The final word
Canon’s DSLRS and mirrorless cameras share much of the same technology, so how do you make an informed choice about which is right for you?
For some people, it’s the availability of one or two features that are crucial to their shooting that pushes them to one of Canon’s mirrorless cameras.
There are far too many to go into here, but even if we just focus on one, namely the silent shutter, we can see what kind of a practical difference this can make.
Anyone shooting in conditions where discretion is key will appreciate a camera’s ability to shoot silently, not just quietly. Some Canon DSLRS offer ‘silent’ shooting modes, but these simply damp, or delay, the mechanical sound.
Most mirrorless cameras still depend on mechanical shutters, even if they don’t need mirrors, but the EOS R bodies also have an electronic shutter option that offers truly silent shooting. Well, as close to silent as you’re going to get – lenses still make a little noise when they autofocus, or when the Image Stabilizer kicks in on an IS lens.
Rather than opening and closing a noisy mechanical shutter to regulate the amount of light that the image sensor is exposed to, an electronic shutter allows the image sensor to be constantly exposed to light, but effectively switches the sensor on and off to record a picture. There are no mechanical, moving parts, which is why it gives you silent shooting.
There is a drawback to this option. Rather than exposing the entire sensor in one go, an electronic shutter builds an image line by line. At the moment, electronic shutters don’t record the whole sensor fast enough to capture fast-moving subjects, so although they offer super-fast shutter speeds for wide apertures on bright days, they’re no good for moving subjects. It also means they are incompatible with flash photography.
In some instances, the tech that Canon has had to develop for its mirrorless cameras can also benefit its DSLRS.
If you’re a regular stills photographer who only dabbles in video, the choice is tougher
The EOS-1D X Mark III and 90D have inherited the electronic shutter option for Live View shooting, for instance.
When to choose a DSLR
DSLRS are still a great choice if you like your cameras big, chunky and physical. They can do video too, but if that’s your main interest, then you should be looking at a mirrorless.
They handle better with bigger lenses and for the most part they have more space for external controls, so you spend less time navigating interfaces and tapping at touchscreens and their batteries last all day.
They also have optical viewfinders. Mirrorless users might not care, but DSLR fans would never swap the ‘naked eye’ viewfinder image of a DSLR for a digital simulation, no matter how good.
If you’re on a tight budget you’ll have to work hard to find an APS-C mirrorless camera with a viewfinder for the same price as a Canon EOS 2000D.
When to choose mirrorless
If you’re an Instagramer, influencer, blogger or vlogger, a mirrorless camera like the Canon EOS M50 is perfect. They’re small, light and adaptable and have tilting/ Vari-angle screens that let you shoot from all sorts of angles. They’re great for video and stills and can fit into a bag.
If you’re a pro or semi-pro videographer, mirrorless is the way to go, too. This is where all the video development in cameras, lenses, hardware and accessories is, such as with the likes of the EOS R5.
But, if you’re a regular stills photographer who only dabbles in video, the choice is tougher. The market is heading towards mirrorless, but DSLRS are still popular, and there are plenty of people who would like this resilient and adaptable camera design to keep on going for ever.
Mirrorless cameras might be the future, but, for now, the DSLR design still does a few things brilliantly where mirrorless cameras are still playing catch-up.