F
OR DECADES, THE PROFESSIONAL AND
pro-sumer photography market had been
dominated by SLR and DSLR cameras.
They were the chunky but reliable work-
horses you’d see journalists, artists, and
even hobbyists clutching. Then, in 2004,
mirrorless digital models began show-
ing up (Epson generally gets credit for making
the first); they were far more durable and porta-
ble because they lacked a sizable moving part—the
mirror. But early versions used a smaller imageSony’s 7
was the first
interchangeable-
lens camera to
do away with the
mirror but still
incorporate a full-
frame sensor.sensor and lacked the performance of larger SLR
models. Then in 2013, Sony introduced the 7 and
7R, digital cameras with full-frame sensors that
also accepted standard, interchangeable lenses.
They were the first mirrorless cameras with the
quality and features that pros required.
Some more history: Single-lens ref lex (SLR) cam-
eras have been around since the 1860s. They feature
viewfinders and a mirror inside the camera, which
allows you to see through the main photographic
lens. When you hit the shutter button, the mirror
quickly f lips up and out of the way, exposing the
film to light coming through the lens. In the early
2000s, SLRs largely gave way to DSLRs (D for digi-
tal, which meant swapping the film for an electronic
image sensor), but the form-factor largely remainedThis Camera
Was the Best
of Both Worlds
78 March/April 2021This Changed
(^12) Everything
// BY BRENT ROSE //
PHOTOGRAPH BY TREVOR RAAB