Image: Fujifilm

Fujifilm has announced that it's working on "its first-ever filmmaking camera" called the GFX Eterna, which will use the 44 x 33 mm medium-format sensor found in its GFX 100 II and 100S II cameras. The company says it's set to be released in 2025, when it'll likely compete with other large-format* cameras like Red's V-Raptor with a 41 x 21.6 mm sensor, and Arri's Alexa 65 with its 54 x 25.6 mm sensor.

The 102MP sensor will be paired with Fujifilm's X-Processor 5, also brought over from its more stills-focused cameras. That sensor is "approximately 1.7 times larger" than 35mm sensors, which themselves are considered relatively big for cinema cameras.

The GFX Eternal looks like a typical cinema camera

While there are plenty of details still missing – this is only a development announcement – the company's news post includes two renders of the GFX Eterna, which looks like a typical cinema camera: it's adorned with buttons and ports, including connectors for Genlock, USB-C, Ethernet, remotes, audio equipment and video output. Also included is a locking lens mount, which is vital when dealing with extremely heavy and costly cinema glass.

Alongside the camera, the company says it's working on a 32-90mm power zoom GF lens, which translates to roughly 25-71mm full frame equiv. The company is also working on an adapter that will let you put industry-standard PL-mount lenses onto the camera's G-mount. However, anyone using PL mount lenses with the camera will want to make sure they have a big enough image circle, as many cinema lenses are made for cameras with "Super35" sensors, which can be 25 x 13.9 or 25 x 18.7 mm. That makes them closer in size to APS-C sensors than the 36 x 24 mm full-frame sensors the GFX sensor was made to outclass.

While the GFX Eterna may be the company's first cinema camera, it's not necessarily a surprising move. The GFX 100 II has a ton of video features, including a series of video modes designed for the company's incredibly expensive Premista cinema lenses, which have a larger imaging circle than full-frame but smaller than the full GF mount. However, it is interesting that the company would choose to jump into the cinema market with this sensor, given its relatively poor rolling shutter performance. In its UHD and DCI 4K modes, it manages a 14-15ms readout rate via line-skipping, but at higher resolutions, it reaches upwards of 30ms, which could render even moderate speed pans as a wobbly mess.

*In video terms

Image: Sony Alpha Universe

Sony has teased its newest high-performance camera, the a1 Mark II, on its Sony Alpha Universe website, as well as on its social media channels like Instagram and TikTok. According to the teaser, the new model will be announced next Tuesday, November 19, during a live-streamed event that starts at 9:00 am Eastern time.

The company did not provide any details beyond the new product name and announcement time. However, the banner on the Sony Alpha Universe website links to a scheduled video on Sony's YouTube channel where the launch will be live-streamed.

85%

Overall score

Jump to conclusion

The Panasonic Lumix S9 is the newest addition to Panasonic's line of full-frame mirrorless cameras, though it differs considerably from previous models by being the first to diverge from the traditional DSLR form factor. More significantly, it's the first full-frame Lumix camera aimed squarely at social media content creators.

The basic premise of the S9 is that it's designed to simplify and speed up the social media workflow. The goal is to allow content creators to generate photos or videos ready to publish straight out of the camera without additional editing in other applications.

Key specifications

• 24MP BSI CMOS full-frame sensor with on-sensor phase detection
• Sensor stabilized to 5EV (6.5EV w/ lens)
• 1.84M dot fully-articulating LCD
• Open-gate video at 4K or 6K up to 30p
• Extensive range of video resolutions, frame-rates and codecs
• Dedicated LUT button to apply LUTs to output (photos and video)
• Tight integration with the new Lumix Lab smartphone app
• Dual conversion gain sensor with explicit 'Dual Native ISO' gain selection
• Single UHS-II card slot

The Lumix S9 is available at a suggested retail price of $1499 in six color options: night blue, dark olive, crimson red, sakura pink, mint green and jet black.

Alongside the S9, Panasonic also announced a new L-mount lens designed to pair with the camera. The Lumix S 26mm F8 is a fixed-aperture, manual focus 'pancake' style lens with a suggested retail price of $199. But the S9's primary kit lens is the 18-40mm 4.3-6.3, a collapsible zoom that presents a compact combination, but increases the cost to $1797.

Index:

• What's new?
• How it compares
• Body and controls
• Image Quality
• Autofocus
• Video
• Conclusion
• Sample gallery
• Specifications
• Press release

What's new:

Under the hood, the Panasonic S9 has a lot of similarities to the Panasonic S5II. However, by necessity, it omits some of that camera's hardware features in the interest of size, including an EVF, a second main command dial, a joystick, a second card slot and an integrated fan.

While the two cameras share a common technology platform, the S9 is not simply a more compact version of the S5II: the cameras have very different design philosophies and are aimed at different types of users. One of the starkest examples of this is in the S9's lack of a mechanical shutter or hot-shoe mount, which signals its prioritization of video over stills. There's no reasonable way to use a flash with this camera, and you'll have to be careful to avoid rolling shutter when shooting moving subjects.

Social media-focused workflow

The S9 is specifically designed with a social media workflow in mind. This means providing social media creators with the tools necessary to generate distinctive, signature looks to their photos and videos straight out of the camera without requiring any editing skills. Panasonic describes this as the ability to "Shoot, edit and share in 30 seconds." While 30 seconds may be a bit optimistic, it's important to understand that this social media workflow underpins the camera's features and design choices.

In essence, the S9 is intended to provide a camera-to-social-media workflow that can be executed quickly and easily, without relying on a computer or any third-party software. Although the camera can support an enthusiast photographer's workflow, it's not optimized for it, and lacks features that dedicated photographers are likely to value, such as a dedicated viewfinder, a second command dial and direct controls for features such as AF mode and area.

Expanded use of 'Real Time' LUTs

A core feature of the S9's social media workflow is Panasonic's 'Real Time' LUT system, first introduced on the S5II. This does more or less what it sounds like: it lets you instantly apply a look-up table (LUT) color transformation to a photo or video as they're captured to provide a custom look that would otherwise require additional editing to achieve.

LUTs have been a standard method of applying color and tone transformations in the video world for years, but Panasonic has expanded their use to broadly apply to both stills and video. It promises this LUT-based workflow will let you skip the color editing step entirely because you can use LUTs to achieve whatever look you want straight out of the camera.

LUTs are such an essential part of the S9's identity that it has a dedicated LUT button next to the AF-On button on the back of the camera. Tapping this button allows you to quickly cycle through all the LUTs loaded into the camera to select the look you want to achieve.

The S9's Real Time LUT feature allows you to generate custom looks straight out of the camera.

In addition to a dedicated LUT button, the camera improves upon the system found on the S5II in several ways. The S9 can store up to 39 LUTs in memory, up from ten on the S5II. LUTs can also now be applied to any of the camera's Photo Style color modes; previously, LUTs could only be applied to the V-Log style (for which most existing LUTs are designed). When using the Real Time LUT system, this is handled automatically; if the LUT you're using is designed for V-Log, it'll be applied on top of V-Log. If it's designed for the standard color mode, it'll be applied on top of that, and so on.

Users also now have the ability to control LUT opacity, ranging from 10-100%, and it's even possible to apply two LUTs at once by creating a custom 'My Photo Style', which lets you choose a base Photo Style and apply one or two LUTs on top of it. However, switching between a single Real Time LUT and a customized Photo Style requires using a separate menu, as the My Photo Styles aren't included in the list of LUTs.

New LUTs can be added to the camera quickly and easily using a companion smartphone app, though it's also possible to add a LUT in .cube or .vlt format from an SD card if desired.

4K open-gate recording and MP4 (Lite) codec

Another part of the S9's focus on social-media-ready footage is its 4K open-gate video mode. This captures video from the entire 3:2 sensor region and downsamples it from 6K to 4K. The taller, squarer 3:2 format makes it easier to take both a standard 16:9 crop (for platforms such as YouTube) as well as a tall, narrow 9:16 crop for vertical video platforms such as Instagram and TikTok.

The 4K open gate footage is captured in a new MP4 (Lite) codec, which records either 25 or 30p footage at an average of 50Mbps. This low bitrate assumes you won't be making major edits to your footage (having already used LUTs to get the color right, in-camera), and allows quick transfer to a smartphone. This is the camera's default mode.

The S9 can still capture standard resolutions at higher bitrates if you prefer, and handles vertical shooting well if you're solely interested in 9:16 output. It can also capture its full sensor 'open gate' output at full 6K resolution, if you want to punch-in and pan around the footage on your computer. But the camera's app doesn't handle the MOV files these higher quality modes are recorded in.

In most of the camera's modes it will shoot 4K open-gate footage by default. This can be changed in the menu, but the camera can only shoot at up to 4K resolution. To access the full-width 5.9K and 6K open-gate options, you'll need to switch out of the dedicated video mode to use them.

In video mode you also get access to Panasonic's excellent video features like waveform monitor, shutter angle, zebras, Log view assist, record frame indicator, and the other usual suspects.

Lumix Lab app

Part of the S9's social media workflow depends on the Lumix Lab smartphone app.

Lumix Lab allows you to apply LUTs to photos and videos and to manage the LUTs installed on your camera. However, the real power of Lumix Lab is the ability to quickly and easily create your own custom looks and generate custom LUTs based on those looks. The app includes various editing tools, including exposure, color, HSL, tone curve, split toning, sharpening, noise reduction, sharpness, and even simulated film grain. If you edit an image or video clip and get a look that you want to reproduce in the future, you can instantly save a custom LUT based on your edits and load it into one of the camera's 39 memory banks.

The Lumix Lab app allows you to create and manage LUTs on your camera.

The idea is to allow you to create a signature look that you can automatically apply to any media you capture in the future simply by selecting your custom LUT using the camera's LUT button.

Lumix Lab also includes a library of ready-to-use LUTs, including LUTs created by Panasonic and by other social media content creators. This means you have many creative options to choose from, even without having to make LUTs yourself.

You can also use Lumix Lab to generate different crops from a video to post to different platforms. This comes into its own if you shoot the default whole-sensor 3:2 'open-gate' footage. However, the app only accepts footage shot in the MP4 (Lite) and MP4 formats. The 6K open-gate and full-width 5.9K modes, which you might want to edit more extensively, can only be shot as MOV footage, so aren't compatible. So you need to think about your intended workflow when choosing a codec.

Lumix Lab has a fair number of tools for editing your footage – assuming you shot it in MP4 instead of MOV.

Its auto-transfer system is also at the mercy of your phone's operating system. When testing it on iOS, it would often stop automatically downloading files from the camera when the phone went to sleep, prompting the S9 to pop up a warning about un-transferred files that would prevent the camera from turning off until we tapped a button. It is possible to get around this by selecting what media you want to send to your phone from your camera, rather than having your phone try to automatically download everything.

How it compares

Panasonic's pitching this camera squarely at creators who are still mainly shooting with their phones. If it wants the S9 to woo them, it has to do two things: be almost as convenient to carry around and shoot with as a phone while producing much higher-quality images. The camera's compact size, along with the revamped app, are plays at making it convenient, while its full-frame sensor should provide enough raw photo and video quality to stand out in a crowd of smartphone images.

Of course, the S9 isn't the only choice for creators looking to step up to a dedicated camera. Sony's ZV-E1 is a direct rival focused on meeting the needs of creators. We've also included the Panasonic DC-S5II, the company's more photographer-friendly model underpinned by similar hardware.

Finally, the Sigma fp is admittedly a slightly left-field comparison, but its lack of viewfinder, reliance on an electronic shutter, and use of the same sensor make it an interesting point of comparison.

For its price and size, the S9 has a pretty impressive spec sheet for an entry-level camera, largely owing to its high-res, full-frame sensor and ample video features. The company's stabilization tech is some of the best in the business when it comes to video, but its autofocus is still not the most reliable, while Sony's is.

This makes the comparison with the Sony ZV-E1 interesting. It, too, aims to make creators' lives easier, but through different means. The S9's forte is making it easy to find or create a look for your images, while the ZV-E1 is tuned to make filming yourself easier. While it has its own custom LUT feature, it's mostly focused on video instead of photos, and can only be applied to S-Log3 footage.

The S9's focus on creators means there are plenty of features that could push enthusiast and more photo-focused buyers towards more expensive cameras like the S5II. The S9's bigger cousin has more controls, a viewfinder, a mechanical shutter and a second SD card slot. It's also better equipped for video, with a full-size HDMI port versus a fragile micro one and a dedicated headphone socket (with the ability to record to an SSD on the more expensive S5II X model). The S5II's extra features come at a cost, though, both figurative and literal; it's over 50% heavier, and its MSRP is $500 higher than the S9's, both factors that could be dealbreakers for on-the-go content creators or people who are just starting out.

Body and handling

The S9 has a sleek design reminiscent of old rangefinder film cameras. Its face is a mostly flat surface, a leatherette cover that comes in six colors. (Real ones, too; it's nice that Panasonic hasn't skimped on saturation like many gadget makers are these days.) Unlike Panasonic's higher-end offerings, the S9 doesn't have any programmable buttons up front.

The camera is relatively compact for housing a full-frame sensor; it's smaller and lighter than Panasonic's four thirds-equipped G9II. However, the S9 is still not a small object, and we felt its thickness, rounded edges, and lack of ergonomic affordances made it difficult to confidently shoot it one-handed like you can with cameras like the S5II or GH5II. Its surface finishes are relatively slick, and it doesn't have any front grip to speak of. (There is a leatherette-inlaid thumbrest, but it can only do so much.)

At the top of the camera is the mode dial, along with a programmable command dial that runs around the shutter button. There's also a programmable red button that, by default, will start recording up to 4K video even if you're in a photo mode, in your choice of MP4 Lite, standard MP4, or MOV. If you want access to the camera's highest resolution mode or all of its framerates, though, you'll have to switch to video mode. Finally, there's a cold shoe mount, which could be useful for mounting accessories like vlogging microphones or on-camera lights as long as they can provide their own power.

Moving to the back of the camera, there's the flip-out touchscreen, which is the S9's only display. It's also the main way to select your focus points, though you can also use the four-way controller once you've entered the AF point select mode. The screen is responsive, crisp and clear at 3.0" and 1.84 million dots (960 x 640px), but it's susceptible to glare and washing out even on relatively overcast days.

Above the display, you'll find the LUT and AF On buttons, both of which are programmable and easy to reach while shooting. Down to the right is the control wheel, along with the rest of the camera's buttons. We found the dial to be quite sensitive, which limited our choices while choosing its function; it's no fun looking down at your camera and discovering that you accidentally changed to a black and white photo style, or adjusted your white balance.

That sensitivity does help you zip around menus, but it doesn't make it any easier to use the wheel when you're one-handing the camera. It's placed such that you'll have to remove your thumb from the thumbrest to make adjustments, something that will almost certainly unbalance the camera unless you're supporting it with a second hand.

Photographers used to direct control of two principal parameters will probably wish for an extra command dial, and those who hate diving into menus will likely want an extra programmable button or two. However, you can make things a little less fiddly if you customize the Q menu and "My Menu" systems. The main menus of the camera are also reasonably easy to navigate, and you can control them with either dial, or using the touchscreen.

