2026 Sony World Photography Awards Professional Finalists

The World Photography Organization has announced the professional finalists and shortlists for the 2026 Sony World Photography Awards. While the Open competition (for which the 2026 category winners were announced last month) celebrates standout single images, the Professional awards focus on cohesive series that tell a story over multiple frames. The professional finalists offer a counterpoint to the Open winners, revealing how photographers are using image sequences to deepen storytelling beyond what a single photo can achieve.

This year's announcement highlights long-form projects across 10 categories, from Documentary Projects and Portraiture to Landscape and Wildlife & Nature. For the 2026 edition, 30 photographers have been named finalists, and more than 65 others have been shortlisted for series that range from intimate personal narratives to wide-ranging explorations of social and environmental change. The judges evaluated each body of work on its narrative strength, visual consistency and conceptual ambition, rather than on a single standout frame.

Selected images will be exhibited at Somerset House in London from April 17 to May 4, alongside hundreds of images from across all divisions of the World Photography Awards. Category winners and the overall Photographer of the Year, who receives a substantial cash prize and gear from Sony, the sponsor of the competition, will be announced at a ceremony in London on April 16. Work from the Photographer of the Year will also be shown in a solo presentation at next year's exhibition.

We've included a small section of the finalist images below, but you can see all of the finalists and shortlisted images at the contest website.

Architecture & Design

Photographer Name: André Tezza

Image Name: Loja e Mercado Marielen

Year: 2026

Image Description: Named after one of the owner's daughters, this store in Campo Largo is a family-run business integrated into the same building where the family lives, merging domestic space and commercial architecture into a single, everyday structure.

Series Name: Everyday Structures

Series Description: This ongoing project documents small neighbourhood grocery stores on the outskirts of Curitiba, in southern Brazil. These modest structures form an architecture of resistance that persists even as large retail chains reshape the city. Often family-run and linked to domestic spaces, the stores merge work, memory and dwelling into a single building. While the city centre undergoes gentrification, the periphery remains culturally dense and visually vibrant. This series reflects a belief that architectural beauty exists in ordinary, overlooked places.

Copyright: © André Tezza, Brazil, Finalist, Professional Competition, Architecture & Design, Sony World Photography Awards 2026

Creative

Photographer Name: Pablo Ramos

Image Name: Untitled

Year: 2026

Image Description: There is no record of the first disappeared woman in Mexico, but official figures state that 23 per cent of cases correspond to women.

Series Name: The Black Album

Series Description: With more than 130,000 individuals currently reported missing in Mexico, and a new disappearance occurring approximately every 40 minutes, The Black Album transforms archival imagery into a haunting collective portrait of absence, loss, and unresolved grief. Rather than documenting disappearance directly, this photographic essay reinterprets the past to question the future. Through an intervention in a photographic archive, the project constructs a symbolic 'album' of Mexico's disappeared — an unsettling reflection of a country living through a prolonged dark era in which absence has become routine and invisibility systemic.

Copyright: © Pablo Ramos, Mexico, Finalist, Professional Competition, Creative, Sony World Photography Awards 2026

Creative

Photographer Name: Ben Brooks

Image Name: Barson

Year: 2026

Image Description: Carson, California.

Series Name: The Palm, On Piru

Series Description: The Palm, On Piru is a photographic series exploring the spiritual connections and collective identities of rappers from South Los Angeles with Pirus/Bloods gang affiliations. The work focuses on the people and places central to the origins of West Coast hip-hop's G-funk music genre, and California's parallel gang culture, examining the interplay of their environment, community and artistic expression. The series was shot on colour infrared film, with its distinctive red and pink tones creating links between the environment and the artists, members, and families that form the Red side of the cultural divide, and the backbone of West Coast Hip Hop.

Copyright: © Ben Brooks, United Kingdom, Finalist, Professional Competition, Creative, Sony World Photography Awards 2026

Documentary Projects

Photographer Name: Santiago Mesa

Image Name: Untitled

Year: 2026

Image Description: Darwin, a young Venezuelan coca leaf picker (raspachín), rests on freshly harvested coca leaves in Putumayo, Colombia, before they are processed. The raspachíne's work is physically demanding, but the shifts are usually only half a day and are paid in cash. For many migrants, coca harvesting is one of the few reliable sources of income.

Series Name: Under the Shadow of Coca

Series Description: In the southern Colombian department of Putumayo, coca cultivation remains one of the few economic options for rural families in this neglected border region. This project follows farmers and families whose livelihoods depend on an illicit economy shaped by poverty, weak state presence, and armed control, as well as members of Comandos de la Frontera, the armed group that controls the territory and the cocaine trade. While some families try legal alternatives, coca often provides the only stable income. Under the Shadow of Coca shows that many of the local producers are not traffickers, but campesinos (farmers), and that it is usually armed groups who profit from the trade of coca.

Copyright: © Santiago Mesa, Colombia, Finalist, Professional Competition, Documentary Projects, Sony World Photography Awards 2026

Documentary Projects

Photographer Name: Alexandre Bagdassarian

Image Name: Sixteen and a Half

Year: 2026

Image Description: The photograph happened quickly. The flowers, the same colour as the detainee's sneakers and cap, immediately motivated him to pose. Many young people have experienced a similar scenario: drug dealing, then prison. He tells the photographer his story with ease: 'I started at 10 o'clock, in a small park, with a bag. Inside, there was really a big package. A lot of money.'

Series Name: Sixteen and a Half: Eight Months in a Juvenile Prison

Series Description: Over a period of eight months, Alexandre Bagdassarian documented the daily lives of young detainees in one of France's six juvenile prisons, one of the country's least visible institutions. The photographer sought to understand what it means to be young and confronted with prison, not from the perspective of legal texts or institutional discourse, but by observing the trajectories, voices, and bodies of those living this reality. Often relegated to silence or the margins, their stories are rarely told, and when they are, they reach us through a media or political lens, the photographer explains, sometimes 'shaped by security driven ideologies.'

Copyright: © Alexandre Bagdassarian, France, Finalist, Professional Competition, Documentary Projects, Sony World Photography Awards 2026

Environment

Photographer Name: Shane Hynan

Image Name: Beneath | Beofhód

Year: 2026

Image Description: A family footing turf for domestic use. Ticknevin, County Kildare, Ireland.

Series Name: Beneath | Beofhód

Series Description: Beofhód — 'life beneath the sod' in Irish — evokes the primal significance of bogs in Celtic tradition. The series examines the cultural and environmental aspects of bogs in Ireland and contemplates themes of social and environmental justice, topographical mapping and the evolving perception of peatlands in an era of de-industrialisation. Although urgent ecological imperatives have ended large-scale peat extraction, they have also created tension with small-scale harvesting for domestic use, which still persists. Referencing Joseph Beuys' assertion that bogs are 'the liveliest elements in the European landscape' and 'preservers of ancient history,' this work reflects on the endangered status of these habitats in the artist's post-industrial surroundings. In this project, bogs are used as 'a metaphor for Ireland and the Irish psyche, and for local, human and personal exploration of a global issue.'

Copyright: © Shane Hynan, Ireland, Finalist, Professional Competition, Environment, Sony World Photography Awards 2026

Environment

Photographer Name: Matteo Trevisan

Image Name: Untitled

Year: 2026

Image Description: Jinwar is an eco-feminist village founded during the Syrian war as a refuge for women. The village, powered in part by solar energy, was built collectively and inaugurated in 2018. Amal arrived here a year ago and says that 'the relationships among women are beautiful; I love everything here.
I hope to be reborn here, with a clear mind, and to live in peace — here it's possible.'

Series Name: Jinê Land: Where Women Keep the Earth Alive

Series Description: Jinê Land: Where Women Keep the Earth Alive tells the story of women shaping the ecological and social future of Rojava in northeast Syria. In a region that is still recovering from war and fragmentation, women lead the fight for environmental restoration, sustainable agriculture, and community self-governance. Since 2012, Kurdish, Assyrian, Arab, and Armenian communities have self-organised under a model inspired by democratic confederalism, integrating women's liberation and ecology. Women manage schools, cooperatives, health centres, and local councils, ensuring their leadership in both social and ecological spheres. Villages such as Jinwar embody this vision: female-led, sustainable, and resilient, offering a space for education, self-reliance and communal life. Through photography, this project captures the intersection of freedom, ecology, and community, revealing a radical social experiment where women are both the stewards of the land and the architects of a new society.

Copyright: © Matteo Trevisan, Italy, Finalist, Professional Competition, Environment, Sony World Photography Awards 2026

Landscape

Photographer Name: Michael Blann

Image Name: Col du Tourmalet, France

Year: 2026

Image Description: The first mountain climb ever traversed by the Tour de France has earned its mythical status as one of the hardest cycling climbs.

Series Name: Mountain Roads

Series Description: Mountain Roads is a series of photopolymer etchings of iconic European mountain roads. This ongoing project aims to document the greatest cycling roads spanning the Alps, the Pyrenees, the Dolomites, the Picos and the Spanish Islands. It celebrates the permanence of mountains and the feats of engineering and construction required to navigate and build a route through and over these formidable climbs.

Copyright: © Michael Blann, United Kingdom, Finalist, Professional Competition, Landscape, Sony World Photography Awards 2026

Landscape

Photographer Name: Andreas Secci

Image Name: Untitled

Year: 2026

Series Name: The Oyster

Series Description: This series of abstract landscapes depicts oyster farming on the French coast of Normandy and Brittany, where the farms stretch along the entire coastline, shaping the character of the landscape. With a tidal range of up to 12 metres, the oyster beds disappear from view at high tide but are fully exposed at low tide. Yet it is only from a bird's-eye view that the vastness of these abstract landscapes, reminiscent of Roman legions, can be appreciated.

Copyright: © Andreas Secci, Germany, Finalist, Professional Competition, Landscape, Sony World Photography Awards 2026

Perspectives

Photographer Name: Fredrik Lerneryd

Image Name: Untitled

Year: 2026

Image Description: Sheriff Knight (centre), the 'Dancing Cowboy,' leads the line dance during International Cowboy Day.

Series Name: Country Music in Kenya

Series Description: This series was photographed over an 11-month period, with the highlight being the International Cowboy Day festival, in Nairobi, Kenya. The festival drew around 3,000 country music fans to Ngong Racecourse in the final week of July. Country Music has been played on the radio in Kenya since colonial times and the popularity for the genre is growing, with shows being held by various artists in local bars a few times per week.

Copyright: © Fredrik Lerneryd, Sweden, Finalist, Professional Competition, Perspectives, Sony World Photography Awards 2026

Perspectives

Photographer Name: Hayate Kurisu

Image Name: Living Photographs

Year: 2026

Series Name: Living Photographs

Series Description: 'My wife and I lost our child to stillbirth at 18 weeks of pregnancy. In the days leading up to the cremation we spent time together at home, during which time I took many photographs. In contemporary society, photographs are easily shared, generated and consumed, and with the rise of social media and artificial intelligence, the meaning of photography as a medium continues to shift. However, pressing the shutter in front of my child brought a renewed awareness of photography's fundamental qualities — its relationship to time and to the body. These photographs were not taken for the purpose of record or explanation. They are made simply to face the time that undeniably existed in that place. For me, looking at these photographs is an act of reaffirming the sensation of being alive.'

