Types of Cameras (DSLR, Mirrorless, Compact, Smartphone)

Camera types at a glance

Anyone interested in buying a camera is spoiled for choice. Is a modern smartphone with today's often very good sensors and photo functions enough or should it be a real camera? And even if you choose the latter, there are other questions to ask: Do you want to be able to change the lens later or is a compact camera with a built-in lens enough? Should the camera be large and handy or should it be small and light? In this article, we would like to give you an overview of what types of cameras there are, how cameras work, how you can find the ideal camera for your needs and how you can clean and maintain them. Let's start with an overview of the different types of cameras and their advantages and disadvantages.

(Digital) SLR cameras - SLR/DSLR

The abbreviation SLR stands for Single Lens Reflex and dates back to the days of analog film cameras. When taking photos, the light is directed through the lens (single lens) via a mirror in the camera upwards into the viewfinder. When the camera's shutter release button is pressed, the mirror folds away (reflex) and opens the way for the light to reach the inserted film. Digital single-lens reflex cameras (DSLR = Digital Single Lens Reflex) work in exactly the same way - with the difference that the light is not directed onto an analog film, but onto a sensor that converts the light into electrical signals (digital). Analog reflex cameras, which are still available second-hand today and are still very popular with some photographers, work with interchangeable lenses, just like modern digital reflex cameras. This means that different focal lengths and lens classes can be used depending on the intended use.

The success story of the DSLR

With the EOS 300D, Canon launched the first affordable consumer DSLR on the market in the fall of 2003 for around 950 euros. The APS-C CMOS sensor used at the time, with an effective 6.3 megapixels, was 22.5 x 15.0 millimeters in size, which was x1.6 times smaller than the 35 mm negatives of analogue cameras. This is also known as the crop factor or conversion factor. We explain what this is all about in the article Focal length and perspective. After Canon had been able to claim the amateur DSLR market for itself for months, Nikon followed suit in spring 2004 with the D70. This was followed by Olympus with the E-300 and Pentax with the *ist Ds.

In 2002, Canon presented the EOS 1-Ds, the first usable full-frame DSLR, which was aimed at professional photographers with 11.1 megapixels and a hefty price tag of over 8,000 euros. Its sensor area of 36 x 24 millimeters corresponded to that of an analog 35 mm negative. In 2005, the Nikon D50 with APS-C sensor was the first digital SLR camera to break the price barrier of 650 euros, making it particularly interesting for DSLR beginners.

In 2006, Olympus surprised everyone with a real innovation. The E-330 was the first digital SLR camera with a Live View display that could also be tilted. Further technological milestones followed. In 2008, Canon launched the EOS 5D Mark II, a successful DSLR that also offered film professionals an exciting and handy alternative with high-resolution Full HD video with 1,920 x 1,080 pixels at 30 frames per second. At the beginning of 2009, Nikon set a new record for sensor resolution with the D3x: 24.5 megapixels was the absolute peak at the time.

A great chapter comes to an end

For a long time, digital SLR cameras were considered the measure of all things. Even when Panasonic launched the Lumix DMC-G1 in 2008, the first mirrorless system camera (DSLM) in a compact format and with many innovative new features, people were convinced for a long time that DSLRs would remain the ultimate. In fact, DSLRs are now hardly an issue for the major camera manufacturers. The focus is clearly on mirrorless alternatives.

The success story of mirrorless system cameras (DSLM)

With the introduction of the Micro Four Thirds (MFT) standard by Panasonic and Olympus in 2008, the era of mirrorless system cameras (DSLM) with an electronic viewfinder began. DSLM stands for Digital Single Lens Mirrorless. The new abbreviation is based on the functionality of mirrorless system cameras.

In 2008, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 was the first mirrorless system camera to dispense with the tried-and-tested oscillating mirror, optical viewfinder system and pentaprism in favor of an electronic viewfinder. This is why it is referred to as mirrorless. By eliminating the mirror box, the G1 could be made more compact and lighter overall than comparable DSLR models. At twelve megapixels, the image chip had a pleasantly high resolution for the time and was on a par with the tried and tested SLR cameras. Just under a year later, Olympus followed with the Pen E-P1, which offered comparatively better image quality and even videos with a resolution of 1,280 x 720 pixels at 30 frames per second.

