Mirrorless cameras

See what’s inside this fast-growing camera category

What is a mirrorless camera?

You can think of a mirrorless camera as a sort of halfway point between a compact camera and a digital SLR. In other words, it has a manageable size, like a compact, but still offers the creative flexibility of an SLR because it allows you to change lenses. You may also hear these models referred to as compact system cameras or interchangeable-lens cameras.

What have mirrors got to do with it?

A digital SLR uses a mirror to direct the light from the lens into a pentaprism, which in turn enables us to see the scene when we look through the viewfinder. This system makes the design of an SLR more bulky. But because a mirrorless camera has done away with the mirror, camera manufacturers have been able to reduce their size.

How do we see the image in a mirrorless camera, then?

In general, as there is no mechanism to direct light into a viewfinder, mirrorless cameras use an electronic viewfinder. With an electronic viewfinder, what you are seeing is based on the exposure that is dialed into the camera. Change the settings, and the image in the EVF will also lighten or darken accordingly. With the optical viewfinder in a digital SLR, it doesn’t matter what settings you put into the camera: the scene through the viewfinder does not change.

Normal compact cameras don’t have mirrors either, so is the only benefit of a mirrorless over a compact the fact you can change lenses?

That’s certainly one of the main benefits, but mirrorless cameras also tend to have bigger sensors than compacts – and a bigger sensor usually means better-quality images. Of course, manufacturers use different-sized sensors right up to full frame, so if you are considering buying a mirrorless system, you should consider whether the sensor in the model you are looking at is going to give you the quality of results you want.

So you wouldn’t see a pro photographer using a mirrorless camera?

Actually, you might, especially in the documentary, travel, wedding and portrait genres. Many professional photographers have latched onto the ‘quality at a more compact size’ benefit of high-end mirrorless cameras, and are using them either exclusively or alongside an SLR.

Finally, which manufacturers sell mirrorless cameras?

Since most of the growth in camera sales over the last few years has been down to mirrorless cameras, all the major camera manufacturers now produce their own versions. Prices can vary from about £250 to more than £2,000. However, be aware that some of the current models may not be your idea of ‘compact’ at all!