Why are mirrorless cameras often slower shot-to-shot than DSLRs?
Asked 10/9/2013
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I’ve compared single-shot cycle times for interchangeable-lens mirrorless cameras and DSLRs, and many mirrorless models seem slower between shots. That feels counterintuitive, since mirrorless cameras don’t have to move a reflex mirror between exposures.
What technical factors make mirrorless cameras slower shot-to-shot in single-shot mode? Is it mainly autofocus, live view/sensor readout, shutter operation, or something else?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
12y ago
2 Answers
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There are two main things I can think of, the first is the autofocus. On a DSLR, the mirror reflects light on to a Phase Detect Auto Focus sensor while you are looking in the view finder. While PDAF isn't as accurate as contrast based detection (which can be done with a standard CMOS sensor) it is much faster. Since mirrorless lack the mirror, they generally use CDAF which is slower. This is probably the majority of the difference.
The other thought would be shutter. If there isn't a physical shutter on the particular mirrorless, it is going to have to use an electronic shutter which may take more time to clear the CMOS sensor before exposure, but I would expect this to be a significant contribution.
Size could also be a factor as mirrorless tend to be smaller, and thus have less room for electronics. It's hard to make electronics small, fast and power efficient, so they may have elected for slower electronics to keep small and battery efficient. Older cameras had speed, but they may be doing additional image processing now and higher resolutions now would require faster processing as well.
Update: The information you supplied about the burst makes me think it has to either be CPU or memory card access speed related. If the burst is fast, but between shots is slow, then it means that it is the actual image processing and storage that is the bottle neck. Generally, burst shoots in to a buffer and then images are processed out of that buffer and then written to the memory card. If burst is fast, then it is making it in to the cache quickly, which rules out focus or shutter issues on that particular model. The only thing left is the process of clearing the buffer out, and that's image processing and storage.
It's fairly typical for the camera to wait for image processing and storage to be completed before moving to the next image when not firing in burst, so this would seem to support that assumption as well. If comparable cards are being used in both, it would be a question of the speed of the actual card interface in the camera and if that is comparable, then CPU is really all that is left, at least of the things I can think of.
Originally by user11392. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user11392
12y ago
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The main reason is usually autofocus.
DSLRs can use a dedicated phase-detect AF sensor while you’re composing through the optical viewfinder. Phase-detect AF is generally much faster at acquiring focus than the contrast-detect AF used by many mirrorless cameras, especially older models. So even though a DSLR has mirror movement, it can still be quicker overall between shots because less time is spent refocusing.
Mirrorless cameras also have to keep the main sensor active for live view, which means extra sensor readout/processing is happening all the time. Depending on the design, that can add overhead between exposures.
Shutter behavior may matter too. Some designs may need extra sensor clearing/readout steps around the exposure, especially when relying on electronic shutter operation or live-view-driven capture.
So the missing mirror doesn’t automatically make mirrorless faster shot-to-shot. In practice, the speed advantage from DSLR phase-detect AF often outweighs the mechanical delay of mirror movement. Camera size and processing limitations may also contribute, but AF is likely the biggest factor.
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