#ACX, Photography Life, Autofocus

Why Use Manual Focus? (How to Manually Focus Your Camera)

By Nick Constant   

 

It’s hard to imagine a time before our trusty autofocus (AF) systems when we used manual focus. We now have cameras that boast a whopping total of 850 AF points. And the manual focus ring barely seems to be touched anymore.

Today, I’ll show you how to manually focus and tell you why this function is still available on every lens produced.

What is Manual Focus?

Manual focus is the process of adjusting the depth of field by hand—manually selecting the clarity of the image in the various distances you set your lens. When you turn the manual focusing ring, you adjust elements inside the lens. You change the distance between a selection of lenses, moving one or more lenses either closer or further from the imaging sensor. It is how a telescope or pair of binoculars work.

Most analog film cameras require manual adjustments because they don’t have digital features. It means they only use manual focus lenses. It wasn’t until 1978 that Sony released the first-ever SLR with auto focusing. Every camera that came out before this time (and many film cameras after) would strictly involve manual focus.

How to Use Manual Focus

Manually focusing your image is as easy as turning the focus ring on your lens. But this can be trickier than it seems. I don’t recommend using this function when taking quick shots is a crucial factor in your photography, like wedding photography, when missing important moments can cost you the job.

But if your camera’s AF starts to fail you, there are some ways to work around that by manually focusing. Various kinds of cameras will have different techniques. You can even manually focus on your iPhone! Simply by tapping the element on the screen that you want in focus. But I will mainly focus on DSLRs.

3 Manual Focus Techniques

1. Depth of Field Preview

Pretty much all modern DSLRs feature a depth of field (DoF) button. Pressing this button will give you an idea of your image with your selected aperture. It will show how far your depth of field focus range will span through the viewfinder.

The button is usually found next to your lens mount but can vary from camera to camera. If you have an issue finding it, you can always check the manual for your camera.

The DoF button will show the exact aperture you have set on your camera. The presented image will look a bit darker. So don’t worry about the image turning out like this. If you set a higher numerical aperture like f/22, the aperture is smaller. Therefore, it lets less light into the camera.

The feature is helpful, giving you an idea of how the image will look. It shows how much of your surroundings will be in sharp focus or soft focus.

2. Live View

Modern cameras, especially DSLRs with video capabilities, can have a ‘Live View’ feature. It is beneficial when it comes to manual focusing. Using this feature will bring up a real-time view through your lens on your LCD screen.

It provides a wider screen to view your image. That makes it easier to judge the sharpness of the subject you are focusing on. You can also zoom into this screen. It allows you to take time and care with this process, giving you confidence in the sharpness of the image.

Some cameras will have a focus-magnifier setting. It will automatically zoom in to give you a part of the image for you to focus on. Some new cameras, especially mirrorless ones, have this function applied whenever you move the focus ring.

2. Focus Distance Windows

The oldest way of manually focusing is still readily presented to us, of measuring the distance from your lens to the subject. These distance windows can be helpful when all else fails, giving you a chance to judge or even measure the length. The distance the camera provides should be in both metric and imperial measurements.

Most lenses should have a focus distance window (or even numbers engraved on older lenses). But they are getting less common, especially in mirrorless ranges of cameras. This window is an active lens element that moves according to how much you alter the focus ring.

This method is not the most accurate way of focusing an image. But it can be a lifesaver when emergency occasions arise!

3. Rangefinder

Some cameras use alternate ways of focusing because the viewfinder doesn’t look through the lens. These are found on ‘rangefinder’ cameras and digital rangefinders—for example, many of Fuji’s X Series.

The rangefinder presents a section showing two images of the same scene. To get the desired focus point, you have to overlay the two images to match them up perfectly.

When to Use Manual Focus

Now I’ll look at seven situations that benefit from using manual focusing. These may be due to personal preferences or from the automatic features of your camera not allowing you to be fully in control.

1. Choosing Your Subject of Focus

A pretty obvious one, but regardless, manual focusing allows you to pick the exact subject you want to focus on. It is handy when there are many layers throughout your scene. For instance, if you’re going to shoot through flowers or windows.

Sometimes in these situations, the auto focus system will snap to elements that you don’t want in focus. When this happens, that’s when I recommend hitting the manual focus switch and adjusting it yourself.