Copyright: © Hayate Kurisu, Japan, Finalist, Professional Competition, Perspectives, Sony World Photography Awards 2026

Portraiture

Photographer Name: Jean-Marc Caimi & Valentina Piccinni

Image Name: The Faithful

Year: 2026

Image Description: A priest distributes communion during Pope Francis's funeral mass. Some 4,000 priests concelebrated the mass for approximately 200,000 mourners. Ritual persisted through the institutional transition, with the Eucharist administered regardless of papal presence.

Series Name: The Faithful

Series Description: Between the death of one pope and the election of the next, crowds gathered in St. Peter's Square, Vatican City, for an event that functions simultaneously as sacred ritual and global spectacle. The photographers explain that pilgrimage took on the traits of fandom, as rosaries, flags and prayer gestures were performed with full awareness of the attendant cameras and media. Individual devotion unfolded 'within a choreography shaped by mass attendance and global broadcast.' The portraits in this series capture that 'doubled consciousness': believers performing acts of faith within a mediated public space, where personal conviction merges with stadium-scale performance.

Copyright: © Jean-Marc Caimi & Valentina Piccinni, Italy, Finalist, Professional Competition, Portraiture, Sony World Photography Awards 2026

Portraiture

Photographer Name: Federico Borella

Image Name: Koryo-Saram

Year: 2026

Image Description: The K-pop group Blue Flame, established in 2023, during a rehearsal in the Bucheon University gym. Bucheon University in Tashkent is a branch campus of a Korean university and has become one of the main meeting points for this scene, bringing together young people from different backgrounds who share the same enthusiasm.

Series Name: Koryo-Saram: How Descendants of Deported USSR Koreans Are Rediscovering Their Roots in Uzbekistan

Series Description: Koryo-saram are the descendants of ethnic Koreans from the former USSR who were forcibly deported to Uzbekistan through Stalin's ethnic cleansing policies. Over time, they became an integral part of Uzbek society, but their connection to Korea gradually faded, and by the 1990s, few could even read or write Korean. Today, most Koryo-saram identify as Uzbek citizens, with only faint traces of Korean cultural heritage remaining. However, a new generation, influenced by the 'Korean Wave,' is rediscovering its roots through music, film, dance and language, particularly in Tashkent, where this revival also includes many young Uzbeks.

Copyright: © Federico Borella, Italy, Finalist, Professional Competition, Portraiture, Sony World Photography Awards 2026

Sports

Photographer Name: Todd Antony

Image Name: Against the Reins

Year: 2026

Image Description: Taken during the same buzkashi match, this series shifts from a strict documentary approach towards an 'emotional truth grounded in real events.'

Series Name: Buzkashi

Series Description: Buzkashi (literally meaning 'goat pulling' in Persian) is the fierce, ancient sport of Tajikistan. It is similar to polo, but there are no teams and no boundaries. The ball is the eviscerated, headless carcass of a goat and the aim is brutally simple: seize it, hold it, break free. The game was born among the nomadic horse cultures of Central Asia, where strength and horsemanship were measures of identity. For centuries, chapandaz (riders) have hurled themselves into this churning mass of hooves and bodies, fighting for honour and a moment of clear sky among the dust.

Copyright: © Todd Antony, New Zealand, Finalist, Professional Competition, Sport, Sony World Photography Awards 2026

Sports

Photographer Name: Morgan Otagburuagu

Image Name: Untitled

Year: 2026

Image Description: Misturah Idowu after training.

Series Name: Beneath the Bridge

Series Description: In the shadowed arch of an underpass in Lagos, Nigeria, far from the gleam of professional rings, a raw and resonant rhythm of ambition pulses. Beneath the Bridge documents a makeshift gym where amateur boxers — boys and girls alike — forge their discipline and dreams with nothing but tyres, rope, water and willpower. The project creates an intimate, visceral portrait of grassroots aspiration, exploring universal themes of resilience, gender equality in traditionally male spaces, and the profound human need to carve a place of purpose from the margins. Photographed in the natural light of the underpass, shadows and hard light sculpt the boxers' bodies, as textures of rust, rope and sweat become central to the narrative. This is not a story about winning or losing, but of preparing; a testament to the unadorned, potent moments where character is built before a single punch is ever thrown.

Copyright: © Morgan Otagburuagu, Nigeria, Finalist, Professional Competition, Sport, Sony World Photography Awards 2026

Still Life

Photographer Name: Daniele Vita

Image Name: Untitled

Year: 2026

Image Description: A pistachio remains encased in its natural husk, left on the fruit beyond its ideal time. The husk has gradually darkened and started to break down, showing wrinkles, irregularities, and the first signs of decay. The contrast between the pale shell and the darkened husk highlights the pistachio's natural transformation, from fresh to weathered by time.

Series Name: The Bronte Pistachio

Series Description: For almost a year, Daniele Vita photographed the pistachios of Bronte, Sicily, from the trees to the harvested nuts. Studying them one by one, he realised that although they seemed alike, each was unique. This experience became a reflection on a society 'that tends to standardise and erase differences', and the photographer set out to capture the individuality of every natural element. In the final stage presented here, the pistachio stops being immediately recognisable and becomes an open image, where anyone can find their own perspective and meaning.

Copyright: © Daniele Vita, Italy, Finalist, Professional Competition, Still Life, Sony World Photography Awards 2026

Still Life

Photographer Name: Vilma Taubo

Image Name: Rubber Duck

Year: 2026

Image Description: Thailand.

Series Name: Talking Without Speaking

Series Description: Talking Without Speaking is a series of photographs of everyday objects that have become symbols of protest. Each of the objects can be connected to a specific historical period, a particular rights struggle or a particular country. Some have been intentionally brought to the streets to support a cause, while others have unexpectedly found their place in the public sphere, revealing their symbolic power over time.

Copyright: © Vilma Taubo, Norway, Finalist, Professional Competition, Still Life, Sony World Photography Awards 2026

Wildlife & Nature

Photographer Name: Wolfgang Duerr

Image Name: 10:01:23

Year: 2026

Image Description: All of the images in WILD were taken with wildlife cameras set up in forests and along rivers in the UNESCO Rhön Biosphere Reserve in Northern Bavaria, Germany. The image titles indicate the time at which it was captured.

Series Name: WILD

Series Description: The photographs in this series were taken by a wildlife camera. Exposures were made when animals activated the camera via motion sensors, in the absence of the photographer and without his intervention. He was responsible for the preparation and follow-up work; installing the wildlife cameras in carefully selected locations and evaluating and processing the images that were generated over a period of months. The finished work is thus a co-production with the wild animals, whose decisive part — the moment the image is created — was not chosen by the photographer.

Copyright: © Wolfgang Duerr, Germany, Finalist, Professional Competition, Wildlife & Nature, Sony World Photography Awards 2026

Wildlife & Nature

Photographer Name: Anita Pouchard Serra

Image Name: Untitled

Year: 2026

Image Description: Passengers in a car watch a capybara eating grass by the side of a road running through the private city. The animals attract attention, and many people stop during the day to take photographs of them.

Series Name: Capybaras at the Forefront of the Dispute and Resistance in Buenos Aires

Series Description: Nordelta is one of the best-known private developments in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was built on a wetland, an ecosystem in which the land is covered by water, which is the main factor controlling plant and animal life. In recent years, the development's 45,000 upper-class residents have seen numerous capybaras enter the neighbourhood. Social media has been flooded with videos and photographs of the area's original inhabitants in swimming pools, crossing the street, or, more tragically, run over or trapped in drains or sewers. In a little over three years, the capybara population tripled to 1,000, leading the Buenos Aires government to approve population control plans that include selective sterilisation and contraception. At the same time, the presence of capybaras has divided the community, with neighbours arguing for and against the capybaras; for the rights of nature and against uncontrolled urban growth on natural land.

Copyright: © Anita Pouchard Serra, Argentina, Finalist, Professional Competition, Wildlife & Nature, Sony World Photography Awards 2026

Aerial view somewhere between Yuma and Gila Bend. Canon EOS 5D Mark III | 135mm | F7.1 | 1/1600 sec | ISO 200 Photo: DianeMiller

DPReview community member DianeMiller (Diane D. Miller) is an active participant in our wider community and a talented self-taught photographer. Although she earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry and pursued a career in science, she always had a love of photography.

Her life took a different turn early on, though, after meeting her future husband, a pilot and adventurer. For their honeymoon, the couple flew around the world in a single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza – the first around-the-world flight not intended to set a record.

After years spent on aviation adventures and raising two daughters, Diane returned to working on her photography. Today, she is rooted primarily in nature, from studies close to home to expansive and beautiful landscapes and stills of the quiet night skies.

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Meet DianeMiller (Diane D. Miller)

Home base: Santa Rosa, CA, USA

Favorite camera and lens: Canon R5 with the Canon RF 100-500mm – her favorite for its remarkable, handholdable reach.

Typical photo scenes: Nature close to home, birds, flowers, landscapes, and, increasingly, astrophotography including the Milky Way, deep-sky objects and celestial events.

“I've been playing with cameras since I was 10 or younger. I love being able to capture things I see and things beyond what I can see," she says.

Diane describes herself as a self-taught photographer who prefers to work alone or with a very small group of like-minded people. While she has traveled around the globe, she has found deep satisfaction in exploring familiar places, discovering beauty in nearby wetlands and in mystical views of the night sky.

Over the last decade or so, she has become much more serious about astrophotography, building a deep-sky setup while also experimenting with wide-angle Milky Way scenes. Recently, she developed a method of using astrophotography software to overcome limitations of shooting with regular cameras – a tutorial she is publishing on her website.

M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, shot with my astro rig. Photo: DianeMiller

What's in Diane's bag

• Primary camera: Canon R5
• Main lenses: Canon RF 100-500mm (favorite), Canon RF 70-200mm F4, Canon EF 24-70mm F2.8 (with EF–EOS R adapter), Canon 100mm F2.8 IS Macro, Sigma 28mm F1.4 DG HSM Art, Rokinon SP 14mm F2.4
• Teleconverters: Canon 1.4x and 2x extenders (the 2x is almost always mounted on the 100-500mm for small, distant subjects)
• Tripods: Two RRS tripods – a larger setup with a Gitzo fluid-damped gimbal head and a lightweight hiking setup with a FlexShooter Pro head
• Macro and lighting: Macro light, low-level light, Canon flash gear (as needed), Canon TC-80N3 intervalometer for focus stacking, CP and ND filters
• Astrophotography rig: Askar FRA400 72mm quintuplet APO astrograph telescope, Sky-Watcher EQM-35 EQ Pro GoTo mount with tripod, ZWO ASIAIR Plus controller, ZWO 30mm F4 mini-guidescope, ZWO ASI 120mm mini monochrome guide camera, and ZWO EAF electronic autofocuser
• Bag: A well-worn LowePro backpack (model long discontinued)

DianeMiler's camera bag. Photo: DianeMiller

What other gear makes a difference?

