Camera: DSLR, mirrorless or compact

DSLR	Mirrorless	Compact
Best battery life	Less battery life	Least battery life
Purity/clarity of optical viewfinder, but you can’t see the final result	Electronic viewfinder or rear display only, less clarity but what you see is what you get	Electronic viewfinder or rear display only, less clarity but what you see is what you get
Fastest, most accurate autofocus	Good autofocus but a notch below DSLR	Another notch below mirrorless
Most lens options for Nikon and Canon, allows maximum creativity and choice	Good lens options, lack of a mirror means smaller lenses and slightly better optics than a DSLR	Only one lens means less creative control but lightest, least bulky option
Heaviest and bulkiest, good for professionals but bad for tourists who want to pack light	Much lighter than a DSLR but also less stable for video and when shooting with large lenses	Extremely light, often pocketable size

Full frame	APS-C	Micro Four Thirds	Type 1
Largest consumer size (36 x 24mm) and highest resolution, up to 50 megapixels	Second-largest common size (22.2 x 14.8mm Canon and 23.5 x 15.6mm others), resolution up to 24 megapixels	17.30 x 13mm sensor size, resolution up to 20 megapixels	13.20 x 8.80mm sensor size, resolution up to 20 megapixels
Largest pixels for dimly lit photos and video with less noise, usable up to ISO 104,200	Pixels still big enough for low-light photos but more noise than full frame	Not the best for low light, with the exception of purpose-built models like Panasonic’s GH5s	Even the best models like Sony’s RX100 V will be noisy above ISO 6400
Razor-thin depth of field for artistic bokeh	The sweet spot for video but fewer artistic bokeh possibilities than full frame	Decent but not spectacular bokeh	You’ll need to zoom in and use a low f/stop for blurred backgrounds
Narrow depth of field creates problems with focus and bright sunlight	Easier to control focus and shoot in bright light	Focus and light more easily controlled	Relatively easy to nail focus, even wide open