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Cameras, Formats & Systems

Pentamirror

A lighter, cheaper alternative to the pentaprism using a hollow arrangement of mirrors to perform the same image correction.

In depth

Each mirror surface reflects perhaps 90 to 96 per cent of the light rather than the near-total internal reflection of solid glass, so a pentamirror finder is noticeably dimmer and often shows less than full frame coverage. The saving in weight and cost is substantial, which is why the design defines the entry-level DSLR.

Examples in practice

Entry-level DSLRs typically pair a pentamirror with 95 per cent viewfinder coverage, so a little more appears in the file than was seen.