It can be helpful when photographing crowded or busy situations.

2. Low Light

If it hasn’t happened to you already, it will do at one point. In a dark environment, you will hold down the auto focus button, and all you will hear is the lens adjusting and readjusting itself. With no sign of that comforting beep, it is time to focus manually.

Cameras have a hard time reading distance in low light, which isn’t surprising. Hopefully, you should be able to make out some forms through your viewfinder. Turn your focus ring manually to make an accurate selection of the subject.

2. Macro Photography

Macro photography fans out there will already know the importance that manual focus brings. Macro photography involves taking images very close to the lens. It requires wide apertures. And wide apertures give hardly any forgiveness when it comes to sharp focus.

You don’t need manual focus for this process. But it is where a majority of the creative aspects come from. Mastering manual focusing is a must for macro photography because it allows for a much greater range of experimentation.

3. Focus Stacking

Focus stacking is a method to ensure that every element is in focus to its fullest. It is often used in landscape photography, mainly by photographers who like the HDR process.

This process is very similar to HDR. You have your camera on a tripod, take many images, and then stitch them together through post-production. Instead of taking the best exposure for each section of the image, you’ll be gathering the sharpest focus. You use manual focus to target each different aspect.

This method is helpful because you will be able to take images on a wide aperture. Using a wide aperture will allow you to drop your ISO down, in turn producing sharper images. It also allows you to take many photos to pick the best ones later when looking on a bigger screen.

4. Low Contrast

If you have been a photographer for a while, you will have identified situations where the autofocus system can fall short. Certain cases are when there isn’t much definition in the subject or no contrast in particular areas.

The autofocus function looks for lines of contrast to find depth to base its measurements. Environments with a lack of different tones can force you to use manual focus. Use the techniques I wrote above to work through this issue.

5. Fast-Moving Objects

Relying on auto focus for fast-moving objects isn’t the best idea. Especially if you only have a small window to get the perfect shot.

Hopefully, you know your subject well or can quickly assess how the subject will act. Preparation will allow you to measure out and take some test images beforehand. By using manual focus, you can get the sharpest image. Adjust the camera in manual focus and then wait for the subject to move by and snap.

6. Panoramas

A panorama is an image where a whole landscape or skyline is presented seamlessly in one picture. Some cameras, as well as iPhones, have this feature embedded in their software already. The manual way of doing this is to take a series of images and stitch them together in the post-photography process.

If you were to take these images with an autofocus system, you would risk the focus adjusting. If this happens, the viewer will notice it in the final result. The image will look disjointed, and the believability of the image being one seamless photograph will be lost entirely. I suggest focusing beforehand and then taking each image accordingly.

Technology has come so far with its constant advancements in autofocusing capabilities. Still, there is no denying the importance of being able to use manual focus with confidence.

The more you photograph, the more this will become clear. I’m not saying you need to be the quickest manual focus photographer to be a confident photographer. But there will be times when you will be glad you studied this article. So turn that switch to manual focus, put your hand on the focusing ring, and get practicing!

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#Photography Tutorial

 

12 Tips for Long Exposure Landscape Photography

By Alessandro Torri

By Dora Jokkel 

Landscape photography can be so much more creative with long exposures. They add that extra wow-factor to your landscape image.

Here are 12 tips to help you take better long exposure photography. 

1. Long Exposure Landscape Photography: Looking for Overcast Weather to Add More Interest to Your Photos

When I scout for a new location, or I search the internet, I always have long exposure photography in mind.

You can do long exposure landscape photography almost anywhere on the globe. You need to know where and when to find an element that moves at an adequate speed.

The two main subjects are water (including waterfalls, seas, streams) and clouds in the sky.

But there may also be other possibilities. For example, a car’s lights moving on a winding mountain or hill road. Or the movement of stars in the sky.

One of the less considered aspects of this kind of photography is the weather.

A sunset or sunrise with a cloudless sky can be beautiful to see live. A unique experience. But it can turn into a boring image because there’s no movement in the sky.

Even worse is leaving home with a beautiful sky overhead and then arriving at the shooting location only to find bad weather.

So get familiar with weather websites! Check out The Weather Channel or AccuWeather. These will show you the movement of clouds and precipitation levels.

