WHICH

Mirrorless or DSLR?

DSLRs are durable, versatile in their ability to pair with numerous lenses and attachments, have great battery life and give you a higher shooting speed with better autofocusing — these are the reasons photographers love this type of camera. But there is a difference between what you see in the viewfinder and what is in the exposure, an issue you won’t get with mirrorless cameras.

Both styles typically offer continuous shooting (or burst mode) as well as image stabilisation settings, but mirrorless cameras really shine over DSLR when it comes to video recording. To simplify, the mirror in a DSLR makes focusing video more difficult than with a mirrorless camera, which can better capture full HD video. Mirrorless cameras are also lighter and more compact, as the camera body needs space for only a sensor, instead of a whole mirror system. Gain some insight on mirrorless cameras from music photographer Chad Wadsworth, an early adopter of the camera type.

The best DSLR or camera for you will depend on the subject you intend to shoot and the situation you intend to shoot in. Different DSLR models and lenses offer different benefits, but armed with this knowledge, the search for the right camera for you should be an easier one.

And the removal of the mirror mechanism in a mirrorless camera means that they have to use power-hungry electronic viewfinders – and only the best electronic viewfinders can approach the real-time immediacy of an optical viewfinder. The amazing 9.44-million-dot EVF in the Sony A1 shows that soon you might not be able to see the difference, but that quality comes at a cost – both purchase cost and the effect on battery life.

• Read more: The best full frame cameras today

It's tempting to imagine that DSLRs have become locked in the technological dark ages by virtue of their design, but that's not true. Many modern DSLRs use the same on-sensor phase detection autofocus technology as the latest mirrorless cameras, so that they are just as effective when composing images on the rear screen. The Canon EOS-1D X Mark III or the Nikon D780, are two DSLR cameras that make use of mirrorless tech to deliver live view autofocus as good as any mirrorless camera's, but still with the handling and optical viewfinder of a DSLR. Meanwhile, the enthusiast-orientated Canon EOS 90D uses Canon's Dual Pixel CMOS AF and a vari-angle screen to blur the boundaries between mirrorless and DSLR camera features.

Nevertheless, the DSLR market is undeniably in decline. It's clear that Nikon's DX format DSLR range is in the doldrums, as there hasn't been a new model since the 2017 Nikon D7500, and while Pentax continues to champion the DSLR camera design, its new Pentax K-3 Mark III DSLR is an obstinately old-school DSLR which might appeal to DSLR diehards but shows just how far mirrorless cameras have come in the meantime.

The fact is, camera makers are now putting all their research and development effort into mirrorless cameras. The Canon EOS R5 set new standards for focusing and 8K video capture. At the other end of the scale, Nikon and Panasonic have done a good job of producing more affordable full-frame mirrorless options, with the Nikon Z5 and the Panasonic Lumix S5. Sony, meanwhile, continues to be a formidable contender in both stills and video, with the long-awaited Sony A7S III proving to be yet another low-light monster and the remarkable Sony A1 trumping just about every other full frame camera for tech – though at a price!

So let's go through the key differences between mirrorless vs DSLR cameras in detail...