Regular readers of the blog will know I have a warm spot in my heart for compact cameras. It isn't necessary to reestablish that relationship at this point. however, we seem to be at a sort of crossroads in the industry. The quality and technology of digital SLR cameras continues to integrate with smaller, pocketable cameras, bridging new classes of cameras into a hybrid of sorts, those commonly called mirrorless cameras, or EVIL for short (electronic viewfinder w/ interchangeable lens). These small cameras lose the pentaprism and mirror box found on digital SLR cameras, and integrate the electronic viewfinders and control layouts of point and shoot cameras. The end camera is a product that has a slightly larger sensor than that of a point and shoot camera, remarkably smaller than a full-frame digital sensor (which has remarkable imaging capability,) into a small and compact body wielding technology normally reserved for the larger SLR cameras. If someone asked me what their place is in the world of digital photography, I would say that it fills a gap between limiting point and shoot cameras and bulky DSLR cameras. With interchangeable lenses and lens mount adaptors, a new world of high-quality compact cameras with a wide variety of lensing options becomes available, and that has interesting ramifications for our work as photojournalists.

If you visit the site of Nikon's new mirrorless cameras, the J1 and V1 (www.nikonusa.com), you'll find pictures of happy kids and vacation memories. On first glance these cameras seem set for well-heeled amateurs and family snappers. But dig deeper and you'll find a remarkable list of technology:

1.  10 frames a second capture with full autofocus, but up to 60 frames a second at full 10mp resolution using an electronic shutter.

2. 1080/60i video capture (same as our high-def Canon XH-A1 video cameras)

3. the option to attach a microphone or dedicated flash unit.

4. High ISO capability up to 6400.

Despite the wizardy of technology, I love the silence a mirrorless or a compact camera gives me as a documentary photographer. Nothing says 'look at me' more than a loud flapping mirror and shutter. That's why, in sensitive situations, I turn to my personal Canon G12. Granted, it doesn't nearly have the noise control that the Canon 1D Mark IV or Nikon D700 has, but silence is golden, and sometimes the smaller the camera, the easier it is to handhold in low-light situations.

So, while I use Nikon's mirrorless as an example, there are a couple of things I would have them reengineer on any new camera. However, that's besides the point. The question I ponder out loud is thus -- can this technology be made into a pro camera body that gives us the same day-to-day durability as a DSLR does, but in a smaller package that's still larger than an iPhone? Imagine a newspaper photojournalist with a mirrorless camera hanging from each shoulder, perhaps the size of today's Canon 7D or Nikon's D7000, but coupled with fast aperture 2.8 lenses and a viewfinder that's fast enough to replicate an optical viewfinder? Give me the silence, I'll take it, and give me the autofocus I currently have in my DSLRs. Then, as I said, give me the durability, and the system of lenses to make the most of it. Plus, with integrated video at the touch of a button, that's music to my ears when it comes to churning out deadline video.

Could this be down the road? Perhaps. Is the DSLR going anywhere? Hmm, not sure. Could this exciting new technology help photojournalists perform their craft even better? You betcha.