One type of camera that is becoming popular to the point of replacing DSLR cameras in the near future is a mirrorless camera. As its name indicates one of its major differences from a DSLR camera is it does not use a mirror. DSLRs use mirror and a viewfinder.
How it works is when light enters into the camera through the lens, the mirror reflects it upwards 90°. That light directly hits the sensor and it forces it to bounce 90° again enabling the photographer to view what is reflected through the viewfinder. This gives the photographer the capability to make the required adjustments before pressing the shutter button. When pressing the shutter button, the mirror flips and goes out of the way allowing whatever image was caught through the viewfinder to hit the sensor.
It is this process that made DSLRs popular simply because no film is involved and everything is a digital process. It does not, however, mean there were no setbacks that were afflicting digital cameras. One such problem was the now eliminated mirror in mirrorless cameras that had to flip when pressing the shutter button, which means it takes some time, and it directly affects the rate of shots the camera can take making a mirrorless camera faster.
The mirror also has to flip always when taking shots creating annoying noise for some if not for everyone. The flipping is also a source of vibration that blurs images, although eliminating it is possible by using tripod or image stabilization systems. In addition, the size of DSLR cameras cannot be reduced to less than what a standard mirror size requires rendering them big, while photographers prefer smaller gears to haul around.
Starting from 2004 the year Epson released the first mirrorless prototype, there was a quiet war taking place among the known camera manufactures. Most brands were coming up with their own version of mirrorless cameras that never came close to dethrone DSLRs, in spite of the few problems they have. That eventually changed after the introduction of micro four-thirds that were able to muster the power of DSLRs without being bulky. According to the records, in 2013 the first acknowledged mirrorless breakthrough came when the Fujifilm X-Pro 1 was introduced with a built-in electronic viewfinder, which is crucial to manipulate images.
The known household name camera manufacturers such as Canon, Nikon, Sony, and a few others had taken them a long time to introduce their version of mirrorless cameras into the market, but they have finally managed to introduce a few. Canon, mostly discussed here had released a few mirrorless cameras such as EOS M-3, EOS M-5, EOS M-6, EOS M-10, EOS M-50, EOS M-100 that are all good for beginners and enthusiasts, while EOS R and recently EOS RP full-frame cameras are aimed at the professionals and they are competing head-on with the other major camera manufacturers. Their image quality is comparable with DSLR cameras.
Canon’s mirrorless cameras have their own lenses and it is possible to use adaptor provided by the company to use the numerous high-quality Canon EF lenses revealing that because of the special features they are offering they can compete with the professional high-end cameras for a market share. These two cameras by no means are the best since every manufacturer has a few mirrorless cameras in the market that requires scrutiny.
What is important to know, however, is professional photographers using high-end DSLR cameras can switch to them without losing any edge. In fact, some sources say they will gain more benefits starting from their weight, and some features such as the speed and the image quality can be on par. The same applies to beginners who can start with affordable mirrorless cameras without losing any benefit for not using a DSLR camera.