"For my birding expeditions, I find the Spider hip belt holster and Olympus EE-1 dot sight for fast aiming at extreme focal lengths especially useful," she says.

Diane admits that her bag is usually packed to capacity. “Maybe I'm too ‘focused’ on photography and I can barely lift the bag as configured for most shoots, so not much else goes along except water.”

Recently fledged Western Bluebird. Canon EOS R5 | 726mm | F13 Photo: DianeMiller

How do you adapt your setup to outdoor challenges?

Diane frequently repacks and reconfigures her bag depending on whether she is heading out to capture birds, flowers, macro shots or landscapes. For wildlife, the long lens and teleconverters dominate. For flowers and insects, macro tools and specialized lighting take priority. For landscapes and night skies, wide-angle lenses or her full astrophotography rig come along.

“It depends on the season and on what I am doing," she says. "If I travel alone like an explorer, I reduce everything to the minimum. If I have to photograph an organized event and stay in one place for three or four hours, I bring what makes the wait comfortable."

"My strength is that I always have the right focal length ready. The cameras are set in manual mode, usually with the aperture wide open. If necessary, I close it, but I like to isolate the subject and react quickly.”

Laguna de Santa Rosa on a foggy morning. Canon EOS 5D Mark III | 170mm | F10 | 1/320 sec | ISO 200 Photo: DianeMiller

Diane's advice for other photographers

Diane’s philosophy is simple and ongoing: “The paint never dries.” She embraces photography as a lifelong process of refinement, curiosity and discovery. She also jokes that she loves her “dimroom, Lightroom and Photoshop!” where the creative process continues after the shutter is pressed.

If you’d like to share your photography setup, tell us about your main camera, lens choices, key settings and photography strategies. You could be featured next!

Editor's note: This article continues a series, 'What's in your bag?', highlighting DPReview community members, their photography and the gear they depend on. Would you like to be featured in a future installment? Tell us a bit about yourself and your photography by filling out this form. If you're selected for a feature, we'll be in touch with next steps.

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Well over a decade after Panasonic introduced the first mirrorless camera, it's a design that now dominates 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, and 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 affordable kit: Sony a6100
• Best value around $1000: Nikon Z50II
• Best APS-C mirrorless camera: Fujifilm X-T5
• Best value full-frame: Nikon Z5II
• Best mid-priced full-frame mirrorless camera: Nikon Z6III
• Most capable mid-range mirrorless: Canon EOS R6 III
• Best high-end mirrorless camera: Canon EOS R5 II
• Compact high-resolution: Sony a7CR
• IQ above all else: GFX 100S II

Best affordable kit: 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 it's one of the older cameras 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 an excellent value for its price.

It's happiest if you prefer to point-and-shoot in an auto mode. The wide range of lenses available for it provide room to grow if you find yourself catching the photography bug and, if you shop smart, you can get the body and a lens for around $1000 (though we'd recommend staying away from Sony's default 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 II kit option).

Read our Sony a6100 review

See the Sony a6100 studio scene

Best value around $1000 - Nikon Z50II

20.9MP APS-C sensor | Subject recognition AF | Full-width 4K video up to 30p

Photo: Richard Butler

It represents a step up over the a6100, offering similarly powerful autofocus (though with more autofocus subject recognition types) and much more welcoming controls for when you want to be more involved in the photo-taking process. Nikon places some restrictions on what lenses third parties can make, but there are increasingly more sensible options; if the ones you want are available for it, the Z50II is the best option at this price point.

Read our full Nikon Z50II review

See the Nikon Z50II studio scene

Best APS-C mirrorless camera: Fujifilm X-T5

Photo: Richard Butler

The Fujifilm X-T5 is an enthusiast-level APS-C mirrorless camera built around a stabilized, 40MP BSI CMOS sensor with the company's X-Trans color filter array. It has plenty of features for both photo and video shooters.

What really lands it on this list, though, is how lovely it is to use. There are physical controls for all your exposure settings alongside configurable top-plate command dials, a big, bright EVF, and its JPEG colors are especially pleasing with a wide range of sensible (and more out-there) "Film Simulation" color modes. Though there are more technically capable APS-C cameras on the market, for a lot of photography, we'd give up a bit of AF tracking performance and speed for the X-T5's user experience.

Read our full Fujifilm X-T5 review

See the Fujifilm X-T5 studio scene

What are my other APS-C options?

The Sony a6700 is the most capable APS-C camera on the market, with extremely strong autofocus performance, image quality and video capabilities. Sony's E-mount also has the most complete array of APS-C lenses after Fujifilm's, largely thanks to support from third parties. However, we don't find it as pleasurable to use as the X-T5 – its viewfinder is smaller and lower-res, and the lack of an AF joystick makes picking a focus point a bit more of a chore – but if technical prowess is what you seek, the a6700 is your best bet.

Canon also builds some decent APS-C competitors that rival Sony's performance, but while you can now get several decent third-party fast zooms for them, the company still restricts what lenses can exist on RF-mount.

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

Finally, if you were enticed by the X-T5 but are on a budget, we'd suggest considering the Fujifilm X-T50. It packs the same sensor and processor into a smaller, lighter design. While the viewfinder isn't as nice, and the controls are a little more fiddly, in return, you get the film simulation dial, which encourages you to play with different looks. It can also be kitted with the excellent 16-50mm F2.8-4.8 OIS zoom, which is significantly better than the lenses bundled with other companies' APS-C offerings

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 value full-frame mirrorless: Nikon Z5II

24MP BSI full-frame sensor | In-body image stabilization | Dual UHS-II card slots

Photo: Mitchell Clark

Don't be scared by the "value" part of this pick; the Z5II doesn't feel cheap, and there aren't obvious features cut for cost. In fact, we suspect most photographers would struggle to push its limits, and unless you must absolutely have faster or higher-resolution shooting or top-end video, it's hard to argue that most people truly need anything better.

Read our full review of the Nikon Z5II

See the Nikon Z5II studio scene

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

We also think the Canon EOS R8 is worth considering if you're looking for a comparatively affordable full-frame camera. Like Nikon's Z-mount system, Canon's RF lens ecosystem is also somewhat short on affordable lenses to pair with an entry-level camera.

Its usability is what keeps it from topping this guide; it has shorter battery life and a smaller viewfinder than the Z5II, and lacks in-body image stabilization, a second SD card slot and an AF joystick. However, it can shoot 4K60 video without a crop, which could be interesting to videographers, though, unlike the Z5II, it doesn't offer any Raw options.

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 is a significant step up for the Z6 series, and is a very capable camera for both stills and video. Its main benefit over less expensive models are its sensor readout speeds – and, therefore, rolling shutter performance in video. At its MSRP, at least in the US, it's not quite as good as its similarly priced rivals, but it's routinely available for hundreds of dollars off, a price that makes it a bit more attainable as this category gets increasingly expensive.

Read our full review of the Nikon Z6III

See the Nikon Z6III studio scene

Most capable mid-range mirrorless: Canon EOS R6 III

32MP full-frame CMOS sensor | 3.0", 1.62M dot fully-articulating screen | 7K recording up to 60p

Photo: Mitchell Clark

It earns its place on this list by being a complete package that's enjoyable to use. Its image quality, burst rates and autofocus are capable of helping you tackle pretty much any subject, and it's also a powerful video camera. No matter what your needs it's hard to imagine you'll find that the EOS R6 III holding you back.

Read our full review of the Canon EOS R6 III

See the Canon EOS R6 III studio scene

The enthusiast rivals

The category of mid-range enthusiast full-frame cameras is perhaps the most competitive in the industry: each option is very capable, but with different strengths and weaknesses. Depending on your needs, the Sony a7 V or the Panasonic S1II may be slightly better options than the EOS R6 III or Z6III, but for most users, it's hard to go wrong with any of them. For more info on the subtle differences between them, check out our full best cameras under $3000 buying guide.

Some other notable mentions: 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 a7C II is also a reasonable choice, as its high-resolution sensor is good for stills, though its slow readout speeds limit its video capabilities. Its autofocus isn't quite as advanced as that of the a7 V, but it's appreciably smaller than its rivals. This does mean that the viewfinder is small, and there's no AF joystick, though, which are the main reasons it's not one of our main picks: it's better on paper than in the hand.

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 full 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. And, frankly, there's very little to choose between them. Canon's high-end model has 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 full Sony a7CR review

See the Sony a7CR studio scene

IQ above all else: Fujifilm GFX 100S II

102MP BSI medium format sensor | In-body image stabilization | 5.76M dot viewfinder

Photo: Mitchell Clark

The Fujifilm GFX 100S II is a 100MP medium format mirrorless interchangeable lens camera with built-in image stabilization.

This camera is perhaps the most specialized pick on this list: it's not especially fast or versatile, but in terms of image quality, it essentially offers the best levels of detail we've ever seen. It's a true step up over even the best of its full-frame rivals (some of which comes from its lenses - the GF primes often being particularly good).

What are the other high-end options?

Just about all the cameras that cost $3000 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 with any budget, 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.

Photo: capanikon

For last week's Question of the week, we’re turning the spotlight on something photographers love to debate: what’s your favorite camera brand? Some of you swear by one trusted name and have used it for decades, while others have explored multiple brands before finding 'the one'. There were quite a few of you who also talked about your experience in switching from one camera brand to another – a brave decision.

What I personally found interesting was how many of the responses talked about camera and lens brands that aren't often discussed on our forums. The Mamiya, Bronica, Siruis or TTArtisans of the world.

Keep reading to see which camera brands our readers chose as their favorites.

Your favorite camera brand

Skinma: OM System / Olympus. Nothing else comes close. I love the size of the cameras, as I can take a body and two lenses, a water bottle, food, and a flash all in my Lowepro sling bag. Performance is also great. I still have my original Olympus E-M5 as a backup body, and its image quality is fantastic compared to that of more modern cameras.

capanikon: A friend showed me his Nikon F3. I was impressed with the industrial rawness of it, the metal and hardness. The haptic shutter speed dial, buttons and switches. It felt like a real machine. I like the style of the F-mount lenses with their clicky aperture rings and bunny ears, helicoid focus, and rubber focusing rings. So, I sold my EOS and switched to Nikon. First, a used N8008; later, an F4s and an F3hp.

Satyaa: None! Every time I started to like a brand, they lagged in something I needed, and I had to switch. I like different bodies and lenses for different reasons, but no favorite brand right now. I am speaking as a hobbyist on a budget. If money is no constraint, I guess one could get anything in any brand. Leica might be my favorite brand at that point.

Photo: maoby

Kipplemaster: I have used a lot of different stuff and am definitely not a brand loyalist. Currently have a selection of Sonys as well as a couple of Nikon 1s. Out of ‘millions’ of lenses I've owned, that one is surprisingly easy to call. Probably my ‘sweet spot’ for loving my camera kit was the original Canon 5D and associated L lenses. My second-favourite lens is the Canon 200mm F2.8L.

