Portability used to be the focus, but the most recent breeds appear to place performance first.
When mirrorless cameras first arrived, their main sell was simple: here’s a camera that works like a DSLR but it’s smaller, lighter and more practical.
Some models have been small enough to fit in the palm of your hand with a lens attached. But are things now moving in the opposite direction?
While some of the most recent full-frame mirrorless cameras are smaller than their closest equivalent DSLR, others are about the same size or larger and heavier. Many of the lenses released for these systems have also been larger than comparable lenses available for DSLR systems. True, we can only expect full-frame systems to be so small, but even if we look at some of the most recent Micro Four Thirds cameras – the format that championed small size over everything else – some of the most recent models have been among the largest cameras in those lines so far.
Size no longer seems to matter There are obviously a handful of exceptions, but today, manufacturers are far less prolific in the entry-level end of the spectrum than they have been before.
Perhaps because of this, it feels as though we’ve entered a new age in the development of mirrorless cameras. While manufacturers once fought against each other to create small cameras and compact lenses, the focus seems to be turning away from miniaturization and more towards performance.
There are, after all, many downsides to miniaturization. Small cameras usually have small batteries with relatively unremarkable battery life per charge, which can be an issue on today’s power-hungry mirrorless cameras. They may also not have enough space for two card slots, which has fast become an expected feature on cameras above a certain price point.
Smaller cameras may not have space for a viewfinder, or for heat to dissipate properly during video recording, and they’re also more likely to struggle to provide enough support for longer and heavier lenses. Clearly if you’re pitching your system towards a more enthusiast or professional audience, a number of compromises have to be made for the camera to be competitive on the specification sheet.
This shift towards higher performance is perhaps most evident in the new lenses we’ve seen for these systems rather than cameras. Canon and Nikon each chose the same size or wider lens mounts than those designed for DSLRs, and each company has underlined the freedom this affords lens design. Each has also taken the earliest opportunity possible to show off very wide-aperture lenses, cementing their appeal towards the more professional end of the market first.
The good news is that this trend towards larger cameras and lenses is likely to start reversing as manufacturers establish their more senior offerings and look to make the process of entering that system easier for everyone else. Given that neither Canon, Nikon nor Panasonic has explicitly stated that their new systems are full-frame in themselves – more systems that only offer full-frame cameras right now – the possibility of cameras with smaller sensors beneath these is not only possible, but likely.