360Photography

These days, many (if not most) consumers are likely to shop based on price and capability, rather than according to whether a certain model contains a mirror, or not. We think this is a good thing; with all the increased competition, cameras are improving more and at a faster rate than ever before. From the gear perspective, it’s certainly an exciting time to be a photographer.

In this category, you’ll find both mirrorless and DSLR cameras that are highly capable under a variety of shooting situations, offer built-in high-spec viewfinders – either optical and electronic – and an extensive array of external controls. The biggest differences in performance tend to come down to autofocus sophistication and video capability, but neither of those is dictated by the presence or lack of mirror.

The contenders are:

• Canon EOS 80D
• Canon EOS M5
• Canon EOS Rebel T6s
• Nikon D7200
• Olympus OM-D E-M5 II
• Panasonic Lumix DMC-G85
• Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8
• Pentax K-3 II
• Sony Alpha a77 II
• Sony Alpha a6300

Most of the cameras in this roundup are built around either Four Thirds or APS-C sensors. Sensor size plays a large part in determining the image quality a camera is ultimately capable of and, in general, the larger a camera’s sensor, the better the image quality and the more control you have over depth-of-field. APS-C sensors are larger than Four Thirds chips, but the differences are rarely huge.

Of course, the sensor sizes and image quality of these cameras are not the only thing that varies; the feature sets and performance of each camera are also quite different across the board. Within this category you’ll find weather-sealed cameras, cameras that can capture 4K video, cameras that can shoot bursts at incredibly high speeds with autofocus, and cameras that are simply well-balanced all-rounders. Which one should you buy? Read on to find out…

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

The $ 500-900 category (based roughly on US MSRP) features quite a few strong offerings, some of which should satisfy first-time camera buyers with easy-to-use interfaces and point-and-shoot style functionality. Others are aimed more at seasoned-enthusiasts, offering direct manual controls and high-end features.

At this price point, all of the cameras use either Four Thirds or larger APS-C-sized sensors and all can shoot Raw. And while a larger sensor can mean the potential for better image quality and more control over depth-of-field, the difference in size between APS-C and Four Thirds is not enormous. As such, small differences notwithstanding, the vast majority of cameras in this roundup have what we would consider to be very good image quality.

All of the cameras in this selection are reasonably small in size (compared to pricier ILCs), but the number and arrangement of control points, grip size, build quality and weight all vary quite a bit. As do the inclusion of features like like 4K video capture and in-body image stabilization.

Let’s take a look at the currently available interchangeable lens cameras that fall into the $ 500-900 price range (give or take).

• Canon EOS M3
• Canon EOS Rebel T6i
• Fujifilm X-E2S
• Fujifilm X-T10
• Nikon D5500
• Olympus OM-D E-M10 II
• Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85
• Pentax K-70
• Sony Alpha a6000

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)