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Concept
Mirrorless camera
Summary
A mirrorless camera is a camera that does not have a mirror. Though most cameras, including smartphones, lack mirrors, the term mirrorless is primarily used to describe digital interchangeable lens cameras, in order to distinguish them from DSLRs, which have historically dominated interchangeable lens cameras. Lacking a mirror system allows the camera to be smaller, quieter, and lighter.
In cameras with mirrors, light from the lens is directed to either the image sensor or the viewfinder. This is done using a mechanical movable mirror which sits behind the lens. By contrast, in a mirrorless camera, the lens always shines light onto the image sensor, and what the camera sees is displayed on a screen for the photographer. Some mirrorless cameras also simulate a traditional viewfinder using a small screen, known as an electronic viewfinder.
DSLRs can act like mirrorless cameras if they have a "live view" mode, in which the mirror moves out of the way so the lens can always shine onto the image sensor.
Many mirrorless cameras retain a mechanical shutter. Like a DSLR, a mirrorless camera accepts interchangeable lenses. Mirrorless cameras necessarily have worse battery life because they need to power the screen and sensor at all times.
Mirrorless cameras are sometimes referred to as mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras (MILC), or digital single-lens mirrorless (DSLM) cameras. This latter name highlights their connection to DSLRs. Other terms include electronic viewfinder interchangeable lens (EVIL) cameras and compact system cameras (CSCs).
Among these, mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera, or just mirrorless, is the most popular. This term sometimes sparks debates, as to what does and does not count as a mirrorless camera, with some saying that cameras such as film rangefinders count as mirrorless, and others saying that old cameras cannot be retconned to be mirrorless.
Mirrorless cameras are mechanically simpler than DSLR cameras, and are smaller, lighter, and quieter due to the elimination of the moving mirror.
Official source
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