I like trying weird stuff like the original Lytro and the Nokia 808 PureView, a 40MP camera on a weird Nokia phone in the days when 40MP wasn't even available on any DSLR. Most of them have been fun. All of which is a long-winded way of saying I don't really have a favorite brand. I almost forgot to mention that some of my other favourite lenses have been Sigmas.

greycell: I've followed DPReview for at least 15 years, and weirdly never felt compelled to comment before. I even hesitate to say Olympus (slash OM System) is ‘my favorite’, but it's what I'm used to and work with within my own means and limitations. I chose it originally because it's what my dad used, and I inherited all his classic manual lenses from the OM-1 era onward. I know it's not even the best for the low-light concert photography I like to do, but it feels good enough with modern processing tools.

SimonV: Having tried and owned almost all brands, there's only one that stands out and doesn't feel like it does things the same as others, and that's Fujifilm. I wouldn't call myself a fanboy in any regard since many of their models are a bit too fiddly for me and seem built for smaller hands and fingers, but they're the only company I've found that is both capable (albeit not at the top of any category) and, most importantly, Fun to shoot with.

If I were a pro, I'm sure it would be different, but I'm a hobbyist, and the most fun I've had has been with Fujifilm. Especially their later models like the X100VI and GFX100RF, which provide both fun and excellent image quality.

Photo: dimpsey

sportyaccordy: I shoot Sony because I'm just super picky about lenses and will compromise everything else for that. I really loved shooting with Canon. On paper, yes, sometimes Canon isn't the best, but the shooting experience/build quality, etc., make up for that. And now on the body side, at least I think they are basically back on top. Lenses are getting better, but still not where I want them (and even if/when they get there, I'm not switching again).

LLW902: I've got a Sony a7c II with a 24-70mm F2.8 and a Fujifilm X-E5 with a 23mm pancake lens, both sitting on my desk right now. Both are great cameras, but I'd reach for the Fujifilm first for almost anything, except a professional opportunity where it was absolutely critical I not miss focus on the first try. I guess that's a rather roundabout way of saying that Fujifilm is my favorite, even though, on the merits, it is a less accomplished device.

Tony5D: Currently using Nikon Z7II, but decided to change from Fujifilm (XE2, XT2, then XH1) mainly because my main subjects are landscape and architecture. The Nikon offers full-frame and 42MP, and is not much bigger than the X-H1. I have also used just about everything else because I was in the industry. Old favorites? Minolta CLE is easy to pack for flights, and the Canon G5 X Mark II, which I carry at all times, is a backup.

dizzeeK: Let's be honest, for someone shooting stills that aren't birds or sports, anything will work. I can only speak for me personally, though. I have to say, Canon. I have been through many cameras/systems since the film days, and I am most happy with Canon, despite the RF system not being the ‘best’ on paper. It is a joy to use, and the results are great. Who else has a 70-200mm F4 that is that compact and well featured?

So many other stories we couldn't fit in this article are shared in the forums. Thanks to everyone who took the time to explain why your favorite camera brand stands out to you.

Keep watch for the next Question of the week every other Wednesday to participate in this series. New questions are posted here on the homepage and in the forums. We can't wait to read and share your stories!

Share your favorite camera brand and see what other community members think!

The latest MacBook Pros are familiar on the outside, but have some interesting changes on the inside. Image: Apple

This week, Apple announced its latest generation of MacBook Pros, which also marks the debut of its high-end M5 Pro and M5 Max chips. The company says the new processors are up to 30% faster in "pro workflows" than its previous CPUs, which is good, since the laptops' starting prices are a bit higher than their predecessors'.

Part of that uplift likely comes from the M5 Pro and Max simply having more CPU cores. The Pro starts with 15, upgradable to 18, while all Max models have 18. These represent an addition of three and four cores, respectively.

It's not just a matter of adding more slightly upgraded cores, though. Previous generations of M chips, and the standard M5 that's been around for a while, have had a mix of what Apple calls Power and Efficiency cores. The M5 Pro and M5 Max follow a similar paradigm, but rather than using the same types of cores as the standard M5, as previous Pro and Max chips did, they use the M5's performance cores for their less intensive processing and introduce "all-new performance cores." In other words, the M5's most powerful cores are the M5 Pro and Max's weakest ones.

Performance > Super > Efficiency

The company has rebranded those as "Super" cores across its lineup; the M5 has a mix of Super cores and Efficiency cores, while the M5 Pro and Max have Performance cores and Super cores. The new branding is a little hard to keep track of*, especially since it's not necessarily clear how the previous-gen "Performance"-branded cores compare to the apparently new and improved Performance cores. However, in the current M5 generation, it boils down to: Performance > Super > Efficiency.

While GPU core counts have remained largely the same, the company says they have a "next-generation architecture," higher memory bandwidth, and higher performance in AI tasks (in fact, the press release mentions "AI" around 25 times). The company also promises that its latest GPUs have greater performance in compute and ray-tracing.

For those interested in the intricacies of chip design, Apple says the M5 Pro and Max feature a new "Fusion Architecture" that combines two 3nm-class dies. It's reminiscent of the chiplet design that's served AMD's Ryzen series so well, and it could make it possible for Apple to more easily offer a bit more freedom when it comes to configuring your mix of CPU and GPU cores in the future. Image: Apple

Beyond the new processors, the laptops are relatively similar to their predecessors, with the same displays, three Thunderbolt 5 ports, SDXC card slot, and dedicated coprocessors for encoding and decoding codecs like H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW. However, there are some other small upgrades: the 2026 MacBook Pros have Apple's N1 wireless chip, providing an upgrade to Wi-Fi 7 from the Wi-Fi 6E found in the previous generation. The chip also includes Bluetooth 6, updated from Bluetooth 5.3.

Apple has also tweaked the default storage and memory configurations. The M5 Pro laptops all now start with 1TB of storage (the 16" version used to start with 512GB), and the M5 Max ones start with 2TB. The company also promises that the computers' SSDs will run up to two times faster than those of their predecessors.

The M5 Pro laptops can also now be optioned with 64GB of memory, up from 48GB, though doing so will cost a pretty penny; you have to spend $200 to get the higher-end Pro chip, then add on $600 to upgrade from the base 24GB of memory (though, given what's happening with the rest of the industry, those prices seem less egregious than they once did).

You certainly don't need a Pro or a Max chip to edit photos... but it doesn't hurt. Image: Apple

For most photographers, the standard M5 MacBook Pro will be plenty powerful, as will the cheaper M5 MacBook Air (though it misses out on the SD card reader and HDR-capable screen). But those doing heavy edits on high-resolution files, or who want to configure their machines with ludicrous amounts of memory or storage, will appreciate these higher-end options. The extra horsepower may also be useful to anyone who edits video; the standard M5 is no slouch, but the extra CPU cores, GPU power and SSD speed will make the process that much smoother.

The M5 Pro MacBook Pros start at $2199 for the 14" model, and $2699 for the 16" one: a $200 premium over the starting prices of their corresponding M4 models. Upgrading to the Max chip will add $1400 to the price. Preorders open on March 4th, and the laptops will be available starting on the 11th.

* As is tradition. I'm sure there are even folks at Apple who have a hard time keeping the relationships between Studio, Ultra, Pro, and Max products straight.

Image: Apple

Apple announced the Studio Display XDR, a new pro-level entry in its display lineup aimed at photographers and video editors, thanks to its HDR and wider color gamut support. In addition to the new display, the tech giant unveiled an updated version of its standard Studio Display.

The Studio Display XDR effectively replaces Apple’s 32‑inch 6K Pro Display XDR in the lineup. It uses a 27-inch 5K Retina XDR display, with added mini-LED backlighting. It features 2304 local dimming zones and an impressive 1000 nits of SDR brightness and 2000 nits of peak HDR brightness, making it well‑suited for HDR workflows. It also offers a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio.

The Studio Display XDR is meant for creative professionals. Image: Apple

The monitor supports P3 and Adobe RGB color gamuts with over 80 percent coverage of Rec. 2020, making it ideal for those who need highly accurate colors. Additionally, it offers a 120Hz refresh rate and a continuously variable refresh rate between 47Hz to 120Hz, making it smoother for video playback than the outgoing Pro Display XDR.

In terms of connectivity, the Studio Display XDR can function as a Thunderbolt hub, offering one port with 140W of charging power, enough to charge a 16-inch MacBook Pro. It also includes a second port for connecting high-speed accessories or daisy-chaining other displays and two additional USB-C ports. The display features a 12MP Center Stage camera with Apple's Desk View support, a three‑mic array and a six‑speaker system.

Apple also updated its standard Studio Display, though it's more of an iterative update rather than a redesign. Like the previous generation, it is a 27-inch 5K Retina display with 600 nits of brightness and support for P3 wide color. However, it now offers Thunderbolt 5 connectivity, allowing users to connect high-speed accessories or daisy-chain displays. It maxes out at up to 96W charging, which is enough to fast‑charge a 14‑inch MacBook Pro.

The Studio Display XDR is still pricey, but at least it comes with a tilt- and height-adjustable stand this time. Image: Apple

All of the advanced features on the Studio Display XDR come at a steep price; the monitor starts at $3299, or $3599 with anti-reflective nano-texture glass. The good news is that it now includes a tilt- and height-adjustable stand, unlike the Pro Display XDR. The Studio Display keeps the same $1599 price as the previous generation. Preorders for both the Studio Display XDR and Studio Display begin tomorrow, March 4.

Image: Honor

Honor and Arri have announced a "strategic technical collaboration" to bring Arri's image science and workflow features to Honor phones. The two companies unveiled the partnership at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2026, promising that the results will be showcased in the smartphone maker's upcoming Robot Phone.

The collaboration between the smartphone maker and high-end cinema camera manufacturer aims to bring pro-level video features to smartphones. The companies explained that they will combine Honor's mobile imaging capabilities with Arri's cinematic image quality, making high-end video creation more accessible.

Image: Honor

They didn't provide many details about the upcoming phone or how Arri-specific features will be integrated into it, beyond saying it will use Arri's "image science foundation." In theory, it may be similar to how Leica and Hasselblad have collaborated with phone companies to enable their color profiles on phones, though there could be other workflow features as well.

"The challenge is not to replicate cinema hardware, but to translate the underlying principles into compact, real-time mobile architectures," says Dr. Benedikt von Lindeiner, Vice President at Arri and responsible for the technical collaboration with Honor. "Our goal is to bring a true cinematic aesthetic to smartphone imaging – natural color, gentle highlight roll-off and a sense of depth that feels authentic to how stories are meant to be seen."

Honor first showed off the Robot Phone in October of last year with a CGI teaser. The video showed a concept smartphone with a gimbal-mounted camera that extends above the phone, resembling a DJI Osmo Pocket 3 with a phone in place of the handgrip. At the time, the company said it would share more at MWC. This collaboration announcement mentions the Robot Phone again, but doesn't include any new details. Honor did say, however, that the phone will be coming later this year, so it may be closer to reality than we originally thought.

Reviewing the a7 V reminded me of the challenges, and the importance, of including subjective assessment in reviews. Photo: Mitchell Clark

Reviews are, by most definitions, subjective: ultimately they always have some degree of opinion. An informed opinion, subject to careful consideration of any inherent biases and critically assessed by other editors, we'd like to think, but still, ultimately, subjective.

