The old favourite, many companies have been making DSLR cameras (and SLR before that) for decades. What are the pros and cons of DSLR cameras? With a larger focus on digital over their DSLR counterparts, many mirrorless cameras’ electronic viewfinders (EVF) can include a range of features to help improve the photos you’re taking. Mirrorless cameras typically have larger sensors than regular point and shoot cameras, which allows them to capture richer detail than many digital cameras. While DSLR cameras rely on the mirror to use the viewfinder, mirrorless cameras remove this from the equation! Instead of the image being reflected into the viewfinder, mirrorless cameras show a live view of the image being picked up by the sensor, like the camera on your phone might do. What is a mirrorless camera?Īgain, the main difference between DSLR and mirrorless cameras is in the name. Until around 2008, when mirrorless cameras began to become more popular with some amateur photographers. From then, DSLR cameras have only increased in popularity. In 1988, Nikon* released the QV-1000c – the first commercially available digital SLR camera. If you’re an old-school photographer, you can still eschew the digital and shoot on film! A similar concept, minus the digital! They use the same basic components as a DSLR, except these analogue cameras use film rather than capturing and storing images digitally. The mirror swinging out of the way is also the reason DSLR cameras make such a satisfying sound when taking a picture! A brief history of the DSLRīefore the DSLR, there was the SLR camera. That means there’s no digital processing between the lens and sensor it picks up exactly what the lens sees. When you hit the shutter, the mirror swings out of the way, allowing light to hit the sensor behind and capture the image coming through the lens. The mirror reflects the image into the viewfinder, allowing you to see the exact image coming through the lens. Light passes through the lens and is reflected by the reflex mirror inside the camera. What’s a DSLR camera? It’s all in the name! DSLR stands for digital single-lens reflex camera. Here’s what to consider when deciding which kind of camera you should buy! What is a DSLR camera? Now though, mirrorless cameras have come on in leaps and bounds, and both types of camera have their own set of positives and negatives. Just a few years ago, if you were serious about photography, the answer would be obvious you’d probably go for the DSLR. Mirrorless vs DSLR is one of the first questions you should ask yourself when picking up a new camera.