Rise of the DSLMs

In 2010, two other major technology companies entered the initially slow-growing market for mirrorless system cameras. Samsung launched the NX10, whose 14-megapixel APS-C sensor with very good image quality left the established DSLR models behind for the first time. Six months later, Sony entered the DSLM stage: with the NEX-3 for beginners and the NEX-5 for advanced users, the Japanese manufacturer gave the MFT systems from Olympus and Panasonic a run for their money. The NEX-7 semi-pro model that followed in 2011 even set new standards in the mirrorless APS-C camera segment with 24 megapixels.

At the end of 2011, Nikon was the first of the two traditional DSLR manufacturers to enter the DSLM arena. The Nikon 1 camera series was based on a 13.2 x 8.8 millimeter CX sensor, which was even smaller than the sensor area of the MFT system with a diagonal of one inch, which led to problems, particularly in terms of image quality.

It was not until mid-2012 that Canon targeted beginners and amateur photographers with the EOS-M bayonet and the camera series of the same name. An 18-megapixel APS-C sensor in combination with a significantly reduced and simplified operating concept was intended to ensure impressive image results.

Almost at the same time, Fujifilm made a name for itself with the X-Pro1. With image quality on a par with professional full-frame DSLRs in a compact DSLM package, the APS-C camera made the competition sit up and take notice. The reason for this was a self-developed sensor without a low-pass filter. The result was extremely sharp images and barely perceptible image noise on a par with the then dominant professional DSLRs Nikon D4 and Canon 5D Mark II.

Entry into the full-frame class

Despite the initial diversity, the market for mirrorless system cameras has shrunk over the years. Samsung withdrew and Nikon discontinued production of the Nikon 1 series in 2018. Instead, Sony captured more and more market share and went a significant step further in the design of its cameras. From the end of 2013, the Japanese company installed large full-frame sensors in its Alpha 7 models. And they did so with great success for many years. It was not until 2018 that Canon and Nikon provided competition in the DSLM full-format class. Canon presented the 30.3 megapixel EOS R, the first mirrorless full-frame DSLM of the new EOS R system. Nikon followed suit with two models and presented the Nikon Z system. The Nikon Z 7 was the top model with an effective resolution of 45.7 megapixels. The slightly cheaper Z 6 offers 24.5 megapixels.

It is now clear that it took exactly a decade for mirrorless system cameras to overtake SLR cameras. According to figures from GfK, Germany's largest market research institute, digital SLR cameras generated more sales than digital single-lens reflex cameras for the first time in April 2018. At the same time, mirrorless cameras have also overtaken SLR cameras in terms of the number of units sold.

The rise and fall of the compact camera

For many years, compact cameras were considered the best option for photographers who wanted a camera that was as small and light as possible and did not want to worry about interchangeable lenses - because with compact cameras, the lens is permanently installed in the camera. The emphasis here is on were considered the best option, as compact cameras have since been replaced by modern smartphones as an even more compact always-on solution. More on this later.

In order to make compact cameras handy and lightweight, significantly smaller sensors with sometimes tiny diagonals of just 1/2.3 inches, for example, are used. However, there are also high-quality premium compact cameras with 1-inch and even APS-C and full-frame sensors. However, as most sensor areas in compact cameras are significantly smaller than in DSLRs and DSLMs, the image quality is also comparatively poorer.

But there is one advantage: with smaller sensors, the lenses can also be made more compact, so that you can carry the compact camera around with you rather than the comparatively bulky DSLR. Today, the handy form factor is undercut by the even slimmer smartphone. Since you always have your smartphone with you anyway and the image quality now even surpasses that of compact cameras thanks to innovative photo functions and AI support, hardly anyone will put an additional "compact" in their jacket pocket. Nevertheless, we would like to take a brief look at the different compact camera classes here.

From entry-level models to the premium class

For example, there is the inexpensive entry-level class, which, with its simple operation and low prices, is aimed primarily at amateur photographers who only use their camera occasionally. The so-called travel zoom cameras were very popular. These small and lightweight "compacts" are characterized by an enormously powerful zoom lens that enables wide-angle landscape shots as well as portraits and detailed shots when travelling. However, as the small lenses only allow a small amount of light through, the image quality of travel zoom cameras is associated with compromises. There are also waterproof compact cameras that only have a low zoom, but can be taken diving for a certain amount of time.

Another class of compact cameras are the so-called bridge cameras. They offer fixed and very high zoom lenses in combination with the large form factor of a DSLR or DSLM. This class is primarily aimed at photographers who can cope better with the large body and want even more zoom. An extreme example is the Nikon Coolpix P950 with an 83x optical zoom and a focal length range of 24 to 2,000 millimetres converted to 35 mm format.