Then you can have a better idea of ​​what you will find once in the field.

Two-minute long exposure photography in Porto Venere, Italy. Without an incoming storm, 

I would not have been able to take this long exposure.

2. Track the Sun’s Position To Avoid Overexposed Areas

The position of the sun and the path it will follow are also important when planning long exposures. It is a good rule to exclude the sun from the composition as much as possible.

The first reason is that with long exposures, the sun will no longer be circular. But you will start to see its movement during the exposure.

Plus, it will create an overexposed area which is close impossible to correct in post-production.

To preview the sun path you can use a lot of mobile apps. I use Photopills to plan my shots and you can find it on the Apple Store and Google Play Store.

The sun path as seen in the Augmented Reality section of the mobile app PhotoPills. Amazing feature.

3. Scout the Location Beforehand To Get a Preview of Your Composition

As I said before, long exposure photography looks very different from the reality perceived by our eye. This is why it’s necessary to have a clear idea of what you will find on the field. You can double-check the sites in Google Maps if you can’t do it in-person.

Location scouting also means getting a preview of your composition. You’ll have a better idea of the possible direction of the clouds and sunlight, the power of the sea and tide, or how the light will reach the mountains.

I took this long exposure photography after waiting two hours for the sun to set.

4. Focus a Third of the Way Into the Scene To Avoid Blurry Results

After deciding about your long exposures composition, you should set your focus point. For a landscape shot your lens will be set to an aperture value of f/10 or f/11. You should try not to go over f/16 to not stumble on diffraction problems. It will cause unsharp images.

Don’t use aperture to make a shot last longer. But what if you think that your shutter speed is not slow enough? This is where ND filters help a lot.

You can even try this simple trick to be sure of your focus point. You can try to focus on one of the two lower intersection points of the rule of thirds.

At this point, set the manual focus, so you do not have to change it anymore.

When it comes to long exposure photography composition, focusing is the most important part of your final photo. Better spend a lot of time to be sure of your point of focus than regret it later.

There’s nothing worse than going home and having an exposed photo for 1 or 2 minutes that’s totally out of focus.

The focus point for this image is in the red circle, the left lower point of the rule of thirds grid.

5. Use a Tripod To Adverse Weather Conditions

A sturdy tripod is essential for successful long exposures. It will prevent camera shake and blurry pictures.

If you don’t want to buy a heavy or expensive tripod, you can get away with an average one. In that case, weigh the tripod down with your backpack if the weather conditions are not in your favour.

6. Lower Your ISO to Avoid Digital Noise

Now that you decided the composition and you set the focus point, it’s time to move on to the technical aspects of photography.

We start from the ISO. You are taking landscape pictures with a tripod and the camera fixed on it. So set the ISO as low as your camera allows.

Forget the so-called “extended” downwards and upwards values. These are only an electronic change to the sensor’s native sensitivity values.

7. Learn to Read The Histogram for Better Exposure

Once you’ve set your focus point and ISO, it’s time to move on to exposure.

Start making some test shots, see the exposure you like best. Keep in mind the mood you want to give to the image.

The idea is to have a good and balanced histogram. Make sure it’s not too shifted to the highlights and not too far to the left, where there are blacks.

At this stage, do not check the exposure only with the image on the camera screen. Learn to read your histogram.

There is no perfect histogram or one that is always correct. But there are clear signs for the wrong one. If it is too much shifted to the left (blacks) or too far to the right (the highlights).

8. Use an ND Filter to Enhance Your Long-Exposure Photography

It is now time to add your ND filter. Be careful though. If you use a very dark filter (for example a 10 stop), you will not see anything through the viewfinder or the live view.

That’s why it’s important that you set the focus and exposure before using an ND filter.

At this point, recalculate the correct exposure for the ND filter you added to match the one without it.

For example, if a correctly exposed photo without a filter was f/8, 1/50 and ISO 100, and then you added a 6 stop filter, you need to remove 6 stops of light from that exposure. The new photo could be shot at f/11, 0.6 seconds, ISO 100.

You can do this work with smartphone apps, or with a table that you can find on the website of your ND filter manufacturer.

A classic setup with CPL, a 3 stop Medium GND filter and a 6 stop ND filter.

