I want a camera that is SLR quality but iPhone size.?

Hello there.. I do not mean to sound arrogant but I think it's lucky that I checked in here today. I seldom do. But this is not a hard question to answer and I am shocked that so many replies totally missed the mark and did not understand what your asking or looking for.

Basically you are looking for the Versatility and quality of an SLR in a compact size, & not necessarily an actual SLR; yea I got that from what you first asked.

I do agree that the Sony NEX system camera is one good choice, because it uses the same size sensor that 90% of digital SLR cameras on the marked have and it much smaller than a dSLR. But the lenses that are available for the NEX E system are few and about as large as they are for Full Sized dSLR cameras. But I feel it is not the best or most compact choice for every day walking around with it in your pocket.

Now an even better choice would be one of the small Olympus Pens (slightly smaller sensor than NEX but still large) due to the fact there are So Many More lenses and accessories available for the µ4/3 (micro four thirds) camera system, which a Pen camera is, and the Pen has built in I.S. (Image Stabilization), so no matter what lens you use you will have I.S. and will have less blurry shots.

there are also a few Pancake lenses available for it too so 'a Pen with a Pancake is very Pocketable'....lol I made an alliteration.

Any way .. the Kit lens, a 14-42mm zoom, wich is the most compact zoom when closed and also pocketable, for large pockets like hoodies and jackets.

Yes the iPhone does take great photos, and even Annie Leibovitz released a photo book with photos taking just using images from one. I understand that If you have that with you all the time why not use it.

Soooo.. I think the best solution. and the one that you would be most happy with, is to purchase the iPro lens system. It is an attachment for the iPhone. Its produced by Schneider Optics. Schneider has been producing the highest quality optics on the market for over 90 years. Typically a Schneider lens sells for more than most equivalents. I know professional photographers that have the iPro lens system for their iPhones because they want to get the best quality from a camera they have with them all the time.

The basic Kit is the case a fish eye and a wide angle lens, and you can buy the additional telephoto lens for it too. The case will also help protect your phone too.

check it out at http://www.iprolens.com/

So if you already carry your iPhone with you all the time , you can not find a more compact camera system to get. And as you get more into photography you can purchase something else for when you want to take a more versatile and, better in low light, camera out with you for shoots. But like i said I know professionals that have this system because they do not always carry their cameras with them but the iPhone always is with them.

Camera - yes. Any of the more recent mirrorless system cameras, like the canon EOS M.

Lenses - no. Unfortunately.

The problem is in physics. In order to get the features of a DSLR, you need a DSLR-like sensor. While it might be possible to improve sensor quality so you'll get little noise under regular conditions even from a smaller sensor, you won't get the control over the depth-of-field (which a lot of people associate with DSLR quality) from a smaller sensor.

That you can put even an APS-C or similar crop sensor into a small case has been shown - you can buy them. However, you still need the lens. And here you run straight into the solid brick wall of physics: in order to get an image that looks about 'right', the focal length of the lens must be about the same as the diagonal of the sensor. And then, 'focal length' means just that: the distance between the focus point (i.e. sensor) and the lens. So, any sensor of an appreciable size needs a lens of about the same length (a bit more due to practical restrictions, a bit less thanks to some advanced optical trickery).

Therefore, the best you can hope for is a crop frame system camera (APS-C or MFT) with a pancake lens, i.e. a (often prime) lens that has been built as short as possible within the given limits, making a few concessions to e.g. widest f-stop. The result is approaching DSLR quality, sacrificing some DSLR features/handling (like a decent viewfinder that deserves the name) while still being somewhat pocketable.

You're not the only one looking for such a camera, and the manufacturers try to bring out camera models that can do what you want - take a look at the Canon S110, Sony RX100, Canon G1X etc....

small as a phone? No. compact-ish? yes.

It's all about the image sensor size, and matching it with a good lens.

So anything with a large image sensor, ILC cameras you see at Target or other stores like the Sony NEX (currently the best image quality for the money) Nikon 1 system, micro four thirds from Panasonic or Olympus.

For the money, the best are the NEX F3, NEX 5R and NEX 6. But that's not the end. To keep things small you have two choices regardless of what camera brand you buy into. If you get a zoom, get the kind that collapses, or better get a prime lens. If you get a big chunky zoom, you are right back into dSLR size territory, defeating the whole point of getting rid of the mirror.

For the Sony NEX the new 16-50mm collapsing zooms is nice, also the new 35mm f/1.8 is a nice option, and you can get those nice defocused backgrounds like a proper dSLR.

Theere are 2 things which give DSLR cameras their high quality of image. The first is the large sensor. The second is the high quality lens.

Small sensors mean more noise. Less light is captured by each pixel on a smaller sensor. It's bad enough in bright daylight, but at low light levels and high ISO settings, small sensors suck. You just can't get a large sensor into a small device like the iphone.

The lens is the second problem. It doesn't have to be interchangeable, and you can get large sensor-compacts - but they are not cheap. But high quality glass for a large sensor is not going to be small. And if you want wide apertures then you need bigger lenses.

The lens problem is made worse because a lot of people don't adequately protect their iphone lenses, so they become scratched over time. You won't see the scratches in the final image, but it makes a poor image even worse.

The best you can do is a large sensor compact or a four-thirds camera (or one of the Samsung equivalents), which is mid way between DSLR and compact size and quality.

Any mirrorless will give you what you are looking for. I don't think some of the other answers actually read all your details. Sony NEX and the new Canon EOS M have full APS-C sized sensors. The Micro 4/3 cameras (Olympus, Panasonic, etc) have slightly smaller sensors and the Nikon J-1 and V-1 have even smaller sensors than m4/3.

The EOS M is very small ... about like an iPhone I do believe. Lens selection is not much and may not improve if Canon isn't committed to it. Here's a review: http://www.dpreview.com/previews/canon-eos-m

Image quality of a DSLR is due to sensor size & good optics (and, perhaps just as importantly, operator skill!!).

You won't get a large sensor, good optics etc into a small space - just can't be done.

About the best you'll get in terms of size vs quality is something like the Sony Nex5 & similar EVIL (electronic viewfinder interchangeable lens) or mirrorless cameras, some models have a sensor the size of the APS-C found on prosumer DSLR's but a smaller lens mount.

And I want to travel back in time, but the laws of physics simply won't let me.

The SLR's key advantage is the large size of it's sensor, and for a large sensor you need a large lens, and a large camera to fit around it. The Sony NEX series is probably as small as you can go with regards to large sensor cameras.

If you abandon digital, there are some interesting options available in the Rollei 35 and Olympus XA.

In about 50 years, you may be able to buy one.

There are two issues. First is the sensor size. In 50 years, it may be possible to have a small sensor perform as well as a larger one.

Second are the lenses. Again, in 50 years, sensors may be able to have such a crop capability as to negate large; high quality lenses.

But of course, in 50 years, the iPhone 55.0 will probably be a brain implant, and will lack a camera anyway.

You seek the Holy Grail!!! I bet you want it for £$10 too :-)

Such a phone doesn't exist! Cameras are a compromise between cost, size and performance.

Reason DSLR image quality is so good is that there is a large sensor. To get an image to cover a large sensor needs a large lens...

Maybe in the future eh?

You can't get an SLR that size, because there's nowhere to put the reflex mirror and prism.

One of the smallest SLRs ever made was the Pentax Auto 110, which used the 110 cartridge in a body shaped like a shrunken 35mm SLR. While shorter and narrower than its 35mm brothers, the reflex mirror box made it surprisingly thick.