Mirrorless cameras are a bit of a buzzword at the moment. At one time, any serious photographer or hobbyist would get a DSLR – but now mirrorless cameras increasingly offer the same image quality, versatility and features in a smaller, lighter body. The difference between mirrorless cameras (also called ‘compact system cameras – CSCs’) and […]
DSLR
This is a classic interchangeable lens camera design where you see an optical image in the viewfinder that shows the view through the lens. They do this using a mirror inside the body that reflects the image seen by the lens up on to a focusing screen, which is then viewed via a pentaprism or pentamirror into the viewfinder eyepiece.
When you take a picture, the mirror flips up out of the way so that the image passes through the body to the sensor at the back of the camera. DSLRs work in the same way as SLR (single lens reflex) film cameras, but substitute a digital sensor for the film. Mirrorless cameras get their name from the fact there is no mirror and to distinguish them clearly from DSLRs.
Lens types and what they’re used for
The advantage of interchangeable lens cameras like DSLRs and mirrorless cameras is that you can change lenses for different kinds of photography. There are many different types of lenses, often with specific names. Lenses are usually characterised or grouped by their focal length. It might be more useful to use their angle of view instead, […]
Viewfinders on cameras and the different types
Not all digital cameras have viewfinders. Digital cameras and smartphones have LCD screens for composing photos, and it’s only on higher end cameras that you get a viewfinder too. But they are worth having. Sometimes it’s difficult to see an LCD display properly in the bright glare of daylight, and sometimes it just feels more […]
Camera types and what they do
If all you want to do is take pictures and you don’t know much about cameras, the range of camera types on the market is bewildering. Even if you do know a bit about cameras, it’s not easy to weigh up one type against the other and make a decision about which to get. So […]