9. Experiment With Bulb Mode for Exciting Results

Take a test shot and check the histogram for the last time.

If you have calculated the new exposure time in the right way, you are ready to switch to Bulb mode (if necessary). And then shoot your final image.

A 2-minute exposure for this Manarola sunset

10. Act Fast Before the Scene Changes

Be aware that the perfect conditions to take the shot could last only a few moments. The sunrise pastel colors, the fire sunset on the tops of the mountains, the wind that speeds up clouds. They can be gone in a second.

If your exposure time is one or two minutes, you only have one shot available to set them in your photo.

You must also be able to change all the settings in seconds if the weather conditions change. And be able to change the intensity of filters to accommodate for new light conditions.

11. Set Aside Enough Time To Make Sure You Get Your Shot

Landscape photography is a continuous game to test your patience.

You have to find the chosen location and arrive there with plenty of time to spare. Then you have to find the right composition. And then you have to wait for the ideal conditions.

It might happen that that one chance to shot won’t materialise. Then you have to go home empty-handed, waiting and planning the next trip.

It took almost an hour for the cloud to pass quickly enough to give some movement to the image.

12. Use Post-Processing to Stack Your Images

Now that you know how to make a long exposure landscape photograph, you can learn how to create it without filters.

Yes, you can simulate a long exposure without using ND filters. But you’re still going to need a tripod.

Then all you need is a scene with an element that moves fast enough. For example, the clouds in the sky.

Put the camera on the tripod and follow the same “rules” for the composition of your image.

When you are ready to shoot you can create a series of shots which show the movement of your element. You will need at least 20-30 images.

And now, go to Lightroom. Once you have imported the images into the catalog, work your edits on one shot. Then synchronise all the edits of this shot with the others of the series.

Once done, select all the images in the series, right-click, and open in Photoshop as layers. This process will take some time, so relax a little and let your computer work.

Once finished you will have a Photoshop document with all the images in a stack of layers. Next step is to select all the levels and then right-click “Create smart object”.

This is a single layer object that contains the information of all the previous layers. Once finished go to Image -> Smart Object -> Stack Mode -> Mean.

And watch the magic and your long exposure combine together.

The Matterhorn, 60 single frames combined for a 3-minute long exposure

As Ansel Adams said: “Landscape photography is the supreme test of the photographer, and often the supreme disappointment.”

For me, the best thing is to be out there in nature, thinking about creating something that will always remind me of that moment.

Get out there with the above photography tips you’ve read, have fun, experiment, make mistakes and try again.

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#Photography Tutorial

 

How to Avoid Camera Shake for Sharper Photos (Photography Tips)

By Andrea Minoia 

 

 Camera shake is one of the major curses of handheld photography. It’s one of the most common reasons why you will have to throw away a photo.
Camera shake occurs when your shutter speed is slow enough that it will not freeze your natural body shaking (breathing, muscular tension, etc.).
This article will look at the many ways you can bypass this when shooting handheld in low light.
But first, let’s talk about intentional camera shake.

Camera Shake and ICM

You might think you should never allow camera movement for a successful photo. That’s not true.
Intentional camera movement, such as panning, is a useful technique. Car race photographers often use this to convey a feeling of speed.
The photographer follows the subject’s movement against the background. This leaves the subject sharp against a blurry background.

Panning at the 82th Italian GP in Monza (Photo credit: Alessandro Torri Canon EOS 350D 

with Canon 70-300 f/4-5.6 IS USM).

You can achieve other creative results by moving the camera during a long exposure.

Image Credit: Marc Wavreil.

Camera Settings to Avoid Camera Shake

But what if you find yourself photographing handheld in low light conditions with a low shutter speed? And you don’t want creative motion blur in your photos?
Here are the settings that will help you.
You’re likely to shoot handheld in low light are concerts and stage photography.

Turn On Image Stabilization

Many cameras offer some sort of image stabilization. You can find this on the lens (IS system on Canon lenses, for instance).
Or in the camera sensor, such as the Olympus PEN and OM-D camera bodies.

Image stabilization is often turned on/off on the lens or in the settings menu.