Battery

The S9 uses Panasonic's 16 Wh DMW-BLK22 battery, the same one found in the S5II, G9II, and GH5II. It's rated to give you around 470 shots per charge, though as always that number is likely well below what you'll get during real-world use. That's quite a good showing, especially for a camera of this size; that's enough power that most photographers could head out for a weekend of shooting without worrying about bringing a second battery, unless you plan on shooting a lot of video.

The S9 doesn't come with a power adapter or battery charger, but it has a USB-C port that you can use with standard charging bricks. According to Panasonic, you should be able to keep it topped up with a battery bank, provided it and your USB cable support outputting at 9V at 3A.

Image Quality

Our test scene is designed to simulate a variety of textures, colors, and detail types you'll encounter in the real world. It also has two illumination modes, full even light and low directional light, to see the effect of different lighting conditions.

The S9 has the same sensor as the S5 II, so it's no surprise that it has very similar image quality in most situations. While we haven't shot the studio scene with the ZV-E1, the a7S III has nearly identical performance to it. Its 12MP sensor captures much less detail than the S9's 24MP one, meaning that it's even less suited to taking stills.

The S9's Raw files have roughly the same amount of detail as most other 24MP cameras, such as the Nikon Z6 II, and similar levels of noise at moderately high and very high ISOs.

The S9's JPEG engine does a decent job at sharpening fine details at low ISOs without giving images an overprocessed look. At moderately high ISOs the noise reduction does a good job of retaining all but the finest details, though it can start to struggle at extremely high ISOs.

In its standard color mode, the S9's JPEGs generally have good colors, and, though our color chart does suggests the greens can be a bit yellow, and the yellows can be a bit green, this didn't have a noticeable impact in landscapes or photos of foliage that we took as part of our testing.

Part of the allure of the camera is the ability to easily go beyond the standard color mode by applying a LUT. With the ability to built LUTs on top of the built-in Photo Styles, and to mix them together using the My Photo Style profiles, the S9 gives you more ability to tune the JPEGs to your liking than most other cameras – though that does come with the risk of going overboard.

Dynamic Range

The S9 doesn't have the strongest dynamic range performance, displaying higher levels of read noise than other cameras that use the same sensor. This is because the lack of a mechanical shutter forces it to use the faster 12-bit readout mode on the sensor, which results in lower dynamic range than a 14-bit readout mode.

The camera's intended audience of content creators and vloggers likely won't run into issues with it unless they routinely edit their Raw images and try to raise the shadows.

It's of no disadvantage at all for video users, as almost all of its rivals also drop to 12-bit readout to capture video. It is one more small reason not to consider the S9 as a general-purpose photography camera, though, as it could be somewhat limiting when shooting high-contrast work such as landscapes.

Exposure Latitude | ISO Invariance

Lenses

A few months after the S9 launched, Panasonic released its 18-40mm F4.3-6.3 collapsible lens, which became one of the kit lens options for the camera. You can look at our sample gallery, shot with the S9, to get an idea of what images taken with it look like, but the summary is that it's a lens that prioritizes compactness and lightness over image quality. That isn't necessarily a bad thing; when paired with the lens, the S9 is surprisingly light and compact for a full-frame camera.

That won't necessarily be true if you decide to upgrade the lens. There are plenty of L-mount options that are good for video, but the faster and sharper the lens, the bigger and heavier it'll be; you don't have to go much bigger than the 18-40mm before the lens starts to outweigh the S9, partially negating its compact design.

Autofocus

The S9 features 779 autofocus points, along with several modes for choosing autofocus: pinpoint, one area, one area plus, zone, horizontal / vertical zone, full area and tracking.

To select where you want the camera to focus, you can either tap the touchscreen or use the four-way controller. By default, the four-way controller focus point select mode requires a button press before you can start moving the focus point.

Each subject detection mode also has its own part priority mode.

Like most modern cameras, the S9 features several subjects that it can automatically recognize. It also lets you pick which part of each subject you'd like to prioritize. Following the v1.1 firmware update, that list is:

• Humans (Eye/Face or Eye/Face/Body)
• Animal (Eye/Body or Body)
• Car (Driver/front priority or entire subject)
• Motorcycle (Helmet priority or entire subject)
• Train (Cab priority or First car)
• Airplane (Nose priority or airframe)

The S9 also does a good job of not overriding your tracking selection point if it recognizes a subject elsewhere in the frame.

All the subject recognition modes are also available when shooting video. As with many cameras, the regular autofocus tracking performance isn't as strong in video, but the subject recognition tracking is relatively dependable. It would occasionally have to hunt for focus in busy scenes, but such instances were rare.

When shooting photos, the S9 could keep up with a subject moving towards it at a predictable speed, in a straight line in focus at its 8fps 'high' speed during our continuous autofocus test.

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16

Its performance in our more difficult autofocus tracking test wasn't as reliable. When asked to identify and stay on a subject moving across the frame and coming towards it at a varying speed, it sometimes struggled to keep him in focus. Like many cameras, it would do fine until the subject turned, slowing the speed with which the subject was moving toward the camera.

The issue appeared in both the regular tracking mode and when using subject detection, and the S9 was generally able to recover after two or three frames, suggesting the camera is able to recognize the subject it should be focusing on but is less good at measuring and predicting its distance. While this performance is far from terrible, it solidly places the S9's autofocus system in a tier behind the most capable systems from Sony, Nikon, or Canon.

Our everyday use of the camera outside of the test reinforces those results, but the main focusing pain point wasn't the system's accuracy; it was the ergonomics of picking a tracking point. Both methods – using the touchscreen or the four-way controller – require readjusting your grip and touching the camera, which can throw off your framing. Overall, we found it difficult to quickly select a focus point and get the framing we wanted, which hurt the experience of photographing quick-moving subjects.

Video

The S9 can shoot open-gate in both 6K and 4K; the former is useful if you want maximum quality and flexibility to crop and reframe in traditional editing software, and the latter is useful if you plan on doing quick, simple crops on your phone. The goal is to make it easy to shoot a single video that can be output as vertical and landscape, though it can be difficult to frame a shot in a way that'll be sensible in both formats.

It can also shoot in standard UHD 4K, DCI 4K, and 1080p and has some more obscure options: 5.9K for maximum resolution but pre-cropped to 16:9 and a 4:3 '3.3K' mode that uses a 1.5x crop of the sensor and can be used for shooting with anamorphic lenses. You'll also run into that crop if you shoot above 30p in the 4K modes.

The S9 has several video-focused features: it has a resizable and movable waveform exposure monitor, a red border on the screen to act as a recording indicator, two levels of zebra patterns, the option to set shutter angle instead of speed and, as of the v1.1 update, multiple customizable frame guides to make it easier to compose for different aspect ratios.

You can have up to three frame guides, which you can move and scale, letting you understand how your framing will work for different output crops.

Perhaps the most important feature, especially for vloggers, is the quite capable in-body image stabilization. The stabilized sensor does a good job of smoothing out the shakes that come with shooting hand-held footage while still being reactive enough to let you intentionally move the camera without the sensor fighting you. We didn't run into much of the jerkiness or grab-and-release issues that can show up with less sophisticated stabilization systems.

If you need an even steadier shot, you can also activate 'Boost I.S.' mode, which is meant to mimic footage shot on a tripod, at the cost of giving you less freedom to move the camera – if you try to pan with Boost I.S. on, the aforementioned issues will start to show up. The S9 also has electronic image stabilization that can be layered on top of the physical stabilization and support for Panasonic's 'Dual I.S.' mode that syncs the IBIS with a lens' optical image stabilization to provide an even smoother shot.

One notable omission is the 3.5mm headphone jack. Thanks to the lack of audio monitoring, we had to re-shoot a few videos we filmed with the S9; while an audio meter appears on the display when you plug in an external microphone, it won't always tell the whole story, especially if the issue is interference or handling noise.

One last note for vloggers hoping to quickly capture footage from their lives: the S9 can occasionally take upwards of 4 seconds to boot up. Subsequent boot times are much lower, around a second, but it's worth being aware of if you need your camera to reliably start up in situations where two or three seconds could be the difference between getting a shot and missing it.

Video Quality

The standard 4K footage from the S9 has an acceptable level of detail, though it's far from the best we've seen. When shooting above 30fps in 4K, the camera uses a crop of the sensor, resulting in less detail and worse noise performance. This is something to keep in mind if you prefer to shoot at 60fps for slow-motion purposes or to achieve a hyper-real aesthetic.

Switching to 6K or the other >4K resolutions does provide a slight increase in detail, but most creators would likely best be served sticking to 4K rather than dealing with substantially larger files, especially if they plan on transferring the files to their phones. The exception is those who need the flexibility of the open gate aspect ratio in editing.

Rolling Shutter

It's not the worst rolling shutter performance we've seen, but it's definitely something to keep an eye out for.

Depending on what subjects you typically shoot, the S9's rolling shutter performance could be something to watch out for.

The camera's 4K 24p mode takes a little over 20ms to read out, which is towards the upper end of what we'd consider acceptable. There's a definite risk of you seeing the warping effects of rolling shutter at these speeds (though we didn't experience any jello-like interaction between this and the camera's stabilization movements).

The 6K and 3.8K open-gate modes take even longer, as they're reading more of the sensor's height at the same rate. This is no problem if you then crop a 16:9 region out of the footage, since there'll only be 22ms worth of change between the top and bottom of that crop, but any full-height, vertical 9:16 crops will have a higher risk of distortion, as they'll show the full 25ms.

LUTs

The S9 isn't the first time we've seen Panasonic's Real Time LUT system, but it obviously plays a big role on the camera, given the dedicated button for it. Essentially, it lets you shoot footage with a 'look' baked in; you can download new looks from Panasonic's Lumix Lab app or make your own.

If you're used to a LUT-based workflow where you apply a LUT to Log footage, there is one extra aspect to be aware of: Photo Styles. The S9's LUTs have a base Photo Style, which can be – but isn't necessarily – V-Log. Many of the new LUTs are built to be applied to other color modes, such as Standard or Portrait.

If you stick to using the Real Time LUT feature via the LUT button, it's not something you'll have to worry about; the camera automatically figures it out for you. However, it's something to be aware of if you're using the My Photo Style feature to apply two LUTs at once. It automatically sets the base color profile based on the LUT you put in the first slot, but if you inadvertently change the base Photo Style or your second LUT is meant to apply to a different Photo Style, you can end up with some strange results.

You can combine two LUTs in a custom Photo Style.

There is one quirk of the LUT button: it automatically switches to the Real Time LUT photo style, but you have to use the separate Photo Style menu to switch out of it if you want to return to one of the built-in color modes. It's navigable once you've figured out the hierarchy, but can take some getting used to.

The S9 also has a "Log View Assist" mode, which lets you shoot in VLog but use one of the LUTs for the preview on the display rather than baking it into the footage. That way, you don't have to guess how it'll look with the LUT applied in editing but aren't married to that particular look.

Overheating

The camera usually takes a few minutes to recover from overheating.

When it was first released, the S9 had aggressive record-time limits to prevent overheating. With the v1.1 update, Panasonic added a setting that lets you bypass them if you're okay with trading known software record limits for longer but more unpredictable thermal ones. During our testing, we found it was possible to get the S9 to overheat, but it was able to handle recording for far longer than the typical social media workflow requires.

If your shooting style involves recording relatively short clips with breaks in between, as is the case with many vloggers, you likely won't run into issues unless you're shooting outdoors in harsh conditions. The one time we ran into overheating issues during actual use was when shooting relatively long (4-6 minute) clips in direct sunlight with high ambient temperatures around 31°C (88°F). It must be said that the person shooting the clips also struggled in those conditions.

Conclusion

By Mitchell Clark

When reviewing some cameras, it can be hard to tell where the line is between a stills camera that can also record video and a video camera that can also take stills. This has not been an issue with the S9. To put it bluntly, you will be disappointed if you buy this camera purely for photography – many people will probably be sad to hear that, given that its $1,499 price makes it one of the most inexpensive full-frame mirrorless cameras ever released, and its looks make it appealing.

That's not to say that you can't get good pictures out of the S9 because you can. If your goal is to separate yourself from the crowd on Instagram with image quality, the S9 is more than up to that task. However, if you're looking to get into photography as a hobby or already consider yourself a photographer and want a compact full-frame camera, it's worth looking for something that makes the experience more enjoyable. In the weeks I've been shooting pictures with the S9, I haven't reached a flow state with it where it felt like an extension of my hand; I had to stop and dive into menus or adjust my grip to change settings or focus.

In the weeks I've been shooting pictures with the S9, I haven't reached a flow state with it

I came closer to reaching that flow state when I stopped trying to use it as a photography tool and started using it to shoot videos with the intention of sharing them online. In the course of this review, I filmed part of a video review for the DPReview YouTube channel and almost a dozen videos for our Instagram page with it, and it fits well into that role. Its autofocus was mostly reliable, the video quality was more than sufficient for social media and even low-to-mid-range commercial work, and the ergonomics didn't matter once it was mounted to a tripod. When I took it off the tripod, the image stabilization was one of the better systems I've used.

I also appreciated that it was flexible enough for shoots where I was uploading straight to Instagram, and ones that had more extensive editing. That's clear from the differences in open-gate modes; the 4K one is good for quick phone-based edits and crops, and the 6K option provides wiggle-room for reframing in proper editing software even if you're delivering in 4K.

This came in use when shooting our video review of the S9, which you can watch below – it, like our first look video, was filmed entirely using an S9, which should give you some sense of how it performs.

Personally, I'm less enthused about the emphasis on LUTs. As I've said before, I suspect most people will find or develop one or two looks that they broadly stick with rather than picking a new LUT for each piece of content they're producing. If that's your workflow, though, the S9's LUT button makes it easy. However, I suspect many S9 owners will end up reprogramming it to do something else – even if they continue to use the Real-Time LUT feature to apply their signature look in-camera.

Outside of not being able to download MOV videos, Lumix Lab does a good job of streamlining the process of getting things off your camera and onto the Internet while still giving you the power to create and edit LUTs, apply them to ungraded images and videos, and make crops for different sites. However, it also didn't feel like the camera was useless without the app – if you wanted to use it more like a traditional camera that offloads footage to a computer, it's more than capable of that, too.

The microphone socket is so lonely without a headphone jack.

Some annoyances cropped up even when I was using the camera for its intended purpose. During my testing, the lack of a front tally light and a headphone jack occasionally led to me having to reshoot videos that I thought were in the bag, and rolling shutter performance could definitely be improved.

However, for most beginner creators, those will be caveats, not dealbreakers. If someone asked me what camera to buy to start a YouTube channel or to up their Instagram game, the S9 would definitely be on my list of recommended cameras.

Arguably, that could mean that it deserves a Silver award since it serves its niche well. The thing that keeps it from getting it, though, is that it's a bit of an unhappy medium competing for an audience that already has a lot of good choices: yes, it's really good for social media, but so are a lot of cameras that will also give you more room to grow as a photographer or videographer. And if you are really only going to be doing social media, you should think about saving some money and going with one of the APS-C vlogging cameras that are even smaller and lighter.

