If you hope to be serious about photography or videos, you will definitely hear about DSLRs and mirrorless cameras. But which camera type is better? And should DSLR really still be the default choice for your first ‘right’ camera?
In this guide, we will not enter deeply on all the differences between two camera formats. You can read about it in our DSLR vs Mirrorless feature. Instead, we will use our great experience in reviewing DSLR cameras and mirrorless to tell you which format is the best for various types of photographers – and whether you still have to consider buying DSLR, stopping full.
Most of the main camera brands have started to leave the classic DSLR format in the back, but that does not mean we have to follow blindly. Of course, mirrorless cameras are a place you will see the most innovation – Real improvement for DSLRs now only borrow mirrorless technology, as indicated by people like Canon EOS 1D X Mark III.
In addition, Nikon has announced plans to focus on mirrorless development, and Sony recently removes three remaining DSLR cameras from its website, suggests the same thing.
So the question is, have we reached a critical point where we can’t do good faith recommend a DSLR camera again? Or is there still a good reason to take a new DSLR today? Mari Selami and run you through all the reasons you have to (or shouldn’t buy a DSLR in 2021.
This is the best DSLR that you can buy today
Or see our guide for the best beginner DSLR
Read our guide for the best mirrorless camera in the world
Design: DSLR vs mirrorless
The only universal difference between DSLR and mirrorless camera is a viewfinder design. DSLRs use the optical viewfinder that gives you ‘bare-eye’ experience, while the mirrorless camera displays an electronic viewfinder with a digital display (apart from several Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras).
Each type of viewfinder has a boiling advantage to ‘feeling’. Electronic viewfinder can provide truly useful information such as the appearance of real-time exposure and the top of manual focus. However, the nuances of using the bare eye optical window have not been digitally replicated.
There is a warning; To really get the benefits of the optical viewfinder, you want a big one really feel immersed in a scene. For this reason, you will want a new Pentax K-3 mark or full-frame DSLR like the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV or Nikon D850. The look of a small viewfinder in a low-cost DSLR like the Canon EOS 850D does not cut it enough for a more advanced shooter.
Many are made about the size of the camera too. Many DSLR users prefer chunky designs and handgrips spoken from larger models, which are partly the result of the optic viewfinder and the accompanying mirror. If this is your style, you shouldn’t release the camera without a mirror – not all mirror cameras are smaller and there are many choices of Chunky ‘DSLR-style’ around like Panasonic Lumix S1.
On the subject size, mirrorless lenses are generally not smaller than DSLR lenses like-to-like, which can eliminate small size excellence from the camera. So the size is more than a camera-to-camera comparison rather than generalization in mirrorless vs DSLR debates.
Is the DSLR really cheaper?
Advertisement
If you want to buy a lens camera that can be exchanged for the first time, a new mirrorless camera will cost you a little more than the new DSLR equivalent.
However, that’s when you start building a mirrorless system that is pierced by a cost, with mirrorless lenses for anywhere between 10-50% extra on the equivalent of DSLR. For example, a standard 50mm f / 1.8 lens will cost around 35% more than the DSLR equivalent. It’s partly for the lens design that we will visit, but this is a big margin.