The job of the image stabilization is to sense camera movement and try to null them in real time. This allows you to shoot handheld at a shutter speed of 1/10 or lower.
The performance of the image stabilization is often expressed in the number of stops.
When handheld, if we consider 1/60th a safe shutter speed for camera shake free images, a 3-stops image stabilization will allow you to produce sharp images all the way down to 1/8s.
Image stabilization can freeze the photographer shaking. But it’s ineffective on your subject’s movement.
Your camera may allow camera shake free images down to 1/8, thanks to image stabilization. But at that shutter speed you will not be able to freeze your subject’s movement.
You’ll still have a blurry image.

The effect of image stabilization On (left) and OFF (right). Sony RX10 focal length 200mm, 

aperture f/2.8. shutter speed 1/10th second.

Some lenses will feature mode 1 and 2 stabilization.
Mode 1 will correct all movements, while mode 2 will correct for the up/down movement only. Mode 2 is typical in panning photography.

Go Wide Open

One obvious way to increase your shutter speed to avoid camera shaking is to use fast lenses. These are lenses with wide apertures of f/2.8 or less.
These are also expensive lenses. But if you regularly work in low light conditions, it is worth investing in a good set of fast lenses.
Say the widest aperture for your lens is f/5.6 and the resulting shutter speed is 1/10s. An f/2.8 (2-stops brighter) lens will, in the same light conditions, allow you to use a shutter speed of 1/40s.

Raise Your ISO

There is a lot of misconception around about ISO. ISO, in digital cameras, does not affect your sensor’s sensitivity to light.. It electronically amplifies the signal recorded by the sensor.
This has many effects, one of which is ISO noise. In general, the higher the ISO, the brighter the image, but more noisy.
I prefer noisy images over blurry ones. I would suggest to raising your ISO until you can get a reasonably fast shutter speed.
Keep in mind that it is usually worse to brighten up an underexposed image in post. Just use a higher ISO to get the correct exposure.
Post-processing will introduce more noise, especially in the shadows.

Stay Wide, Don’t Zoom In

While the focal length does not affect the camera shaking, it affects how much of it you will see in your image.
Short focal lengths are, usually, more forgiving than longer ones when it comes to motion blur. The amount of blur is “diluted” in the wide field of view.
By zooming in, you are reducing the field of view, thus making everything big: the details and the motion blur.

100% crop from two images taken at 24 mm and 200 mm focal length. Sony RX10 with 

image stabilization OFF, aperture f/2.8 and shutter speed 1/10th second.

The shutter speed should be the inverse of the focal length used. That way you’ll get sharp images handheld and without image stabilization. At least in theory.
If you are at 200mm, your ideal shutter speed be should  1/200s.
In reality, how slow your shutter speed can be will depend on how much you shake. And how well you are holding the camera (more on this later).

Single Shot Vs Burst Mode

In the film era the number of exposures we could take was quite limited (max 36 exposures per roll of film). In the digital world we can take hundreds of photos.
We can adopt the so-called, and usually bad, “spray and pray” method in an attempt to get sharper images.
Pressing the shutter for a single photo at a time can introduce or amplify camera shaking. When using the burst mode, you press the shutter only to start and to stop taking photos.
Try taking three/four images in rapid sequence. This will usually allow you to capture one image that is noticeably sharper than the others.
In the test sequence below, the second image is the sharpest.

A burst of three photos. Sony RX10 handheld, image stabilization ON, 200mm, f/2.8, 1/10s.

I did this test with the Sony RX10 handheld. Image stabilization was on, focal length of 200 mm, aperture f/2.8 and shutter speed 1/10s.
This is below the 1/200s speed suggested by the empirical rule I mentioned earlier.

How to Hold the Camera to Avoid Camera Shake

When it comes to camera shake, technology can help. But the way you operate and hold your camera is crucial to get steady shots.

Camera Size And Weight

Light and small cameras are good for portability, but not great for avoiding camera shake.
Small camera bodies, such as in pocketable compact cameras, make it difficult to get a good grasp on them.
And light cameras will not have enough inertia to hold them as steady as possible.

General Good Posture

A good posture for steady shots is a relaxed one. Don’t assume postures that stress your muscles or keep them in tension. This will increase body shake.
If you cannot lean on something, to best stabilize your posture, spread your legs. Do this either laterally or one leg in front and the other behind your torso.
This will allow you to form a triangle with your feet and pelvis, which will stabilize your body.