This is especially true of camera reviews. A camera isn't a simple device that can be summarized by conducting objective performance tests in an analytical report. For a start, the comfort and usability of a camera are important factors, that can't be objectively assessed. All the more so because a camera is a device that can be used for self-expression. Enjoyment is absolutely critical.

All of this was at the front of my mind as I wrapped up our recent review of the Sony a7 V, and as I, as lead reviewer on this camera, start to build my case for arguing its position in our various Buying Guides. It's a really difficult task, because the a7 V is an extremely capable camera, but one that competes against some of the most all-round capable cameras we've ever seen, battling it out in arguably the most competitive part of the market. There are a few differences in objective spec and performance, but they won't be significant enough for most people to help them make a choice.

The Sony a7 V: so good. And yet...

The a7 V was a particularly challenging camera to review in that regard. It's supremely capable and is an obvious choice for existing Sony users. It'll be a huge step up for anyone using an a7, a7 II, a7 III or a7C, and will be a better camera for some a7 IV users, especially if they shoot video. But for someone without a brand commitment, it's more difficult.

The first thing you have to do is check your own biases.

The easiest thing to do would be to look at how many lenses are available for the Sony E-mount, stop the count and brush any awkward concerns about usability or ergonomics under the carpet. But I feel that would be both simplistic and dishonest. Because, by the end of my review, I found myself thinking that I enjoyed using the Canon EOS R6 III more.

I have an annoying habit of admonishing my colleagues for using the term 'intuitive.' Almost no aspect of camera operation is intuitive: it's learned. And if you're thinking that it's intuitive, it might just be that it's something you learned so long ago that you've forgotten doing so. And that's where familiarity bias can creep in. Photo: Richard Butler

This puts me in perhaps the most uncomfortable position that you encounter, in reviewing: having to work out how much or how little your personal experiences and opinion count, and how much weight to give them. I spent a lot of time asking myself why I was impressed with the camera more than I was enjoying it. Could I point to why I found the interface of the camera rather more awkward than its rivals'?

How objective can you be?

The first thing you have to do is check your own biases. Do I dislike this interface because I haven't taken the time to learn it? Do I prefer a different way of working purely based on familiarity? I don't believe so: I've used Sony cameras just as much as any other brand, and have no more connection to, say, Canon's cameras than to Sony's.

I kept asking myself those questions, the whole time I was using the camera, to make sure I was being fair. And I kept looking to see if I could put my finger on why I found the interface so distancing.

The color-coded sections in Nikon's setup menu makes it easy to learn and navigate, but plenty of the rest of the menu structure is struggling under the weight of the feature set and level of customization. Composite image: Richard Butler

In the end, I'm not sure I found it. I can point to plenty of details I don't like: the strangely phrased and oddly truncated menu names (are Sony's menus still subject to the same character limits as MS DOS?), the superfluous control panel built awkwardly into the new menus, the clumsy handling of features with interacting settings. But I can't be sure that it's the sum total of these annoyances that left me feeling disconnected from what the camera was doing.

But, all the while I'm quizzing myself on this, I'm also very aware that lots of people don't find this a problem. Or simply don't mind. As I've written in just about every Sony review I've ever written: with a bit of customization, you rarely have to use the main menus. Equally, there'll be plenty of people whose primary experience of digital photography may be with Sony cameras: they won't find any of this a problem, because that's just how cameras work, from their perspective. And it's a completely valid perspective.

The interactive settings panel, shoehorned into Sony's latest menu system manages to be both too easy to inadvertently navigate away from, while simultaneously always feeling like it's in the way. I'm not sure a prompt to contemplate the nature of paradox is what I'm looking for in a user interface, but I have to assume it's possible that someone finds it useful. Composite image: Mitchell Clark / Richard Butler

Beyond the user interface, I also found the grip somewhat uncomfortable. Much of the time you tend to support a camera's weight by cradling the lens in your left hand, but I found that myself having to release the camera, relax and stretch my fingers, at regular intervals. Again, this risks being specific to my hand size or shape, or the way I try to grip the camera, but my colleague Mitchell seems to have had the same experience.

Conversely, I don't remember having the experience I've seen some people report, where the proximity of the mount to the hand grip means your knuckles can grate against some of the more stout E-mount lenses. Did I only avoid this through lens choice? Or, again, is this just another personal factor that didn't particularly make apply to me?

How do you proceed?

Is the Canon EOS R6 III's grip objectively better (for everyone) than the Sony a7 V's? It's impossible for me to know. But would it help anyone if I pretended there was no difference in my experience with each? Photo: Mitchell Clark

So what's the correct way to report these issues? I've seen some Sony users insist that they shouldn't be mentioned at all, because they may be personal, rather than universal. But it would be dishonest to omit a factor that might put me off buying a camera, if there's a chance someone might go and spend their money, based on what I wrote (or didn't write).

Instead I did what this job requires: I reported my concerns but was careful to present them proportionately and in context. I made clear which concerns and criticisms I felt would apply to everyone and which wouldn't. And I endeavored to stress that part of the reason the menus have become so overwhelmed, and potentially overwhelming, is that the camera does so many things and offers such a high degree of customization.

Subjective factors like usability aren't trivial complaints, they're fundamental

These are the questions we'll be wrestling with this, as a team, as we look to update our Buying Guides. Because, even on reviews with only my name at the top, we try to represent more than just a single perspective or opinion, in our coverage. But our decision will still factor-in the subjective, because cameras aren't simple devices where you can test a couple of metrics and report which one is objectively "best." And we'd be failing you if we treated them as such.

I saw the subjective concerns about the a7 V dismissed as "all they've got to complain about." And this is a position I don't need to be so introspective about: it's utterly wrongheaded. It's true that the a7 V is a really good camera (hence the Gold award) but at a time where some of the most significant things setting dedicated cameras apart from phones are the experience of controlling the photo and the enjoyment of photography, subjective factors like usability aren't trivial complaints, they're fundamental.

When combined, the Travel Backpack 2-in-1 provides 42L of storage. Photo: Peak Design

Peak Design has announced the launch of a new travel bag collection designed to meet the needs of various types of travelers. The lineup consists of a modular, two-in-one backpack, a duffel bag, a 20L backpack and a small crossbody bag.

The largest and most interesting of the new offerings is the Travel Backpack 2-in-1. This bag aims to solve the dilemma of deciding which backpack to bring on trips if you need extra space for packing but want a small bag at your destination. It consists of a 35L main pack and a 15L daypack that zip together (with the daypack on the front), providing 42L of storage when combined. It also comes with the company's detachable Travel Hip Belt. Both are made from a weatherproof 330D nylon canvas shell and offer hidden AirTag pockets, mesh water bottle pockets on both sides and luggage pass-throughs.

The Travel Backpack 2-in-1 includes a daypack (on the left) and a main pack (on the right) that can be zipped together. Photo: Peak Design

The main pack portion features a stowable sternum strap and removable hip belt, and the backpack's straps can be unclipped and put away if you need to check the bag. There are also magnets on the shoulder straps to keep them flat against the back panel when you don't want to unclip them. It is compatible with Peak Design's Camera Cubes, up to the large size, and offers padded laptop and tablet sleeves. The 15L daypack is slim and lightweight, making it easier to get around once you arrive at your destination. It also offers a padded laptop sleeve, but it's important to note that it isn't meant for the Camera Cubes, and most sizes won't fit inside the daypack.

The Travel Weekender 25L Photo: Peak Design

The Travel Weekender 25L is an ideal size for short trips, providing upright access, an extra-wide clamshell opening for easier packing and a vertical luggage pass-through. The bag features an organization pocket on the outside for essentials. On the inside are two zippered pockets and seven stretch panel pockets to keep things organized. It also uses a folding bottom design that allows it to collapse flat for easy storage or to compress when shoved under an airplane seat. The duffel bag fits up to one Large PD Packing Cube, two Smedium Packing Cubes or one Smedium Camera Cube, along with a 16-inch MacBook Pro. Like the Travel Backpack, it is weatherproof and will keep your stuff dry.

The Travel Backpack 20L Photo: Peak Design

The Travel Backpack 20L is designed for everyday use or travel. It's international carry-on approved, so you won't have to worry about needing to check it if you're hopping airlines around the world. Like the other bags, it features a vertical luggage pass-through and a padded laptop sleeve. It also offers an expandable main compartment for when you need a bit more space, a soft-lined top pocket for quick-grab essentials, a zipper-hidden water bottle pocket and magnetic shoulder strap keepers. There are also external straps to attach a tripod to the bottom of the bag. It fits up to a Smedium Camera Cube, two Smedium Packing Cubes or one Large Packing Cube when the bag isn't expanded.

The Travel Crossbody 3L Photo: Peak Design

Lastly, the smallest of the bunch is the Travel Crossbody 3L, which is meant for carrying essentials and small items. Peak Design says it builds on its Tech Pouch and features the company's origami-style interior pockets, an extra-wide clamshell opening, a hidden stash pocket with a magnetic closure and a discreet pocket for an AirTag. It can fit devices up to an iPhone 16 Pro Max or Samsung S, along with smaller tablets like the iPad Mini and Kindle. The XXS Ultralight Packing Cube also fits inside, and, like the other bags, it's weatherproof to protect your stuff.

As with many other Peak Design launches, the Travel Backpack 2-in-1, Travel Weekender 25L, Travel Backpack 20L, and Travel Crossbody 3L will first be sold through Kickstarter, beginning today. The bags will retail for $400, $200, $2000 and $100, respectively, but Kickstarter backers will get a $21 discount on the crossbody, $41 on the backpack and weekender, and $81 on the 2-in-1. The full launch is coming sometime at the end of May, though Peak Design hasn't provided a specific date.

Disclaimer: Remember to do your research with any crowdfunding project. DPReview does its best to share only the projects that look legitimate and come from reliable creators, but as with any crowdfunded campaign, there’s always the risk of the product or service never coming to fruition.

The iPhone 17e now has MagSafe, double the base storage and tougher glass. But its single camera and slow display remain unchanged. Image: Apple

Apple has announced the iPhone 17e, updating the lowest-end new model in its lineup. While it has several key updates, including a newer chip and double the base storage, Apple hasn't made any updates to the cameras, which were one of the original 16e's biggest weaknesses.

Like its predecessor, the 17e has a single 48MP Type 1/2.55 (23.5mm²) rear camera with a 26mm equiv. F1.6 lens, which also has a "2x" mode that crops in on the center quarter of the sensor. Apple has, however, updated its branding, now referring to it as a "Fusion camera system" rather than a "2-in-1 camera system."

The iPhone 17e's camera has no higher aspirations than to be "good enough." Image: Apple

The 12MP selfie camera has also been untouched; the 17e doesn't get the larger 18MP square model found on the standard iPhone 17, which lets you take horizontal and vertical crops no matter which orientation you're holding the phone at. The 17 also includes a 48MP, Type 1/2.55 (23.5mm²) ultra-wide camera, which offers the ever-popular "0.5x" mode, and its main camera uses a larger Type 1/1.56 (48mm²) sensor.

