, more control and more lenses because, let's face it, it's time to move on from the selfie and get serious about photography. But a huge digital SLR? What a pain in the neck. What you really need is something just as powerful and flexible, but smaller, so you won't leave it at home half the time.

By removing the unnecessary, like a mirror inside the camera to show you what the lens sees (totally irrelevant in the digital age), and keeping the necessary (large sensor, fast autofocus, built in viewfinder, huge range of lenses), Sony has slimmed down the serious camera.

Here's seven tips for making the most of Sony's new breed of mirrorless cameras.

#1 Focus is your friend

Whether it's a crisp portrait with beautifully de-focussed background or a razor sharp, front-to-back landscape, focus tells the viewer what's important. Control like this just isn't possible with a smartphone - you need the ability to shoot at different apertures with different lenses. And what's more you want to nail perfect focus quickly. Sony's A6000 mirrorless camera gives you super-fast autofocus and lets you shoot at 11 frames per second so you'll never miss the moment.

#2 Fill the frame

Legendary Magnum photographer Robert Capa once said that 'if your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough'. Sometimes it's just a matter of taking a step or two into the frame. At other times it means switching that 24-70mm lens for a longer 70-200mm lens. This is particularly true when you're on the sideline taking pictures of your little Richie McCaw.

#3 Touch that dial

Sure you can point-and-shoot a Sony mirrorless camera, but the real fun begins when you go off-piste. Don't be afraid to experiment and start shooting in aperture or shutter priority modes. You can freeze action or focus only on what's important. It's up to you to decide how much or how little thinking you want the camera to do for you.

#4 Make the most of light

Beautiful things happen in beautiful light, particularly at the end of the day or before a storm hits. Sony's image sensors are the best in the business which means better-looking photos with more colour, better detail and less noise, even in low light.

#5 Blend into the background

Nothing screams tourist more than a huge camera. Sony's mirrorless cameras are smaller and lighter than digital SLRs which means you can shoot documentary style photos without annoying the locals but still head home with pro-quality pictures.

#6 More than stills

All Sony mirrorless cameras let you shoot video at the flick of a switch. Baby's first steps are probably better captured that way, so make sure you're not always shooting stills.

#7 Lurk the internet

Looking for inspiration for your next photo project? Or more tips and tricks? Check out sites like www.stuckincustoms www.briansmith.com www.tomang.com www.365project.org or www.flickr.com to spur your creativity.