The best mirrorless camera for you depends on what you want to do with it. In the end, there’s nothing like a perfect camera. Each has its own limitations, and part of the magic of photography is to learn how to avoid them. What you want to find is the perfect camera for the type of photo you want to take. This can be a complicated process, so we’ll put together an entire guide to choosing the right camera. This will explain all the terminology, acronyms, sensor options and additional features to help you know which option is best for you.
Here are some features to keep in mind depending on the type of image you’re interested in. All cameras below have these features, but they have a variety of performance, with lower light photography better than other cameras, for example.
Sensor size: Yes, I said that wasn’t the problem and not the case, but you need to understand that. For example, if you’re interested in shooting wildlife, using a high-resolution sensor, like the Sony’s 60 MP sensor on the A7R V, will allow you to harvest images above the 24 MP sensor. On the other hand, if you’re not planning on using it, there’s not much reason to add it to more megapixels.
Autofocus: When I first picked up the camera in the 1980s, the autofocus was brand new. The Minolta Maxxum 7000 was the first SLR camera with an integrated autofocus system, completely changing the way photography works. On the other side of this is that all images made before the early 80s were manually focused, so no, you don’t need autofocus to create great images. All of the cameras below have insanely fast autofocus. However, the accuracy is different, so if this feature is important, be aware of these notes.
Internal image stabilization: Often called Ibis, the stabilization of the camera body helps to eliminate handshakes, allowing you to shoot at a slower shutter speed and get sharper images. This is especially important for those who want to shoot in low light.
Electronic viewfinder: Often, with EVF omitted, ViewFinder is what you use to create shots, and there are probably more variations between cameras than other features. ViewFinder has a big impact on enjoying your camera use. This is a good idea to head to your local camera shop and try the viewfinder directly and make sure it works for you, especially if you’re wearing glasses like me.
Weather seal: A feature that is often overlooked, important when you want to shoot in a disadvantageous situation. This is important for landscape photographers. A related feature to look for is the sensor cover that protects the sensor from dust and dirt when replacing the lens.
Battery life: The battery life is pretty good across the camera body these days, but there are still some that are better than the others. For example, my Sony A7RII rarely goes out with a battery chewing and less than two backups. This is pain.
JPEG quality in camera: All cameras here can save images simultaneously as RAW files, JPEG files, or both. However, some cameras produce better JPEG than others. Panasonic’s Lumix Line recently added the ability to apply in-camera LUTS, which is also very nice, but Fujifilm is famous for the amount of control it offers, especially for tweaking in-camera JPEG.
Once you have your camera, read the manual and learn what it can and cannot, and use it many times until it becomes an easy extension of your mind. Once you get a comfortable level, the gear can fade to the background it belongs to and focus on creating images that you’ve always dreamed of creating.
