What is a DSLT Camera?

There are two types of digital professional cameras available on the market, DSLR and DSLT. For a long time DSLR cameras have been the only cameras commonly found on the market, however, a new technology with the DSLT is becoming more common.

A DSLT camera stands for Digital Single Lens Translucent

The term DSLT refers to the action of the translucent mirror in the camera, which is fixed, allowing the majority of light to come through to the sensor and deflecting a small amount of light to the AF sensor.

The main advantages of the new DSLT cameras are:

• the image in the viewfinder never blacks out
• the cameras are cheaper to produce
• faster and more reliable auto focus than DSLR or MILC cameras
• constant auto focus even during video recording, continuous shooting and live view odes
• shorter shutter lag time due to an increased frame rate - meaning you can take more images faster and there is less time between shots
• no camera shake due to mirror movement
• white balance, exposure and other settings can be check through the electronic viewfinder (and verified or changed) before taking a picture

The main disadvantages of DSLT camera are:

• the viewfinder is replaced for an electronic finder
• the electronic viewfinder lacks the brightness and clarity of traditional optical viewfinders
• different functionality to traditional DSLRs
• lower light reaching sensor as a portion of the light is reflected onto the auto focus detection
• the refresh rate of the camera is limited by the time it takes the sensor to form an image
• DSLT does not commonly do well in low light as it causes sever stuttering of the viewfinder image when panning as it takes longer for the sensor to get enough light to form an image
• the electronic viewfinder does no properly show what will be captured as it has a less dynamic range than DSLR cameras
• DSLT cameras can cause eyestrain in some users during the bright light of the electronic view finder, which can be frustrating when using the camera for long periods
• the mirror surfaces in the camera can become dirty over time, degrading the captured image as the mirror will scatter the light

Sony is the only current manufacturer of DSLT cameras, they are the middle ground between DSLR (digital single lens reflex) and MILC (mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras) cameras, however, they are closer to MILCs rather than the DSLRs as they have an electronic viewfinder.

The electronic viewfinders in the Sony DSLT cameras collect an image through the sensor and the camera is able to use phase-detection auto focus all the time - even during video recording. This constant phase-detection auto focus is generally faster and more reliable than the contrast detection autofocus used in MILCs and DSLRs.

As DSLT cameras are such a new technology, there are a number flaws and issues - however, it also has a range of advantages not seen in DSLR cameras.

Your choice of camera really depends on your needs and wants in a camera and is a matter of personal choice - each person looks for different features so while the DSLT might work for one, a DSLR may be more suited to someone else.