Keep the elbows one against the other and pushed into your torso. You will form another triangle that will help stabilizing the camera.
Another trick is to be as light as possible when firing the shutter. Ideally, it is said that you should almost be surprised to hear the sound of the shutter.
Also, mind your breathing. Don’t hold your breath but begin to exhale and fire the shutter when you have finished exhaling.

The Role of the Viewfinder In Camera Stabilization

Compact cameras and camera phones don’t have a viewfinder, so you have to look into the camera screen. This makes it natural to move the camera far from the body, at arm’s length.
A viewfinder makes you put your camera against your forehead. This means your arms against your torso and close to each other. This forms two closed triangles that stabilize your posture and the camera.

On the left, the typical bad way to hold a compact camera or a camera phone. 

With a viewfinder (right), the posture improves and the camera is steady.

The Bad Habits

Particularly with cameras that do not have a viewfinder. You may have acquired some very bad habits when holding your camera.
Think of the human body as a series of sticks and joints, as in the scheme below.
Bad habits are all those postures where the sticks and joints used to hold the camera are kind of floating in the air. And only muscular tension keeps them in position.
This tension increases body shaking. And you cannot hold your camera steady enough to shoot in low light.

The arms are floating in the air and the red arrows indicated unsupported joints and 

resulting camera shake.

Good Postures for Camera Phones and Compact Cameras

As we said, the use of a viewfinder does help you to hold your camera steady, but what if you do not have one?
The principle of a good posture does not change. Tuck your arms into your body and keep your camera close to your torso.
If you can, sit on the ground or kneel and place your elbows on a knee, in a very stable position. You can also lay down on the ground and put one hand under the camera.
If you want more distance from the ground, make a fist with the hand you have under the camera.
Finally, leaning on walls and lamp posts will help to stabilize your posture.
A monopod can also be useful to keep your camera stable. Make it lean toward your body, rather than pushing it away from the body.
The image below summarises all these postures.

Good postures to hold a compact camera or camera phone steady.

These postures, while good to hold the camera steady, can make it difficult to see your camera screen. Do not hesitate to use the articulating screen, if you have one.

Good Postures for DSLRs and Cameras With a Viewfinder

This chart summarises the best postures for when you can use a viewfinder.
The camera will be further stabilised by touching your forehead.

Good postures for when using a camera with viewfinder.

The String Tripod

A trick to help you stabilize more is to use a string tripod.
Tension a string attached to the camera tripod socket to one side and to your belt (or under you feet) on the other side.
Tensioning the string will engage your muscles and reduce shaking.

Possible string tripods (red lines).

I prefer to attach bungee cords to my belt. Tensioning the elastic cords gives me more control. Some commercial solutions are also available.

Other Postures

What if you are left eye dominant? Use the hold photographer Joe McNally has made famous and illustrated in his blog.

In this article we saw how to adopt good postures for steady shots without camera shake.
This includes camera phones, compact cameras and cameras with viewfinders, such as all DSLRs and some mirrorless cameras.
Next time you are shooting handheld in low light conditions, remember to use these postures. And pay attention to the way your hands wrap around the camera to support it. 

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#Mirrorless

 

What is a Mirrorless Camera? (6 Things You Should Know)

By Andrea Minoia 

 

What is a Mirrorless Camera?

So what is a mirrorless camera? As the name suggests, mirrorless cameras have no mirror. This is unlike digital single reflex cameras, better known as DSLRs.

The mirror has been used since the 1950s. So why change it? There are at least three good reasons to remove the mirror:

1. No longer a delicate and complicated mechanism
2. Reduces camera shake
3. It makes for a more compact and light camera body

An electronic viewfinder (EVF) replaces the mirror system. This is a small, high-resolution LCD screen.

The image below shows an old Olympus OM-1 35 mm film camera and a modern Olympus OM-D EM-5 Mark II.

A mirror in the Olympus OM-1 SLR camera (left). No mirror in the modern Olympus 

OM-D EM-5 Mark II mirrorless camera, and the sensor is visible (right).

6 Things You Should Know About Mirrorless Cameras

A small disclaimer… I am a long-time mirrorless camera photographer and enthusiast. But if you are going down the mirrorless camera road, you should know that it’s not all roses.

