DSLR

Glossary Terms

side by side: Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1 w/ mirror finder and Nikon's D600 w/ pentaprism finder image by maoby (Image rights)

The beginnings were made with expensive chunky AF SLR derivatives like the Minolta RD-3000 of year 1999 and Kodak's DCS 620X of year 2000 image by maoby (Image rights)

Pentax's DSLR K3 II of year 2015 - has a penta-prism finder, version III followed in 2021! image by Alan Pamler (Image rights)

transverse section of an Olympus E-400 - has a penta-mirror finder image by marcof (Image rights)

Digital single lens reflex cameras (DSLRs) combine the advantages of SLRs with those of digital cameras since they have an image sensor instead of a film in the image plane, and a digital image memory. These cameras were the flagships of modern camera marketing. Early models were very expensive, only affordable for professional photographers. Until recently a great variety of cameras were in the market, mostly DSLRs for interchangeable lenses, especially lenses for existing autofocus SLR lens mounts of the most successful SLR product lines of the past. Exceptions are some camera models with fixed lens. A further trend was to make DSLRs for new autofocus lens mounts. The first one was the Four-Thirds (4/3) mount (see also 4/3 category). Since c. 2015 the mirrorless digital system cameras (CSCs) almost drove the DSLRs out of the camera market. The last amateur SLR may have been the Pentax K3 III's monochrome version of 2023.

The difference inside

The difference inside a DSLR when compared with an analog modern autofocus SLR: The film plane has become the sensor surface plane - the film plane was always fixed, the sensor plane is not necessarily fixed, i.e. when a sensor-related image stabilizer might correct sensor position during exposure. Modern analog SLRs were already full of modern electronics, in DSLRs this stuff not only enhances the automatic support for getting agreeable exposures by for example mechatronical image stabilization, it also replaces the film in any way. But good DSLRs with good lenses have not only advantages compared to the last analog SLR generation, they still have advantages compared to mirrorless system cameras, despite of the camera makers' focus on DSLRs is already lost since the youngest past. With an SLR it's You who deals with the optics, a more modern mirrorless system camera uses algorithms which deal the optical system's weaknesses away. Despite of the difference between last generation analog SLRs and DSLRs, with the latter You stay nearer to classic photography than You stay when using only CSC cameras with only electronic viewfinder. Of course a good DSLR with a bright clear pentaprism reflex finder with viewing field corresponding 100% to the image plane might empower this argument to convince nearly everybody.

A Nikon D100's back opened: First You see a computer electronics board in the position were analog SLRs had the film. The second image shows the other side of that board, were the imaging sensor is mounted, the optoelectronical wonder of our time. images by Михей Уотли (Image rights)