The best mirror less cameras for 2020

The best mirror less cameras for 2020

The best mirror less cameras offer you the facility of a DSLR without the majority

Call it the apparent choice, but the Sony A7R IV is our pick for the simplest mirror less camera. It’s not the most cost effective , and its 61-megapixel sensor is overkill for several , but no other camera has done the maximum amount to continue pushing the boundaries of digital imaging forward. We were immensely impressed with the A7R IV’s image quality, handling, and auto focus performance, the last of which is just the simplest within the business. this is often a strong , professional tool that also happens to be approachable and straightforward to use.

However, its high price and extreme resolution may keep it limited to a comparatively small niche of photographers. It’s also not the simplest video camera, if that’s important to you (although, it’s never bad). Here are the remainder of our favorites mirror less cameras, from basic beginner models to powerful professional tools.

At a look 

Best mirror less camera overall: Sony A7R IV
Best 4K full-frame mirror less camera: Panasonic Lumix S1
Best low-light mirror less camera: Sony A7 III
Best cheap mirror less camera: Fuji film X-T30
Best mirror less camera for video: Panasonic Lumix GH5
Best mirror less camera for beginners: Olympus PEN E-PL9
The best mirror less camera overall: Sony A7R IV

The best mirror less camera overall: Sony A7R IV

Who’s it for: Professional and enthusiast photographers that like big prints, big details, or big crops

Why we picked the Sony A7R IV:

Remember when 45 megapixels was an enormous deal? The Sony A7R IV packs in 61, offering more resolution than an 8K TV. That’s enough to form very detailed 30-inch prints, or crop a photograph significantly and still get a pointy result. But while many high-resolution cameras will slow you down, the A7R IV can fire away at a ten frames per second. That won’t win a race with the sports-oriented A9, but it’s many speed for many users.

If somehow 61 megapixels isn’t enough, a pixel shift mode are often wont to create a 240-megapixel image, although you’ll to stitch it together later using Sony’s proprietary software. Equally impressive are the 15 stops of dynamic range which will help keep more details intact in high contrast scenes.

Sony A7R IV also packs within the standard features that have kept the whole A7 series at the highest of our lists for years. Five-axis stabilization is made into the body, the auto focus system is that the best within the business thanks Real-Time Tracking and Real-Time Eye AF, and it can shoot decent, if not class-leading, 4K video.

Those features are bound up during a body that’s familiar to anyone who’s handled a Sony mirror less camera before, but Sony has made some small enhancements. The grip may be a bit deeper on the A7R IV and therefore the weather sealing has been improved. The body houses a 670-shot battery which is leagues before the mirror less competition at now .

You’ll need perfect focus and technique to truly cash in of all those megapixels, but the A7R IV makes this as easy as possible. No, it’s not cheap, except for the foremost demanding photographers, the Sony A7R IV is worthwhile .

Runner-up: Panasonic Lumix S1R

Before the A7R IV, it had been the Lumix S1R that held the title of best mirror less camera, and it still holds some advantages. While large, professionals will appreciate all of the direct-access control and top LCD panel. While its 47MP sensor is down on resolution compared to the Sony, that’s still quite lot of pixels — plus, the S1R’s high-resolution mode can output a merged, 188MP RAW or JPEG straight from the camera that you simply can take into any standard image editing app. It doesn’t have the Sony’s speed or auto focus prowess, but it’s still a worthy machine.

The Best 4K Full-Frame Mirror less Camera: Panasonic Lumix S1

Who’s it for: Serious photographers who need a rugged, capable camera

Why we elect the Panasonic Lumix S1:


The Panasonic Lumix S1 isn’t exactly what we expected from a mirror less camera — but in some ways , it exceeded those expectations. Besides the superb image quality coming from the full-frame 24-megapixel sensor, a 96-megapixel high-resolution mode allows you to capture even more detail when employing a tripod (and doesn’t require proprietary processing software just like the Sony A7R IV’s high-resolution mode). We were very impressed with the out-of-camera JPEG image quality, which produces excellent color and contrast, while the RAW images offer many flexibility and powerful high-ISO performance.

The S1 uses contrast detection auto focus rather than the usually faster phase detection, but Panasonic narrowed the gap because of its proprietary Depth From Refocus technology. Auto focus tracking and subject recognition are good — if almost to the extent of Sony’s more advanced Real-Time Tracking — and while speed is usually indistinguishable from competing phase-detection systems, we did notice some occasional misses that cropped up seemingly randomly .

The control scheme doesn’t skimp on anything and is very customization, offering more direct-access control than mirror less cameras from other brands. It also offers both SD and XQD card slots, with support for even faster CF Express cards coming within the future. The body is fully weather-sealed and houses an equivalent electronic viewfinder because the A7R IV, with 5.7 million pixels and a refresh rate of 120 frames per second.


On the video front, the S1 was the primary full-frame camera to record 4K video at up to 60 frames per second (alongside its sibling, the Lumix S1R). But that’s not all. A paid firmware upgrade takes the camera to subsequent level, unlocking full V-log recording and 10-bit 4:2:2 color. The camera also can output a clean video signal over HDMI for even higher-quality recording with an external video recorder. For the aspiring filmmaker, the S1 features a big edge over the competition.

On the downside, all of this makes the camera quite heavy. At about 2.25 pounds, it weighs quite some full-frame DSLRs. The Lumix S1 might not be the simplest camera for travel photography due to that, but it's otherwise an incredible achievement that leaves little or no to be desired.

