The name says it all. A mirrorless cam captures images without using a mirror in the camera body. The big difference is that these cams use EVFs (Electronic viewfinders) to display images digitally. A DSLR camera on the other hand, reflects images into your viewfinder with a mirror. Light passes through the lens directly to a digital sensor in a mirrorless cam. This then displays your image on to the cam’s LCD screen. It makes it easy for you to adjust settings and your image before you shoot it. Mirrorless cameras have also come to refer to cams with an interchangeable lens system.
Mirrorless cams have reignited interest in pro cams
Smartphone camera photography has improved by leaps and bounds, particularly in areas that used to be weak links – lowlight photography and zoom photography. Mirrorless cams have changed the game for Pro cams. They deliver a better image quality (the lens is closer to the sensor without a mirror in between) and are also more compact than old school DSLRs.
Should you go mirrorless?
Digital content creators and vloggers have also created a growing market for mirrorless cams. Many of the affordable, compact cams (like the ones on our list) are also aimed at this segment. The key benefit with mirrorless cams is their lightweight and compact form that makes it particularly easy if you’re stepping up from a smartphone shooter. These cams are also less prone to shakes, ensuring fewer blurry images. And then there’s Electronic viewfinder that offers more controls and settings. Higher shutter speeds also make it easier if you’re transitioning from a mobile cam, and allow you to snap more images in quick time. The flip side is battery life. This is an area where traditional DSLRs still hold the edge. These DLSRs also offer a wider range of lenses, although that is changing with an ever improving list of options for mirrorless cams.
We’ve rounded up some of the most affordable mirrorless cams that work equally well for newbies looking to make the leap to a pro cam as well as vloggers who need a compact cam that can deliver better quality videos than smartphone cams:
Nikon Z30
This isn’t just one of Nikon’s lightest cams (just 350 gm) it’s also one of the smallest mirrorless offerings in India. This one is tailored for vloggers (a built-in stereo microphone is one of the many handy add-ons) and comes with a 3-inch touch-sensitive LCD and a promise of just over 2 hours of shooting time. The Z30 is kitted with a 20MP APS-C sensor and comes with inclusions like AF-F (Full-time Autofocus) aside from focus modes like continuous and manual autofocus. You can capture Full HD videos up to 120FPS (frames per second) for stunning slow-mo videos.
Price: Rs 59,895
Canon is playing up the R50’s APS-C format image sensor that it claims is three times larger than the one-inch sensor on the latest smartphones. This sensor ensures sharper images and videos with less ‘noise’ even in lowlight scenarios. Canon has positioned this as a light-weight (375 gm), entry level camera to capture stunning images, memories from vacations and high quality content for lifestyle and fashion vlogs. With 24.2 megapixels, the EOS R50 is also capable of producing high-quality ‘Uncrop’ 4K 30p video oversampled from 6K worth of data. Canon makes it easy to transfer your Content to a smartphone and easy sharing on your Social feeds. The Camera Connect smartphone app also allows you to share high-res videos and images wirelessly.
Price: Rs 75,995
Sony Alpha ZV-E10
A 24.2MP camera is the headline feature in Sony’s entry-level, mirrorless cam. The cam gets a boost from an APS-C Exmor CMOS Sensor and BIONZ X image processing engine to deliver high-quality imagery detailed with high sensitivity and natural looking bokeh. High shutter speeds are another plus – you can snap 11 shots every second for up to 116 frames shots in JPEG (Standard) at one time. Portrait images are stunning thanks real-time eye AF that continuously tracks the subject. We also approve of a hot key to activate a blur effect in the background of your images.
Price: Rs 59,490
Panasonic LUMIX G Camera DC-G100
This compact camera (under 350 gm) delivers with hight quality 4K/30p and FHD/60p video recording capabilities. One of the talking points is 5-Axis Hybrid I.S. – a new image stabilisation system that blends OIS (Optical image stabilisation) and EIS (Electronic image stabilisation). Content creators will appreciate the OZO Audio solution by Nokia with five audio recording modes. The 20.3MP lens shines in lowlight while the max 4x slow motion and max 8x quick motion allow you to play around with your video stories.
Price: Rs 89,990
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