360Photography

What do we mean by Semi-Pro?

Within this category, you’ll find some of the most capable cameras the industry has to offer. The Semi-Pro name doesn’t indicate that they’re below the consideration of professionals, though. Quite the opposite: it means that their price and performance makes them attractive to a range of enthusiasts, photographers who make some money from their shoots and professionals who earn their livelihood with their camera.

Due to the fuzzy line between semi-pro and pro, we’ve made the decision to not include very high-end full-frame (e.g. Nikon D5, Canon 1D X Mark II, Sony a9) and medium format (e.g. Pentax 645Z and Fujifilm GFX 50S) cameras in this roundup.

All of the cameras in this price range use full-frame sensors. And while most of them are DSLRs, there are also several mirrorless options as well. Simply put, there is something here to satisfy just about everyone who is willing to pony up the requisite funds. Read through to see what makes this segment so cut-throat, and what innovations are driving this tier forwards at a remarkable pace.

The models covered in this roundup are:

• Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
• Canon EOS 5DS / 5DS R
• Leica M10
• Leica SL
• Nikon D750
• Nikon D810
• Sony Alpha a7R II
• Sony Alpha a7S II
• Sony Alpha a99 II

Read on to see which cameras we chose as best-in-class!

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

Within this category, which is made up of cameras costing $ 2000 or more (body-only, and based on MSRP in the US), you’ll find some of the fiercest competitors the camera industry has to offer. This includes cameras with 50 or more megapixels geared perfectly for studio shooters, 4K-capable cameras for serious film makers, and all-rounders that can easily split their time between pro-level still shooting and high-end video capture.

All of the cameras in this price range use full-frame sensors. And while most of them are DSLRs, there are also several mirrorless options as well. Simply put, there is something here to satisfy just about everyone who is willing to pony up the requisite funds. Read through to see what makes this segment so cutthroat, and what innovations are driving this tier forwards at a remarkable pace. 

The models covered in this roundup are:

• Canon EOS 5D Mark III
• Canon EOS 5DS / 5DS R
• Leica SL
• Nikon Df
• Nikon D750
• Nikon D810
• Sony Alpha a7R II
• Sony Alpha a7S
• Sony Alpha a7S II

Note: We purposely excluded the Canon EOS 1DX II, Nikon D5 and Pentax 645Z from this roundup as we feel the capabilities of both cameras put them in a class of their own, which we’ll cover in an additional roundup.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)