6. Mirrorless Cameras Are Smaller and Lighter Than a DSLR: The Size Myth

The mirror (with all the other related parts) is not there anymore. This makes the camera body smaller and lighter than DSLR bodies. This is particularly good for pro-graded gear.

• The Myth: A mirrorless camera is a perfect camera to bring everywhere. They are small and light. If you value portability, you should buy one of these cameras over classic DSLR ones.
• The Truth: This is historically accurate. The first mirrorless cameras were Panasonic and Olympus cameras. They had no electronic viewfinder (or it was optional). They also sported a Micro Four Thirds (MFT) sensor. This is half the size of full frame sensors.

But what about today’s mirrorless cameras?

One of the first Olympus mirrorless cameras. The Olympus EPL-2 with MFT sensor and 

no EVF.

A Comparison of Old and New Olympus Mirrorless Cameras

Olympus is still working with the MFT format. What about competitors like Fujifilm, Sony, Pentax, Nikon, and Canon? They’re using APS-C and full frame sensors instead.

But the size of a full frame sensor should not change the size of the camera body significantly. Right? True, but these cameras are ILC cameras. This stands for “interchangeable-lens cameras.”

The size of a lens determines the amount of sensor that is illuminated. This means it affects the size of the image the lens projects on the sensor.

Very compact and lightweight interchangeable lenses can illuminate MFT sensors. But for full frame sensors? They need lenses as big as those used by DSLR full frame cameras.

The Olympus EPL-2 with the 14-42 mm lens (28-84 mm equivalent focal length on full frame, 

or EFL) is a classic kit lens. The SD card is there to show the scale of size.

And there’s another drawback. The camera body is nice and small. But this means that the camera-lens system is unbalanced on the lens side.
This is tiring and annoying when photographing handheld with big lenses.

If you need an adapter, things get even worst. The heavy lens is pushed further in front of the camera body. This will make an already unbalanced system worse.

A top-view comparison of a 28 mm wide-angle lens on the OM-D EM-5 Mark II with the 

necessary adaptor (left) and on the old OM-1 (right). The lens sticks further out with the 

adaptor, moving the weight far from the camera body.

This also reduces the portability of a full frame mirrorless system. What you gain is only on the size and weight of the camera body.

But to make things more ergonomic, the bodies are often not made as small as they could be. Dedicated accessories even exist to make the body larger and easier to hold.

Below is a comparison between the Olympus OM-D EM-5 Mark II and the EPL-2. You can see them with and without the accessory power grip for the OM-D.

Comparison between the EPL-2 (small) and the OM-D EM-5 Mark II (large) with and 

without a power grip.

Removable battery grips are an interesting solution. It lets the camera stay small when paired with small, lightweight lenses. And ergonomics are improved when using heavy and long lenses.

As you see, the argument about size and weight is not particularly good. That’s especially true if you care about portability.

If this is your case, try a high-end bridge camera like the Sony Cyber-shot RX10 IV from the Sony RX10 family. Add a fast superzoom lens if needed. It can be a better solution.

The OM-D EM-5 Mark II with a power grip vs the Sony RX10 bridge camera.

5. Mirrorless Cameras Are WYSIWYG Cameras

Mirrorless cameras have a much stronger advantage over DSLRs. They are“what you see is what you get” cameras. And this will make you improve faster as a photographer.

How? They always use the electronic viewfinder (or Live View) to show you what the mirrorless digital camera sees. Plus, you see the effects of changing camera settings (shutter speed, aperture, ISO). And you see these in real-time.

The video below shows the effects of changing the shutter speed in real-time.

The settings are applied in real-time to the scene and displayed on the LCD or EVF.

This will help you understand the exposure triangle, aperture, shutter speed, etc. It will also make it easier to work in manual mode, particularly for photography beginners.

Another benefit? It will help you to manual focus in the dark. This is especially true if you are trying astrophotography, nighttime, or interior photography.

Overexpose the image to brighten the scene enough that it will be easy to focus. Then return to the proper settings for taking the photo.

4. Mirrorless Cameras Don’t Suffer From Light Leakage During Long Exposures In Daylight

If you have an optical viewfinder, light can enter your camera from it. In the photo below, the image you see on the mirror comes from what the viewfinder sees.

