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Is there any significant benefit to having an SLR mechanism in a
digital camera? Particularly in terms of a benefit that's large enough
to make up for the liability of adding a mechanical part into a design
where a solid-state alternative is available?
Yes. Response speed for both autofocus and shutter release.
The mirrorbox has a number of side ...
53
And with a digital camera, you don't need a hinged mirror as you can show the user exactly what light will be captured by just routing the sensor output to an LCD display.
This is the reason for the rise in popularity of mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras (MILC). Without the mirror box, the camera can be smaller, lighter, less expensive, etc.
Having ...
36
I don't see the DSLR going anywhere anytime soon. The advent of mirrorless cameras does not constitute a life-ending event for DSLR's, or any other type of camera design. The advent of mirrorless simply expands the available pool of camera types, diversifying the options and making it easier for each individual photographer to get the camera gear that best ...
35
Using an electronic viewfinder or LCD screen to compose the image uses more battery life than a standard viewfinder
Using an LCD screen for the majority of device settings uses more battery life than physical, dedicated buttons
Smaller physical devices may, by design, have smaller batteries
26
Don't forget a major drawback that EVF's require power to compose, and are much harder on batteries if you spend a lot of time with the screen on.
Also, as previously mentioned, because of delays, it is harder to follow moving objects with an EVF.
24
you don't have to reproduce the algorithms that the camera is running to render your photo on the small display on the camera.
This all depends on how much you value what is shown on the camera's LCD - it isn't any more "right" than any other algorithm. If you personally happen to like Sony's algorithm, then you may find it advantageous, although you can ...
23
they said rangefinders were going to go the way of the dodo when SLRs were introduced.
They said SLRs were going away when point and shoot cameras were introduced.
They said black and white was dead when colour film was invented.
All are still with us today.
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Essentials
I think that all three of the camera types (dSLR, mirrorless, and fixed-lens compact) can be used to seriously learn photography if all you've been using up to now is a phone camera. However, I think that there are three features any camera you choose has to have if you really want to learn photography deeply, and those three features will rule ...
22
A few aspects mentioned in your question will be our starting point. Please note, we are not saying each of these issues will be determining factors for every photographer. We're not saying one system is better than the other because of... a or b. Rather they are a response to the question, "...what all should a person consider?" Once considered, each of ...
21
If you shine a torch (flashlight) on a wall and walk forward, the circle of light gets smaller, but brighter at the same time. The principal of the speed booster is the same.
A lens designed for 35mm projects an circle of light at least 43mm in diameter onto the sensor. The sensor in an APS-C format camera has a 28mm diagonal. The "speed booster" ...
21
The main reason is because the batteries for MILCs are almost universally smaller than DSLR batteries.
Some mirrorless batteries:
The LP-E17 battery for the Canon EOS M5 has a 1050 mAh (milliamp-hour) charge storage.
The NP-FW50 for the Sony a7R II has 1020 mAh.
DSLR batteries:
Nikon's EN-EL15 battery (for D500, D600, D610, D7000, D7100, D750, D800, ...
19
DSLRs have expanded massively is terms of features since the 70s, now your entry level DSLR has comparable AF system, speed, shutter as a pro SLR from the 90s!
The D800 pictured has to incorporate many things absent from your 70s SLR
tough weather sealed metal chassis
pop up flash
AF sensor below the reflex mirror (why the camera is taller)
large battery
...
18
Mirrorless or DSLR doesn't really matter. Use whichever lens-body combination gives you the best reduction of vibrations that are relatively slow in frequency but very deep in amplitude. Smaller bodies/lenses will catch less wind, but larger bodies have more mass which helps with the vibration coming from the helicopter body to which you are strapped.
One ...
17
There are both advantages and disadvantages to EVFs. The very best ones with high-resolution and high-refresh rates are actually quite suitable for most uses when well-implemented.
The main disadvantages are:
Lag: There is a short lag between action happening in front of the camera and what you see.
Dynamic-Range: EVFs are small LCD screens and have ...
17
Major reason is that the DSLR lenses are optimized for Phase Detection. Every component of the lens is tailored towards quick movement and stopping the glass in precisely picked moment. Contrast detection on the other hand works best with stepper motors capable of quickly switching directions so that you can move lenses inside back and forth looking for ...
