There’s no doubt that mirrorless cameras are the future and DSLR cameras are, well, about to become “vintage.” That’s because after a nearly three decade run, which stretched from the late ’80s to the late 2010’s, the vast majority of camera manufacturers — including Nikon, Canon and Sony — have announced that they are (or have already) ceased production of DSLRs so that they could focus solely on mirrorless cameras.
Of course, just because the likes of Nikon and Canon have stopped making DSLRs doesn’t mean you shouldn’t buy one. They still take exceptionally high-quality images and actually have a number of advantages over mirrorless cameras. Plus, there’s a thriving online marketplace for DSLRs now so there’s a good chance you can get a killer deal on one.
But if you’re not quite sure what a DSLR actually is, don’t fret: here are the basics
A DSLR (or “digital single-lens reflex”) camera is essentially a digital version of an SLR film camera, which predated it. The two types of cameras work almost exactly the same, relying heavily on an optical system and a mirror mechanism, but DSLR cameras capture the image digitally (via a memory card) rather than on film. In SLRs, digital or otherwise, light comes in through the lens, which then gets reflected via a mirror into the optical viewfinder, showing you the exact image you’re going to capture. When you hit the shutter button, that mirror flips down, exposes the light to digital sensor (or film in the SLR’s case), and the image is captured.
What is a mirrorless cameras?
Jose A. Bernat Bacete
A mirrorless camera works differently than a DSLR camera mostly because, as the name suggests, they’re no mirrors involved. Instead of reflecting the light from the lens up into a sensor via a mirror, when you hit the shutter button the light is exposed directly to the mirrorless camera’s sensor and the image is captured. Because there aren’t any mirrors, a mirrorless camera relies on an electronic viewfinder instead of a DSLR’s optical viewfinder. So instead of seeing the exact image, you’re relying more on the mirrorless camera to electronically generate an image of what you’re going to capture before you hit that shutter button.
How are DSLR and mirrorless cameras similar?
Both DSLR and mirrorless cameras are extremely versatile in terms of what they capture. They both rely on an interchangeable lens system, so you can select from wide selection of prime or zoom lenses and swap them in or out depending on what kind of photos or videos you want to take. They both have a wide range of manual and automatic controls. And, although once DSLR cameras were once considered vastly superior in terms of the quality of the images they’re able to capture, mirrorless cameras have come along way in the last decade or more, so much so that it’s not really a point of differentiation.
Why are mirrorless cameras better?
María Juárez
There’s a reason why camera manufacturers are ditching DSLRs and focusing on mirrorless moving forward. In fact, there are many reasons.
Mirrorless cameras are smaller.
The biggest difference between DSLR and mirrorless cameras is size. Mirrorless cameras don’t rely on a system of mechanisms and mirrors for opticals and image capture like DSLRs. This allows them to be housed in a smaller and lighter body; most people say that mirrorless cameras deliver most of the advantages of DSLRs, but in a body that’s closer to the size of a point-and-shoot (or travel) camera. And because there are less moving parts, mirrorless cameras tend to generally be quieter.
Mirrorless cameras are quieter.
Because mirrorless cameras have less moving parts — they rely more on electronics than mechanisms — they tend to be quieter. However, most mirrorless cameras also have silent shooting modes where you can literally stop the shutter button from making any sound. This is ideal when you’re shooting subjects, like wildlife or people at an event (like a wedding), when you don’t want the click of the shutter button startling them.
They give you a better electronic preview.
Mirrorless cameras rely on an electronic viewfinder (or screen) to give you a preview of what you’re going to capture. While purists might prefer a DSLR’s optical viewfinder, as it allows them to see the image as it “truly is in real life,” the advantage of viewfinder that electronically generates the image is that it can more easily apply different settings. For example, you can adjust exposure settings on a mirrorless camera and it’ll show you a more accurate preview of what the end photo will look like before you take it.
Mirrorless cameras the clear video winner.
If you’re lookin to shoot video, you generally want to go with a mirrorless camera. Pretty every new mirrorless camera is able to capture 4K video — many are even able to capture 8K video – at a wide range of price points, while only the really expensive DSLRs are able to do the same.
Why are DSLR cameras better?
Yagi Studio
As previous mentioned, DSLRs appear to be a dying breed. But that doesn’t mean that they aren’t any reasons to buy one instead of mirrorless camera.
DSLRs have longer lasting batteries.
One of the main advantages of DSLRs is that they have longer battery lives. This has to do with their size — bigger bodies means they can fit bigger batteries —but also they’re more analog machines than mirrorless cameras. They don’t rely on an electronic viewfinder and therefore less electric energy is required to capture a photo. This means that even without a bigger battery, a DSLR can last longer than a mirrorless camera on the same-sized battery.
DSLRs have more lenses to choose from.
DSLR cameras have been around for longer than mirrorless cameras and therefore there are more lenses — both prime and zoom, old and new — to choose from. It’s true that mirrorless cameras are catching up thanks to newer adapters and mounts that make them compatible with more lens system. But generally, as of right now, DSLRs still have the edge.
DSLRs are more durable systems
Another big reason why many photographers still opt for a DSLR over a mirrorless system — they’re more rugged and better built to last. They are bigger, heavier and can take more of a beating than mirrorless systems. This makes them more reliable, especially considering they aren’t as dependable on a battery.
Gregor Hofbauer
