Mirror

[tomlib]

Hello. I have a simple question. I looked a bit into the principle of the camera and it is not clear to me what good a SLR camera is when it actually contains an extra mechanical part of the mirror. Is a mirrorless or mirrorless camera better? I get the impression that the mirror in the camera has a psychological or spiritual meaning rather than a practical one. What is the truth?

Tomas - Liberec - Czech

[using google translator]

 

[wfooshee]

The "reflex" in the term "Single Lens Reflex" means that the viewfinder sees exactly what the actual lens on the camera sees. That's different from a camera like a rangefinder, or even a cheap disposable, where the viewfinder is a completely separate bit of optics. The mirror is what makes that possible, but shooting the light from the lens into the top of the camera.

Before electronic sensors in digital cameras, that was the only way to have the viewfinder exactly match the image the lens sees, especially since you could mount any of dozens of different lenses (other than the larger Twin Lens Reflex, which uses a pair of identical lenses, one for the viewfinder and one for the film.) Yes, mirrors add a mechanical complexity to the camera, and shooting with them created a certain amount of noise, with the mirror movement and the shutter curtain movement.

Mirrorless cameras replace all that with an electronic display that projects the sensor image to your eye. Mirrorless cameras are mechanically simpler, and generally smaller and lighter.

 

[Strodav]

As far as Image Quality goes, there is no difference between dslrs and milcs. To me, the biggest difference is that my mirrorless Z9 has In Body Image Stabilization (IBIS), which gives me a little advantage in reducing camera shake, an electronic viewfinder (EVF) which gives me a better idea of exposure and a much more sophisticated Auto Focus system that does eye tracking of people, animals, and some vehicles.

I take my Z9 when birding (IBIS and eye tracking), but use my D850 for virtually everything else.