SLR vs DSLR vs Mirrorless vs Camcorder vs Point and Shoot camera?

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Are you looking for buying your first camera? Need to know the difference between SLR, DSLR, Mirrorless camera, Camcorder, Point and Shoot camera? You can read about them in this guide.

What Will I Learn?

Difference betweenĀ SLR, DSLR, Point and Shoot camera, Mirrorless camera & Camcorder

SLR

The expansion of SLR is Single-Lens Reflex. The working mechanism of SLR and the DSLR are just the same, both has a mirror inside them which reflects the light from the lens to the viewfinder. The difference is that the SLR uses the film to capture the images while DSLR uses the memory card to store the images. In SLR, you can capture only limited number of photos like 36 photos but in DSLR it will be thousands of photos depending upon the memory card. You can also preview, edit and delete the unwanted photos in DSLR which is not possible in SLR. DSLR also has video recording feature which is absent in SLR.

DSLR

DSLR stands for DigitalĀ Single-Lens Reflex or Digital SLR. Let’s see the advantages of DSLR over other cameras:-

  • DSLR vs Mirrorless: DSLR’s battery life is longer and has better autofocus. Example: The charge in DSLR can last long up to 1000 shots while in mirrorless it will be only around 300 shots. DSLR has more variety of lens than the mirrorless camera.
  • DSLR vsĀ Point and Shoot camera: The DSLRs has bigger sensor than the point and shoot camera which helps you to shoot better photos. A DSLR with lower mega pixel can take amazing pictures than a point and shoot camera with higher mega pixel due to the bigger sensor and lens.
  • DSLR vs Camcorder: DSLR is best for capturing pictures than using the camcorder. A costly camcorder can take pictures equal to DSLR but not the mid-range ones.

Mirrorless Camera

The mirrorless camera works exactly same as the DSLR but there is no mirror inside the camera. Lets see the advantages of mirrorless camera over the DSLRs.

  • Mirrorless camera vs DSLR: The mirrorless camera comes in smaller size and less weight than the DSLR since no mirror is being used inside. You can use third party lens in mirrorless camera like Sony mirrorless camera supports Canon lens using an adopter. There will no no shutter noise like the DSLR camera. So, you can capture pictures without much attention which is good for birds & wildlife photography.
  • Mirrorless camera vs Camcorder: The mirrorless camera can produce theĀ bokeh effect,Ā shallow depth of field which is not possible with the camcorder. Mirrorless can also works on low light conditions.
  • Mirrorless camera vs Point and shoot camera: You can’t change lens in point and shoot camera like the mirrorless camera and DSLR. Mirrorless camera will have more control over the photographs than the point and shoot. Point and shoot will perform poor on low light environment.

Camcorder

Let’s see why you shoot choose a camcorder over other cameras in the market.

  • Camcorder vs DSLR: The camcorder is the best for capturing videos. Most DSLR has limited time for capturing the video and only very few of them has 4K video recording. Most of the camcorders can shoot in 4K which you can play on your 4K TV or monitor which will have detailed information.
  • Camcorder vs point and shoot camera: Most P&S camera don’t have theĀ video stabilization like the camcorders. So you might get shaky pictures if you don’t have stable and steady fingers.
  • Camcorder vs mirrorless: Camcorder has the ability to record in higher and better bit rate and it is made for video in mind.

Point and Shoot camera

Last but not least, lets see the advantages of point and shoot camera over the others.

  • Point and Shoot camera vs DSLR: The point and shoot camera are cheaper than the DSLR. DSLR are bulky and people will notice it while taking pictures. On the other hand, P&S cameras can be held in the pocket and are easy to carry.
  • Point and Shoot camera vs mirrorless camera: Mirrorless camera can be smaller thanĀ DSLR but still its bigger than the point and shoot with the lens. Recently more improvements has been done to the P&S cameras to match the DSLR.
  • Point and Shoot camera vs camcorder: Both of them can shoot 4K videos but P&S are cheaper and are smaller in size.

These are pros and concerns of each camera over the other. Let us know what you think in the comments below.Ā If you are going to make short films, vlogging, Youtube videos, we wish you all the best. Concentrate on the lightnings, placement of the mic and post editing which will also play an important role.