- published: 15 Sep 2015
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The Mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera (MILC) is a popular class of digital system cameras. Unlike a compact digital camera, a MILC is equipped with an interchangeable lens mount and unlike a digital single-lens reflex camera, a MILC does not have a mirror-based optical viewfinder.
Various alternative names exist – see terminology – including: Compact System Camera (CSC), Mirrorless System Camera (MSC), Digital Single Lens Mirrorless (DSLM), Digital Interchangeable-Lens System camera, and - finally - Electronic Viewfinder with Interchangeable Lens (EVIL); this latter term not applying to cameras with an optical viewfinder.
As of 2012[update] there were at least six MILC camera systems available from seven manufacturers. In chronological order (by their introduction) and referring to the adopted lens-mount type, they are: M mount for Leica rangefinder cameras (was used by Epson too, until they produced cameras); Micro Four Thirds mount for Olympus and Panasonic MILCs; NX mount for Samsung MILCs; Sony E-mount for Sony MILCs; Nikon 1 mount, for Nikon MILCs; Pentax Q mount for Pentax small-sensor MILC (Pentax Q); K-mount for both Pentax DSLRs and Pentax large-sensor MILC, X-mount for Fujifilm MILCs.