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| A New Breed of “Mirrorless” Digital Camera: The Fujifilm Finepix X100. |
Although the term “Mirrorless, Interchangeable-Lens Camera” (MILC) has not been made official, this classification of camera is quickly gaining popularity amongst those seeking the quality of a DSLR in a smaller package - aka the “street” photographer.
In the fifties, the rangefinder reigned king. In the sixties, it was killed off by the SLR. The ability not only to use interchangeable lenses but to preview the image through them was the breakthrough that pushed the SLR to the top, even though it could not compete with the rangefinder’s quality and compactness.
But turnabout is fair play, and soon the DSLR just might be unseated as king of the consumer digital cameras by the MILC.
The quality of the SLR has always been limited by the extended lens-to-film plane distance necessary to accommodate the mirror box. Take away the mirror, and the lenses can be made smaller. Smaller lenses cost less to manufacture, and are inherently more precise. So, the entire camera/lens assembly becomes smaller and lighter, without sacrificing quality. The sacrifice lies in the viewfinder.
Current trends in compact digital cameras seem to suggest that the viewfinder may be going away, replaced by the use of the LCD to compose the image. Even those who have both seem to favor composing at arm’s length with the LCD.
Once you add the capability of interchangeable lenses, the practicality of manufacturing an optical viewfinder becomes moot. Through-the-lens viewing using the LCD in “Live View” mode becomes the most natural means of dealing with the viewfinder issue. This makes the picture-taking experience not unlike the TLRs of the thirties and forties.
So, the MILC, a new camera design based on the Micro Four Thirds lens standard is quickly becoming the next big thing in prosumer photography. The half-size “MFT” sensor it will use will be larger than that of the compact digital camera, but smaller than the APS-C or APS-H common in DSLRs. It will use lenses that conform to the Micro Four Thirds standard, with a 2X crop factor. So, a 25mm lens will have the same angle of view as a 50mm “normal” lens. It will have auto-focus and, unlike smaller sensor “compact” cameras, a full range of apertures. Although it will not have an optical viewfinder, upscale MILCs (like the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2) will have the option of an electronic viewfinder which plugs into an “accessory shoe” (a standard flash hot shoe plus additional connector) which will simply redirect the image from the LCD. Optical viewfinders dedicated to particular prime lenses are also available on a limted basis.
Although the EVF is a viable solution, composing through such a device leaves one feeling “detached” from the subject. Plus, it adds a considerable amount of bulk to the camera. Many will leave it home. Some MILCs (like the Panasonic Lumix DMC G2) are designed to look like miniature SLRs, with EVFs built-in. Because of the popularity of the SLR, consumers feel that if a camera looks like an SLR, then it will make them look like a professional photographer. Therefore, super zooms follow the form factor of the SLR and also include a built-in electronic viewfinder. Cameras with built-in EVFs are likely to be more compact that MILCs with accessory EVFs attached. Essentially, the electronic viewfinder has become the “low-cost electronic alternative to the optical viewfinder”, much the same as the digital camera has become the “low-cost electronic alternative to film”.
However, there are some “mirrorless” cameras that are in a class all by themselves.
The Leica M9 has the potential to be the ultimate digital camera. It’s the successor to the M8, the original MILC. It combines the best of everything; a full-frame sensor, a vast selection of M-Mount system lenses, a superb optical viewfinder, and of course the rangefinder, the time-tested means of manual focus with interchangeable lenses. The only thing it lacks is auto focus, which is not supported by the M-Mount system. But, like any ultra high-end product, this camera is not without its quirks.
The Leica X1 more closely resembles the current MILC model, but with a fixed 24mm prime lens which approximates the classic 35mm angle of view. Its APS-C size sensor promises even higher quality than the MFT standard. Sadly though, they forgot to include an optical viewfinder.
The soon-to-come Fujifilm Finepix X100 fixes this problem by including an optical viewfinder that is unique to the industry. Not only does it superimpose shooting data on the optical image, but it also has the capability of displaying the image electronically. It’s viewfinder heaven. The X100 also uses an APS-C size sensor, and has a 23.5mm fixed prime lens providing the true classic 35mm angle of view. Like the X1, it’s a “mirrorless” camera without an interchangeable lens, but includes the optical viewfinder that Leica left out. Whether or not this camera can blaze a new trail is yet to be seen.
So to summarize, these are the current “standard” classifications of cameras, with variants listed in parentheses:
Compact Digital Camera
Sub-MFT sensor, auto-exposure (full-auto mode), auto-focus, fixed zoom lens, LCD viewer with Live View. (Some models may include optical zoom viewfinders).
Super-Zoom Digital Camera
Sub-MFT sensor, auto-exposure (full-auto + P, A, S, M modes), auto-focus, extended range fixed zoom lens, electronic viewfinder, LCD viewer with Live View.
Bridge Digital Camera
Sub-MFT sensor, auto-exposure (full-auto + P, A, S, M modes), auto-focus, fixed zoom lens, optical viewfinder, LCD viewer with Live View.
Mirrorless Fixed Lens Camera
APS-C sensor, auto-exposure (full-auto + P, A, S, M modes), auto or manual focus, fixed prime lens, LCD viewer with Live View. (Some models may have built-in hybrid optical viewfinders, or accessory optical viewfinders).
Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Camera
MFT Half-size sensor, auto-exposure (full-auto + P, A, S, M modes), auto or manual focus, interchangeable lens, LCD viewer with Live View. (Some models may have optional electronic viewfinders, or lens-specific optical viewfinders).
Digital Rangefinder
Full-size sensor, auto-exposure (full-auto + P, A, S, M modes), manual focus via rangefinder/optical viewfinder, interchangeable lenses, LCD viewer with Live View.
Digital Single-Lens Reflex Camera
Full size, APS-C, APS-H, or MFT half-size sensor, auto-exposure (full-auto + P, A, S, M modes), auto or manual focus, interchangeable lens, TTL optical viewfinder, LCD viewer with Live View.
Nothing will ever beat a TTL optical viewfinder, so the DSLR will always be the ultimate digital camera, even if not for the average consumer. They’d have to manufacture an awful lot of MFT lenses to compete with the enormous legacy of SLR lenses available both new and second-hand.
But, it’s nice to have other options. I’m hoping that eventually the “Mirrorless” camera will in fact aspire to the greatness of the traditional rangefinder, with both a built-in optical viewfinder with adjustable brightlines (like the Leica M9), and auto-focus (like the FujiFilm X100). Now that would be a camera I would buy in a heartbeat.
Until then, the FujiFilm Finepix X100 is looking very good.
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