17
Another disadvantage of using the sensor to generate a near real time preview in lieu of an optical viewfinder is the requirement to keep the sensor energized continuously. In addition to the increased battery usage, over extended periods of time this tends to build up heat which, as we all should already know, can affect read noise and thus the signal-to-...
17
Yes, it is possible. But you should not do this. Being dishonest with your teacher is never a good move. If you have a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera with a large sensor, you may be able to convince your teacher that what you have is significantly close to a DSLR to work for the needs of the class. It's probably a good idea to ask exactly what she's ...
16
Those cameras are only limited by the fact that they lack a reflex mirror to form an image through an optical viewfinder. By the same token, DSLRs are limited by the fact they need a reflex mirror in the optical path.
What does that mean?
In terms of image quality, nothing. There are currently mirrorless cameras using the same sensors as DSLR. Even those ...
16
The Nikon 1 series (including V1 onwards) are not DSLRs. They do not have a reflex mirror.
The 1 series has a smaller sensor with 2.7X crop compared to full-frame.
The previous two points make it much smaller than a DSLR, particularly when including lenses.
It does not have an optical viewfinder, instead it uses an EVF with 1.4 megapixels. This gives it a ...
15
The EOS M has essentially the same image pipeline (sensor / image processor) as the latest digital rebel. You can therefore expect it to produce very high quality images considering the form factor (though not necessarily any better than the competition mirrorless). Image quality should be better than the G series, though similar to the G1X (which has a ...
15
There are much more variation between lens lineups designed for mirrorless cameras than DSLRs. A major factor of each lineup is age.
Pentax uses the same K-mount for its K-01 as it does for its DSLRs. This gives it gets a complete lineup of lenses covering a focal-range of 10 to 560mm plus coverage from down to 4.5mm (fisheye) or 8mm (rectilinear) from ...
15
DSLR camera sensors are only exposed to light when the picture is taken, so the sensor presumably produces less noise than if it was always exposed to the light. I find support for this in the way Canon warns about Live View extended usage.
It's not the exposure to light that induces that Live View warning, it is the heat generated by the sensor being ...
14
I've got good news and bad news for you. And I'll start with the good: we are in the midst of a golden age of cameras, from every tier from entry-level to the enthusiast models you are looking at to the top of the line medium format options. There are hundreds of options which easily get an "excellent" rating in all the categories you describe. And you don't ...
14
A mirrorless camera consumes more power mostly because the circuitry is constantly running. Both the sensor and EVF or LCD have to be powered continuously in order to maintain the Live-View which is necessary for framing.
In contrast, a DSLR can even be used to frame while powered off. The viewfinder requires no power at all and the status line below the ...
14
JPEG, as you know, is a lossy compression format. One feature of the format is different quality levels, which correspond to greater or lesser amounts of information discarded to save space.
See Is it worth using Pentax's Premium JPEG quality setting? where I did an investigation of various quality levels and their tradeoffs — it's a different model and ...
13
Advantages/Disadvantages of electronic viewfinders have been discussed in another question for completeness:
Optical TTL viewfinders are pretty much as sharp as the lens (with small losses for the focus screen and prism). Electronic viewfinders have fixed resolution, which is currently lower than OVFs.
OVFs update in realtime, EVFs have a fixed latency and ...
13
There are a number of technical quibbles one can make, of which I think two are significant enough to make the "if you arrive late, you better be stunning" argument hold some water. Those are:
Autofocus speed that's far enough behind to be noticeable
Lack of an eye-level EVF or even the option for an add-on one, and statements from Canon indicating that ...
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Pros of using an EVF as opposed to the rear LCD screen:
It is easier to see in direct sunlight.
Holding the camera to the eye increases stability and comfort (especially with heavier lenses).
EVFs offers diopter correction so users don't need to wear eyeglasses.
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It's called "Nisen Bokeh" and is mainly due to the lens design (though the background plays a part, it's possible to "provoke" this effect with any lens with the right background).
Overcorrected spherical aberration (blur disks which are brighter in the periphery than the centre) is usually to blame. It's showing up more often with the A7 due to the use of ...
12
Have you seen a gallery showing decades old photographs from 35mm film? All mirrorless cameras do better, much better. Do you think those pictures would get rejected today on the grounds of being to grainy, unsharp or lacking contrast?
Gallery quality has much more to do with with content of photographs than anything else. Light, color, gesture says Jay ...
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