For those looking for the perfect photographer's compact or even one that's just good, you'll have to keep waiting with the rest of us.

Scoring

Scoring is relative only to the other cameras in the same category. Click here to learn about what these numbers mean.

Compared to its peers

As a vlogging or general-purpose video camera, the Sony ZV-E1 is a strong contender to the S9. Sony's autofocus tracking is quite a bit ahead of Panasonic's, and the ZV-E1's 12MP sensor is more suited to video and has substantially less rolling shutter – and substantially less detail in stills. It also has features like a front tally light, auto framing to add dynamic movement to what would otherwise be static shots and a product showcase mode. And while it doesn't go all-in on LUTs like the S9 does, you can still upload your own looks and use them for monitoring and recording, though there’s no equivalent of the extensively customizable My Photo Styles. You will pay for those upgrades, though, as the ZV-E1 is much more expensive than the S9.

The Panasonic S5II shares a sensor with the S9 but in a substantially larger and heavier body. In return, you get all the features a photographer would want: an EVF, mechanical shutter, hot shoe mount, dual card slots and a heaping extra helping of buttons and control dials. It also adds a fan for cooling during marathon video shoots. And, thanks to a recent software update, you can now program one of the S5II's buttons to be a Real-Time LUT shortcut. It's also now compatible with the Lumix Lab app. Like the ZV-E1, the S5II is more expensive than the S9, to the tune of around $500.

The Sigma fp has always been a bit of an odd camera, but it is intriguingly comparable to the S9 in terms of its size, weight and, if you find the right sale, price. However, the fp's video could hardly be more different than the "Shoot. Share." ethos of the S9. To get the best out of it, you'll have to shoot the rather awkward CinemaDNG Raw to an external SSD or capture device; it doesn't have an internal codec capable of 10-bit color. It also has a fixed screen and contrast-based autofocus; while the S9 isn't an autofocus champion by any measure, its system runs circles around the fp's.

Sample Gallery

Please do not reproduce any of these images on a website or any newsletter/magazine without prior permission (see our copyright page). We make the originals available for private users to download to their own machines for personal examination or printing (in conjunction with this review); we do so in good faith, so please don't abuse it.

Note: these sample images were taken using the original samples provided by Panasonic. However, the company said the models were reviewable. If you'd like to see samples taken with updated firmware, you can browse the sample gallery for the 18-40mm F4.5-6.3 kit lens, which we've re-uploaded with out-of-camera JPEGs.

Introduction

Nikon has talked about targeting 'creators' with each of the four APS-C Z-mount cameras it's launched so far, but has generally made sure the results are solidly photographer-friendly, too.

Its Z50 and Zfc models were differentiated primarily by the Zfc having a fully articulated rear screen, along with throwback styling and controls, which meant that the decision between the two was primarily a question of style. The Z50's built-in flash was the other key feature to set them apart.

With the launch of the Z50II, even the difference in rear screen movement has been eliminated, which might make the choice seem even harder. But the Z50II is based on a newer generation of technology than the Zfc, so we thought we'd take a look at what that means, so you can work out how much it matters for your needs.

Specs

Both the Zfc and Z50II are based around the same 21MP CMOS sensor, first introduced in 2016's D500 DSLR. We've seen 26 and 40MP APS-C sensors arrive in the intervening years but although these can capture more detail, they don't generally do any better in terms of tonal quality, noise and dynamic range, so we're not overly concerned about its age.

The main respect in which the two cameras differ is in terms of processor. The Z50II is built around the newer, more powerful Expeed 7 processor, helping it deliver a level of capability and performance the Zfc simply can't match.

Features

The newer, more powerful processor gives the Z50II much improved autofocus (which we'll look at later in this slideshow) as well as enabling faster shooting and much more flexible video.

In stills mode the Z50II can capture 15 or 30fps bursts of JPEGs with full autofocus, making it much better for capturing action than the Zfc, which topped-out at 11fps in JPEG (9fps in Raw). Also on the Z50II's side is its pre-burst capture mode that starts buffering images when you half-press the shutter, letting you record up to one second of action from before you fully press the button.

The Z50II can also capture 10-bit video, which expands your output options, and 4K/60p from a 1.52x crop region of the sensor. We'll look into the implications of this later.

The cost of the new processor is a precipitous drop in battery life. The Z50II is rated as delivering around 38% fewer shots per charge than the Zfc, using the same battery. This is a slightly unfair comparison, given the Z50II has a flash and the Zfc doesn't, but it's still rated to give at least 25% fewer shots per charge than the original Z50.

Handling

Beyond the difference in capabilities, the two cameras also differ in terms of controls and handling. The Zfc has dedicated dials for shutter speed, aperture and ISO, along with a P/A/S/M switch. It also has two command dials, so can be used in the same way as the Z50II, if you prefer. We found the Zfc's dedicated controls to be somewhat quirkily implemented – you'll often end up using the command dials to fine-tune the settings and the Auto ISO implementation is downright peculiar – but it looks distinctive and attractive in a way it's hard to argue the Z50II does.

The Z50II has an updated viewinder that, while it shares the same resolution and magnification as the Zfc (and its own predecessor), has a new OLED panel that can reach a peak brightness twice as high as the older cameras. This means there should be a less jarring transition when you start and stop using the viewfinder in bright conditions.

Autofocus

Autofocus is another area in which the Z50II benefits from a newer processor and five years more development.

The most obvious difference is that the Z50II has been trained to recognize nine different subject types (up from three) and gains an 'Auto' subject mode that prompts the camera to check for all the different subjects it can identify. This risks slowing the AF down a fraction in the very fastest-moving circumstances, at which point you can select the type of subject you're trying to capture, but for the most part, you can just leave it set to Auto and know the camera will use its full capabilities when needed.

But perhaps a bigger deal for day-to-day photography is the return of 3D Tracking, which mimics Nikon's quick and easy-to-use tracking system from the DSLR era. This helps bring the Z50II up to the standards of the latest Canon and Sony cameras in terms of speed and ease of use, whereas the Zfc's tracking was a little slower and more fiddly to use. The Z50II's tracking is generally less prone to drifting off its subject than with the Zfc.

All this makes the Z50II a quicker and easier to use camera in a wide range of photographic situations.

Image quality

Given they're based around the same 21MP CMOS sensor, we're not surprised not to have seen any obvious differences in image quality between the two cameras. This is no bad thing, as it's a chip that does a good job of balancing the demands of stills and video, even if it does fall a little behind some of the newer Fujifilm and Canon models in terms of detail capture.

However, while the image quality is directly comparable, the Z50II gains a button giving you direct access to the camera's Picture Control color modes and lets you download alternative color recipes from Nikon's cloud service. This should prompt much more experimentation with color modes than you're likely to remember to with the Zfc.

Finally, the Z50II can output 10-bit HEIF files conforming to the HLG standard, allowing you to take advantage of the greater capabilities of modern high dynamic range displays.

Neither camera would be our first choice for, say, landscape photography or situations that really benefit from additional detail capture, but they're both very capable for most requirements.

Video

The Z50II ends up being a significantly more capable video camera than the Zfc, despite them being based around the same sensor and both being aimed at a stills and video creator audience.

The Z50II gains the ability to capture 10-bit video. This allows it to shoot N-Log video that tries to maintain as much of the camera's captured data, to boost creative flexibility for color grading the footage. It also lets the camera capture Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) video which is designed to take advantage of the wider range of colors and brightness that high dynamic range displays can offer.

It also gains a waveforms display that is especially useful for setting exposure when shooting Log footage. But the thing that's likely to have the biggest impact for the largest number of video shooters is that the Z50II has a headphone socket for monitoring audio (whether setting levels before recording or listening for distractions during recording), which the Zfc lacks.

Perhaps the most critical difference, though, is that the Z50II's video autofocus is much more reliable.

Lenses

In this article we've assumed you're interesting in buying into the APS-C line of Nikon's Z mount. Obviously there's no difference between the Z50II and Zfc in terms of available lenses, but it's still worth looking at what's available.

Now that Nikon has allowed Sigma to introduce some additional primes and Viltrox has just gone ahead and made some anyway, the baby Nikons are a much more interesting prospect than they were a few years ago. In terms of zooms you're currently stuck with Nikon's rather pedestrian variable aperture options, but there are plenty of primes to pick from.

Other companies offer more own-brand APS-C lens lineups and higher-end models with higher res and image stabilization that Nikon lacks, but we're no longer in the position of Nikon making nice-enough bodies with very limited lens choices.

Conclusion

The decision between the original Z50 and the Zfc primarily came down to a question of how much importance you gave to the style and traditional controls of the Zfc, vs the value of the built-in flash offered by the Z50.

The Z50II makes enough of a leap forward, in terms of speed, autofocus sophistication and video that most people will be better served by the new camera, rather than the Zfc. You have to be really attracted by the styling (and unwilling to wait to see if there's going to be a ZfcII) to opt for the smaller, more retro model, at this point.

Image: 7Artisans

7Artisans has announced the 10mm F2.8 II, a full-frame fisheye lens for Canon RF, Nikon Z, Sony E and L-mount camera systems, which replaces the company's existing 10mm F2.8 lens. 7Artisans suggests the lens should be good for applications like landscape, architecture and astrophotography.

Optically, the 10mm F2.8 II comprises 11 elements in 8 groups, including one aspherical and one ED element. The lens is manual focus with an internal focus design, and the minimum focus distance is 0.15m (5.9"). It features a 10-bladed aperture.

The lens is constructed of metal and has a de-clicked manual aperture ring. It also has distance and depth of field scales.

The new lens weighs 602g (1.3 lbs), or about 6% more than its predecessor. It's 75mm (3") in diameter and 95mm (3.7") long.

The 7Artisans 10mm F2.8 II retails for $278 and is available immediately.

This week, Nikon announced its latest APS-C camera, the Z50II. It's an update to 2019's Z50, using the same sensor but with an upgraded processor. With it comes Nikon's 3D tracking autofocus system, which can recognize up to nine subject types and automatically switch between them.

During our brief time with the camera, we were able to put it to the test shooting some wildlife around Seattle, as well as a variety of landscapes and other subjects.

You can read our overview of the Z50II and our initial review here.

Click here to see the gallery

Images: Lowepro, Harlowe, DJI

This week there were a ton of accessories released, so we're going to skip any pre-amble and get straight into it. Let's start with the deals:

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Photo: Richard Butler

We're still several weeks away from Thanksgiving, but several brands have already started announcing their holiday sales. First off is Sony, which has put several cameras and lenses on sale. Included on that list is the a7RV, which is available for $400 off MSRP.

If you're looking for a more entry-level model, the a7IV is also on sale for $400 off.

The deals also cover lenses; Sony has reduced the price of several of its G Master lenses by $100.

Photo: Tamron

Tamron has also put many of its lenses on sale. Its 28-75mm F2.8 G2 for E-mount is $200 off, as is its 35-150mm F2-2.8, which is available for Sony E and Nikon Z mount. You can see the full list of lenses on sale on Tamron's website.

SmallRig takes on the Z50II

Image: SmallRig

This week, Nikon announced its new Z50II APS-C camera. If you're on the list to get one, you may also want to check out some of the accessories SmallRig's making for it. There are the usual suspects; a $30 base plate for quickly mounting the camera to a tripod and attaching a few accessories, and a $70 cage if you really want to build a video shooting setup, but there's also a wireless shooting grip.

The grip, which is currently listed as "coming soon" on SmallRig's website, does many things; it's a mini tripod that you can use to prop your Z50II up on a table, as well as a selfie stick. Built into the handle is a detachable remote you can use to wirelessly control your camera. It has a zoom toggle, shutter and record button and a customizable button.

While it's not the type of thing that will likely appeal to seasoned photographers the way the cages and plates will, it is a smart accessory for the younger beginner photographers that the Z50II is mainly aimed at. Currently there's no word on pricing, though SmallRig does make a very similar product for Canon and Sony that runs around $90.

All of the lights

Image: Harlowe

Harlowe, the company formerly known as Hobolite, which makes lighting equipment designed to look like classic film equipment, has some new lights available. First up are two RGB lighting tubes, which Harlowe calls the Blade series. The Blade 5 is 16.4cm (6.46") long, and the Blade ten is 36cm (14.17") long. They can be used to add a splash of color, or as tradition lights, as they also have a traditional bi-color white lighting mode.

Like most of Harlowe's products, there's a heavy emphasis on design; the Blade lights have a leather and metal look, which could be attractive to people who intend on including them in their shots. They're powered by a built-in battery, which charges via USB C, and can be controlled via dials or an app.

You can magnetically attach modifiers to the Blade lights, and they come with a frosted dome diffuser and barn doors, as well as a carrying bag. The Blade 5 is $199 and the Blade 10 is $299; there's also a kit that comes with one of each size for $399.

Blade 5

Blade 10

Folded up, the Sol 5 almost looks like an old lens. Image: Harlowe

For creators that often shoot videos and photos on their phones, Harlowe has also released the Sol 5, a bi-color light that magnetically attaches to the back of an iPhone via MagSafe. By default it points away from the screen, lighting up whatever you're shooting with your phone's rear cameras, but it can also be flipped up to help provide some extra light for selfies. The Sol 5 is $79 by itself, or $159 if you opt for the "Travel Kit," which includes a diffusion panel and a carrying case.

A new series of bags

Photo: Lowepro

Lowepro has announced a ton of new bags in its new Protactic III series, including some classic photographer-focused backpacks, slings, and more. There are a variety of sizes and classes of bags; the "Lite" models can still carry a bunch of gear but aren't as burly as the standard bags. The Lite models have a few of Lowepro's "SlipLock tabs" which can be used to add pouches, pockets, and other accessories onto the bag, but the regular models are absolutely covered with them. The loops are also compatible with standard MOLLE and PALS add-ons.

Compared to older models, Lowepro says its BP 350 and 450 packs have an "adaptive harness" to make carrying heavier loads more comfortable, an improved webbing system that makes it easier to attach large tripods to the bag, an updated divider system, and more exterior pockets. Like the previous Protactic packs, they have four access points, letting you get at your gear from the top, back, or either side of the pack.

Most of the packs in the lineup are made of somewhere between 85 and 87% recycled fabric, which Loewpro says still meets its standards for durability.

The packs and their respective accessories should be available starting later this month.

Taking flight

Photo: DJI

DJI has announced a newer, less expensive pair of FPV drone goggles called the Goggles N3. They're designed to work with the company's Avata 2 and Neo drones, and are built around a 1080p 60Hz LCD display that can put out up to 1350 nits of brightness. While that's definitely a step down from the dual Micro-OLED displays in DJI's more expensive Goggles 3, it does offer a 54° field of view, which is wider than the 44° FOV of the more premium goggles.

The Goggles N3 have a built-in defogging function, which could be useful if you're flying in a humid environment. They can be also used to play back panoramic videos from a microSD card, in case you want to feel like you're flying without actually getting out your drone.

The Goggles N3 will cost $229 when they launch later this month.

Click to see last week's roundup

Updated Nov 8, 2024

Sixteen years after Panasonic introduced the first mirrorless camera, mirrorless cameras now dominate the interchangeable lens camera market. They include cameras designed for a wide range of photo and video pursuits and models at everything from budget to professional price points.

