A pellicle mirror is a semi-translucent mirror used in cameras.
Advantages of a pellicle mirror:
- The viewfinder does not go dark - you can see what happens all the time
- There is no mirror shake - this is good for macro photography, where even
the slightest shake of the camera can cause a blurred image
- Pictures can be taken a faster rate. The mirror does not have to go up
and down for every image. The EOS 1N RS, for example, can take 10 pictures
every second
- The system can be more quiet (no "mirror slap")
Disadvantages of a pellicle mirror
- Using a pellicle mirror causes a 1/3 stop of light loss. (Some light has
to go to the viewfinder)
- The mirror has to be kept perfectly clean, or else the light sensor
and other electronics (as well as the image quality, obviously) will suffer.
- Cleaning a pellicle mirror is difficult
Possible disadvantages of a pellicle mirror
(these are taste matters that could mean something to one photographer, and
nothing to others)
- The viewfinder does not go dark. This can be a problem if one is in a
noisy environment (Rock concert, war, etc)
- Ripping through a 36 picture film in a little more than three seconds can
be a practical and / or financial problem
This type of mirror has been used in:
- Canon
- Pellix QL (1965)
- F-1 High Speed (LE for the 1972 Olympics)
- EOS RT (1989)
- EOS 1N RS (1994)
- Nikon
- F2 HS
- F3 HS (Introduced for the 1998 Nagano Olympics -thanks, anti-nate)
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