I don’t think that manufacturers “ chose to stop developing sensors for DSLRs.” While features have been added to newer sensors to support mirrorless AF, there would be nothing to keep manufacturers from using those sensors in DSLR designs if they felt that there was a market for them. It isn’t much about sensors — it is about economies of design and manufacturing, coupled with the industry solving a number of the issues that plagued earlier mirrorless cameras. Also, as you point out, the fact that mirrorless cameras are not subject to the problems maintaining AF adjustment that plagued DSLR designs.
The point about battery capacity or, more accurately, mirrorless cameras battery drain rates is true, though becoming less of an issue than it was early on. (Those of use who still use a DSLR and shoot in live view mode know just how fast older cameras drained batteries when using the electronic display and having the sensor constantly on.)
tsangc wrote:
There's inherent benefits that each come from the mirrorless or DSLR architectures...nostalgia aside, those individual design benefits explain a lot of the comments here:
The higher resolution and sensitivity of newer mirrorless models likely could exist on an updated DSLR. It's just the manufacturers chose to stop developing sensors for DSLRs and focused their investment on mirrorless. Most of the folks here are happy because they bought the higher end DSLRs like 5Ds/5D4 and that's enough for them to keep using them...for now.
The faster and more accurate focusing of newer mirrorless cameras on the other hand--that's due to the new sensors in plane, something that was a big weakness in the DSLR architecture. I will not miss the MFA adjustment process for lenses and the potential for misalignment between the mirror, submirror and focus sensor. Nor sensor block shims, USB adjustment docks, sending both lens and camera into the shop for calibration together and all that craziness.
One benefit of DSLRs I absolutely miss is the battery performance. Just yesterday morning I spotted a coyote and without thinking, opened my trunk to retrieve my trusty SL1/EF400mm f5.6L. I knew it'd have plenty of battery to get a shot or two off. It'd been in there for a month in sub freezing weather and still at half capacity! Mirrorless cameras just eat battery--I don't think if I had one of those I'd even start with same capacity because it'd been eaten by previous shoots.
Feb 04, 2026 at 11:32 AM
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