Chances are you probably just made the decision to look into buying your camera. First things first, welcome to the world of photography! Now you are faced with a variety of different options: Compact, Mirrorless, and, of course, DSLR, being some of the most popular options. But what is a DSLR camera, really?
In this post, we are going to be exploring:
- The basics/definition of what a DSLR is
- How it differs from other cameras
- How it works
- Some of its most basic parts
- Advantages and disadvantages compared to other camera types
And whether it’s the right choice for you.
What is a DSLR Camera?
The very term, DSLR, which actually stands for “Digital Single-Lens Reflex”, is what often comes to mind when we think of a “professional camera”. But in reality, there are many types of cameras.
A DSLR is just one type of digital camera type out of many. And they are not even necessarily for professionals.
Some very popular DSLRs, such as the Canon 2000D and the Nikon D3500, are actually targeted more towards beginner photographers who need affordable options, without compromising on quality.
DSLR VS SLR
The “D” in “DSLR” stands for Digital. So, basically, a DSLR captures and stores the image digitally while an SLR does it the analog way by using film.
While DSLRs are more technologically advanced than SLRs, some people still prefer film over digital for its unique colors, and some even try to replicate that look with digital cameras.
Single-Lens Reflex VS Twin-Lens Reflex
SLR stands for “single-lens reflex” and refers to the fact you view and take the shot from the same lens. Older cameras used to rely on a twin-lens reflex approach, which means you had one lens for taking the shot and another one that you used as a viewfinder.
More about the viewfinder part later. It’s an important piece of the puzzle.
Sensors: Full Frame VS Crop Sensor
All DSLR and mirrorless cameras need a sensor that’s necessary to capture images, and there are plenty of sensor sizes to choose from. But typically, what you’ll find is either full frame or crop sensor cameras, also known as “APS-C”.
A larger sensor means you are dealing with bigger pixels. This means that if you are comparing two identical cameras with only the sensor size as a differentiator, the camera with the larger sensor will come with:
- A wider field of view
- Better low light performance
- Better dynamic range
But despite appearances, as with other things in life, bigger isn’t always better.
Full frame cameras are significantly pricier, bigger, heavier, and their wider field of view can be a disadvantage for scenarios like wildlife shooting.
Last, but not least, it’s worth noting that full frame also restricts your lens options a bit. Crop sensor cameras can take both full frame and APS-C lenses, while the opposite is not true for full frame cameras.
Lenses
Unlike compact cameras, DSLRs allow you to interchange lenses at will.
Things to look out for when checking lenses:
- Mount: The lens needs to be compatible with your camera body
- MM: How much zoomed in our out the view will be
- Prime VS Zoom: Zoom lenses allow you to adjust the focal length while primes are fixed
- Aperture: The opening of the lens. Indicates low light performance and bokeh
- Autofocus motor
- Stabilization
It’s worth noting that prime lenses will often offer better image quality than their zoom counterparts because they don’t have to complexity of moving pieces of glass.
Also, a lower f/ number actually indicates a higher aperture. This means that f/1.8 is actually higher than f/2.8, which may be a bit counter intuitive, but you quickly get used to it.
DSLR VS Mirrorless
If you are looking into buying your first camera, chances are you’ve also stumbled across mirrorless cameras.
As the name suggests, the main difference is:
- DSLRs use a mirror to reflect light from the lens to you
- Mirrorless cameras don’t have that mirror and they come with an electronic shutter instead of a mechanical one (Though some mirrorless options have both)
Also, a DSLR camera uses a different autofocus technology for the viewfinder and the display/live view. While mirrorless cameras utilize exclusively readings from the sensor.
Furthermore, because mirrorless cameras are newer, they also come equipped with superior technology. More precisely, you get more shots per second, faster autofocus, more features, less digital noise, etc.
That’s not to say mirrorless cameras are perfect. Both DSLRs and mirrorless cameras have their own pros and cons, depending on what you are looking for.
But before we get there, to truly understand the difference, we’ll first have to understand how a DSLR works.
How a DSLR Works
We all get the basic concept of how a DSLR works.
- You look at the view through the live view display or the viewfinder
- Press the shutter button halfway down to focus
- Press all the way down to take the shot
And congrats, you just got a picture and the gist of how to operate a DSLR.
But if you want to truly understand what is a DSLR camera and whether it’s the right pick for you, we’ll have to dig a bit deeper on how it works step by step.
1. Obtaining the View: Viewfinder and/or Live View
First things first, you’ll have to know what you are going to shoot before you shoot it. You can do that either via the viewfinder or through the camera’s display, also referred to as “live view”.
Both have their own pros and cons.
The viewfinder relies on a mirror that reflects light through the lens, back at your eye. And that’s how you get a few massive benefits from it:
- Direct view of what the lens is seeing
- Zero lag
- Zero power consumption
- Faster (but less accurate) autofocus
- Increased responsiveness
The live view mode, on the other hand, lifts the mirror out of the way and allows the sensor to show you a digital image of what the final shot is going to look like. And while this means you’ll be losing the above benefits, there are other advantages to utilize:
- Live preview of what the picture will look like
- Easier to determine if you are in focus (Especially when focusing manually)
- Sometimes easier to adjust settings with a touch screen
- Enables you to take low photos without having to lay prone (Particularly useful with flip displays)
As per usual with photography, what is better comes down to personal preferences and the situation at hand.
