Everything you always wanted to know about the semi-transparent mirror technology (but were afraid to ask)

Have you rated your lenses yet?

19 January 2015

Szymon Starczewski

6. Benefits and losses. Pros and cons. Facts and myths.

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Such a long text (and I am truly sorry for it) deserves a concise summary.

A fixed film mirror has a lot of advantages over the classic solution:

Burst mode can be faster
Dirt won’t invade the interior of the camera so easily
The camera might be more reliable
The camera is physically lighter and can be potentially cheaper
The camera might offer continuous preview (not necessarily if you deal with an electronic viewfinder, though)
Phase-detection AF in the LV mode and during registering a movie

Of course there also many reasons why classic reflex cameras have been sold on the market up to now. Some of them are listed below:

Bright optical viewfinder
1/3 more of light = faster speeds or lower ISO, an advantage in dynamic range and noise
The mirror can be cleaned without any risk and it’s less prone to damage
A damage of a film mirror influences the resolution of photos; a damage of an ordinary mirror won’t have such consequences.

As usual, the choice is difficult and everybody has to take a decision they deem the best on their own.