We've used and tested just about every current mirrorless camera on the market and picked out what we think are the stand-out models. We'll start with the most affordable models, then work our way up from there. In general terms, as you move up the price ladder, you'll see larger sensors with better image quality, higher resolution, faster burst rates, or more capable video specs. We'll explain why we've chosen each camera and try to explain the advantages and disadvantages of each choice.

Our picks:

• Best value: Sony a6100
• Best APS-C mirrorless camera: Sony a6700
• Best bargain full-frame: Canon EOS R8
• Best mirrorless camera under $2000: Nikon Zf
• Best mid-priced mirrorless camera: Nikon Z6III
  
• Best high-end mirrorless camera: Canon R5 II
• Compact high-resolution: Sony a7CR

Best value: Sony a6100

24MP APS-C sensor | Hybrid AF with Real-time Tracking | 4K video capture

Photo: Richard Butler

The Sony a6100 is an entry-level APS-C mirrorless camera. While in 2024 it's one of the older camera still available, its 24MP sensor, touchscreen for easy focus placement and Sony's excellent autofocus tracking, which especially excels at focusing on people and pets, still make it excellent value for its price.

The a6100 is happiest if you prefer to point-and-shoot in an auto mode, supported by its very good autofocus. The wide range of lenses available for it give you somewhere to grow if you find yourself catching the photography bug.

Read our Sony a6100 review

See the Sony a6100 studio scene

Best APS-C mirrorless camera: Sony a6700

26MP BSI CMOS sensor | 4K/60p video capture | Fully articulating screen

Photo: Richard Butler

The Sony a6700 is an enthusiast-level APS-C mirrorless camera built around an image-stabilized, 26MP BSI CMOS sensor. It includes an impressive collection of features for both photo and video shooters.

The a6700 might look a lot like the a6100, but it's a much more advanced model with better build quality, greater capabilities in both stills and video, and more hands-on control points.

Read our full Sony a6700 review

See the Sony a6700 studio scene

What are my other APS-C options?

Although the Sony a6700 is the most capable APS-C camera, if you consider autofocus performance, image quality and video capabilities, there are several other worthy contenders to the title. We appreciate the combination of affordability and likeability of Nikon's Z fc, now that there are a handful of prime lenses to use with it, and we respect the Sony-rivaling capabilities of several of Canon's APS-C RF models, which you can now get some decent third-party fast zooms for. If you're willing to take a chance, Nikon's Z50II also looks to be a very interesting follow-up to the Z fc, but we haven't been able to test it enough to include it on this list.

Fujifilm's X-T50 is also worth considering if you're looking at APS-C cameras Photo: Richard Butler

But it's the Fujifilm X-T50 that we'd suggest considering if you don't think the a6700 is for you. We like its design – including the film simulation button that encourages you to play with different looks – and it shoots great video and attractive stills. Touches such as the AF joystick make it that bit more engaging and enjoyable to shoot with, than the Sony.

Its autofocus tracking isn't nearly as reliable as Sony or Canon's latest cameras, but where it really shines is in the selection of lenses available for it. Fujifilm makes a broad selection of prime lenses and the excellent 16-50mm F2.8-4.8 OIS zoom, which is significantly better than the lenses bundled with most of these cameras. Third party support is strong, too, meaning the camera can grow with you as your photography develops.

Full-frame mirrorless

Full-frame cameras (those with image sensors the same size as traditional "35mm" film) offer the potential for better image quality than smaller formats, simply because they have a larger area on which to capture light. However, you don't get something for nothing: even if you can find an affordable, compact full-frame camera at a good price, the lenses needed to make the most of it will be larger and will typically cost more than those for APS-C or Four Thirds sensors. Broadly speaking, there's a balance to be struck between image quality, size and price, which is worth contemplating before you make the assumption that full-frame is the best (or even 'better') format.

Best budget full-frame mirrorless: Canon EOS R8

24 MP full-frame CMOS sensor | 4K/60p 10-bit video recording | 8 fps burst shooting

Photo: Richard Butler

The Canon EOS R8 is a surprisingly capable compact full-frame mirrorless camera that has the features and image quality of Canon's EOS R6 II at a much lower price.

Read our full review of the Canon EOS R8

See the Canon EOS R8 studio scene

What are the other entry-level full-frame options?

We also think the Nikon Z5 is worth considering if you're looking for a comparatively affordable full-frame camera. It's older than the Canon and its autofocus tracking and video capabilities lag significantly behind as a result. Like Canon's RF system, Nikon's Z-mount lens ecosystem is also somewhat short on affordable lenses to pair with an entry-level camera, though Nikon has allowed a couple of other brands to make selected lenses for the system.

Its usability is really what earns it a place in this guide, though. The Z5 has a larger, higher-resolution viewfinder than the EOS R8, much longer battery life, in-body image stabilization and an AF joystick, all of which can make it a rather more enjoyable camera to shoot with. Definitely worth a look.

Best mirrorless camera under $2000: Nikon Zf

24MP full-frame BSI CMOS sensor | Full-width 4K/30 video, cropped 4K/60 | Stabilization rated to 8EV

Photo: Richard Butler

There are some exceptionally good cameras in the $2000-$2500 price category, but few of them are as eye-catching as the Nikon Zf. While the styling is distinctly 1981, the performance is much more contemporary, with very competitive autofocus and the strong balance of stills and video capabilities that we've come to expect from a camera at this price.

Read our review of the Nikon Zf

Best mid-priced full-frame mirrorless: Nikon Z6III

25MP full-frame 'Partially Stacked' CMOS sensor | 6K/60p N-Raw video | 5.76M dot OLED 0.8x EVF

Photo: Richard Butler

The Nikon Z6III represents a significant step up for the Z6 series, and from the Zf, becoming a very capable camera for both stills and video. Its autofocus has caught up to the pack, and its sensor readout speeds – and, therefore, rolling shutter performance in video – are among the best in its category.

Read our full review of the Nikon Z6III

See the Nikon Z6III studio scene

The mid-priced rivals

There are plenty of other cameras worth considering, in the around $2000 price category. Canon's EOS R6 II is probably the strongest competitor to the Z6III. It has a slightly smaller viewfinder, and its video specs aren't as good, but if you're just looking to shoot stills, your choice between the two should be dictated purely by which system has the lenses you want at prices you're happy with.

If you shoot outside a lot and need a compact system with excellent weather sealing, the OM System OM-1 II is worth considering; outside of that use case, it's probably worth considering other options unless you're heavily invested in Micro Four Thirds lenses.

Sony's a7 IV is also not a bad choice, with capable autofocus and slightly higher resolution capture than its peers, though its video suffers as a consequence. However, we'd strongly recommend the smaller, less expensive a7C II instead. Its autofocus is a generation newer, and it's appreciably smaller than its rivals. The viewfinder is small, and there's no AF joystick, though, which are the main reasons it's not one of our main picks.

Best high-end mirrorless camera: Canon EOS R5 II

45MP Stacked CMOS sensor | Eye-controlled AF subject selection | Up to 30fps continuous shooting

Photo: Richard Butler

The Canon EOS R5 II is one of the most capable cameras we've ever tested and will almost certainly be up to any task that most photographers can throw at it. It shoots at high resolution, has an excellent autofocus system and sports plenty of video features.

Read our Canon EOS R5 II review

See the Canon EOS R5 II studio scene

A worthy competitor

The strongest competitor to the EOS R5 II besides the original EOS R5 is Nikon's Z8. Canon's high-end entry does have some features that could be useful to certain photographers, like Action Priority AF and Eye Control, but outside of that your choice should again be dictated by lens selection, as they're both supremely capable cameras.

Compact high-resolution: Sony a7CR

61MP BSI CMOS sensor | 4K/60p video with 10-bit color | Dedicated ‘AI’ processor for AF system

Photo: Richard Butler

The Sony a7CR takes most of the features of the more expensive a7R V and provides them in a smaller package. The viewfinder is disappointing for such an expensive camera, but nothing gives you so much image quality in such a small, capable package.

Read our Sony a7CR initial review

What are the other high-end options?

Just about all the cameras that cost $2500 and up are, unsurprisingly, rather good. We go into a little more detail about their relative merits in our 'High-end camera buying guide.' As at any price, the key things to consider are what types of photography you plan to do (and hence, which features and capabilities are most important to you), and whether the lenses you need are available at a price you're willing to pay.

Why you should trust us

This buying guide is based on cameras used and tested by DPReview's editorial team. We don't select a camera until we've used it enough to be confident in recommending it, usually after our extensive review process. The selections are purely a reflection of which cameras we believe to be best: there are no financial incentives for us to select one model or brand over another.

The Nikon Z50II is the company's latest entry-level APS-C mirrorless camera, built around a 21MP CMOS sensor. As with the original Z50, it's expressly aimed at stills and video creators looking for a small camera that makes it easy to upload.

It brings updated burst modes and AF functions to its predecessor, but most of the advancements are on the video side of the camera.

Key specifications

• 20.9MP APS-C sensor
• Twin control dials
• Full-width 4K video up to 30p (60p with crop)
• 3D-tracking autofocus and subject recognition for nine subject types
• Up to 11fps mechanical, with up to 1 second pre-release capture
• Fully articulated 3.2" touchscreen
• Single UHS-II SD card slot in battery compartment
• 2.36M dot EVF with brightness up to 1000nits

The Z50II will retail for $909 body-only and $1,049 as a kit with Nikon's DX 16-50 F3.5-6.3 lens. The company says it'll be available in "late November."

Index:

• What's new?
• How it compares
• Body and handling
• How it compares
• Initial impressions
• Sample Gallery
• Specifications
• Press release

What's new

The Z50II is, as the name suggests, an updated version of the company's original APS-C Z-mount camera. Much of what it gains comes from the use of a newer, more powerful Expeed 7 processor, but there are some subtle yet potentially significant additions beyond that.

Flexible Color Picture Control and Picture Control Button

The new Picture Control button is right above the rear control dial.

It's a change unrelated to processing power that helps signpost what the Z50II is and who it's intended for: the addition of a dedicated 'Picture Control' button to let you select the camera's color mode.

The changes go deeper than the labeling of a button, though. The Z50II becomes the first model to offer 'flexible' Picture Control profiles that let you adjust or download additional profiles. The camera comes with 31 but you can add more, and limit which ones appear when you hit the Picture Control button, so that it doesn't become overwhelming.

Nikon has, at least as far back as 2008, been one of the few brands to offer software to let you edit its in-camera profiles. The company's NX Studio software lets you adjust the existing Picture Controls, applying your own custom tone curve or changing the sharpening and saturation of the profile. However, you only get limited control over the color response, with a global hue adjustment, rather than the ability to re-map colors that a LUT would give.

It's the ability to download Creator Recipe profiles from Nikon's Imaging Cloud that we suspect most users will experiment with.

Brighter viewfinder

The Z50II also gains a brighter viewfinder, now capable of displaying up to 1000 nits, double the maximum brightness of the one in the existing model. The display isn't bright enough to fully preview HLG high dynamic range capture though, and is still the same 2.36M dot resolution.

Subject recognition / 3D Tracking

One of the most significant improvements that does come from the new processor is the Z50II's autofocus system. It gains the subject recognition modes from other recent Nikon cameras, boosting the number of recognized subjects from three to nine.

It also adds the 3D Tracking AF mode, that makes it quicker to track subjects, regardless of whether the camera has been specifically trained to recognize them.

C30 and pre-burst

Another Expeed 7 feature to arrive on the Z50II is its ability to shoot at high speeds in e-shutter mode, with the option to start buffering images when the shutter is half-pressed and saving images captured up to one second before the shutter button is fully depressed.

The Z50II's C30 and C15 modes can shoot with autofocus at up to 30fps or 15fps, respectively, though it only records JPEGs.

Nikon Imaging Cloud

The Z50II is also compatible with Nikon's Imaging Cloud service, which debuted with the Z6III. That means that, when connected to a Wi-Fi network, it can automatically upload your photos to Nikon's servers, which shuffle them off to your choice of third-party cloud storage services, such as Dropbox, Google Drive, or Lightroom. You can also have your camera automatically download firmware updates, and have it sync Picture Control presets that you've selected on your computer or phone. While many cameras have similar features, they have to be paired with a smartphone or camera to use them – the Z50II can do it on its own connected to your router.

What's new for video:

Despite using the same sensor as the Z50, Nikon has managed to squeeze significantly better video out of it. The Z50II can now encode video in 10-bit precision, allowing internal N-Log capture to maximize color and tone grading potential, or HLG high dynamic range capture for playback on HDR displays and TVs.

The Z50II also gains the ability to capture 4K/60 footage from a cropped region of the sensor.

On top of this, Nikon says the electronic image stabilization (eVR) in video mode is improved. The Z50II also gets a "product review" autofocus mode, that knows to override its face detection AF if an object is held up in front of the camera: a feature that can be useful for vloggers discussing a specific product they want to show.

How it compares

The Z50II arrives into what was previously a competitive point in the market but one that fewer and fewer manufactuers seem to be catering to. Fujifilm offers the similarly beginner-friendly X-M5 for around $200 less, but with no viewfinder, or the high-resolution, image stabilized X-T50 for a whopping $400 more. Meanwhile, Sony offers the now rather elderly a6400 at a comparable price. It makes fewer accommodations to people new to ILCs and its age means its video spec lags way behind.

It's only really Canon, with its EOS R10 that offers an approximately like-for-like competitor to the Z50II. The other camera we feel it makes sense to compare is Nikon's own Zfc. It has near identical spec to the original Z50, other than it has a fully articulated rear screen. By including another Nikon entry-level camera, we can see what's changed over the past five years.

As well as advances in technology, another change since we reviewed the Z50 is that both Nikon and Canon have allowed some third-party lenses into their respective APS-C systems. In the case of Nikon, that includes three of Sigma's DC DN prime lenses, which add relatively affordable ways to boost the camera's capabilities. Canon, meanwhile, has allowed Sigma to offer its two DC DN zooms, with four prime lenses to follow.

This still leaves both systems well short of the variety of APS-C focused lenses offered for Fujifilm's X mount, or of the selection available for Sony, but means you're not solely dependent on the camera maker's development priorities for either camera anymore.

Body and handling

The body of the Z50II is very much like that of its predecessor, which is to say it's like a slightly shrunk-down version of Nikon's original Z-series full-frame models. Despite the size reduction, the Z50II retains a fairly substantial hand grip.

The body is primarily made from fiber-reinforced plastic, which gives it a fairly solid feel without becoming overly heavy. There's a textured coating around the handgrip and the back corner of the camera that gives a comfortable and reassuring amount of grip on the camera. The front and rear command dials are well positioned for forefinger and thumb operation without any need to shift your hand position on the camera.

It gains four extra buttons along the back of the camera, compared with its predecessor, which means its controls much more closely mimic those of the full-frame Z models, with dedicated +/– zoom buttons, a drive mode button and a 'DISP' button being added. There's an additional button on the top of the camera, too: just behind the existing [REC], ISO and Exposure Comp buttons is a dedicated 'Picture Control' button.

