The article is probably from 2018 as the newest DSLRs like Nikon's D780 has about the same sensor PDAF capabilities as their Z-series mirrorless bodies.<p>It's funny, how in the beginning mirrorless cameras (and DSLRs in the liveview mode9 had really slow contrast based AF but nowadays the best models have already catched the DSLR PDAF systems and in some cases are better and more intelligent (like Sony's A7Riv, A6400 and A9* subject tracking which understands subject disappearing from the frame and reappearing etc).<p>Also, it's funnily telling which photographers have really gotten used to bad DSLR PDAF as they are using only the middle focus point with mirrorless cameras which have the same or better AF-capabilities even in the frame corners. They don't trust the mirrorless sensor PDAF and try to use it like the older DSLRs worked.
My camera is fairly old at this point, but has both methods. Unfortunately, when doing contrast detection AF, it may stop down the aperture if it's too bright. This extends your depth of field, and your camera will then tell you parts of the image are in focus when they will not be when you take the shot.<p>Really frustrating.
I’ve moved from a 5D mkIII to an R5. The autofocus is extremely impressive, the biggest win however is not the focusing performance but the coverage. The 5D, and most SLRs, cluster the PDAF points in the middle of the frame where as the mirrorless focuses anywhere.