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Mirrorless camera
A mirrorless camera, sometimes referred to as a mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera (MILC), is a digital system camera which does not use a reflex mirror to present an image through a viewfinder. They have come to replace DSLRs, which have historically dominated interchangeable lens cameras. Other terms include electronic viewfinder interchangeable lens (EVIL), compact system camera (CSC), and digital single-lens mirrorless (DSLM).
When compared to similar DSLRs, these cameras can be smaller, lighter, and quieter.
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. Most mirrorless cameras also simulate a traditional viewfinder using a small screen, known as an electronic viewfinder (EVF).
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 shorter battery life because they need to power the screen and sensor at all times.
Mirrorless cameras are mechanically simpler than DSLR cameras, and are smaller, lighter, and quieter due to the elimination of the moving mirror. While nearly all mirrorless cameras have a mechanical shutter, many also have an electronic shutter, allowing completely silent operation.
As the image from the lens is always projected onto the image sensor, features can be available which are only possible in DSLRs when the mirror is locked up into "live view" mode. This includes the ability to show a focus-peaking display, zebra patterning, and face or eye tracking. The electronic viewfinder can provide live previews of depth of field, exposure, white balance and picture style settings, as well as offer a real time view of camera settings even in extremely low or bright light levels, making it easier to view the results.
With the latest AI autofocus available on newer mirrorless cameras, the autofocus speed and accuracy of newer models has been shown to be better than DSLRs. But mirrorless cameras have shorter battery life than DSLRs due to prolonged use of LCD and/or OLED viewfinder displays. On-sensor autofocus is free of the adjustment requirements of the indirect focusing system of the DSLR (which relies on a separate autofocus sensor located below the reflex mirror), and as of 2025 mirrorless cameras could shoot with AI autofocus at up to 40 frames per second using up to 759 focus points —a number far exceeding what was possible on any DSLR. However, some older mirrorless cameras with on-sensor phase detection autofocus (except for Canon's Dual Pixel Autofocus) repurposes pixel sites for autofocus acquisition, so that image data is partially or entirely missing for the autofocus "pixels", which can cause banding artifacts in the final image.
Hub AI
Mirrorless camera AI simulator
(@Mirrorless camera_simulator)
Mirrorless camera
A mirrorless camera, sometimes referred to as a mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera (MILC), is a digital system camera which does not use a reflex mirror to present an image through a viewfinder. They have come to replace DSLRs, which have historically dominated interchangeable lens cameras. Other terms include electronic viewfinder interchangeable lens (EVIL), compact system camera (CSC), and digital single-lens mirrorless (DSLM).
When compared to similar DSLRs, these cameras can be smaller, lighter, and quieter.
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. Most mirrorless cameras also simulate a traditional viewfinder using a small screen, known as an electronic viewfinder (EVF).
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 shorter battery life because they need to power the screen and sensor at all times.
Mirrorless cameras are mechanically simpler than DSLR cameras, and are smaller, lighter, and quieter due to the elimination of the moving mirror. While nearly all mirrorless cameras have a mechanical shutter, many also have an electronic shutter, allowing completely silent operation.
As the image from the lens is always projected onto the image sensor, features can be available which are only possible in DSLRs when the mirror is locked up into "live view" mode. This includes the ability to show a focus-peaking display, zebra patterning, and face or eye tracking. The electronic viewfinder can provide live previews of depth of field, exposure, white balance and picture style settings, as well as offer a real time view of camera settings even in extremely low or bright light levels, making it easier to view the results.
With the latest AI autofocus available on newer mirrorless cameras, the autofocus speed and accuracy of newer models has been shown to be better than DSLRs. But mirrorless cameras have shorter battery life than DSLRs due to prolonged use of LCD and/or OLED viewfinder displays. On-sensor autofocus is free of the adjustment requirements of the indirect focusing system of the DSLR (which relies on a separate autofocus sensor located below the reflex mirror), and as of 2025 mirrorless cameras could shoot with AI autofocus at up to 40 frames per second using up to 759 focus points —a number far exceeding what was possible on any DSLR. However, some older mirrorless cameras with on-sensor phase detection autofocus (except for Canon's Dual Pixel Autofocus) repurposes pixel sites for autofocus acquisition, so that image data is partially or entirely missing for the autofocus "pixels", which can cause banding artifacts in the final image.