It doesn't gain the joystick that the full-frame models have, though, and the Stills/Movie switch they feature around their DISP buttons is instead on the Z50II's top plate. The Play and Drive Mode buttons are transposed relative to the full-frame models, but we doubt enough people will be trying to shoot both side-by-side for this difference to matter).

The Z50II also moves from a tilt up/down screen to a fully articulated one, as featured on the Zfc and Z30. Nikon has described all four of its APS-C Z-mount models as being for 'creators,' so this change is no real surprise.

Viewfinder & screen

The Z50II's viewfinder can now go as bright as 1000 nits: twice as bright as the one in the older model, which should mean there's less need for your eye to adapt when you're using the camera in bright sunshine. It's not bright enough to fully preview HLG images, though.

It remains a relatively low resolution 2.36M dot display, in keeping with the Z50II's lowly position in the lineup. It offers 0.68x magnification, in equivalent terms, which is pretty large for a camera at this price.

Ports & slots

The Z50II's specs tell the story of how far we've come in the five years since the launch of the original model. Its SD card slot can now make full use of the faster UHS-II cards, while its USB socket has been upgraded to the Type C standard and 5Gbit/s transfer rates. It's also been made compatible with the UVC/UAC USB video and audio standards, so it can be used as a webcam without the need for any specialist drivers or software.

The camera also gains a headphone socket to allow audio monitoring, something that really boosts its usefulness as a video camera.

Battery

The Z50II uses a new EN-EL25a battery, which sees the capacity increase from 8.5Wh to 9.4Wh. Despite this 10% increase, the CIPA battery ratings for the Z50II are 250 shots per charge using the rear screen and 230 using the viewfinder. These are around 20% lower than on its predecessor, presumably as a consequence of the more powerful processor.

CIPA figures tend to assume extensive use of flash and rather more looking at image review than most people actually do, so we wouldn't be at all surprised to get twice as many shots as this in our own usage, more if we were shooting bursts. You can also gain around 9 percent more shots if you engage power-saving mode, but these aren't great figures for a camera you might want to use a lot.

As you'd expect, the camera can be charged over its USB-C socket, so there are ways to top the battery up fairly easily. However, it does not come with a battery charger in the box.

Initial impressions

By Mitchell Clark

From a certain angle, the Z50II is a minor update to its predecessor. It has the same sensor housed in a similar body and doesn't add anything revolutionary – there are no features that are unheard of for its category or that make us rethink what's possible with photography.

That's not a bad thing. The Z50II's main audience is first-time camera buyers, and when I think back to when I was getting into photography, the Z50II would've been exactly what I was looking for – something that gets the basics right without costing an arm and a leg.

I only got to spend a day shooting with the Z50II, but during that time nothing about it felt budget. The ergonomics and build quality felt just right for its size, and its performance was snappy; I never felt like I was waiting around for the camera or that it couldn't shoot fast enough to capture whatever I pointed it at.

The autofocus, in particular, was a standout. We've praised Nikon's 3D Tracking system and subject recognition before, and it's just as capable in the Z50II. In the past, the autofocus situation on beginner-focused cameras has been awkward: people who aren't experienced need the most help, but the most capable systems are also the most expensive ones, so they don't make it into lower-end cameras. That's not the case with the Z50II.

The Z50II's autofocus system was confidence-inspiring, even in automatic subject detect mode. ISO 100 | 1/400 sec | F4 | Nikon Z 70-200mm f2.8 VR S w/ 1.4x teleconverter Photo: Mitchell Clark

It even features automatic subject detection, giving you one less thing to think about when you're scrambling to get the shot. That'd be great for parents looking to get great shots of their kids playing sports – or pet owners looking to show off their fast-moving dogs and cats – without breaking the bank.

The video features are also robust, to the point where it feels like Nikon's targeting not just content creators but first-year film students, too. Beginner photographers who also want to capture video will be happy with its standard 4K capabilities, but they won't have any use for features like N-Log and waveforms.

Then there's the Picture Control button. I'm not entirely convinced color profiles are the thing to draw new people into photography, but camera manufacturers seem to disagree – this year we saw Panasonic debut its LUT button, and Fujifilm release two cameras with film simulation dials.

Even if the crowds are craving color control, the indirectness of Nikon's system could make it a little tricky for beginners. You don't beam them directly from your phone to your camera; you select which ones you want in Nikon's app, and then your camera downloads them via Wi-Fi. My years in tech support tell me there will be some confusion based on the camera needing to be connected to the internet on its own.

The real elephant in the room is lenses. The company makes five 'DX' lenses for its APS-C systems: a single prime and four zooms with maximum apertures of 3.5 or higher. There are several third-party autofocus primes, including some of the very good Sigma DC DN Contemporaries, but if you want a zoom with a consistent or fast aperture, you'll have to use a heavier, more expensive full-frame option from Nikon.

Sample gallery

Please do not reproduce any of these images on a website or any newsletter/magazine without prior permission (see our copyright page). We make the originals available for private users to download to their own machines for personal examination or printing (in conjunction with this review); we do so in good faith, so please don't abuse it.

Image: Hasselblad

Hasselblad has officially announced its XCD 3,4/75P prime lens after teasing the new product on the company's X account earlier this week. It's part of the company's 'P' (for portable) series of more compact lenses. When used with Hasselblad's X, 907X and CFV 100C medium format digital cameras, the 75mm F3.4 lens provides a 59mm equivalent field of view.

Hasselblad suggests the lens should be suitable for a variety of applications, including portraiture with soft, natural bokeh or as a relatively fast, compact lens for street photography.

Optically, the XCD 3,4/75P comprises 10 elements in 10 groups, including one aspherical and three ED (Extra-low Dispersion) elements to help suppress chromatic aberration. It has a minimum focus distance of 55cm (21.6”) and a maximum magnification of 0.17x. It includes a 72mm front filter thread.

A linear stepping motor drives autofocus, and Hasselblad says the focusing lens group is designed to be small, allowing the lens to focus quickly.

The new lens is 75mm (2.9") in diameter, 76mm (2.9”) long and weighs 398g (14oz).

At 75mm, it becomes the longest lens in the P series, joining Hasselblad's existing XCD 4/28P (22mm equiv) and XCD 4/45P (35mm equiv) lenses. It's also considerably smaller and more than 60% lighter than Hasselblad's XCD 80mm F1.9, the lens with the most similar focal length in Hasselblad's current lens lineup.

Like other XCD lenses, the 3,4/75P includes a built-in leaf shutter, supporting shutter speeds up to 1/2000 sec, which makes it a stop slower than Hasselblad's latest XCD V series lenses (which top out at 1/4000 sec), but allows for flash synchronization at all shutter speeds. The leaf shutter design contrasts with lenses for Fujifilm's GFX medium format system, which rely on a focal plane shutter in the camera.

Alongside the new lens, Hasselblad has also announced the X Extension Tube (9mm), designed specifically for Hasselblad’s X system cameras, 907X cameras and XCD series of lenses. It extends the distance between the lens and the sensor to reduce the minimum focus distance and improve close-up photography.

The XCD 3,4/75P is expected to be available immediately for $2229 in the US or €2529 in Europe. The X Extension Tube (9mm) is priced at $299 or €339.

Press release:

The Nikon Z50II is the company's latest entry-level APS-C mirrorless camera, built around a 21MP CMOS sensor. As with the original Z50, it's expressly aimed at stills and video creators looking for a small camera that makes it easy to upload.

It brings updated burst modes and AF functions to its predecessor, but most of the advancements are on the video side of the camera.

Key specifications

• 20.9MP APS-C sensor
• Twin control dials
• Full-width 4K video up to 30p (60p with crop)
• 3D-tracking autofocus and subject recognition for nine subject types
• Up to 11fps mechanical, with up to 1 second pre-release capture
• Fully articulated 3.2" touchscreen
• Single UHS-II SD card slot in battery compartment
• 2.36M dot EVF with brightness up to 1000nits

The Z50II will retail for $909 body-only and $1,049 as a kit with Nikon's DX 16-50 F3.5-6.3 lens. The company says it'll be available in "late November."

Index:

• What's new?
• How it compares
• Body and handling
• How it compares
• Initial impressions
• Sample Gallery
• Specifications
• Press release

What's new

The Z50II is, as the name suggests, an updated version of the company's original APS-C Z-mount camera. Much of what it gains comes from the use of a newer, more powerful Expeed 7 processor, but there are some subtle yet potentially significant additions beyond that.

Flexible Color Picture Control and Picture Control Button

The new Picture Control button is right above the rear control dial.

It's a change unrelated to processing power that helps signpost what the Z50II is and who it's intended for: the addition of a dedicated 'Picture Control' button to let you select the camera's color mode.

The changes go deeper than the labeling of a button, though. The Z50II becomes the first model to offer 'flexible' Picture Control profiles that let you adjust or download additional profiles. The camera comes with 31 but you can add more, and limit which ones appear when you hit the Picture Control button, so that it doesn't become overwhelming.

Nikon has, at least as far back as 2008, been one of the few brands to offer software to let you edit its in-camera profiles. The company's NX Studio software lets you adjust the existing Picture Controls, applying your own custom tone curve or changing the sharpening and saturation of the profile. However, you only get limited control over the color response, with a global hue adjustment, rather than the ability to re-map colors that a LUT would give.

It's the ability to download Creator Recipe profiles from Nikon's Imaging Cloud that we suspect most users will experiment with.

Brighter viewfinder

The Z50II also gains a brighter viewfinder, now capable of displaying up to 1000 nits, double the maximum brightness of the one in the existing model. The display isn't bright enough to fully preview HLG high dynamic range capture though, and is still the same 2.36M dot resolution.

Subject recognition / 3D Tracking

One of the most significant improvements that does come from the new processor is the Z50II's autofocus system. It gains the subject recognition modes from other recent Nikon cameras, boosting the number of recognized subjects from three to nine.

It also adds the 3D Tracking AF mode, that makes it quicker to track subjects, regardless of whether the camera has been specifically trained to recognize them.

C30 and pre-burst

Another Expeed 7 feature to arrive on the Z50II is its ability to shoot at high speeds in e-shutter mode, with the option to start buffering images when the shutter is half-pressed and saving images captured up to one second before the shutter button is fully depressed.

The Z50II's C30 and C15 modes can shoot with autofocus at up to 30fps or 15fps, respectively, though it only records JPEGs.

Nikon Imaging Cloud

The Z50II is also compatible with Nikon's Imaging Cloud service, which debuted with the Z6III. That means that, when connected to a Wi-Fi network, it can automatically upload your photos to Nikon's servers, which shuffle them off to your choice of third-party cloud storage services, such as Dropbox, Google Drive, or Lightroom. You can also have your camera automatically download firmware updates, and have it sync Picture Control presets that you've selected on your computer or phone. While many cameras have similar features, they have to be paired with a smartphone or camera to use them – the Z50II can do it on its own connected to your router.

What's new for video:

Despite using the same sensor as the Z50, Nikon has managed to squeeze significantly better video out of it. The Z50II can now encode video in 10-bit precision, allowing internal N-Log capture to maximize color and tone grading potential, or HLG high dynamic range capture for playback on HDR displays and TVs.

The Z50II also gains the ability to capture 4K/60 footage from a cropped region of the sensor.

On top of this, Nikon says the electronic image stabilization (eVR) in video mode is improved. The Z50II also gets a "product review" autofocus mode, that knows to override its face detection AF if an object is held up in front of the camera: a feature that can be useful for vloggers discussing a specific product they want to show.

How it compares

The Z50II arrives into what was previously a competitive point in the market but one that fewer and fewer manufactuers seem to be catering to. Fujifilm offers the similarly beginner-friendly X-M5 for around $200 less, but with no viewfinder, or the high-resolution, image stabilized X-T50 for a whopping $400 more. Meanwhile, Sony offers the now rather elderly a6400 at a comparable price. It makes fewer accommodations to people new to ILCs and its age means its video spec lags way behind.

It's only really Canon, with its EOS R10 that offers an approximately like-for-like competitor to the Z50II. The other camera we feel it makes sense to compare is Nikon's own Zfc. It has near identical spec to the original Z50, other than it has a fully articulated rear screen. By including another Nikon entry-level camera, we can see what's changed over the past five years.

As well as advances in technology, another change since we reviewed the Z50 is that both Nikon and Canon have allowed some third-party lenses into their respective APS-C systems. In the case of Nikon, that includes three of Sigma's DC DN prime lenses, which add relatively affordable ways to boost the camera's capabilities. Canon, meanwhile, has allowed Sigma to offer its two DC DN zooms, with four prime lenses to follow.

This still leaves both systems well short of the variety of APS-C focused lenses offered for Fujifilm's X mount, or of the selection available for Sony, but means you're not solely dependent on the camera maker's development priorities for either camera anymore.

Body and handling

The body of the Z50II is very much like that of its predecessor, which is to say it's like a slightly shrunk-down version of Nikon's original Z-series full-frame models. Despite the size reduction, the Z50II retains a fairly substantial hand grip.

The body is primarily made from fiber-reinforced plastic, which gives it a fairly solid feel without becoming overly heavy. There's a textured coating around the handgrip and the back corner of the camera that gives a comfortable and reassuring amount of grip on the camera. The front and rear command dials are well positioned for forefinger and thumb operation without any need to shift your hand position on the camera.

It gains four extra buttons along the back of the camera, compared with its predecessor, which means its controls much more closely mimic those of the full-frame Z models, with dedicated +/– zoom buttons, a drive mode button and a 'DISP' button being added. There's an additional button on the top of the camera, too: just behind the existing [REC], ISO and Exposure Comp buttons is a dedicated 'Picture Control' button.

It doesn't gain the joystick that the full-frame models have, though, and the Stills/Movie switch they feature around their DISP buttons is instead on the Z50II's top plate. The Play and Drive Mode buttons are transposed relative to the full-frame models, but we doubt enough people will be trying to shoot both side-by-side for this difference to matter).

The Z50II also moves from a tilt up/down screen to a fully articulated one, as featured on the Zfc and Z30. Nikon has described all four of its APS-C Z-mount models as being for 'creators,' so this change is no real surprise.

Viewfinder & screen

The Z50II's viewfinder can now go as bright as 1000 nits: twice as bright as the one in the older model, which should mean there's less need for your eye to adapt when you're using the camera in bright sunshine. It's not bright enough to fully preview HLG images, though.

It remains a relatively low resolution 2.36M dot display, in keeping with the Z50II's lowly position in the lineup. It offers 0.68x magnification, in equivalent terms, which is pretty large for a camera at this price.

Ports & slots

The Z50II's specs tell the story of how far we've come in the five years since the launch of the original model. Its SD card slot can now make full use of the faster UHS-II cards, while its USB socket has been upgraded to the Type C standard and 5Gbit/s transfer rates. It's also been made compatible with the UVC/UAC USB video and audio standards, so it can be used as a webcam without the need for any specialist drivers or software.

The camera also gains a headphone socket to allow audio monitoring, something that really boosts its usefulness as a video camera.

