Have there been fixed-lens DSLRs, and why are they uncommon?
Asked 8/10/2013
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Can a DSLR or SLR have a fixed, non-interchangeable lens? Since “single-lens reflex” only describes viewing through the taking lens via a mirror, it seems like interchangeable lenses aren’t required by definition. Were there any real examples of fixed-lens digital or film SLRs, and if so, why did this design remain uncommon?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
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You are correct, a DSLR can have a fixed lens and there actually was, the Olympus E-10 for example.
My guess is that there is little advantage to a fixed in a DSLR and obviously flexibility is lost, not to mention the high-cost of a large sensor which makes one want to reuse it with various lenses. The DSLR's mirror and pentaprism/pentamirror force the camera to be relatively large and the lens is usually correspondingly so.
The current trend is to get rid of the reflex mechanism in favor of size. This gave rise to the current crop of mirrorless cameras but also to fixed lens ones with APS-C or even full-frame sensors. With a camera like the Nikon Coolpix A which I reviewed here you have a very small camera that produces DSLR-like images with a fixed prime lens.
Originally by user1620. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1620
13y ago
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Yes. An SLR/DSLR does not, by definition, require interchangeable lenses—“single-lens reflex” only means the viewfinder sees through the taking lens via a reflex mirror or similar splitter. So a fixed-lens SLR is technically possible, and examples have existed. One digital example mentioned is the Olympus E-10. On the film side, the Canon EX series is a partial example: it had a built-in rear lens section with interchangeable front elements.
They’re uncommon because a reflex camera’s main advantages—through-the-lens optical viewing and support for different focal lengths—make the added size, complexity, and cost of the mirror box and prism easier to justify when lenses can be changed. If the lens is fixed, those penalties often make less sense, especially once electronic viewfinders and mirrorless designs became viable. Fixed-lens large-sensor cameras are therefore more often mirrorless, because removing the reflex mechanism allows a smaller, simpler camera while keeping high image quality.
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