Runner-up: Sigma Fp

The Sigma Fp is one among the foremost unique cameras we’ve ever tested. The Fp is minuscule — it’s the littlest full-frame mirror less camera — but boasts some incredible video features, including internal RAW recording. However, to urge the foremost out of it, you would like variety of accessories, including an external USB drive. The S1 is just a more complete camera out of the box, making it easier to urge up and running. High-end productions may find something just like the Sigma Fp is that the tool they have , however.

The best low-light mirror less camera: Sony A7 III

Who’s it for: Pros and enthusiasts who want both portability and powerful performance in tough lighting conditions

Why we picked the Sony A7 III:

The Sony A7 series has long given us a number of our favorite digital cameras — and therefore the A7 III brings a number of the simplest qualities of the series together in one camera. With the low light performance of the A7S II, the dynamic range of the A7R III, and a few of the A9’s blazing speed, the A7 III is many camera for several photographers — and yet it’s the smallest amount expensive current full-frame model within the series.

The A7 III sports a backside-illuminated (BSI) 24-megapixel sensor that delivers impressive image quality, with great results even at very high ISOs in low light scenes. Equally impressive is that the dynamic range, which helps keep more of the small print within the shadows and highlights intact. The five-axis stabilization system doesn’t hurt, either, and further improves low light performance by letting you shoot at slower shutter speeds. The camera also offers a solid 4K video mode, with a plethora of customization options for adjusting the design of the image , although it lacks the 10-bit output of the Nikon Z 6.

Sony has had time to fine-tune the A7, and therefore the third generation may be a refined, high-end product. Autofocus is quick to lock on even when lighting is restricted and therefore the 10-fps burst rate holds for 40 RAW files. Perhaps most impressive is what proportion Sony has improved the battery, which may power the camera for over 700 exposures, the simplest we’ve seen in mirror less.

The control scheme and menu system aren’t our favorites, and the 2.3-million-dot electronic viewfinder falls behind competing models, but the A7 III offers many features and unbeatable low light performance for the worth .

The best cheap mirror less camera: Fuji film X-T30

Who’s it for: Photographers who want great pictures during a portable form factor at an honest price

Why we picked the Fuji film X-T30:

Full-frame cameras could also be all the craze lately , but Fuji film continues to prove there’s many value within the smaller APS-C format. The Fuji film X-T30 isn’t the most cost effective camera you'll buy, but it's going to just be the foremost valuable. It takes the simplest features from the impressive X-T3 and whittles away a couple of of the less essential options to form a reasonable , but still very capable, camera. What you get may be a camera with a less robust body and a couple of high-end features, but one that produces image quality that’s even as impressive because the camera that costs almost twice the maximum amount .

The X-T30 uses a 26-megapixel X-Trans sensor that’s capable of capturing some excellent images also as 10-bit 4K video. A 425-point phase-detection auto focus system is fast, accurate, and fills the whole frame. The X-T30 can’t continue with the X-T3’s burst rate and bigger image buffer, but its 8 frames per second are still plenty for many photographers.

The camera also can handle 4K video quite well, offering both Fuji film's F-Log profile and 10-bit 4:2:2 output making it suitable for even some professional video applications. It’s during a ll|one amongst|one in every of"> one among the simplest video modes we’ve seen in a camera that doesn’t breach the four-figure price barrier.

Fuji film wraps all of that tech into a body that’s a mixture of retro and modern, with both physical dials and a touchscreen. Compared to the X-T3, the most important things missing are the second SD card slot and weather-sealing, but the X-T30 may be a stellar shooter for the worth .

Runner up: Sony A6100

We love the Fuji for its styling and lens collection, but there’s little question that the new Sony A6100 has some performance advantages. the large one is auto focus, because the A6100 inherits an equivalent Real-Time AF features as more-expensive Sonys, making it easy to trace subjects and ensure every shot is tack-sharp.

Who’s it for: Creatives who put the maximum amount emphasis on motion content as they are doing on still photos.

Why we picked the Panasonic Lumix GH5:

All the cameras on this list shoot video and most even shoot 4K. But in most cameras, video may be a secondary focus. Not so with the Lumix GH5. Where many DSLRs and mirror less cameras have short recording limits for 4K, the GH5 will happily continue shooting until the cardboard fills up or the battery dies — and it boasts smooth-as-butter 60-fps 4K, to boot. Beyond that, it offers variety of video features targeting professional users, including 10-bit 4:2:2 recording, clean HDMI output, and an optional log-gamma profile via a paid firmware upgrade. (The recently released Lumix GH5S takes video quality to a replacement level, but the quality model remains the higher choice for many users because of its 5-axis image stabilization.)

While video may be a big point for the GH5, the camera can hold its own among other Micro Four Thirds shooters for still photos. The five-axis image stabilization plays a task for both videos and photos, the Depth from Refocus auto focus is almost as quick as on the Lumix S1 and burst shooting is even faster, up to 9 fps with continuous autofocus or 12 fps with focus locked on the primary frame. The GH5 also has several Panasonic-exclusive features, including 4K and 6K photo modes where you'll choose the main target extra point the shot, merge several images for a deeper depth of field, or shoot reduced-resolution still photos at 60 or 30 fps, respectively.

Like the hybrid photo-video capabilities, the GH5’s body feels more sort of a DSLR/mirror less hybrid. It’s smaller than most DSLRs, but there are many physical controls, an excellent electronic viewfinder, and dual SD card slots. While you'll buy cameras with larger sensors for an equivalent price, the GH5 has the simplest mixture of photo and video options we’ve seen yet and outclasses many cameras costing far more when it involves pro video features.