The Flash Photography Field Guide

DSLR or Compact?

Only a few years ago, the question of whether to use a DSLR or a more compact camera for off-camera flash use would not have been a difficult one to answer, as virtually all compacts had small sensors and a fixed lens. However, the latest crop of mirrorless cameras, such as Panasonic’s GF range, the Olympus PENs, and the Sony NEX cameras, offer sensors almost as big as those found in DSLRs, plus the ability to change lenses and to take full manual control of aperture and shutter speed. There’s also a hotshoe on top so that you can fit a wireless flash trigger or bigger flashgun onto your camera, and of course they’re very small.

However, for a serious strobe user, a DSLR still makes more sense. There is a wider range of lenses ...