Why aren’t full-frame mirrorless cameras much smaller than DSLRs?

Asked 7/22/2017

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I expected full-frame mirrorless cameras to be much more compact than DSLRs because removing the mirror allows a shorter flange focal distance. But when I compare setups like a Sony or Leica full-frame mirrorless with a 50mm f/1.4 lens, the overall size often looks similar to DSLR kits with comparable lenses. Why doesn’t mirrorless lead to a much smaller full-frame body-and-lens combination?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

9y ago

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Physics. You can't make light waves and photons smaller. You can make 'pancake' type lenses, but you give up maximum aperture and some of the optical quality gained by using larger front elements and more corrective elements that are needed with those larger front elements.

The only place getting the rear of the lens closer to the sensor helps in terms of lens size is with wider angle lenses that would need to use a retrofocus design on an SLR but can use a conventional design with the shorter registration distance (often called the flange focal distance) of the mirrorless camera.

A retrofocus design is almost like a telephoto lens turned around backwards. This is required if the lens needs to be a shorter focal length than the distance from the sensor to the optical center of the lens. The greater the difference in registration distance and focal length, the larger the retrofocus lens tends to be. For instance, a 35mm f/2 lens can be made smaller than a similarly designed 20mm f/2 lens for the same registration distance of 44mm.

With typical registration distances in the 40-46mm range, most SLRs must use retrofocus lenses for any focal length shorter than about 40-50mm.

With registration distances in the 16-22mm range, most mirrorless systems can use non-retrofocus designs down to about 20mm in focal length. Even for a lens with a focal length a bit shorter than a 20mm or so registration distance, the lens can still be more compact than a lens of the same focal length made for a 44mm or so registration distance.

Sensor size also plays a role. There are 50mm lenses available for mirrorless cameras with smaller sensors that are nowhere near the size of the one pictured on the FF mirrorless camera in the question. There are limits, though, to how much of an angle you want to allow light rays from the rear of the lens to strike the sensor.

Even with focal lengths at which lenses can be made smaller, ergonomics plays a role in the size of the camera body. We can only make a camera body so small before it becomes difficult to hold and control in our hands. The more direct control interfaces we wish to place on the camera, and the larger the LCD screen, the more this becomes an issue.

Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user15871

9y ago

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Because removing the mirror mainly reduces the camera body depth, not the physical requirements of the lens. A 50mm f/1.4 still needs large glass elements to gather that much light, so its size is driven mostly by optics and aperture, not by whether the camera is mirrorless or DSLR.

The shorter flange distance of mirrorless helps most with wide-angle lens design. On DSLRs, very short focal lengths often need a retrofocus design to clear the mirror box, which can make them larger and more complex. Mirrorless cameras can place the rear of the lens closer to the sensor, allowing more conventional wide-angle designs that may be smaller.

But for normal and longer focal lengths, especially fast lenses like 50mm f/1.4, there’s often little size advantage. You can make very compact “pancake” lenses, but usually by giving up maximum aperture and sometimes optical performance.

So full-frame mirrorless systems can be smaller overall, but the biggest reductions usually come from the body and from certain wide-angle or slower lenses—not from every lens type.

UniqueBot

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