Lately, there’s been a boom of a new type of camera system, the mirrorless camera. So what’s the difference between this and a DSLR? Which is best? Of course they both have their advantages and disadvantages. Let’s discuss them one by one.
As the name suggests, a mirrorless camera is a camera that’s not equipped with a mirror. So it’s essentially like the DSLR, but with the mirror and prism chucked out. On a DSLR, light enters via the lens, is then reflected by the mirror and prism and travels to the photographer’s eye through the view finder. On a mirrorless camera, the light coming in through the lens will go straight to the camera sensor. It can then be viewed via the live view on the LCD or from an electronic view finder.
The existence of a mirror and prism on a DSLR is a technology inherited from pre-digital camera technology. In the days of full analog cameras, the only way to accurately view the objects through the view finder is by attaching a mirror and prism in the camera. This is usually called an optical view finder. Optical view finder has proven itself to be able to reflect the object’s shadows clearly and accurately. In the digital photography world, the mirror is no longer needed because the camera sensor (the replacement for film) can directly send images to the photographer by way of LCD screen or the electronic viewfinder (often called electronic viewfinder with interchangeable lens or EVIL for short).
But not all electronic view finders on low to mid-range mirrorless cameras can match the clarity of an optical view finder. Mirrors in a DLSR requires a complicated system and has to be very accurate. Thus, it ups the price. So mirrorless cameras have cut that cost by chucking the mirrorring system all together.
Advantages of a DSLR
– For now, (Canon EOS 1Dx DSLR) it has a significantly higher frame rate (burst shoot), making it the best for sport photography.
– Optical view finders are clearer and more comfortable to look at because it naturally reflects the object to be photographed.
Advantages of a mirrorless camera
– More practical and light.
– Quieter because there’s no clicking sound made by the mirrors.
So there’s no clear winner here, as of now when speaking in the same range of the two products. But of course a $1500 mirrorless camera will be better than a $500 DSLR camera, and vice versa. Mirrorless cameras with the same size sensors as that in a DSLR have also be introduced to the market by big brands like Leica, Sony, and FujiFilm. In a relatively short time, the popularity of mirrorless cameras have skyrocketed. Personally, I think that the mirrorless camera is the camera of the future and it will eventually knock out the existence of DSLRs. What do you think?
