
In late 2008, a new type of camera emerged: the mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera. It is technically a DSLR camera that does not require a reflex mirror, which is an essential component of the former. A mirrorless camera, unlike a standard DSLR, lacks an optical viewfinder. The image sensor is constantly exposed to light, providing the user with a digital preview of the image via the built-in rear LCD screen or an electronic viewfinder.[51]
These are simpler and more compact than DSLRs since they lack a lens reflex mechanism. MILCs, or mirrorless cameras for short, have a variety of sensor sizes depending on the model and manufacturer.
Some mirrorless cameras use a small 1/2.3 inch sensor, like the original Pentax Q (more recent versions have a slightly larger 1/1.7 inch sensor), a 1-inch sensor, a Micro Four Thirds sensor, an APS-C sensor found in Sony NEX series and ฮฑ “DSLR-likes,” Fujifilm X series, Pentax K-01, and Canon EOS M, and some, like the Sony ฮฑ7, use a full frame (35 mm) sensor. The Hasselblad X1D was the first medium format mirrorless camera. Some MILCs include a secondary electronic viewfinder to compensate for the absence of an optical one. In some cameras, the back display serves as the primary viewfinder, similar to how compact cameras function. Mirrorless cameras have one drawback in comparison to A standard DSLR’s battery life is limited by the energy consumption of the electronic viewfinder, however this can be alleviated by a setting inside the camera in some models.[52] Many mirrorless cameras include a hotshoe.
Olympus and Panasonic released various Micro Four Thirds cameras with interchangeable lenses that are entirely compatible with one another without the need for an adapter, while others use proprietary mounts. Kodak released their first camera for the Micro Four Thirds system in 2014.[53]
Mirrorless cameras, as of March 2014, are rapidly gaining popularity among both amateurs and pros due to their simplicity, compatibility with select DSLR lenses, and features that rival most DSLRs today.[54]
Modular cameras
The Sony Alpha ILCE-QX1, an example of a modular, lens-style camera, was introduced in 2014.
However, most digital cameras There are a number of modular cameras that combine the shutter and sensor into the lens module, whereas interchangeable lenses have a lens-mount of some form.
The Minolta Dimรขge V was the first of these modular cameras, released in 1996, followed by the Dimรขge EX 1500 in 1998 and the Minolta MetaFlash 3D 1500 in 1999. Ricoh’s GXR modular camera was released in 2009.
At CES 2013, Sakar International unveiled the Polaroid iM1836, an 18MP camera with a 1″ sensor and interchangeable sensor lens. An adapter for Micro Four Thirds, Nikon, and K-mount lenses was supposed to come with the camera.[55]
There are also several add-on camera modules for smartphones known as lens-style cameras. They have all the The core components of a digital camera are housed inside a DSLR lens-shaped module, hence the name, but lack a viewfinder and the majority of settings found on a standard camera. Instead, they are wirelessly connected and/or affixed to a smartphone, which serves as the display output and handles the camera’s numerous functions.
Lens-style cameras include the following:
Sony Cyber-shot QX series “Smart Lens” or “SmartShot” cameras were announced and released in mid-2013, beginning with the Cyber-shot DSC-QX10. The DSC-QX10 and DSC-QX100 received firmware updates in January 2014.[56] Sony unveiled the Cyber-shot DSC-QX30 and the Alpha ILCE-QX1,[57][58], the former an ultrazoom with a built-in 30x optical zoom lens and the latter having an interchangeable Sony E-mount instead of a built-in lens.
Kodak PixPro The smart lens camera series was announced in 2014. These include the 5X optical zoom SL5, 10X optical zoom SL10, and 25X optical zoom SL25, all of which have 16MP sensors and 1080p video recording, with the exception of the SL5, which only records at 720p.[59]
The ViviCam IU680 smart lens camera from Sakar-owned brand Vivitar was introduced in 2014.[60]
The Olympus Air A01 lens camera, announced in 2014 and released in 2015, is an open platform with an Android operating system that can detach into two parts (sensor module and lens), similar to the Sony QX1, and all compatible Micro Four Thirds lenses can then be attached to the built-in lens mount of the sensor module.[61][62]