Compact system cameras
they offer the power and flexibility of DSLRs in a more streamlined package . But what exactly should you look for in a compact system camer a?
Compact system cameras (CSCs) are the Next Big Thing in photography. Once, if you wanted to get into ‘proper’ photography, you bought a DSLR. But CSCs are smaller, lighter, simpler and, if we’re honest, a bit better-looking.
CSCs do everything DSLRs can, but with an extra splash of style. In fact, it’s becoming apparent they can do a good deal more, as they’ve become test beds for the latest in 4K imaging technology, in-body image stabilisation, high-speed hybrid autofocus and high-speed shooting.
So if you want your photography to be future-ready, you need to know what compact system cameras are all about…
Mirrorless wonders
CSCs are also called ‘mirrorless cameras’. Compact system camera is the technically correct description because they’re compact and they take interchangeable lenses, so they’re part of a system. But the big difference between these and DSLRs is that DSLRs have a mirror in the body to reflect the image up into the viewfinder, whereas CSCs don’t. Instead, the image you see on the rear LCD or in the electronic viewfinder (if they have one) is created digitally by the sensor. In fact, all compact cameras are ‘mirrorless’, if you want to be technical about it.
So CSC viewfinders have been playing catch-up, but if you like to compose shots on your camera’s rear LCD instead, they’re ahead. A compact system camera is already built to produce a continuous live view, whereas DSLRs can only do this with a clunky mechanical kludge, which means locking up the mirror and opening the shutter – a highly unnatural state for a DSLR.
The screen on the back of the camera isn’t always the best way to compose pictures, though. Lots of folk prefer to put the camera to their eye, and this is useful in bright light when the rear screen is swallowed up in glare. But not all CSCs have viewfinders. Cheaper, entry-level models don’t have them, and even if