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

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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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15y ago

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