Light from the optical viewfinder of my OM-1 forms this image on the mirror.

Light leakage from the viewfinder is not usually a problem. But if you’re doing long exposures, you should cover it. Your eye will not block it. Light can creep into the body, ruining your image.

If you look at the strap that came with your camera, you will find a small black piece of soft rubber. That is what your camera maker wants you to use to close the viewfinder during long exposures.

The strap cover for the optical viewfinder of a Canon DSLR.

Since mirrorless cameras have no optical viewfinder, you don’t have to do this. And you can’t do anything even under harsh midday sun (and I do infrared photography with a mirrorless…).

3. Battery Life is Poor With a Mirrorless Camera: The False Power Problem

Mirrorless cameras drain their batteries faster than DSLRs. Even if the rear LCD is OFF, it uses energy to power the electronic viewfinder.

On average, the battery life for entry-level mirrorless cameras is about 300 shots. The high-end Sony a7 III camera reaches an astonishing 700 shots.

Entry-level DSLRs also allow you to take around 400 shots with a charged battery. You can take up to 1000 shots with the pro models like the Canon 80D.

People seem to make a big deal out of that. To me, this is a false problem.

How many of us shoot more than 300 images without the possibility of replacing the battery with a spare one? Do we need to shoot 900 photos with a single battery?

Also, as I said, power grips are available for many high-end mirrorless cameras. These allow you to use two batteries at the same time.

I do astrophotography with my Olympus OM-D EM-5 Mark II. I am out there at night, in the cold or humid weather.

Even when taking 200-plus images of the starry sky, I never run out of battery. Even without using the power grip.

2. Mirrorless Cameras Have Fewer Accessories Than DSLRs

That may be true, at least for MFT mirrorless cameras. Third-party lenses are scarcer than in the DSLR world. There are only some from Sigma (three lenses), Tamron (one lens), and Samyang/Rokinon (less than three lenses).

Lens adaptors are usually available to adapt lenses with a different lens mount. You can pair mirrorless cameras from Canon and Nikon with existing DSLR lenses.

There may also be fewer flash and remote shutter products than those available for DSLRs. Once again, though, this is something of a false problem.

Makers of camera accessories follow the market. And the mirrorless market is growing by the minute. They have started building dedicated accessories and lenses.

1. “Pros Don’t Use Mirrorless Cameras”: The Quality Myth

What’s the most common argument against mirrorless cameras? “Professional photographers are only using DSLRs.”

That’s not true. Many world-renowned photographers have switched to mirrorless.

One of the first to do so was travel photographer Trey Ratcliff. Other notable photographers include Andy Mumford and Phil Norton.

Image quality is about the lens and sensor (and electronics) combination. The mirror has no role in that. If you want to give the mirror a role, it’s the bad guy slapping around and blurring your long exposures.

There are many pro-graded lenses for mirrorless cameras. So image quality is not an issue.

There are two very practical reasons why most pros are still using DSLR cameras:

1. They have spent a little fortune on photography equipment. So switching is expensive.
2. People tend to associate small cameras with amateurs. And big, bulky DSLRs with large lenses are equated with professionals. The thinking is that if you are a wedding photographer with a small Olympus PEN-F, you will not attract many customers. And those you will get will give you weird looks.

We hope we’ve answered the question, “What is a mirrorless camera?’

If you are in the market for a new camera and you are interested in going mirrorless, here is what you should know:

1. Mirrorless cameras are not always the small and light package people say. The most compact ones are MFT mirrorless cameras. Their smaller sensor can be illuminated with small, compact lenses.
2. A mirrorless camera can make you become a better photographer. You will be able to see the effect of your settings in real-time.
3. Yes, a mirrorless camera has shorter battery life than a DSLR. But do you really need continuous shooting of more than 300 photos without changing the battery?
4. There is a larger number of camera accessories and third-party lenses for DSLRs than for mirrorless cameras. But the situation is changing as mirrorless camera bodies gain more and more market share;
5. Image quality is on par with that of DSLR cameras. Many pro photographers (particularly those in travel photography and landscape photography) have completely switched to mirrorless camera systems.

For more great information, check out our great guide to the different types of digital cameras.  Or,  Click Here