Battery

The Z50II uses a new EN-EL25a battery, which sees the capacity increase from 8.5Wh to 9.4Wh. Despite this 10% increase, the CIPA battery ratings for the Z50II are 250 shots per charge using the rear screen and 230 using the viewfinder. These are around 20% lower than on its predecessor, presumably as a consequence of the more powerful processor.

CIPA figures tend to assume extensive use of flash and rather more looking at image review than most people actually do, so we wouldn't be at all surprised to get twice as many shots as this in our own usage, more if we were shooting bursts. You can also gain around 9 percent more shots if you engage power-saving mode, but these aren't great figures for a camera you might want to use a lot.

As you'd expect, the camera can be charged over its USB-C socket, so there are ways to top the battery up fairly easily. However, it does not come with a battery charger in the box.

Initial impressions

By Mitchell Clark

From a certain angle, the Z50II is a minor update to its predecessor. It has the same sensor housed in a similar body and doesn't add anything revolutionary – there are no features that are unheard of for its category or that make us rethink what's possible with photography.

That's not a bad thing. The Z50II's main audience is first-time camera buyers, and when I think back to when I was getting into photography, the Z50II would've been exactly what I was looking for – something that gets the basics right without costing an arm and a leg.

I only got to spend a day shooting with the Z50II, but during that time nothing about it felt budget. The ergonomics and build quality felt just right for its size, and its performance was snappy; I never felt like I was waiting around for the camera or that it couldn't shoot fast enough to capture whatever I pointed it at.

The autofocus, in particular, was a standout. We've praised Nikon's 3D Tracking system and subject recognition before, and it's just as capable in the Z50II. In the past, the autofocus situation on beginner-focused cameras has been awkward: people who aren't experienced need the most help, but the most capable systems are also the most expensive ones, so they don't make it into lower-end cameras. That's not the case with the Z50II.

The Z50II's autofocus system was confidence-inspiring, even in automatic subject detect mode. ISO 100 | 1/400 sec | F4 | Nikon Z 70-200mm f2.8 VR S w/ 1.4x teleconverter Photo: Mitchell Clark

It even features automatic subject detection, giving you one less thing to think about when you're scrambling to get the shot. That'd be great for parents looking to get great shots of their kids playing sports – or pet owners looking to show off their fast-moving dogs and cats – without breaking the bank.

The video features are also robust, to the point where it feels like Nikon's targeting not just content creators but first-year film students, too. Beginner photographers who also want to capture video will be happy with its standard 4K capabilities, but they won't have any use for features like N-Log and waveforms.

Then there's the Picture Control button. I'm not entirely convinced color profiles are the thing to draw new people into photography, but camera manufacturers seem to disagree – this year we saw Panasonic debut its LUT button, and Fujifilm release two cameras with film simulation dials.

Even if the crowds are craving color control, the indirectness of Nikon's system could make it a little tricky for beginners. You don't beam them directly from your phone to your camera; you select which ones you want in Nikon's app, and then your camera downloads them via Wi-Fi. My years in tech support tell me there will be some confusion based on the camera needing to be connected to the internet on its own.

The real elephant in the room is lenses. The company makes five 'DX' lenses for its APS-C systems: a single prime and four zooms with maximum apertures of 3.5 or higher. There are several third-party autofocus primes, including some of the very good Sigma DC DN Contemporaries, but if you want a zoom with a consistent or fast aperture, you'll have to use a heavier, more expensive full-frame option from Nikon.

Sample gallery

Please do not reproduce any of these images on a website or any newsletter/magazine without prior permission (see our copyright page). We make the originals available for private users to download to their own machines for personal examination or printing (in conjunction with this review); we do so in good faith, so please don't abuse it.

Image: Laowa

Laowa is making its APS-C wide-angle 'zoom shift' lens available outside of China, a few months after it launched it in the country. The 12-24mm F5.6 lens is unusual – the company says it's the "first wide-angle zoom shift lens," giving you control over perspective without being locked into a single focal length.

That versatility does come with a cost. For one, the lens' F5.6 maximum aperture is relatively slow for APS-C cameras. You also only get plus or minus 7mm of shift, while some of Laowa's shift primes can reach up to 11mm of shift in either direction. It also doesn't have any tilting abilities.

Image: Laowa

The lens is mainly marketed at landscape and architectural photographers looking to take images with minimal distortion. However, it does have some features for those who are interested in it for creative purposes; its minimum focusing distance is a relatively close 15 cm (5.9").

It has a 77mm filter thread, weighs 575g, and retails for $699. It's available for APS-C cameras with a wide range of mounts: Sony E, Canon RF, Nikon Z, L-Mount, Fujifilm X mount, and even Canon EF-M.

Photo: Denis Baskin

With experience comes wisdom. And for photographers, few things are as satisfying as sharing that wisdom with those just starting their photographic journey. It's a chance to mentor, guide, and give back to the community that helped us grow.

Recently, a discussion in our forums caught our eye. The question posed was simple: "What have you learned that you would tell beginners?" The responses were insightful, offering a trove of knowledge perfect for sharing. In this article, we've gathered some advice from experienced DPReview forum users and some thoughts from our own editors.

The advice broadly falls into three categories: gear, technique, and the photographic process itself. Read on to discover what your fellow DPReview users said, and make sure to share your own hard-earned wisdom in the comments!

Gear: Don't get distracted by shiny objects

It's easy to get caught up in the allure of new cameras and lenses, but gear is only one piece of the puzzle. As sirhawkeye64, who started the forum thread, wisely points out, "I would have focused more on skill...and less on gear or having the latest gear or buying gear that I really never used, and perhaps instead learning to really use the gear I had."

User yardcoyote echoed this sentiment, advising beginners to trust their instincts and avoid getting swept up in trends: "Almost all my mistakes happened because I didn't trust myself and my photographic instincts. Now I know and trust that I don't want zoom lenses, I don't want wide angle, I don't want burst... I don't want to shoot Raw and do extensive work in post."

It's easy to get caught up in the allure of new cameras and lenses, but gear is only a piece of the puzzle. Learn to use the gear you have, and don't hesitate to buy used or refurbished gear. Photo: Richard Butler

"It used to bother me a lot that I wasn't in the mainstream and that many people think I am not a 'real' photographer, at least partly because of these things. Now, I don't care as much. I'm just gonna go over here and take pictures."

Finding the right lenses can be a journey in itself. Editor Richard Butler suggests careful consideration: "Take some time to work out which other lenses you might need. A lot of people buy wide-angle or telephoto zooms, but you may find something like a portrait lens, a macro, or a bright 35mm prime if you like to capture the world as you see it."

"The key thing is that you don’t need all of these; you may not need many lenses at all. But you need to work out what you enjoy and what you want to photograph before you make an informed decision about what lens to buy next."

"I would have focused more on skill...and less on gear..."

For some, considerations of comfort and practicality are key. User mmartel wishes they had prioritized ergonomics: "I've found that grams and millimeters don't matter to me at all, and big EVFs are great... Just because a camera is larger or heavier doesn't mean it's less comfortable to carry and use."

User Leo_Yai emphasizes the importance of a manageable kit: "Keep the body size reasonable. Too small is too fiddly, too big stays in the garage too often, not taking images. Same for lenses... If you ever think, 'Should I change the lens?' then your carrying system is too cumbersome." Ultimately, the best gear is the gear you actually use.

Many experienced photographers suggest buying used gear. If you don't want to buy from a private party, you can often buy reliable used gear from shops like MPB.com (above). Some manufacturers sell refurbished products through their own websites.

Finally, Editor Dale Baskin offers this reassuring advice: "Don’t obsess about having fancy gear or the newest camera. Buy something used in good condition... Don't hesitate to buy refurbished or used gear."

Technique: Master the fundamentals

While gear is essential, mastering photographic techniques is crucial for creating compelling images. User GreenEyesGTA advocates for learning manual focus: "My biggest leap in photography was when I stopped [using] AF/burst so much and took my time with MF [manual focus]."

User Claus H keeps it concise, suggesting a focus on the basics: f-stop, focal length, shutter speed, ISO, composition, and color vs. black and white, along with skills like focusing on composition and leveling your camera.

Focus on learning the fundamentals – both the fundamentals of photography and of your camera. Photo: Dale Baskin

"React emotionally to your pictures," Claus says. "Make them as good as you can, don't become a technophobe about them. If an image has soul, it has soul, regardless of what it was shot with. Learn the technical, but educate your eyes. Once you have the basics down, carry a camera as often as you can, and shoot, shoot, shoot."

Shooting a lot will help you get to know your camera, but Editor Mitchell Clark highlights the importance of exploring your camera's features. "My photography journey started well into the digital age when even basic cameras had capable auto modes and a litany of complex features. In a lot of ways this was a blessing, but it also let me build some bad habits that took years to undo."

"Once you have the basics down, carry a camera as often as you can, and shoot, shoot, shoot."

"I shot in manual but pretty much ignored everything else. This helped give me a solid understanding of exposure, but it also left huge gaps in my knowledge about how cameras worked and what they were capable of."

"Don't make that mistake," he implores. "While you probably shouldn't read your camera's manual cover to cover, I recommend taking a day to dive through the menus and make sure you have an understanding of what most of the options do. Today's cameras have so many features and capabilities, and it'd be a shame if you didn't use all the ones that fit your shooting style and needs."

The photographic process: Find your voice

Beyond gear and technique, photography is about capturing moments, expressing creativity, sharing your vision with the world, and being true to yourself and your vision.

"Make the images [you] want to make, don't be afraid to experiment, and don't assume that what 'everyone thinks' and 'everyone does' are the right things for you, says yardcoyote.

SeeingSomeThingsMissingMany emphasizes the importance of finding your passion: "[Choose] a subject matter you really like that makes you want to photograph it a lot; [Find] an easy-to-use camera you enjoy that makes you want to use this camera again and again."

Choose a subject matter you really like and photograph it a lot. Finding your own niche in photography allows you to build expertise and shoot something you really enjoy. Photo: Dale Baskin

Finding your voice and vision is about more than just taking great photos, though. Dale Baskin offers this helpful hint: "Find a niche. When you're in learning mode, it's tempting to take pictures of lots of subjects without much creative focus, which is natural because you're learning your craft. As you get better, find one or two things you really love to shoot and get really good at shooting them. It allows you to become an expert and take your experience to the next level."

While feedback is valuable, staying true to your vision is essential. As Mitchell Clark notes, "If the images you're taking make you happy, it doesn't really matter what other people think of them." He also encourages sharing your work freely, reminding us that perfection shouldn't be an obstacle to sharing our creativity.

"Make the images [you] want to make, don't be afraid to experiment..."

With that in mind, user teejaywhy offers a simple but powerful reminder: "When sharing photos to friends or family (or random internet people, for that matter), remember: LESS IS MORE."

Richard Butler agrees: "One of the key skills of photography is to be able to critically assess your own work. This not only lets you focus your efforts on the photos most worthy of processing and editing, but also helps you learn which things work and which things don’t, helping you develop as a photographer."

Which brings us to the other thing he says he wished he’d known earlier: "Don’t judge your efforts too harshly at first: remember that everyone else is only sharing their best work."

Image: Retrospekt

Retrospekt, a company known for refurbishing and reselling classic consumer electronic devices, has announced a limited run of 24-karat gold-plated Rollei 35 film cameras called the Retrospekt 24K Gold Edition.

There's no denying the current fascination with film and digital vintage cameras, and the Rollei 35 is one of the most famous compact film cameras ever made. It was initially launched at Photokina in 1966, and at the time of its introduction, it was the smallest 35mm film camera available; over two million were eventually manufactured.

According to Retrospekt, its limited edition gold-plated cameras are fully-restored vintage Rollei 35 film cameras, with each camera being disassembled and its internal mechanicals refurbished to like-new condition. Each camera's exterior metal parts are electroplated with 24-karat gold.

Original Rollei 35 models usually had 40mm F2.8 or F3.5 Zeiss lenses. Retrospekt's gold-plated cameras include a Zeiss Tessar, Rollei Tessar or Schneider Kreuznach Xenar 40mm F3.5 lens.

Image: Retrospekt

Each camera comes in a presentation box, with a leather case and a wrist strap. The company says the case and strap are made of new materials modeled after the camera's original accessories.

Retrospekt did not disclose how many cameras the limited run would include.

The Rollei 35 is one of the most iconic film cameras in history. Earlier this year, a company called Mint Camera started taking orders on the Rollei 35AF, a modern version of the design that incorporates autofocus.

The Retrospekt 24K Gold Edition sells for $999, including case and accessories, and can be ordered from Retrospect beginning today.

Buy now:

These are just a few of the 100,000 portraits Sami Aziz captured in a single year along Philadephia's iconic South Street. Images ©Sami Aziz

Can a creative project change your life? Photographer Sami Aziz (Instagram: @southstreetsam) discovered that it can. Armed with his camera and a lot of determination, he embarked on a project to shoot portraits every day for an entire year, capturing images of more than 100,000 people along a single iconic street in his hometown of Philadelphia.

It was a journey of exploration and discovery for Aziz. His presence on South Street became a source of positive energy for the city of Philadelphia, strengthened his own ties to the community, and helped him find a path to becoming a full-time photographer.

Shortly after reaching the one-year milestone, Aziz shared his motivations behind the project and its transformative impact on his life.

Forging a path

"I've been doing street photography for a while. I picked it up when I went to college in New York City. While I was living there, Brandon Stanton was doing the Humans of New York project, and it really inspired me."

After college, Aziz traveled across Morocco and the United States, exploring different regions and taking photos.

Image ©Sami Aziz

"Everywhere from Casablanca, Marrakech, and Tangier – to California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. I had a van and was driving around the country, just taking pictures of people. I like the model of focusing on just one place in a city. It's an effective way of honing your skills and building a sense of community."

Aziz eventually felt drawn back to his hometown of Philadelphia but was faced with the task of creating a sense of belonging. "Although I was born and raised in Philly, I didn't feel at home here for the longest time. I didn't have a sense of community yet," he explains. But he did have a dream he wanted to make real.

Image ©Sami Aziz

"Coming back to Philly at 26 was almost like a coming-of-age journey for me. I was like, 'Alright, I want to make something of my photography career now.'"

Becoming South Street Sam

"Leading up to this project, I spent about a year working as a delivery driver. One day, as I was picking up a lunch delivery on South Street, I thought to myself, 'What if I made an Instagram called South Street Sam?' My parents' first date was on South Street. My father had a store here, and my mom worked at a Greek restaurant, South Street Souvlaki, that's been around for 40 years," he explains.

Image ©Sami Aziz

"I planned to make it a side project and didn't expect it would ever become something big."

Aziz initially used his trusted Canon 5D Mark IV and Zeiss Otus 55mm F1.4 lens. However, he realized he needed more flexibility for his project. "There were limitations to using one focal length. I love 50mm – it's probably my favorite because it was my first ‘big boy’ lens – but sometimes, like in these Philly row homes or on a busy sidewalk, it's harder to take group photos with a 50mm."

"Many people don't realize that all the photos on my page are hand-focused."

He kept working as a delivery driver to fund his gear purchases. "I ended up buying the Zeiss Otus 28mm F1.4 and 100mm F1.4 lenses as well. They're all manual focus, cine-style lenses. But after I bought these great lenses, I realized my 5D Mark IV wasn't cutting it anymore because it didn't have certain focus assist tools, which make shooting with manual focus lenses a lot easier."

