Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Photogeekiness

 
OK, this is an interesting development in the world of photography: the first mirrorless mirrored camera.
 
Let me explain. In your typical SLR (or DSLR now), your viewfinder shows what your lens picks up using a series of mirrors that reflect the image up, and then back to the viewfinder (the single lens reflex function of the SLR). This was a substantial improvement over much older viewfinders which required the photographer to somehow compensate for the slight offset between the direct viewfinder (a mini-telescope) and the image.
 
Trouble is, that first mirror. If it stays in place when you take a picture, it blocks the lens. Most lens manufacturers have it flip up and out of the way, which is fine for most snapshots, but it creates a slight vibration that can ruin precision shooting, like macro photography or extreme telephotography.
 
It can ruin a shooter's day, let me tell you.
 
Anyway, this new camera from Sony uses a translucent mirror that allows most of the light through to the lens while diverting a slight amount of it to the viewfinder.
 
The hitch? No viewfinder. Instead, it's a live view OLED panel on the back of the camera. Which sucks, because you'll be holding the camera away from your eye, destablizing the camera and...creates a slight vibration that can ruin precision shooting.
 
So close...so very very close...