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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 ...
54
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 ...
42
There are three main methods by which a dSLR/mirrorless camera can be used as a webcam.
HDMI capture
HDMI capture requires two things: that the camera can output "clean HDMI"; that is HDMI that doesn't have camera control overlays all over it, and an HDMI capture device to turn the HDMI output from the camera into a USB webcam input to the computer....
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
32
The dust isn't on the lens — it's on the sensor. Dust on the lens will not resolve so clearly.
To check for it quickly, set your aperture to the smallest your lens can support. (Small apertures have large f-numbers, like f/22.) This will keep the light striking the sensor to a straighter angle, which in turn will make the dust (which sits on filter layer ...
27
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
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
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" ...
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
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, ...
18
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 ...
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
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
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
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-...
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
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 ...
13
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.
13
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
A mirrorless is a system camera and you must therefore carefully consider the system. There 2 major differenciators between systems:
Sensor-size: This affects image quality and particularly low-light performance. Four-Thirds and APS-C are popular sizes but there are full-frame options and smaller 1" or 1/1.7" ones too which have noticeably lower image-...
11
All other things being equal, yes.
There are two primary reasons why this is so.
To maintain the same amount of field intensity of light over a larger area, a lens used with a larger sensor has to be able to collect more total light than a lens used with a smaller sensor. This means a larger entrance pupil, which usually works out to require a larger front ...
11
I think it's more the latter of your two reasons: the experience, talent, and care of the group who are willing to spend more on higher-end gear, vs. the format size alone, that creates the impression that better cameras make better pictures all by themselves.
Someone who's willing to spend $2000 on a camera body and another $3000 on glass in a brand new ...
11
inkista has an excellent answer above.
My Panasonic GX-80 doesn't support 'Lumix tether for streaming' - but it does have a Wifi function allowing you to watch a live preview from a smartphone.
Over the course of a caffeine-fueled long weekend, and helped by the writings of people who'd tried similar things before me, I was able to get the wifi preview ...
10
LensRentals.com had quite a lengthy article on this subject a couple of days ago. Basically it works by focusing the amount of light going through the lens on to a smaller area, optimized for the smaller sensors of mirrorless cameras. This increases the light intensity of the image being captured, giving a "1-stop aperture increase".
I'll just link to the ...
10
To answer your question directly, I think that your base assumption that Mirrorless AF is slower than DSLR AF is somewhat dated and also unfairly groups cameras that vary a great deal into a single category.
First you must understand the difference between contrast detect AF and phase detect AF. At the end of this answer, you can find more resources on this ...
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