Image ©Sami Aziz

"Many people don't realize that all the photos on my page are hand-focused. I was basically eyeballing it the whole time with the Canon 5D IV because it didn’t have focus peaking."

Before I quit my delivery job, I decided to make one more investment in an updated camera body and ended up going with the Canon EOS R3. It was the best Canon had to offer with a vertical grip, articulating screen, and, most importantly, manual focus assist tools."

"It was a game-changer. After getting the Canon R3, I started shooting portraits daily and building a streak. When you start, there’s always talk about starting local, but I started hyper-local. I focused on just one street. I knew early on that I was going to be focusing on this street – no pun intended; I mean, it's in my Instagram handle. I'm South Street Sam."

A Turning Point

Aziz reached a crossroads where he realized he had to choose between his delivery job and his passion for photography. "There came a point where I quit the delivery job. I remember a distinct moment on a busy delivery day. I had my keys and was walking toward my car, but I had already started this new page and thought to myself, 'Am I going to go to work today, or am I going to shoot?'"

Image ©Sami Aziz

"I decided to shoot. I didn't care if I was down to my last dollar. I dreamed of being a working street photographer and of being able to pay my bills with photography. It was almost a Forrest Gump-type moment. I just decided to take pictures daily and see what would happen. I never could have imagined this was where my photography career would take off."

He started taking pictures of people along South Street, capturing the diverse faces of the neighborhood. "It picked up steam pretty quickly. My first 10,000 followers were people I photographed and asked, 'Hey, can you follow my Instagram page?' Then, the second I started posting reels, I think I went from 10,000 to 50,000 followers in about three weeks." He used a DJI Osmo Action 4 camera to provide a behind-the-scenes view into his process.

"I decided to shoot. I didn't care if I was down to my last dollar."

As his Instagram page grew, people started recognizing him on the street. "One night, I went out to shoot around 11 pm. I walked up to a girl and said, 'Hey, I'm a street photographer. Can I take a portrait of you?' She recognized me immediately and was like, 'Oh my God, Sam!'

While I'm doing that, another guy driving by backs up in full reverse, rolls down his window and asks if I'm South Street Sam. I'm thinking to myself, I'm out here at 11 pm on a weeknight, and people recognize me. This is crazy. It demonstrates how important this project became to people in my city."

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A post shared by Sami Aziz (@southstreetsam)

"I never could have predicted it would grow the way it did. I’m now approaching 300,000 followers and just surpassed 60 million video views. It's very humbling. At the same time, this is probably one of the hardest things I've ever done. To do something every single day for a year, especially when it's raining or below freezing outside... there were times when I asked myself, ‘What on Earth am I doing?’"

"And for the record, I even picked up a fully weather-sealed Canon RF 85mm F1.2 for days when it was raining or snowing too heavily to use my Otus lenses."

After spending an entire year taking portraits on this iconic street, South Street had become home for Sam. He felt the sense of community he’d always longed for, and it was there to stay.

Living in the moment

"I go out, I shoot, I come home, I upload. The next morning, I edit, I post, and go out to shoot again," Aziz says of his daily routine.

He's so focused on his work that he once didn't recognize a famous actor while taking his photo. "I walked up to him and asked to take his portrait. 'You know I'm an actor, right?' he asked me. And I'm like, 'Great, let's take a photo.' While heading back towards my apartment, I Googled Michael Peña and realized that I'd watched one of his movies, and thought to myself, wow, I just walked up to a Hollywood actor completely clueless."

South Street Sam out during a weekend night taking portraits. Photo courtesy of Sami Aziz

Aziz emphasizes the importance of confidence and positive energy when approaching people for street portraits. "An important lesson I've learned is to approach people with the right energy."

"If you walk up to people expecting them to say no, more likely than not, they're going to say no. If you approach them in a confident way, with good energy, more often than not, they're going to say yes. It takes practice. You can't be discouraged if people say no. Just keep moving, keep rolling, and don't take it personally."

Image ©Sami Aziz

He also believes in giving back to the community by sharing his work. "Everyone gets a copy of their photo. Every night after shooting, I upload an album to Google Drive. All people have to do is follow a link in my story to find their photo in the album and download it. I've never charged anybody for the street portraits. I do, however, give them an option to tip if they’d like to support my creative mission."

Reflecting on the Journey

"I took 100,000 portraits of people, most of which were on five blocks in one city. I can't even wrap my head around the number 100,000. The amount of diversity and human interaction in just five blocks is crazy. That's what I love about portrait photography: just being able to connect with people of different backgrounds and walks of life, particularly in a city like Philadelphia."

Aziz hopes his experience will inspire others to pursue their passions. "If you have a dream, just keep at it. Be consistent. Practice. There are no secrets. It's like in any field; you need to put in the work and pay your dues, and you'll eventually see the result."

"It's so cool to look back at all these years of photography and say I've found my niche."

Early morning flog clings to the autumn landscape in the UK. Photo: Richard Butler

The November edition of the Editors' Photo Challenge is open for submissions! Our theme this month is 'Fog'.

Fog provides endless creative possibilities for photography, from soft, diffused landscapes to ghostly cityscapes. It can add an ethereal quality to a scene, transforming the familiar into something magical. Show us the magic and mystery of mist with your favorite fog photos.

This challenge is open to photos taken at any time, and you may submit up to three photos. Photos must be submitted by Saturday, November 9 (GMT).

Visit the challenge page to read the full rules and to submit your photos for consideration.

Enter your photos here

Images: Sony, Profoto, Sennhesier

After a week without an accessory round – mainly owing to a dearth of accessories – we're back and better than ever. Today, we'll look at a powerful flash, an exciting firmware update, a versatile set of microphones, and more. Before we get to that, though, let's see what's on sale.

Photo: Brendan Nystedt

Panasonic's G9 II is a substantial upgrade from its predecessor, and is now much more capable when it comes to video. It's large for a Micro Four Thirds camera, but that allows for a plethora of controls and a full-size HDMI port. It's currently $200 off MSRP.

Photo: Brendan Nystedt

Canon's EOS R8 is also $200 off, which makes it an even better deal as an entry-level full-frame camera. However, it may be worth spending some of those savings on an extra battery or two, as battery life isn't the EOS R8's strongest suit.

Light, camera, action

Image: Profoto

This week, Profoto announced the D30, a bright monolight flash that's still compact and lightweight. It has a range of 11 F-stops, outputting between 0.5 and 500Ws of light.

It also has a continuous dimmable LED modeling light, with an adjustable color temperature ranging from 2,800 - 7,000K and a >94 CRI. Its recycle time depends on what type of mains electricity you have it hooked up to, but it ranges from 0.1 seconds to a maximum of 0.9 seconds.

The D30 is undeniably a professional tool and has a price tag to match: it comes in at $1,995, and adding a handle is an extra $50. But if you need a lot of lighting power and are making money from your photography, it's certainly an interesting option.

A versatile mic kit

Sennheiser's new Profile wireless microphone system could be an interesting option if you're looking for a plug-and-play audio kit that covers a lot of bases. It includes a few components: two microphone packs, a dual-channel receiver, a charging bar, and a host of accessories, such as wind blockers, a 3.5mm TRS cable, and mounts.

The simplest setup involves clipping the two microphones to your talents' lapels and having them record to their 16GB each of internal memory. Of course, if you're filming those people, you can also have the microphones transmit to the receiver, which can output to a camera's mic jack.

If you'd rather them not be conspicuously in the shot, both packs have locking 3.5mm inputs and can act as transmitters for more traditional lav mics.

Clipping one or both of the microphones into the battery bar lets you use it as a handheld microphone.

Here's where things get exciting though; the microphone capsules and receiver all fit into the charging bar, which makes sure their batteries are topped up. However, that charging bar can also become a handheld wireless microphone if you're doing a piece to camera and want to look official.

It also has a tripod mount, letting you use it as a desktop microphone. You could connect it to your computer via a 3.5mm cable or USB-C... or you could snap on the included USB-C adapter to the receiver and plug it into a phone or computer, letting it work wirelessly in that mode, too. That adapter's also useful if you want to use any of these configurations while recording video with a phone instead of a dedicated camera.

Given just how many roles this setup can fill, it comes at a surprisingly reasonable price of $299. The company also says there's no app required to use it; you can manage all the settings using the receiver's touchscreen.

Focus bracketing comes to the a7 IV

Photo: Richard Butler

If you have a Sony a7 IV and haven't updated it in a while, now might be the time. Sony recently released firmware version 4.0 for the camera, which adds support for focus bracketing, letting you automate the process of taking several images to get an object entirely in focus.

The update includes several more features and fixes, such as the ability to continue taking pictures while your camera transfers images to your phone.

The firmware can be downloaded from Sony's website.

Magical control

Image: Blackmagic

Speaking of updates, the Blackmagic Camera app for iOS recently got support for the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro's new Camera Control button, and the ability to launch the app from the lock screen or control center. The 2.1 update also adds bitrate selection options for when you're recording in H.264 or H.265.

Click to see the previous accessory roundup

Silicon Film's e-film concept has generated a lot of interest over the years, but ultimately came to nothing. Later concepts included a separate processing module attached outside the camera. Photo: Phil Askey / DPReview.com

Early in the digital camera era there were multiple attempts to find a way to convert existing film cameras to work with the new capture technology.

Perhaps the most famous was Silicon Film, whose e-Film EFS-1 digital cartridge got to an advanced state of development before the company collapsed under the weight of development costs, continued engineering challenges, existing patents and insufficient orders. All of which was revealed in the subsequent lawsuit.

Now, around a quarter of a century later, a Swiss team, funded via Kickstarter, looks like it's about to deliver on that dream, despite all the challenges.

I'm Back has partnered with the current owners of the Yashica name to announce that its three crowdfunded projects are now available to order as fully-fledged retail products. The one that really catches our eye is the I'm Back Film, which promises to let you add digital capabilities to a wide range of original SLRs or film rangefinders, by mimicking the Silicon Film concept. Its website lists the unit at 645 Swiss Franks (∼$750).

The Silicon Film dream is back

Like the Silicon Film concept, the I'm Back Film is shaped like a 135 film cassette with a tongue extending from one side, on which a digital sensor is mounted. A ribbon cable extends from here to a box that screws into the tripod socket, containing the processing circuitry, a battery and a small touchscreen to control the unit's settings. A small red button then connects to the processing unit to activate the sensor.

The film module being installed in a camera with the processing module attached below. Yashica branding appears to have been added to this image. Image: I'm Back

To shoot an image, you first press the red button to start the sensor's exposure, safe in the knowledge that the camera's shutter speed and aperture settings will define how much light the sensor actually experiences.

The challenges

I'll admit I've been deeply skeptical about how far I'm Back would get, in part because so many attempts had failed, and how many hurdles these attempts had shown there to be, so I tip my hat to the I'm Back team for overcoming so many of them.

Back in 2017, when I'm Back announced what it now calls the "I'm Back 35," I simplified the challenges, as encountered when large companies such as Nikon looked at the problem, into a list that included:

• Sensor/film plane alignment
• Syncing the SLR shutter and digital exposure
• A means of changing the digital settings
• Compatibility across the dwindling supply of film SLRs
• Keeping the cost reasonable
• Space for batteries and processing hardware
• Sufficient image quality to make the whole ordeal worthwhile

This earlier I'm Back project – including a ground glass that fits in the film plane, photographed by a compact camera sensor mounted in a clumsy plastic periscope attached to the back of the camera – only made the whole idea look less credible. I'm Back 35 only worked for cameras whose film doors could be removed and offered dedicated cases for some cameras, taking us further away from the simple 'drop in a digital cassette' ideal.

The combination of bulk and limited image quality potential made it easy to dismiss as a serious attempt to extend the life of older cameras. At least for anyone who isn't engaged with the Lomography-style 'the imperfections are the appeal' aesthetic. Perhaps the I'm Back 35 will gain traction with the generation embracing wilfully limited early compacts.

I'm Back Film

An image of the I'm Back Film module, with Yashica branding added. Image: I'm Back

The I'm Back Film is a rather different prospect. It's built around a Four Thirds sized sensor (the 20MP IMX269 made by Sony Semiconductor). This use of a smaller-than-full-frame sensor reduces the level of precision needed to align the sensor with the film camera's exposure area, as well as keep costs and power usage under control.

Using a relatively large modern sensor opens up the potential for very good image quality, and the option of Raw capture means you're not solely dependent on the company's JPEG processing expertise (which we've yet to experience). I'm Back has already built-up experience of designing touchscreen interfaces to solve the problem of changing the sensor's settings, addressing another of the original challenges.

The use of a Four Thirds sized sensor, while more impressive than the 2.6x crop chip that Silicon Film originally planned, still confers a significant limitation on anyone trying to use their old film lenses. I'm Back provides a frame that can be stuck into the camera's viewfinder to mask-off the unused area and offers a 0.45x wide-angle converter lens that screws onto the 52mm filter thread used by many film-era 50mm lenses, to help compensate for the crop.

Continuation vs Vinylism

Who doesn't want to breathe some new life into that much-loved film camera currently collecting dust? Image: I'm Back

To me, the significant crop and the rather quirky way around it suggests the aims of the I'm Back Film are quite different to those of Silicon Film's attempt. After 25 years, the goal isn't to let you continue to use your film SLR instead of a dedicated digital camera – the 'accessible' full-frame DSLR arrived long ago, and the move to mirrorless means most legacy lenses can be adapted to a wide range of cameras – but to revive old cameras for the fun of it.

This is perhaps for the best, as most of the film cameras it's designed for are a quarter of a century older than they were when Silicon Film was trying the same thing. Warranties have long-ago elapsed and the ability to repair many film-era cameras continues to diminish.

Now that a quarter of a century has passed, the role that a digital module for film cameras must play has arguably changed. Image: I'm Back

But once you see the aim as being to have some fun with some old, beautifully-engineered cameras that would otherwise be collecting dust or acting as lifestyle signifiers on statement bookshelves, we enter the world of Vinylism: the embrace of an old technology for the sake and the aesthetic of it.

Most people recognize that vinyl isn't a better medium in any measurable sense, and no one claims it's more convenient or practical than digital alternatives. But there's an undeniable charm to the experience, whether it's the large-format sleeves, the ritual of manual intervention or simply the way it looks and feels. As such the way the I'm Back Film should be judged has nothing to do with how it compares with mainstream modern cameras, because, unlike Silicon Film, it's not trying to usurp them.

Even if you disagree with that position or don't subscribe to the Vinylist ethos, to have come this far when so many have failed is truely impressive. I'm Back said it was unable to send us a Film unit in the build-up to this launch, but we'd happily review it, on its own terms, if they ever choose to.

The X-E1 was the first model in Fujilm's X-E camera series. It was originally intended to broaden the X-series’ appeal following the launch of the Flagship X-Pro1.

Just a couple of weeks ago, Fujifilm announced the X-M5, the first new model in its entry-level X-M series in over a decade. The appearance of this long-dormant line sparked renewed interest in Fujifilm’s other compact X-series cameras, and we couldn’t help but wonder if a new X-E camera might be on the horizon.