If you want the small form factor of the "compact" with high image quality, you should go for the premium class. Cameras in this class are characterized by large sensors. Examples include the Sony RX1R II with a full-frame sensor with 42.4 megapixels and the Fujifilm X100 series with APS-C sensors, which is popular with street photography enthusiasts. The premium class is an exception among compact cameras, as it is the only one that can hold its own against smartphones thanks to its outstanding image quality.

Smartphones - the "always-on cameras"

While smartphone cameras were initially ridiculed, we now know that their compact dimensions, increasingly powerful sensors and support for AI image processing algorithms have ensured that hardly anyone is interested in buying a compact camera anymore. As a result, camera manufacturers have largely withdrawn from the production of compact cameras.

From 0.11 to 200 megapixels

A look back in history shows the rapid development that camera phones have undergone in the meantime: The Toshiba Camesse from 1999 with a resolution of 0.11 megapixels is considered the first of its kind. Two years later, the Nokia 7650 established itself as the first camera phone for the European market. As with DSLRs and DSLMs, a race for the most megapixels on the small photo sensors also began in the following years with camera phones. With the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and the Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G, two camera smartphones now deliver an impressive resolution of a whopping 200 megapixels in 2024. Not even DSLRs or DSLMs currently offer that. As a reminder: even the Fujifilm GFX100 II medium-format camera "only" delivers 102 megapixels.

In 2011, the Sharp Aquos SH80F, the LG Optimus 3D and the HTC Evo 3D provided new impetus: all three models were equipped with two cameras on the back and were intended to serve the major trend topic of "3D" - with moderate sales success. The manufacturer LG took up the principle of dual cameras again in 2016 and used it in the LG G5 to integrate two different focal lengths including an ultra-wide angle. Two modules are also used in the Apple iPhone 7 Plus, where the cameras enable twofold, lossless zooming. The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is now even equipped with four camera modules. It offers a front camera with 12 megapixels, a wide-angle camera with 200 megapixels, a telephoto camera with 50 megapixels and an ultra-wide-angle camera with 12 megapixels as well as a five-fold optical zoom.

Great improvement through artificial intelligence

The range of functions of smartphone cameras is constantly evolving and is making huge leaps forward thanks to the support of artificial intelligence. With most smartphones, it is now commonplace to be able to manually set important shooting parameters such as exposure time and ISO sensitivity. For example, long exposures are also possible with a cell phone. The aperture is usually fixed - however, the aperture values can differ from camera to camera in cameras with several camera modules. Wide-angle modules are often brighter.

While images were initially only stabilized digitally, optical image stabilizers are now also used. Saving images in RAW mode was reserved for DSLRs and DSLMs for a long time, but is now already integrated into high-quality smartphone cameras ex works. There are also outstanding AI functions such as the magic eraser on the Google Pixel 8 Pro, which automatically removes distracting image content, or the AI-calculated bokeh effects on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G.

Image processing has also been significantly improved. For example, the smartphones automatically recognize different shooting scenarios and adjust the shooting settings accordingly. In addition, AI optimization is an important component for image quality, considering the high resolutions that are accommodated on the very small sensors compared to DSLRs and DSLMs.

As smartphone camera sensors cannot absorb as much light as "large" cameras due to their small surface area, the signal must be amplified accordingly. This can lead to image noise, which is now being reduced very effectively through the use of AI. The result is often first-class images that are automatically processed or edited in the camera using AI so that they can then be shared immediately on social media platforms. If you take the same picture in parallel with a DSLR or DSLM, the internal image processing for the JPEG output is much more restrained. As a result, smartphone images usually appear "crisper" and sharper, which is often more appealing to amateur photographers in particular than when they have to invest even more time in image processing with DSLRs and DSLMs.

Conclusion

One thing is certain: for most photo enthusiasts, the smartphone is now the first choice for everyday photos. You always have it with you anyway and the image quality is now at a high level. Thanks to high resolutions, smartphone pictures can also be printed on A3 and larger. However, if you want to get more out of your pictures and finish them off, you will continue to shoot with a high-quality and flexible DSLR or DSLM. If only because of the higher potential for image quality thanks to larger sensors and higher quality lenses. But all photographers, including professionals, will certainly also take photos with their smartphone. Be it on the go as a kind of memory aid or as a practical addition to the "big" camera - for behind-the-scenes shots, for example.