How do mirrorless cameras meter exposure without a separate sensor?
Asked 9/1/2017
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On an SLR, exposure metering is often done by a dedicated sensor near the pentaprism, using a beam splitter or mirror path. A mirrorless camera has no pentaprism or optical viewfinder, so where does its exposure metering happen? Does it use a separate metering array, or does it measure exposure another way?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
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Modern mirrorless cameras use the uncovered image sensor to measure the amount of light entering the camera. Since the sensor must be exposed to the light entering the camera for compositional purposes, the signal from the main sensor can also be measured to provide a 'meter' reading.
Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user15871
8y ago
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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Most modern mirrorless cameras meter exposure using the main image sensor itself. Because the sensor is always exposed to the incoming light for live view and composition, the camera can analyze that same sensor signal to calculate a meter reading. In other words, there usually isn’t a separate exposure sensor with light diverted to it the way there often is in an SLR. The camera reads the light directly from the imaging sensor.
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