see also:
Mirror-less interchangeable lens digital cameras are the new force in digital photography providing novel designs, more silent and compact camera kits designed for live view and video while providing dSLR level still image quality.
The future is mirrorless design cameras and this is where most of the R&D will go into over the next 10 years and during this time we will see a major decline in dSLR sales, although dSLRs will probably still remain for many years given the extensive amount of product already in the marketplace.
In 2018, a major change occurred when Canon and Nikon as well as Panasonic decided to join the full frame mirrorless camera marketplace with new systems which will be compatible with the old dSLR flashes and lenses (Canon and Nikon - Panasonic has never had a FF dSLR), although new natively designed lenses would be expected to perform better in terms of size, image quality and AF performance.
A feature of these mirrorless cameras is that they have been designed with much shorter sensor to lens mount distances thanks to the absence of the mirror, and this means:
The mirrorless camera systems can be divided up based upon the sensor sizes each with their own set of benefits and compromises - from smallest to largest as follows:
lens in 35mm terms | Micro Four Thirds | Sony NEX | Sony FE full frame |
---|---|---|---|
fisheye | Oly 8mm f/1.8 | no, converter or 3rd party MF | no, only 3rd party |
14-28mm | 7-14mm f/2.8 pro; 8-18mm; | 10-18mm f/4 = 15-27mm | 12-24mm f/4; 16-35mm f/2.8 and f/4 |
18mm | no | no | 18mm f/2.8 |
24mm | 12mm f/1.4 premium | 16mm f/2.8 pancake | 24mm f/1.4 perhaps the best 24mm ever made |
28mm | 14mm f/2.5 pancake; 15mm f/1.7 | Sigma 19mm f/2.8, Sony 20mm f/2.8 pancake ($350) | 28mm f/2 |
35mm | 17mm f/2.8 pancake ($259), 17mm f/1.8 ($599), 17mm f/1.2 pro | 24mm f/1.8 $1000 | 35mm f/1.4 or f/2.8 |
40mm | 20mm f/1.7 pancake; Sigma 19mm f/2.8 | no | 40mm f/2 |
50mm | 25mm f/1.2 pro; 25mm f/1.4 or f/1.8 | Sigma 30mm f/2.8 (45mm) or Sony 35mm f/1.8 (late 2012) | 50mm f/1.4 ($US1800) or f/1.8 |
90mm portrait | 45mm f/1.8 = 90mm; 42.5mm and 45mm f/1.2 pro | 50mm f/1.8 OIS = 75mm | 85mm f/1.4 or f/1.8; 100mm STF |
macro | 45mm f/2.8 = 90mm OIS, 60mm f/2.8 = 120mm | 30mm f/3.5 = 45mm | 50mm and 90mm f/2.8 macro |
135-150mm wide aperture | 75mm f/1.8 | no | 135mm f/1.4 or f/2.8 |
24-70mm wide aperture | 12-40mm f/2.8 pro | no | 24-70 f/2.8 or f/4 |
24-100mm weatherproofed | Oly 12-50mm macro | no | 24-105mm f/4; 28-135mm f/4 $US2700; 18-110mm $US4600 |
24-200mm weatherproofed | Oly 12-100mm f/4 pro | no | 24-240mm f/3.5-6.5 |
28-80mm collapsible zoom | Pan 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS premium = 28-84mm only 27mm long | 16-50mm OSS 30mm long collapsed | no |
28-80mm zoom | several | 18-55mm = 27-83mm 194g 60mm long | 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 kit |
70-200mm wide aperture | Pan 35-100mm f/2.8 HD X (2012) | no | 70-200mm f/2.8 or f/4 |
100-400mm zoom | Pan 50-200mm OIS f/2.8-4 Pan 45-175mm f/4-5.6 OIS 210g 90mm long | 55-210mm f/4.5-6.3 OIS = 83-315mm 345g 108mm long | 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 1.4kg 205mm long unextended $US2500 |
10x zoom | Pan 14-140mm OIS Oly 14-150mm = 28-300mm | 18-200mm = 27-300mm, 524g 99mm long (Power Zoom $1200) | 24-240mm f/3.5-6.5 |
200-600mm | Pan 100-300mm OIS Oly. 75-300mm | no | no |
200-800mm | Pan 100-400mm OIS | no | no |
300mm | Olympus 40-150mm f/2.8 pro | no | no |
400mm | Pan 200mm f/2.8 pro | no | 400mm f/2.8 $US12000 |
600mm | Olympus 300mm f/4 pro | no | no |
Perhaps the best reason to buy Micro Four Thirds over the competition are the following compact Micro Four Thirds lenses combined with 5EV IS of the OM-D, which are all under $1000 each (some under $400):