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 |
Source: How to buy a camera in 2018
https://www.engadget.com/2018/02/08/camera-buying-guide-2018/