Pentaprism vs. pentamirror: what’s the difference in an SLR viewfinder?
Asked 5/9/2011
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In an SLR, the image from the lens is redirected to the optical viewfinder by either a pentaprism or a pentamirror. What is the practical difference between these two designs, and why is a pentaprism generally considered better?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
15y ago
2 Answers
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The basic difference is that a pentaprism is a solid block of glass. This means it's fairly heavy. Light enters one side, gets reflected around inside, and then comes out one other side. This means there are only 2 air/glass interfaces involved: one where light enters the prism, and one where it leaves the prism. This keeps light loss to a minimum.
A pentamirror does pretty much the same thing, but it's composed of a number of separate mirrors, so there's air in the middle instead of a block of solid glass. This makes it considerably lighter and less expensive. It also means there's an air/glass interface for each individual mirror, so there's quite a bit more light loss.
As a result, a pentamirror is used almost exclusively in relatively low-end cameras where reduced expense and weight matter more than a relatively dim view through the viewfinder.
Originally by user603. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user603
15y ago
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A pentaprism is a single solid block of glass that redirects the image from the focusing screen to the viewfinder. A pentamirror does the same job using several separate mirrors in a lightweight housing.
The main tradeoffs are:
- Brightness: A pentaprism usually loses less light because the light passes through fewer air/glass boundaries. That typically makes the viewfinder brighter.
- Weight: A pentaprism is heavier because it’s solid glass.
- Cost: A pentamirror is cheaper to make, so it’s common in entry-level SLRs.
Why is a pentaprism preferable? Mostly because of the brighter, often more premium-feeling viewfinder experience. The downside is extra weight and cost.
So in practice: pentaprism = brighter but heavier and more expensive; pentamirror = lighter and cheaper but dimmer.
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