Not too long ago the budding photographer had a simple choice; start with a compact camera and accept that image quality would suffer or go for a DSLR to gain improved image quality but with that knowledge that you would have to carry a heavier kit.
Meanwhile, Panasonic and Olympus had been struggling in the DSLR marketplace with their “Four Thirds” mount DSLR cameras when in late in 2008 they announced a new breed of camera called Micro Four Thirds. A variation on the Four Thirds DSLR cameras with one key difference; no optical viewfinder. This allowed them to remove both the mirror mechanism and the viewfinder, replacing the optical viewfinder with an electronic viewfinder.
The removal of the mirror mechanism meant that camera body can be smaller, while moving the lens closer to the sensor also means that the lenses can be shrunk in size too. While initially the lens selection and performance were limited, technology does nothing but move at a rapid pace and soon users who wanted to take quality photos no longer needed to carry bulky equipment.
This new concept was not lost on other smaller manufacturers... soon Sony, Fuji and Samsung had mirrorless options in their own line-ups but notably the giants of DSLRs, Canon and Nikon, remained absent. Eventually Nikon introduced their “1” system which was cleverly pitched as to not go against their own DSLR offerings and last into the fray were Canon with a very limited selection, which almost felt like a “well if we have to” offering.
As with all things in life, each system has its pros and cons but by far the most fully rounded and complete system is the original Micro Four Thirds range which currently has 44 bodies and 105 native lens options, covering everything from beginner friendly options, tiny cameras for people who want to travel extremely light, video-centric cameras which can shoot high-quality 4K footage to pro-grade bodies and lenses which are dust and weather sealed for use in the harshest conditions.
Now comes to the downsides and there’s still 2 areas where DSLR still rule the roost; firstly continuous auto-focus speed and subject tracking. The years of research that have gone into DSLR auto-focus system still means that anyone wanting to capture fast moving subjects is still better catered for with a DSLR.
Secondly, battery life; because mirrorless cameras require the screen to be running continuously batteries will not last anywhere near as long as with a DSLR, generally around 300-350 is about the maximum you can eke out of one battery.
One thing is certain, it’s an interesting time to be a photographer and looking to the future it would certainly appear that mirrorless is going to offer you more.