In this answer a reference was made to SLD cameras, also "called Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Cameras". I realise that this is a synonym for "EVIL" cameras such as the micro-Four-Thirds cameras and the Sony NEX. But what does the acronym stand for?


Single Lens Digital (more on wikipedia). It doesn't really make sense in the context of EVIL cameras, since these cameras have interchangeable lenses.

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    yeah it's totally misleading these days, since "single" in Single Lens Reflex refers to there only being one lens on the camera, amd Twin Lens Reflexes died out about forty years ago... – Matt Grum Jan 18 '11 at 21:02
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    Hey -- I'll have you know that I bought a brand-spankin'-new Mamiya C330 less than a quarter-century ago, along with three lens pairs (you need pairs on an interchangeable-lens TLR) and a paramender :o) – user2719 Jan 20 '11 at 22:44

That would be Single Lens Display, where the D replaces the R as in SLR.

Olympus also used the same acronym as Single Lens Direct View. Obviously there is implied that it is a direct view from the imaging sensor.

Now I do see some references where D stands for Digital instead, which I think is too broad since there are other types of cameras where it applies.

Until Sony introduced its SLT models which use a translucent mirror, the category may have been named MILC which stands for Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Camera. but then it would have excluded this new type. Unsurprisingly, I've seen some sites and stores put the SLT models under the SLR category instead.

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  • You can argue that the "reflex" in SLR stands for the pentaprism or Porro prism... – gerikson Jan 18 '11 at 21:11
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    No, you can't. The first SLRs had left-right reversed waist level finders. In fact, until recently, the top-of-the-line Nikons and Canons still had a WLF option (Both the Canon F1 and the Nikon D3 had them for sure, and I'm pretty sure the D4 still had it as an option.) The prism finder usually came standard (and was often fixed) in the 35mm world, but in 6x6 and larger medium format, it was (and still is) a multi-hundred-dollar option. "Reflex" indicates the mirror, which does a bottom-to-top image erection; the prism adds left-to-right correction as well. – user2719 Jan 20 '11 at 22:49
  • Um, make that F3 and F4 for the Nikons -- one gets far too used to typing "D" these digital days... – user2719 Jan 20 '11 at 23:23

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