At a recent event, we posed the question to a Fujifilm executive, asking whether X-E owners should be worried about the product line's future. "We haven't lost focus on any of our existing range," we were told. We expect to see another X-E model, but what might we anticipate from an X-E5?

Over time, there's been some drift in who the X-E series was aimed at as the company's various product lines evolved, and to a degree, it seems like even Fujifilm is still trying to figure out precisely who the series is for. To see where it might be headed, let’s look back at previous X-E models to understand where it's been and how it's trending.

The X-E1: Where it all started

Announced: September 2012

MSRP: $999

Fujifilm’s X-E1 was only the second interchangeable lens camera in the X-series, following the flagship X-Pro1 that launched the X system a few months earlier. When launched, it was intended to broaden the X-series’ appeal and effectively became Fujifilm's enthusiast-oriented camera body.

The X-E1 represented a more affordable option that mimicked the X-Pro1’s design philosophy and control layout. It used the same 16MP sensor and image processor, ensuring it could deliver photo quality on par with the more premium X-Pro.

It didn't include the X-Pro1’s hybrid optical viewfinder, opting instead for a 2.36M-dot OLED EVF – impressive for 2012. However, it added a pop-up flash, which the X-Pro1 lacked.

It became a popular choice for those who wanted Fujifilm's retro styling and manual controls at a more approachable price point. Some users even thought of it as an X100 with interchangeable lenses since the two series followed very similar design cues.

The X-E2: Still the enthusiast's camera

Announced: October 2013

MSRP: $999

When the X-E2 arrived just 13 months after the X-E1, it reinforced the X-E series' position as Fujifilm's enthusiast camera, with X-Pro continuing to occupy the premium bracket and the recently announced X-A1 and X-M1 slotting in at more entry-level positions.

The X-E2 brought relatively few changes in design, many of which were internal improvements in response to user feedback, including face detection autofocus and autoexposure, along with configurable Auto ISO, including maximum and minimum ISO and minimum shutter speed.

Its hardware was nearly identical to the X-E1’s; the Q button was relocated to prevent accidental presses, and separate AE-L and AF-L buttons replaced the X-E1’s combined button, allowing for more customization by advanced users. It was also Fujifilm's first interchangeable lens camera to offer its 'Lens Modulation Optimizer', which used lens correction profiles with variable sharpening to try to compensate for diffraction.

The X-E2s: Change is in the air

Announced: January 2016

MSRP: $699

Something important happened between the X-E2 and X-E2s: in January 2014, just three months after the launch of the X-E2, Fujifilm announced the X-T1, another model aimed at enthusiast photographers. Feature-wise, the X-E2 and X-T1 were very similar, leaving two models vying to be the enthusiast favorite, with the main difference being the camera's shape.

Although the X-T1 arrived with a higher body-only cost of $1299, it proved wildly popular and almost certainly outsold the X-E2. With two models aimed at what was essentially the same audience, it seems likely that Fujifilm went back to the drawing board to reassess the future of the X-E line.

The result was an X-E2s that was essentially a mid-life refresh of an existing model, being all but identical to the X-E2 with the newest firmware installed. It also bought the company time to work out how the X-E and X-T lines should evolve relative to one another.

The X-E2 launched with a substantial $300 price cut. While X-E2s buyers surely appreciated the lower cost, this decision was probably driven, at least in part, by not wanting to tick off distributors who still had the original X-E2 on store shelves rather than signaling a price recalibration.

The X-E3: Finding a new identity

Announced: September 2017

MSRP: $900

The X-E3 was the most significant reimagining of the X-E series' basic design to date and reflects Fujifilm's efforts to differentiate it from the X-T series. How do you do that? Make it smaller, remove a few hardware controls, simplify the camera, and lower the price. Oh, and make it a little sexier in the process.

The upshot is that the X-E3 arrived with a more modern, streamlined look. It shrunk a bit, losing 8mm in width, lost the four-way controller on the back in favor of a joystick and gained a large 3" touchscreen, which allowed users to use finger swipes as a proxy for hardware controls previously found on the four-way controller. Notably, it lost the built-in flash found on all previous X-E models.

The result was still an enthusiast-friendly camera but one that got a little more compact, a bit more sleek, and had a simplified layout with fewer control points to differentiate it from the X-T series. It also saw a $100 price drop compared to the X-E1 and X-E2, further distancing it on price as well.

The X-E4: Settling into a niche

Announced: January 2021

MSRP: $850

The X-E4 continued the series' trend toward a modern-looking design, with more straight edges, flat surfaces and simplified controls. The body became so streamlined that it had neither a grip on the front nor a thumb rest on the back. Another casualty was the 'M-C-S' ('Manual,' 'Continuous' and 'Single') focus mode control on the front of the camera, which provided a quick way to adjust AF settings. (Fujifilm sold an optional grip for those who wanted one.)

Most importantly, the rear command dial found on previous models was omitted, effectively making the X-E4 a single-dial camera, taking it still further from its enthusiast roots. Fujifilm also dropped the price of the X-E4 down to $850.

The camera did gain some enthusiast-friendly features: the 3" touchscreen became a tilting touchscreen, providing a lot more flexibility when using the camera, and upgraded video specs brought DCI 4K video without a crop, including F-Log gamma.

However, signals abounded that the X-E4's role had shifted further relative to the X-T4, its contemporary at launch.

In addition to losing a command dial, it had a lower resolution viewfinder, continued to rely on a single UHS-I card slot instead of the dual UHS-II slots on the X-T4, and it couldn't match the X-T4's ability to capture 4K/60p or 10-bit video despite having the same sensor/processor combination.

In effect, the X-E4 had been shunted downmarket; the X-T line offered everything-including-the-kitchen-sink controls, while the X-E series was distilled into a smaller, simplified camera with enthusiast-oriented features. It still served a broadly similar audience but more likely as a small, convenient secondary camera or a camera for travel rather than the main workhorse.

What might this tell us about a future X-E5?

Over time, the X-E series has gently drifted away from its roots to differentiate it from the X-T line. The design became more sleek and distinct without becoming as plasticky or simplistic as the X-A or X-M series or morphing into an entry-level model. It's still a camera for serious photographers, but photographers who want something smaller or possibly more fashionable.

So, what might we expect from a future X-E camera? We think there's room for an X-E5 that doesn't tread on the X-T5's toes but doesn't need to appeal to entry-level users to be successful, either.

"Over time, the X-E series has gently drifted away from its roots to differentiate it from the X-T line."

We expect an X-E5 will likely be an X-E4 but with Fujiflm's flagship 40MP sensor. Since Fujifilm has developed a small image stabilization unit for the X100VI, we hope to see that as well. However, we doubt if an X-E5 will get the fancy two-way tilt screen found on the X-T5, given the emphasis on size and cost, and we don't anticipate seeing a film simulation dial since those have generally appeared on Fujifilm's more beginner-friendly models.

However, we hope to see the X-E series regain some of its enthusiast street cred. We're not expecting it, but we'd like to see the return of the second command dial, at least, which makes the camera much more enjoyable to use.

The X factor could be price. Several years of inflation have driven up prices across the industry, and a new X-E will almost certainly come in a fair bit higher than the X-E4's $850 launch price. Based on the X-M5 and X-T50 prices, we anticipate it will fall somewhere in the $1300 range, though we're happy to be proven wrong on that.

Let us know what you would like to see in a future X-E5 in the comments.

Updated October 2024

Travel can expose you to once-in-a-lifetime sights and experiences, and a good camera can be the perfect way to preserve those memories. We've looked at a range of models that offer great image quality, good autofocus and excellent video, so you'll be prepared to capture whatever you run into.

We've also tried to select relatively small cameras so they don't interfere with your trip, though it's worth touching briefly on lens size. If you choose a system with a Four Thirds or APS-C sensor, you'll be able to use lenses that are lighter and more compact than their full-frame counterparts. Full-frame sensors, however, offer the potential for even better image quality, so it's worth considering whether portability or image quality matters more to you and doing some research on what types of lenses you'd like to use and how big the full-frame versions are.

Our recommendations

• Portable full-frame: Sony a7CR
• All-round compact capability: Sony a6700
• The great travel kit: Fujifilm X-T50 with 16-50mm F2.8-4.8
• Truly compact mirrorless: OM System OM-5
• The stylish travel companion: Nikon Zf
• The classic choice: Fujifilm X100VI
• Best pocketable travel camera: Ricoh GR III

Portable full-frame: Sony a7CR

61MP BSI CMOS sensor | 4K/60p video with 10-bit color | Dedicated ‘AI’ processor for AF system

Photo: Richard Butler

The Sony a7CR is a relatively compact full-frame camera with an image-stabilized 61MP CMOS sensor. You sacrifice the convenience of an AF joystick and get a pretty small and basic viewfinder to keep the camera's size down, but there's little else that delivers this much image quality in such a compact package.

You'll need to pick your lenses carefully to keep the camera portable but the a7CR's autofocus means it can respond rapidly to just about anything you encounter on your travels.

Read our Sony a7CR initial review

All-round compact capability: Sony a6700

26MP BSI CMOS sensor | 4K/60p video capture | Fully articulating screen

Photo: Richard Butler

The Sony a6700 is built around a 26MP APS-C-sized sensor. Its excellent autofocus performance means it excels at both stills and video capture. There's a good choice of relatively compact lenses available, too. We'd suggest avoiding the really small 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 though: it's not the lens to get the most out of this camera.

Fast, dependable autofocus with a selection of subject recognition modes means the a6700 will help maximize your chances of capturing the unexpected moments on a trip.

Read our full Sony a6700 review

See the Sony a6700 studio scene

The great travel kit: Fujifilm X-T50 w/ 16-50mm F2.8-4.8

40MP APS-C BSI CMOS sensor | In-body image stabilization rated to 7EV | 6.2K 10-bit video recording

Photo: Richard Butler

The X-T50 can be purchased with Fujifilm's excellent 16-50mm F2.8-4.8 kit lens, which provides a versatile focal length for travel and should be able to keep up in darker environments. Fujifilm also sells a wide variety of relatively fast, compact primes.

Read our full Fujifilm X-T50 review

See the Fujifilm X-T50 studio scene

The other Fujifilm

We haven't fully reviewed the Fujifilm X-M5 yet, but if you're looking for an APS-C camera that's even smaller than the X-T50, it may be worth considering. It's substantially cheaper, though it's easy to see where the company has saved money: it uses a lower-resolution 26MP sensor, which isn't stabilized, and there's no EVF. It does have the same film simulation dial and autofocus subject recognition modes, though, so those tradeoffs may be worth it if size or price are your top priority.

Truly compact mirrorless: OM System OM-5

20MP Four Thirds CMOS sensor | 4K/30p video | In-body stabilization rated to 6.5EV (7.5 with some lenses)

Photo: Brendan Nystedt

The OM System OM-5 is a compact interchangeable lens camera with a 20MP Four Thirds sensor in a compact body with plenty of external control.

That relatively small sensor means it can remain fairly small, even with a lens attached, and the Micro Four Thirds lens system provides extensive options in that regard, from compact zooms to small prime lenses.

Read our OM System OM-5 review

See the OM System OM-5 studio scene

Another Micro Four Thirds option

The Panasonic Lumix G9 II is more expensive and less compact than the OM-5, though it still uses the same size lenses. For the extra bulk and cost you'll get a modern USB-C charging port, dual card slots and improvements in image quality, autofocus tracking performance and video features. However, the weather sealing likely won't be as good as OM Systems, which has an official IP53 rating.

The stylish travel companion: Nikon Zf

24MP full-frame BSI CMOS sensor | Full-width 4K/30 video, cropped 4K/60 | Stabilization rated to 8EV

Photo: Richard Butler

The Nikon Zf is a classically styled full-frame camera built around a 24MP full-frame sensor that's used by many of its peers. The angular 80s-style body isn't the most comfortable to hold in your hand for extended periods, but the lack of stick-out grip makes it smaller than many of its rivals, making it a tempting travel companion.

At least in its all-black form, there's a chance of it being mistaken for a film camera, which may help avoid the wrong kind of attention when you're out and about in an unfamiliar setting.

Read our review of the Nikon Zf

See the Nikon Zf studio scene

Best pocketable travel camera: Ricoh GR III

24MP APS-C sensor | 28mm equiv. F2.8 lens | Wi-Fi + Bluetooth

The Ricoh is a pocketable compact with a large APS-C sensor. Photo: Barney Britton

Buy now:

The Ricoh GR III HDF is the latest entry in the company's series of classic compact cameras with large APS-C sensors and a 28mm equivalent lens. This version is almost identical to the regular GR III, but swaps the built-in ND filter for a highlight diffusion one, which can be activated to give photos a dreamy look.

It's not the most flexible camera, but it's one of the most pocketable and has built up a dedicated following of photographers who find it a joy to shoot with. Unfortunately, most GR III models are currently difficult to buy, as they're out of stock or unavailable almost everywhere.

Our only concern, in terms of using the GR III for travel are that some users have found dust can get into the lens. So it's worth trying to find some sort of protective bag to keep it in.

There's also the GR IIIx, a variant with a longer, 40mm equivalent lens on it. This may be a little tight for documenting your travels, but it's historically a popular focal length.

Read our Ricoh GR III review

See the Ricoh GR III studio scene

The classic choice: Fujifilm X100VI

40MP BSI CMOS APS-C X-Trans sensor | 35mm equiv F2 lens | Hybrid viewfinder

The Fujifilm X100VI is a refinement of everything that made the X100V great, but it's still difficult to buy. Photo: Richard Butler

Like the Fujifilm X100V before it, the Fujifilm X100VI is a classically styled fixed lens camera with a 35mm equivalent F2 lens. Updated with in-body image stabilization rated at up to 6EV of correction and a 40MP BSI CMOS APS-C X-Trans sensor, the X100VI is a significant upgrade over its predecessor despite looking virtually identical. And those improvements in part explain the X100VI's $200 increase in list price to $1,600.

It's not smallest or most inconspicuous camera, but its fixed focal length means you develop an 'eye' for the photos it'll take, essentially making it a better quality, more engaging alternative to snapping away with your phone.

The addition of subject-detection autofocus has given the X100VI the ability to recognize animals, birds, automobiles, motorcycles and bikes, airplanes, and trains though human (face/eye) detection is a separate mode. However, the lens the X100VI shares with the X100V is not the fastest to autofocus, prioritizing sharpness over speed.

The X100VI brings a level of polish you would expect from a sixth iteration of a camera. Fujifilm has done a great job keeping the X100-series up to date without messing with the formula that's made it so popular. No surprise, this is the best X100 yet.

Unfortunately, despite ramped-up production, demand for the X100VI seems to have outstripped supply with the camera already on backorder at virtually all dealers.

Read our Fujifilm X100VI review

Why you should trust us

This buying guide is based on cameras used and tested by DPReview's editorial team. We don't select a camera until we've used it enough to be confident in recommending it, usually after our extensive review process. The selections are purely a reflection of which cameras we believe to be best: there are no financial incentives for us to select one model or brand over another.