This Is The Difference Between Mirrorless Vs SLR Cameras

As you might have guessed it by now, a mirrorless camera is a camera that, unlike SLRs, does not use a mirroring system to view your image or to focus.

So how does it work? Electronically and directly onto your digital sensor. This is why you find mirrorless cameras have EVF (electronic viewfinder) and LCD screens to view your exposure. They have to create the image digitally, as there are no mirrors reflecting what you see.

The lack of a mirroring system allows these types of cameras to be smaller, lighter, and have no need for optical viewfinders. This is a digital process, eliminating the optical one.A mirrorless camera does everything simultaneously: what you are seeing in your electronic viewfinder or digital screen is exactly what your digital sensor is seeing, and when you press your shutter button, it records that same digital image.

As I mentioned, it was a bit slow to jump on the mirrorless train. The choice between mirrorless and SLR was simpler a few years ago. If you wanted to work professionally, you had to get an SLR. If you wanted a high-quality camera with better portability and lighter, then mirrorless was for you.

But in the last few years, more and more photographers, including myself, have switched to mirrorless cameras.

The reason is simple: Mirrorless cameras have evolved exponentially in the last few years, with camera manufactures focusing their technology and evolution on these new systems. Mirrorless used to have a slower focusing system, fewer lens options, lower tolerance to low light/high ISO exposures, and overall didn’t perform well in professional settings. Well, as you might have guessed, this is not the case anymore.

I used my first mirrorless on a trip to Colombia in 2014. I was given a sony A something by one of the Sony reps to give it a try and play. It was interesting to try it, but I found the focusing system too slow, and the whole experience too digital. I couldn’t get used to the electronic viewfinder (and also I just don’t like sony’s).

Later that year I bought my first mirrorless (you can check out all of my camera recommendations here!). I decided to get a Fuji, because I loved the way they felt like an old film camera, and seemed to pass by discretely in public.

At the time I wanted a lighter and smaller camera to travel with, that I could easily send my files to my phone, and edit on the go. I loved my Fuji XE2, but eventually, I stopped using it. I was so used to my full-frame sensor on my SLR, that the quality couldn’t compare. Especially once I started shooting for clients on my trips, I simply couldn’t justify a lower quality camera (not even to mention bringing that to a professional shoot, my clients wouldn’t be impressed with my little mirrorless setup).

Fast forward to 2019, when my shutter gave up on my Nikon D750. I had to upgrade my main workhorse, and I realized that nikon had put all their latest technology in their mirrorless system. Not only their mirrorless had much faster and efficient focusing system than my old mirrorless, they were full frame. Once I got my hands on one and saw all the features, the lens line up, and the quality of video, I was sold.

I kept my SLR as a second body, and to be honest, I only ever use it when I need to do a video and need two angles. My Z6 is MILES away in technology and performance, and the EVF is so good, that I’ve gotten used to it very quickly. To top it off, clients and photographers alike, now know that a mirrorless is equally professional and level of quality as an SLR.