I always switch to live view for taking low shots and often for when I have to focus manually, such as on dance photography where autofocus is not an option.
2. Setting the Exposure: Controls
Now that you can see what you are about to shoot, you also need to set the exposure. Pretty much all cameras rely on 3 aspects to set up exposure, also known as the “exposure triangle”:
- Aperture
- Shutter speed
- ISO
And so it is that pretty much all cameras come with these controls for setting the exposure:
- Auto: Let the camera set everything
- Aperture priority: Set the aperture and let the camera adjust the rest
- Shutter priority: Set the shutter speed but let the camera adjust the rest
- Manual: Set everything manually
Properly adjusting each one of these is an entire new world to discover. I’ll soon be creating a dedicated post on how to shoot manual.
And these are the basic camera controls for setting the exposure.
This applies to all camera types, be it DSLR, compact, mirrorless, or even our smartphones.
3. Focusing: Phase VS Contrast VS Manual
After pointing your camera to the subject and setting the exposure, you’ll also need to focus so that the picture is nice and sharp. And you can do that either manually or with your camera’s autofocus system.
DSLR cameras use two autofocus technologies:
- Phase detection autofocus (Viewfinder)
- Contrast detection autofocus (Live view)
Phase detection is faster, but less accurate than contrast detection, and it can only be used with the viewfinder. That’s because phase detection relies on a secondary mirror behind the lightly transparent main mirror.
To put phase detection it in a nutshell:
- The secondary mirror reflects the image back to two tiny sensors
- The camera hunts for focus
- If the image is aligned on both sensors, focus is confirmed with an audible beep and/or with a visible cue in the viewfinder
- If the image is not aligned, the camera goes back to hunting for focus
When you shoot in live view, the mirrors need to get out of the way for your sensor to get access to the lens, thus, the autofocus system switches to contrast detection.
Contrast detection is slower but more accurate. As the name suggests, the camera processes the image’s contrast levels. When maximum contrast is achieved, you get visual and/or audible confirmation.
If you are shooting something still, like a landscape, contrast autofocus is the superior choice. But for anything else, I’d go with phase autofocus or manual anytime.
One thing to keep in mind is autofocus performance also depends on the lens, with some lenses not offering autofocus at all.
Mirrorless cameras mainly use more sophisticated contrast autofocus technologies that are much faster than the DSLR equivalent, as they also come with more modern processors.
4. Saving the Pic: RAW VS JPEG
When you take a digital picture, you can save it in two formats:
- RAW
- JPEG
RAW is lossless and contains all the picture’s information in detail without altering or compressing it.
JPEG, on the other hand, compresses the shot and edits it on the spot, applying the exposure and colors that the camera deems best.
Both picks have their own pros and cons.
JPEGs are smaller files and you can use the photos as they are, no editing required.
The downside is that if you want to make adjustments, the compression takes away so much information that you are unable to make major edits.
RAW, on the other hand, gives you full flexibility to adjust images as you see fit. And you can obtain some amazing results with just lighting and color/contrast adjustments.
However, RAW comes with its own downsides:
- The file size makes it unusable for anything but local storage
- You need specialized software that can open them (Lightroom, Photoshop, etc)
- Photos often come out dull and lifeless without editing
- You may notice decreased burst shooting performance (depending on the camera and SD card)
You can also have your DSLR store in both JPEG and RAW simultaneously, if you don’t mind the slower burst shooting speed.
Should I Buy a DSLR or Mirrorless
With everything said and done, the lingering question remains. If you are a new photographer, should you go with a DSLR camera? Or spend a little extra for a mirrorless alternative?
If you want the absolute best that money can buy, a mirrorless camera is no doubt the superior choice. They are more lightweight, compact, and all around better performers with new lenses coming out .
On the other hand, if you want a great camera without having to spend a lot with an unlimited supply of lenses, there is no better time to buy a DSLR. They may be discontinued, but a camera that took amazing shots 10 years ago is still going to take amazing photos today, at a fraction of its original price.
Furthermore, if you want to learn about photography through practice, an entry-level DSLR is probably the best choice you can make.
See, even the cheapest mirrorless cameras nowadays can be practically used as a point to shoot solution. The same does not apply to a cheap DSLR. You’ll have to know how to use a viewfinder and frame a picture to get something decent out of it.
And when it can’t automatically adjust settings, you will have to figure out the solution, which will enable you to get a better understanding of photography.
That said, if you are looking into the used market, it’s worth keeping in mind that the shutter of
Wrapping Up: What is a DSLR Camera?
After everything is said and done, it’s worth keeping in mind that a DSLR camera is just a tool. Sure, there are times when a premium pick can make or break a photo.
But, most of the time, what truly matters is not the camera, but the person behind the camera. And no matter what camera you get and how good it may be, you won’t get any good shots, if you don’t know how to use it.