How It Works

[endure]

[hughden]

Such an antiquated system! Give it five years and mirrors in cameras will be dying.

[Tywais]

Such an antiquated system! Give it five years and mirrors in cameras will be dying.

A fun article by Trey Ratcliff. DSLRs Are A Dying Breed - 3rd Generation Cameras are the Future

[fimgirl]

Such an antiquated system! Give it five years and mirrors in cameras will be dying.

Why? Facts please

[hughden]

Such an antiquated system! Give it five years and mirrors in cameras will be dying.

Why? Facts please

Reading Trey's article provides many of the reasons.

The mirror adds weight, cost, volume and mechanical complexity without providing any benefits in the photo taking process that are not already being addressed and improved upon by mirrorless cameras.

The only current real benefit of using a camera with a mirror right now is for sports photography where the focusing mechanism in a mirrored camera is superior for tracking moving objects. But that is already being worked on (Nikon 1 series is a start) and it won't be long before mirrorless catches up, and then the 10-15 frames a second limitation of the slapping mirror will seem pedestrian. Meantime, for everyday shooting, a mirrorless camera system provides great images with a much more enjoyable shooting experience.

All the real innovation in camera tech is happening in the mirrorless segment, as is the increase in sales volumes. It's just a matter of time.

[endure]

Speaking as a complete noob the mirrorless cameras seem to be a lot smaller than DSLRs. How will they cope with the large lens that seem obligatory for sports photos?

[hughden]

Speaking as a complete noob the mirrorless cameras seem to be a lot smaller than DSLRs. How will they cope with the large lens that seem obligatory for sports photos?

As I mentioned, mirrorless cameras are not the best for sports photography, but that is due the focus mechanism rather than the lens. DSLR lenses are bigger in general because the distance from the flange where the lens attaches to the camera to the sensor, has to be big enough to accomodate the mirror. Mirrorless cameras have the flange much closer to the sensor which allows for smaller lenses; they also have smaller sensors which allows lenses to be smaller.

The longest lens I have for my mirrorless camera is 300mm. It is light, small enough to slip in my pocket and doesn't make the camera feel unbalanced. Takes great shots; but the camera focus struggles with fast moving objects.