Related: Which iPhone is best for photography?

Also unchanged is the display. While the iPhone 17 prompted many "finally!"s by switching to a 120Hz model, the 17e's 6.1" OLED screen is still stuck at a 60Hz refresh rate (and still has a large notch taken out of the top to house the FaceID camera and sensors). It is, however, now protected by Apple's second-gen "Ceramic Shield" glass, which testing has shown to be quite a bit more scratch-resistant than the first-gen one found on the 16e. It can reach 1200 nits, which, while not as impressive as the brightness that some flagship phones are capable of, is still typically plenty for all but the harshest sunlight.

As for what else Apple has changed, the 17e's processor and cellular modem are a generation newer than its predecessor's, though Apple isn't making any strong claims about the A19's performance or efficiency compared to the A18; both "e" models are rated for up to 26 hours of video playback. However, the company does say the Apple-designed C1X modem is "up to 2x faster" than the C1 used by the 16e.

Lots of people complained when the 16e launched without MagSafe, and for good reason: it's wonderfully convenient, and there are a lot of accessories available for it now that it's been around for a few years. Image: Apple

Perhaps most importantly, though, is that Apple has upgraded the 16e's standard Qi wireless charging. The 17e now has the company's "MagSafe" tech. While some will appreciate that the guaranteed alignment means it can charge twice as fast (up to 15W vs. 7.5), most are likely to be more excited about gaining access to the wide accessory ecosystem surrounding it, making it easy to attach the phone to tripods, stands, and basically anything else. The 17e also has double the base storage as its predecessor, with the standard model coming with 256GB. It does, however, still max out at 512GB.

When the 16e launched last year, replacing the almost decade-old "SE" line, it was an open question as to whether we could expect Apple to update it every year, as it does with its main phones. With the SE, that wasn't the case; the company only made three models between 2016 and 2022. With this news, it appears we have an answer: yes, Apple will continue to add its latest chips and some new features to its more budget-oriented lineup.

Other budget competitors don't make you give up a high refresh-rate display or secondary camera

While the changes it's made to the 17e are important quality-of-life upgrades, I think the phone still sits in a somewhat uncomfortable place. The standard iPhone 17 has been lauded as one of the best all-around options available, and for many people, it'll be worth paying the $200 more to get its faster, larger screen and better camera system. Likewise, many other budget competitors like the Pixel 10a don't make you give up a high refresh-rate display or secondary camera option. However, if you really don't care about any of that and prefer your phones to be Apple-flavored, it's nice that you have the option to save some money and that you'll be getting a phone with fewer compromises than you would've before.

The phone has the same $599 starting MSRP as its predecessor, and is available in black, white and, now, "soft pink." It will be available for pre-order on March 4th and is set to launch on March 11th.

Image: Apple

With Apple's latest iPhone 17 series, the company's lineup has more options than before, from the iPhone Air to the iPhone 17 Pro Max (and we can't forget the budget iPhone 17e). While there are many things that set these phones apart, we're going to look at how the phones are for photography, and how they compare to each other.

How do Apple's new iPhones compare?

There are more subtle differences that we'll cover, but the biggest differences between cameras for the Air (left), iPhone 17 (middle) and iPhone 17 Pro (right) are obvious just from looking at them. Image: Apple

Comparing the cameras on the iPhone 17, iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max is relatively simple; for most people, the main differences will be in the number of cameras each phone has. The Air has a single wide-angle camera, and the same model is found on the iPhone 17, though paired with an ultra-wide camera. The 17 Pro adds an additional telephoto camera, providing the most range and flexibility.

There are several shared components between the phones. The 17 and Air's main cameras, for example, are the same, as are the wide-angle camera on the 17 and 17 Pro. And for photography, they have the same set of features, including the Camera Control button, customizable Photographic Styles that give you more control over how your photos look and a portrait mode with adjustable computer-generated bokeh.

The iPhone 17 Pro's main camera is much larger than the one on the standard 17 and Air

Despite the commonalities, there are still benefits to going Pro. Besides the addition of a 100mm equiv. telephoto camera, the main camera also uses a much larger Type 1/1.28 (71.5mm²) sensor, compared to the Type 1/1.56 (48mm²) sensor used on the standard 17 and Air.

The additional area means it will gather more light, so it won't have to dip into the long exposure low-light mode as often, and can provide better image quality and more real bokeh in ideal lighting conditions. The Pros' main cameras also have a slightly wider focal length at 24mm, rather than 26mm.

Finally, there's the Air, which only has a single 26mm wide-angle camera. Apple includes a "2x" mode that crops in on the 12MP in the center of the sensor to provide a bit of additional reach, but if you like to shoot subjects that are far away, or like the look that ultra-wide images provide, you may want to consider other options. However, if you only use the main camera, you're not giving anything up versus the standard 17.

What about the selfie camera?

Image: Apple

For this generation, Apple introduced a brand new selfie camera which, thankfully, is included on all of its new phones. The new design is larger (though it's not clear by how much), higher-resolution and square. While it doesn't seem like the phone uses the whole sensor at once, it allows you to switch between portrait and landscape selfies without having to physically rotate your phone.

Is the Pro Max better than the Pro?

For photography, no; the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max have the same camera setup. This hasn't always been the case; the iPhone 15 Pro Max's telephoto camera had further reach than the one on the smaller model. However, this time around, you don't have to give up any photography features to get the more pocketable phone (unless you truly feel you need the 2TB storage option that's only available on the Max).

If you're interested in the Pro line, be sure to check out our deep-dive article that covers all the changes to its cameras and video features compared to the previous generation.

iPhone 17 versus iPhone 17e

The iPhone 17 (left) has more than just an extra camera compared to the 17e (right). Image: Apple

If you look at Apple's spec sheet, it'd be easy to think that the budget-oriented iPhone 17e's single camera is the same one used by the standard iPhone 17; the company calls them both "48MP Fusion Main" cameras, after all. However, the one on the 17e is substantially smaller, coming in at 23.5mm² (which you might recognize as the same size used by the more expensive phones' secondary and tertiary cameras).

The smaller sensor again means that the phone will have to work harder to capture clear photos in low light, and that images from it taken in ideal lighting conditions won't be as good as ones from the newer phones. That's especially true given that it's only optically stabilized, rather than having additional sensor stabilization like the mainline iPhones.

A few other limitations compared to the 17s and Air: the 17e doesn't have the next-generation portrait mode that lets you adjust what the main focus of the image is and what's blurred out, nor does it have the more customizable Photographic Styles. It also lacks the Camera Control button and uses the old selfie camera, meaning you'll have to turn your phone to get landscape portraits.

What about the iPhone 16?

Last year's iPhone 16 has the same main camera as the new iPhone 17, but ultra-wide shooters beware... Image: Tucker Bowe

As usual, Apple has stopped selling the previous-generation Pro phones, but is still selling the standard iPhone 16 for around $100 less than its launch price. Its main camera will be the same as the standard 17's, but its ultra-wide camera is a smaller (23.5mm²) 12MP model versus the 48MP one used by the current-gen. Like the 16e, it uses the older selfie camera.

What else should I consider?

There's a lot of things to consider when you're buying a phone beyond its photographic capabilities. For example, the iPhone 17 Pro Max has a massive battery and a giant screen, both of which could be handy on days when you're taking a ton of photos. The Pro phones also have a litany of video features, such as the ability to record ProRes Raw and Log footage.

Meanwhile, the iPhone Air is substantially thinner than the other options, which could be nice if you prefer a phone that doesn't take up a ton of pocket space. And, of course, there are countless Android options with their own sets of strengths and weaknesses. But you should now at least understand how the cameras on Apple's current-generation phones stack up to one another.

For the past several days, our team has been reporting live from CP+ 2026, the camera industry's premier trade show and consumer expo in Yokohama, Japan.

Now that the event has wrapped up, we wanted to share what it's like to experience the show floor in person. From the latest camera gear to the colorful kitsch, this video takes you on a whirlwind tour of CP+ 2026 in just a little over two minutes.

The February Editors' photo challenge

The theme for our February Editor's photo challenge was "Canine Capers."

Not every great photograph needs to be serious or technically flawless. Sometimes the best images are the ones that make you laugh or cry. For this latest showcase, we turned our attention to “Canine Capers”, a celebration of dogs being their wonderfully chaotic selves. We asked you to share the moments that happen between the posed shots: the flying ears mid-sprint, the guilty looks after a toppled trash can, the unapologetic couch takeovers. What came back is a gallery full of personality, motion and mischief.

As always, we received many more great photos than we can feature here. Our favorites, showcasing a diverse range of vision and talent, are presented in random order.

Thanks to everyone who participated in this photo challenge. If you'd like to participate in other photo challenges, you can visit our Challenges page to see currently open or upcoming challenges, or to vote in a recently closed challenge.

Jack and the giant

Photographer: DavidNikonD500

Photographer's statement: This photo shows how much impact the weather has on birds. There were tons of Robins wandering around, searching for food until the snow would completely cover the ground. But there was one particular Robin that not only caught my attention, but also my dog's. The Robin was fearless (or blind); sometimes it even sat on one of my dogs. I was impressed by this sight (and so were the dogs). So I tried my luck and got this capture among others. I know it is not perfect since it happened very fast, and I only had time to focus on the dog's nose. But still, it is a very interesting sight.

Equipment: Nikon D500

My glorious girl

Photographer: Drazen Stojcic

Photographer's statement: Nothing makes my dalmatian girl, Pika, more excited than a chance to charge straight into the Adriatic sea and fetch one of her toys. Over time, I've started going into the water myself, setting up with my camera and just trying to catch that perfect moment when everything is just right. Wife handles the toy throwing, I handle the camera, and Pika handles the fun. It's a win-win-win!

It's far from a simple task. A Dalmatian's spotted coat frequently confuses the autofocus, and all the droplets flying everywhere don't help either. Add to that the incredible speed and agility these dogs have and it's no wonder sometimes I'll take a thousand average photos for just one keeper. This was taken on a late summer afternoon on the Croatian coast, only moments after sunset. It turned out to be one of my favorite photos of Pika, so I naturally had to share it with the DPReview audience!

Equipment: Canon EOS R5 Mark II + Canon RF 100-300mm F2.8L IS USM

Snow falling on shelty

Photographer: RumpelHund

Photographer's statement: Walking the dog in the first snow of the winter, my Z8 (Z7 back then) with the 200/2.0 is the go-to combo as long as I can carry it. Close to the ground, things got easier since the sheltie lady got older and calmer.

Equipment: Nikon Z7 + Nikon AF-S Nikkor 200mm F/2G ED VR II

Kuri at sunset

Photographer: Calretas

Photographer's statement: There's a beach in the Algarve called Olhos d'Agua that is famous for its sweet water springs and natural lagoons that are only visible during low tide. It's one of my favorite places for photography; the lagoons make for great mirrors, creating awesome compositions. On this day, especially with the clouds, an incredible element of drama and color was added.

