• 20 parts
  • Checked September 2026

Parts of a Mirrorless Camera Labeled

A mirrorless camera from the front, from above, from the back, and cut through to show the light path.

Parts of a Mirrorless Camera Labeled

Name Date

Tap any part to read, rename or leave it out

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
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Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

  1. Lens mount
  2. Image sensor
  3. Contacts
  4. Lens release button
  5. Self-timer lamp
  6. Strap eyelet
  7. Shutter button
  8. Command dial
  9. Hot shoe
  10. Microphone
  11. Eyecup
  12. Eye sensor
  13. Diopter adjustment control
  14. Monitor
  15. Playback button
  16. Card slot cover
  17. Speaker
  18. Lens
  19. Shutter
  20. Electronic viewfinder

Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a part is answered.

Next step Next: a DSLR, the camera with a mirror

All 20 parts on the diagram

Show the list

Front and top 10

  1. Lens mount With the lens off, you see straight through to the image sensor.
  2. Image sensor The lens shines light onto it all the time. In a mirrorless camera no mirror sits in front of it.
  3. Contacts They pass signals from camera to lens and back.
  4. Lens release button Hold it in and turn the lens to remove it.
  5. Self-timer lamp It belongs to the self-timer and can also help the camera focus. It lights for a poorly lit subject.
  6. Strap eyelet There is one on each side of the body.
  7. Shutter button Pressing it halfway makes the camera focus.
  8. Command dial It adjusts the shutter speed or the aperture.
  9. Hot shoe A mounting point on top of the camera. It takes a flash unit and other accessories.
  10. Microphone A group of holes on each side of this camera's hump.

Back and inside 10

  1. Eyecup It frames the little window you look into.
  2. Eye sensor The display then switches from monitor to viewfinder.
  3. Diopter adjustment control It focuses the viewfinder, not the picture.
  4. Monitor It shows the picture from the sensor. On many cameras it can be tilted, and it works as a touch screen.
  5. Playback button It is marked with a triangle, like a play button.
  6. Card slot cover Slide it open to put in or take out a memory card.
  7. Speaker A small grid of holes beside the viewfinder.
  8. Lens It can be taken off and swapped for another lens.
  9. Shutter Almost every mirrorless camera has a mechanical shutter. Many have an electronic one as well.
  10. Electronic viewfinder It shows the picture from the sensor. There is no mirror or prism behind it.

How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-09-30 and kept only where at least two of four sources use it: (1) Fujifilm X-T3 Owner's Manual, Parts of the Camera, https://fujifilm-dsc.com/en/manual/x-t3/about_this_camera/parts/index.html; (2) Canon EOS R5 Advanced User Guide, Part Names, https://cam.start.canon/en/C003/manual/html/UG-00_Before_0090.html; (3) Nikon Z 50 Online Manual, Parts of the Camera and Camera Controls, https://onlinemanual.nikonimglib.com/z50/en/02_getting_to_know_the_camera_01.html; (4) Wikipedia, text only: Mirrorless camera, Electronic viewfinder, Hot shoe and Lens mount. The three manuals were read for names only; no maker is named or drawn on the page. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; no maker's camera, nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

A mirrorless camera in four views. With the lens off, the image sensor sits right behind the lens mount: there is no mirror in front of it. The last view follows the light from the lens to the sensor.

Read the full guide

Where each part is

Numbers 1 to 6 are the front with the lens off: the lens mount, the image sensor behind it, the contacts, the lens release button, the self-timer lamp and a strap eyelet. Numbers 7 to 10 are on top: the shutter button, the command dial, the hot shoe and the microphone. Numbers 11 to 17 are the back: the eyecup, the eye sensor, the diopter adjustment control, the monitor, the playback button, the card slot cover and the speaker. Numbers 18 to 20 are inside: light passes through the lens and the open shutter to the sensor, and the electronic viewfinder shows you the result.

  • No mirror is the whole idea: the lens shines light straight onto the sensor, and a screen shows you the picture.
  • The eyecup and the eye sensor sit together: one is the rim your eye rests on, the other a small dark window under it.

Questions and answers

What are the parts of a mirrorless camera?

Outside: the lens, lens mount, shutter button, command dial, hot shoe, monitor, and the electronic viewfinder with its eyecup and eye sensor. Inside: the shutter and the image sensor. There is no mirror and no prism, which is where the name comes from.

What is the difference between a mirrorless camera and a DSLR?

A DSLR has a movable mirror behind the lens that sends light to an optical viewfinder. A mirrorless camera has none: the lens always shines light on the image sensor, and the picture is shown on the monitor or the electronic viewfinder.

How does an electronic viewfinder work?

The image sensor records the view through the lens, and that picture is shown on a small screen inside the viewfinder, which you see through the eyepiece. On some cameras an eye sensor switches it on when your eye comes close.

What does the eye sensor on a camera do?

It notices your eye at the viewfinder and switches the display over from monitor to viewfinder. It also reacts to other things that come close, such as your fingers.

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