CNET senior editor Lori Grunin, our resident Digital Camera guru was gracious enough to send me her explanation of these so called "hybrid" digital cameras (see below). Thank you Lori for pitching in.
-Lee
Samantha,
The best way to think about interchangeable-lens cameras (ILCs) --
what you refer to as "hybrid" cameras -- is as advanced
point-and-shoot cameras that support the ability to change lenses.
They use the same type of autofocus technology as a point-and-shoot,
the main benefit of which is that it works when shooting video, which
the traditional autofocus used by dSLRs doesn't support.
ILCs have a couple advantages over compacts for shooting kids and
family: they're generally faster and produce better photos in
low-light. They're smaller and lighter than dSLRs, but because they
lack a reflex mirror -- the "R" in "dSLR" -- they don't allow for an
optical viewfinder. At best they provide an electronic viewfinder
(EVF), at worst, none at all. And while they're smaller than dSLRs,
they're still not as small as most point-and-shoots.
They tend to be more expensive than compacts because they use larger
sensors; that's what helps deliver the better photo quality. (There
are some compacts with larger sensors, like the Sony RX100, but
they're just as expensive.)
Hope this helps.
Good luck,
Lori

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