Equipment: Canon EOS R6 + Canon EF 24-105mm F/4L IS USM

Skye, having full focus on the treat

Photographer: Ronald53

Photographer's statement: We decided to take some photos of our dog, Skye, trying to catch a treat. This was the first time we tried such a setup: Our dog, a background, two speedlights, my wife throwing the treats, me behind the camera, and a lot of patience. Skye loved it. She always enjoys doing tasks, and she was generously rewarded, as it took multiple shots (and more treats for Skye) to get this result.

Equipment: Nikon Z8 + Nikon Nikkor Z 24-120mm F4 S

Doggles

Photographer: jaberg

Photographer's statement: Gigi was a boon traveling companion, but she was also stubborn. She’d walk for miles. When she grew tired and was put in the backpack, she’d demand to be set down again, take three steps, then look up at you and demand to be put back in the pack. When shod in boots for snowshoeing trips she’d shed the boots... at first. The same was true for her doggles in the Badlands of South Dakota.

Equipment: Apple iPhone 11 Pro

No sugar required

Photographer: GrantsImages

Photographer's statement: My dog is 15 now, but when he was a puppy, he fit in this teacup-shaped planter. My wife kept his attention while I took several photos. This was my favorite!

Equipment: Nikon D800 + Nikon AF Nikkor 85mm F1.8D

Windy day

Photographer: Wrancea

Photographer's statement: Walking in the city, I found this little one wandering. When I called him, he stopped and looked at us, then ran in the other direction at full speed. Snapshot.

Equipment: Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II + Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm F4.0 IS Pro

I laugh at your fences

Photographer: SkippyPics

Photographer's statement: Our four-foot fence was no match for our Great Dane, who, just as she matured out of puppyhood, was eager to show she could fill anyone's dance card.

Equipment: Canon EOS 7D Mark II + Canon EF 70-200mm F2.8L IS II USM

Lotte and the sunrise

Photographer: Zorro73

Photographer's statement: While having an early morning walk with my beloved Maltipoo Girl Lotte, I had the luck of witnessing the sun rising just between the horizon and a heavy bank of of clouds. Lotte sat there so patiently in the cold that I could not resist to portrait her in front of the great sunrise light.

Equipment: Nikon Zf + Sirui Aurora 8mm F1.4

Bruce likes Jess

Photographer: Jack Simpson

Photographer's statement: Jess, a Belgian-born barista working at Milano's Espresso Lounge in Vancouver's Gastown neighbourhood, gets a very loving welcome from Bruce, a new puppy in the neighbourhood.

Equipment: Pentax K-3 + Tamron SP AF 70-200mm F2.8 Di LD (IF) Macro

Maja and deer

Photographer: kreeart

Photographer's statement: This photo captures a rare moment between my Chihuahua, Maja, and a herd of deer in our park. While many dogs would chase them or feel afraid, Maja stood calm and steady, gently approaching them and slowly walking towards them with quiet confidence. For a brief second, everything felt perfectly balanced. The deer watched her without fear, and she watched them without tension. It was a silent exchange between wild and domestic, and the only time I managed to frame it.

Equipment: Fujifilm X-T5

Loar, my best friend

Photographer: Elyjenka

Photographer's statement: Here’s a portrait of Loar, my White Swiss Shepherd and my best friend. He helped me find my smile again and gave me the strength to learn photography, despite my visual impairment. I have albinism, so together we are a white-haired duo.

Equipment: Sony a7 III + Sony FE 55mm F1.8 ZA Carl Zeiss Sonnar T*

Olive in the wildflowers

Photographer: ltsbrettbryan

Photographer's statement: Olive is sitting in a bed of wildflowers at one of her favorite places at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. While she loves living in Michigan's cold, the humans do not. So every year we take a long road trip to my parents’ place in Texas. They have quite a large property, so Olive gets to escape the city and be the free-roaming farm dog she always wished she could be.

Equipment: Nikon Z7 II

You'll be mine

Photographer: milarix

Photographer's statement: We have a new friend at home: Mina, an Australian shepherd. Our little four-legged friend looked at the strange colored ball, thinking: You're too beautiful, you'll be mine!

Equipment: Canon EOS R6 + Canon RF 24-105mm F4L IS USM

Border twins

Photographer: Vlado Minarik

Photographer's statement: Sara and Amy grew up together in a tourist lodge in the heart of the Mala Fatra National Park in Slovakia. Here they look after sheep, goats and chickens. They provide pleasant company to hungry tourists who bring their fragrant dinner from the kitchen to the terrace to check if they have eaten everything. It was a pleasure to work here for almost five years. These furry ladies are now my great friends.

Equipment: iPhone 12 mini

Walking in the forest

Photographer: The Bokeh

Photographer's statement: Lucie loved walking in the forest and could enjoy the whole day outdoors. She was walking towards me when I noticed this little path would make a good background with the bokeh.

Equipment: Fujifilm X-T4 + Fujifilm XF 50mm F2 R WR

Air Riley

Photographer: Looleylawylow

Photographer's statement: Riley is a Mini Goldendoodle who was about 18 months old when this shot was taken on an overcast fall afternoon in Columbus, Ohio. Riley slept well that night, and her human sister, visible in the background, had a sore arm the next day.

Equipment: Sony a7 III + Sony FE 70-200mm F4 G OSS

Whassup?

Photographer: Zorgsonic76

Photographer's statement: Our Maltipoo "Knopfchen" (German for "little button") loves to hang out. I've never caught him in a cooler position, though. I am happy I had my phone right at hand.

Equipment: Samsung Galaxy S23

Weimaraner at attention

Photographer: PeterMiller

Photographer's statement: I asked Winston (the Weimaraner) to pose for me to try out the new portrait lens I had just purchased. He obligingly sat still for a few seconds so I could snap a shot, and then he promptly ran off chasing something.

Equipment: Olympus PEN-F

Woser

Photographer: Robot57

Photographer's statement: This dog, a Tibetan something named Woser, was nicknamed Bulldozer. Regularly escaped through the fence to have day-long adventures in the neighbourhood. Also enjoyed walks on the beach and an occasional dip. Sadly passed away at age 13. Remembered fondly.

Equipment: Canon EOS M

CP+ has wrapped up for the year, with over 23,000 attendees visiting the show in the first two days. We've been hard at work covering it, so some of the members sat down to discuss the event, the news that was released during it, and some of the things we learned from our discussions with camera manufacturers.

As an added bonus, here are some stats provided by CP+, which help speak to some of the trends we discuss in the show:

• 45 of the show's 149 exhibiters were there for the first time
• The first two days saw over 1100 more attendees than the first two days of the show in 2025

An Olympus M-1 and its proud new owner.

Another fun fact: while Abby didn't end up buying an OM-1 after the discussion, she did buy an Olympus M-1, the predecessor to the OM-1.

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
• The ready-for-anything option: OM System OM-3
• The stylish travel companion: Nikon Zf
• Best pocketable travel camera: Ricoh GR IV
  
• The classic choice: Fujifilm X100VI
• The best video camera for travel: DJI Osmo Pocket 3

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 full Sony a7CR Review

See the Sony a7CR studio scene

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 APS-C options

If you're looking for an APS-C camera that's even smaller than the X-T50, the Fujifilm X-M5 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.

The Nikon Z50II is also a strong all-around contender, but its lens selection isn't as strong as Sony or Fujifilm's, nor does it have a stabilized sensor. However, it does have solid autofocus performance, a viewfinder, and a sub-$1000 price point.

The ready-for-anything mirrorless: OM System OM-3

20MP Four Thirds Stacked CMOS sensor | 2.36M dot EVF 0.69x magnification | IP53-rated weather sealing

Photo: Mitchell Clark

The OM-3 is well-suited to traveling, as the Micro Four Thirds system lets you use especially compact lenses, and its Stacked sensor gives it fast autofocus, incredible burst rates for shooting even the fastest subjects, and the ability to use computational modes to adapt to a wide variety of situations. It also sports an IP53 rating for dust and water resistance, so you won't have to worry if it starts raining.

Read our OM System OM-3 review

See the OM System OM-3 studio scene

The other Micro Four Thirds options

OM System's OM-5 is substantially cheaper than the OM-3, though you give up the speed, USB-C port and advanced subject recognition autofocus, as well as a few of the computational modes. It is, however, slightly more compact if space is at a premium in your pack.

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. However, like with the a7CR, many of the full-frame lenses available for it will greatly increase its size and weight.

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 IV

26MP APS-C sensor | 28mm equiv F2.8 lens | 5-axis image stabilization

The Ricoh is a pocketable compact with a large APS-C sensor. Photo: Richard Butler

The Ricoh GR IV is the latest entry in the company's series of classic compact cameras with large APS-C sensors and a 28mm equivalent lens. It's not the most flexible camera, but it has engaging controls and is one of the most pocketable models with a large sensor, which is probably why the GR series has built up a dedicated following of photographers who find it a joy to shoot with.

Our one concern with using the GR IV for travel is that some users of the previous generation model reported dust getting into the lens. Ricoh has said it's made a few changes that should help prevent that, but still doesn't make any claims of weather sealing, so it may be worth keeping it in protective bag and putting it away in particularly unpleasant weather.

There's also the GR IIIx, which has the previous generation sensor and processor, but with a longer, 40mm equivalent lens. This may be a little tight for documenting your travels, but it's historically a popular focal length. Ricoh also sells a GR IV Monochrome, though a camera that only shoots black and white probably wouldn't be our first pick for travel photograph.

Read our Ricoh GR IV review

See the Ricoh GR IV studio scene

Other compacts

Canon has recently announced that it plans to increase its production of compact cameras, citing an increasing number of orders for the PowerShot G7 X III, which has a 24 – 100mm (equiv.) zoom lens, providing a solid range for travel photography. Its autofocus isn't

The Leica D-Lux 8 features a larger sensor than the G7 X III – it uses up to up to 83% of the area of a Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor, while the G7 X III has a Type-1 (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor – and has a photo-focued interface that we particularly like. However, its slow zoom, only decent image quality and substantial price tag make it hard to recommend to all but the most Leica-faithful.

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

The best video camera for travel: DJI Osmo Pocket 3

Photo: Richard Butler

DJI’s Osmo Pocket 3 is a stabilized handheld vlogging camera, designed for on-the-move vlogging. It’s built around a type 1 (13.2 x 8.8mm) sensor mounted on a tiny gimbal, meaning it can deliver stabilized footage with smoother motion than any conventional camera or phone.

When you're traveling in an unfamiliar place, there are a million things to focus on; the Pocket 3 lets you capture it all, without requiring much effort on your part. It can also natively film in horizontal or vertical, which can be useful if you're looking to share footage from your travels on social media.

Its small sensor means the Pocket 3 works better in well-lit situations, though a reasonably bright F2.0 lens means it’s usable indoors, too.

It can shoot 4K 16:9 video or, by rotating the screen into the upright position, 3K vertical 9:16 footage. A small joystick lets you control the camera’s movement, and tapping the joystick button flips between the camera pointing toward you or away from you.

Its reliance on contrast-detection autofocus means its focus can be prone to hunting, though its face-detection mode works well enough that this is rarely a problem when talking to the camera.

