Making a choice between a DSLR or a mirrorless can be intimidating.
With a broader range of mirrorless cameras available than ever, is it time to move to mirrorless? We compare the differences between DSLR and mirrorless to help you decide.
With the EOS R System including both APS-C and full-frame options. There’s now a wide choice of mirrorless cameras offering new advantages to professionals and amateurs alike. Whether you want to upgrade from an older camera or step up from a compact camera. Let us explore which is better, a mirrorless camera or a traditional DSLR?
Here, to help you make a choice, we look at the differences between DSLRs and mirrorless cameras.
The term DSLR means a digital single lens reflex camera. The reflex part refers to the mirror that reflects light up into the viewfinder assembly. The mirror has to move out of the way for light to reach the sensor behind. This requires a relatively bulky mechanism, which adds to the size and weight of the camera. This introduces optical engineering complications.
In a mirrorless camera such as the Canon EOS R7, there is no mirror mechanism. But a direct line of sight through the lens to the sensor. What you see in the electronic viewfinder (EVF) is a projection of the sensor image. Which means that, unlike the optical viewfinder in a DSLR. It can preview the effect of your shooting settings. The EVF on mirrorless cameras gives you the ability to see the exposure of the image before you’ve even taken it.
DSLR vs mirrorless: body size and weight
One of the key things about DSLRs is that they have a mirror to direct light through to the viewfinder. But this has to have room to flip out of the way to expose the sensor. Eliminating this helps reduce the size and weight of the camera. Particularly when you compare the EOS R7 and EOS R10 to similar DSLR models such as the Canon EOS 7D Mark II or the EOS 90D.
Lifestyle content creator Diana Millos used the EOS R10 to photograph the culture and architecture of Andalusia. The EOS R10 almost looks like a toy when you come from a camera that’s much heavier, as the EOS 80D. It’s small and lightweight, yet it’s still just as powerful.
Lens mounts: is mirrorless better than DSLR?
The EF mount used in Canon’s DSLR cameras was introduced in 1987, so it’s a very well-established system. There are hundreds of compatible lenses available, with an EF lens to cover just about every focal length. A range of more compact and often more affordable EF-S lenses for EOS DSLRs with APS-C sensors.
However, the RF mount used on EOS R System cameras introduced many innovations. The RF mount has been designed with an eye to the future. Such as improving communication speed between camera and lens and adding extra contacts to support more functions. These include much faster autofocus performance, real-time Digital Lens Optimisation, and enhanced controls such as the customisable control ring on RF lenses.
Instead of having to constantly work around a DSLR’s reflex mirror between the mount and the sensor. Lens designers can bring RF lenses closer to the sensor itself, enhancing optical performance. This has resulted in faster, brighter lenses with exceptional quality, as well as groundbreaking lenses such as the RF 5.2mm F2.8L DUAL FISHEYE lens, which captures 180° VR images on compatible full-frame cameras.
Lenses and compatibility: can you use DSLR lenses on a mirrorless camera?
If you already have EF or EF-S lenses, it’s easy to use them with mirrorless EOS R System cameras, with no loss of quality or functionality, thanks to a choice of EF-EOS R mount adapters. This also gives you scope to mix and match specific lenses from both formats. Particularly if you have a favourite or specialist lens not yet available in an RF mount version) and get the best of both worlds. There’s even a mount adapter with a lens control ring. One with drop-in ND or polarising filters, adding more versatility to your EF lenses than you get with the same lenses on a DSLR.
It’s important to note, however, that it’s not possible to use RF lenses with a DSLR camera. So if a particular RF lens appeals to you, then you’ll need to choose an EOS R System mirrorless camera.
Optical vs electronic viewfinders: which is better?
DSLRs have optical viewfinders, which some photographers prefer using because they give you a direct connection with the scene. In the past, the electronic viewfinders (EVFs) used on mirrorless cameras have suffered from shortcomings such as lag. But they are getting better and better – the latest EOS R System cameras have EVFs with high refresh rates of up to 120fps. Meaning virtually no perceptible lag – and they have their advantages too.
In particular, if you’re using an EOS R System camera, Exposure Simulation makes it possible to preview the image with your exposure, Picture Style and other settings applied, both in the viewfinder and on the rear LCD screen. On a DSLR, Exposure Simulation works when you use the rear screen in Live View mode, but not in the viewfinder. With an EVF, you can also compose your shot and focus in low-light conditions too dark to see with the naked eye through an optical viewfinder. When you’re shooting video, the EVF in EOS R System cameras offers the same manual focus assist display as Canon’s professional Cinema EOS cameras.
Wildlife photographer Dani Connor, who used the EOS R7 on a trip in search of the endangered Iberian lynx, found that working with an electronic viewfinder completely transformed her photography.
With a DSLR viewfinder, it’s often easier to take a test shot and check the image on the rear screen before deciding what settings to change. But with a mirrorless camera, it’s so useful to see the effect that a change in settings has without having to take my eye from the viewfinder.
If I need to react quickly when photographing wildlife, or maybe the light is constantly changing, I can quickly adjust my ISO or my shutter speed and I can see what my photo will look like.
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