The video quality isn’t always the highest, and the autofocus can occasionally lead to frustration, but overall the quality and convenience of the Pocket 3 as a package is really hard to beat.

Read our hands-on impressions of the Osmo Pocket 3

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.

Which design do you prefer? Photos: Mitchell Clark

Last year, Fujifilm released the X half – a quirky camera that leans heavily on retro styling, and that emulates a more analog shooting process, especially in its film camera mode. It'd be a stretch to say that it's the type of thing we expect from the company, but it didn't completely shock us like it would've had it come from another company with less of a history in mimicking film cameras.

Perhaps we should start getting used to the idea.

Canon is showing off a concept at its booth at CP+ that takes the metaphor even further. Design-wise, it looks like an old camera with a waist-level viewfinder, but rather than using film, it has a Type 1 (117mm²) sensor. According to a diagram displayed alongside it, light from the lens (a manual focus-only 50mm equiv. F1.8) bounces off a mirror, and up into the viewfinder. But flip a lever on the side, and another mirror flips down, bouncing the image from the projection screen onto the sensor. While most cameras directly capture the light coming through the lens, this mockup is essentially taking an image of its viewfinder.

The prototype attendees got to handle was much less polished than the ones under glass.

To be clear, we're a long way from this – or even anything similar – being an actual product, if that ever happens at all. The one I got to play with seemed like it was at least partially 3D printed, and had a display that didn't do anything; the live view was shown on a TV, with a signal passed along a cable plugged into the side of its body. I'm not sure it could even actually take a picture, and the buttons on the back didn't seem to do much beyond making the camera switch into modes that didn't actually work.

However, it's interesting to see Canon even displaying it, and asking attendees to vote on which of two potential designs they like best. The mock-ups on display are more refined, seeming to feature actual shutter buttons and a large knob on the side, though its purpose is unclear. The survey also asks questions about what you'd look for in this kind of camera and how much you'd be willing to pay for one, were it to actually make it to market in some form. To me, that indicates that it's not just a fun toy the company's engineers cooked up solely to give people something to play with at its booth.

The booth drew a lot of attention; we'd be surprised if Canon didn't take notice of how many people wanted to play with it.

Canon has said before that it sees itself as a company that's always looking forward, despite a somewhat traditional approach to product designs. Some have used that perception to dismiss the idea it would ever release a throwback camera like the Nikon Zf or Pentax 17. But this camera shows a more playful side of the company, and even if we never see this particular model again, it makes us wonder if the X half was just the start of something, rather than an odd one-off.

Canon PowerShot G7 X III Photo: Dan Bracaglia

Canon's PowerShot G7 X III may be almost seven years old, and lacking the autofocus and processing capabilities found in the company's more recent cameras, but that hasn't stopped it from flying off the shelf. It seems that tech isn't a big selling point for the type of person buying it, but in an interview with Canon executives at the CP+ show, we were told that the company's next compact may focus on it.

"The current customers of compact cameras are not really our past customers. These are totally new customers," said Go Tokura, Executive Vice President, Head of Imaging Group, Chief Executive and Chief Executive of Imaging Business Operations. "So it is going to be the role of the next camera we release that can offer new technologies or a new use case. That's the new role of the next compact camera."

It's exciting news to hear that the company is working on a new compact camera and that it will potentially be more up-to-date than the ones the company currently offers. Of course, there are no promises that it will be aimed at enthusiasts looking for a small option to carry around with them. Last year, the company released the PowerShot V1, which, while using much of Canon's current technology, is much better-suited to shooting video than stills.

We're looking forward to sharing more of the interview in the near future, covering more of the company's compact plans, the state of the camera market and its approach to making lenses and cameras.

Photo hosting community Flickr has announced Mode by Flickr, an in-person "photo festival" taking place in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in late September 2026. The company says its goal is to bring the spirt of online photo sharing "away from devices" so photographers can connect "in the real world."

The three-day event will include keynote speeches from guest photographers, such as Chris Burkard and Penny De Los Santos, along with activities including workshops, editing tutorials, film screenings and photowalks. Flickr's COO Ben MacAskill describes it as "a festival built for creativity and the future of photography and visual arts."

The festival is structured around seven themes, covering a broad range of photography topics, from art and technique to technology and gear, and the business of making a business out of your work. The themes are described by the company as follows:

• Change: spotlighting world-shifting storytelling
• Next: focused on emerging tools and technology
• Money: exploring the business of photography
• Motion: celebrating video and moving images
• Culture: capturing the music, fashion, food, and moments that shape us;
• IRL: honoring analog processes
• Earth: dedicated to the intersection of the environment, sustainability, and art

Flickr, which has been owned by photo hosting company SmugMug since it was sold by Yahoo! in 2018, is now in its 22nd year, having launched in 2004.

Three-day passes start at $330, with a $30 discount for Flickr Pro subscribers, though the cheapest tickets only get you access to "select events."

The first day of CP+ has come to a close. During it, we got the chance to see some of the lenses announced during the show in-person, so here’s a closer look. If you have any questions about them, be sure to leave them in the comments below!

Me and my favorite chair resting after a photo shoot in the Italian countryside. Honor PGT-N19 | 7.6mm (27mm equiv) | F1.4 | 1/4000 sec | ISO 50 Photo: Ciaccio

DPReview community member Ciaccio (Mario Ciaccia) has a fascinating photography career based in Milan, Italy. He has been a professional photographer since 1998, working for Tutto Mountain Bike and other companies, including the motorcycle magazine Motociclismo. He now runs his own site while balancing commissioned work with a personal need to capture everyday moments through his camera.

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Meet Ciaccio (Mario Ciaccia)

Home base: Milan, Italy

Favorite camera and lens: Fujifilm X100V with its 35mm equivalent lens, or Sony a7C with the 14mm F1.8 or 135mm F1.8.

Typical photo scenes: Motorcycle travel and events, vast landscapes from Patagonia to the Himalaya, the quiet moods of the River Po, and spontaneous family life.

Although inspired by classic Leica photojournalists and the black-and-white work of Don McCullin, Ciaccio admits he sees only in color. He also says he forced himself to use the Fujifilm X100V to train his eye for 35mm, despite his natural pull toward extremes.

"I see beautiful black and white photos taken with 35mm, but then, when it's my turn to take them, I'm more inspired to use a 14mm and color."

Ciaccio edits in Lightroom and Photoshop, keeps accessories minimal, and carries only what helps him get that great shot.

Sunrise on Monte Jafferau, in the Western Alps, Italy, September 2014. We climbed a hill and were greeted by a pair of formidable French mountains, Barre des Écrins and Pelvoux. Sony NEX-6 | 210mm (315mm equiv) | F6.3 Photo: Ciaccio

What's in Ciaccio's bag(s)

• Primary cameras: Two Sony a7C bodies
• Main lenses: Sony 14mm F1.8 and Sony 135mm F1.8
• Fujifilm X100V (excellent as a compact storytelling camera)
• Sony DSC-RX100 VII (for my even smaller travel pocket needs)
• Honor Magic5 Pro smartphone
• Small Manfrotto tripod
• RucPac photographer's gloves
• Back scratcher: it's telescopic, so why not bring it, right?
• Fishing hat, wet wipes and similar knick-knacks for maximum comfort
• ThinkTank Mindshift Rotation 34 and Rotation 22 backpacks for it all

Ciaccio's camera bag. Photo: Ciaccio

What other gear makes a difference?

"I carry very few pieces of gear, precisely because I have to seize the moment. I always carry a tiny Manfrotto tripod and, when I am working alone, a normal tripod. The a7C batteries last so long that I no longer need to carry many extras."

"In my bag there are also practical things: wet wipes, rain gear, a sweatshirt, thin gloves in winter, a headlamp for night photos and even a small screwdriver because sometimes the memory card door on my cameras gets stuck. If I have to wait hours at an event, I bring a folding chair so my back survives.”

“For years I have been obsessed with finding a light, fast system that lets me react immediately,” says Ciaccio. His Rotation 34 backpack uses a rotating waist pack that gives instant access to three cameras, even while seated on a motorcycle. The pairing of ultra-wide 14mm and 135mm telephoto reflects his visual instincts: dramatic perspectives or tight subject isolation with strong bokeh.

Rothang La, Himalayan pass 3,980 meters above sea level. I wanted to convey the vertigo I felt every time I encountered a truck or bus, and they didn't even slow down, despite the high risk of hitting me and sending me over the edge. After all, Rothang means ‘pile of corpses’. Sony NEX-6 | 10mm (15mm equiv) | F4 Photo: Ciaccio

What stands out with the Fujifilm X100V and Sony a7C?

"If someone told me I could only keep one camera for the rest of my life, I would choose the Fujifilm X100V. With a 35mm lens, you can tell any story."

"For my Sony a7C, the high quality of the full-frame sensor allows me to have narrower focal lengths with little cropping. The 135mm seems like a weak telephoto lens, but the bokeh effect is such that I don't miss a 200mm or 300mm."

"I tried to do the same with the Sony a7 III, but it's too big: I'm one of the rare cases where the a7c is indispensable. If I wanted the same things but in an even smaller size, I could switch to APS-C: Sony a6700 with Sony 11 mm F1.8 (tiny!) and an 85 mm F1.8, which could be Sony or Viltrox."

“If someone told me I could only keep one camera for the rest of my life, I would choose the Fujifilm X100V.”

In October 2025, we challenged the steam train that runs from Novara to Varallo Sesia, in Piedmont, Italy. The challenge was to photograph it with the motorcycles at 13 different points. Sony a7C w/ FE14mm F1.8 GM | F1.8 | 1/4000 sec | ISO 250 Photo: Ciaccio

How do you adapt your setup to different situations?

“It depends on the season and on what I am doing. If I travel alone like an explorer, I reduce everything to the minimum. If I have to photograph an organized event and stay in one place for three or four hours, I bring what makes the wait comfortable."

"My strength is that I always have the right focal length ready. The cameras are set in manual mode, usually with the aperture wide open. If necessary, I close it, but I like to isolate the subject and react quickly.”

Murzuq Desert in Libya, November 2008. I wanted to convey the feeling of being in the presence of immense chocolate flows. Canon EOS 40D | 70mm (113mm equiv) | F8 | 1/640 sec | ISO 100 Photo: Ciaccio

Ciaccio's advice for other photographers

“Since I started in digital in 2004, technology has improved enormously. Today, we have more than enough performance. Ten frames per second is already a lot. Twenty-four megapixels are already excellent. At a certain point, it is not the equipment that changes your photography."

"Travel, look around you, and shoot. I have photographed Patagonia, the Himalayas and the Libyan desert, but I have also learned that beauty is behind my house. The important thing is to be ready when the moment arrives.”

If you’d like to share your photography setup, tell us about your main camera, lens choices, key settings and photography strategies. You could be featured next!

Editor's note: This article continues a series, 'What's in your bag?', highlighting DPReview community members, their photography and the gear they depend on. Would you like to be featured in a future installment? Tell us a bit about yourself and your photography by filling out this form. If you're selected for a feature, we'll be in touch with next steps.

Submit your story to be featured in 'What's in your bag?'