Nowadays there’s no such thing as a bad digital camera. The iPhone you have in your pocket takes stunning images and every single mirrorless or DSLR being released by the major brands is capable of capturing images that could land on the cover of Outside.
But with great choices come hard decisions. The camera market is crowded, so you’ll have to do some research to find the option that includes the features you want—be that amazing autofocus, enormous file size, or affordable pricing. We’ve put together a list of our favorite new mirrorless cameras as a starting point.
At a Glance
Best Overall: Sony A7CII ($2,198)
Simplest: Fujifilm X100VI ($1,599)
Best for Action: Nikon Z8 ($3,497)
Frequently Asked Questions
How We Test
All gear in this guide was tested by multiple reviewers. If you buy through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. This supports our mission to get more people active and outside. Learn more.
(Photo: Courtesy Sony)
Best Overall
Sony A7CII
$2,198 at Amazon $2,198 at B&H
Weight: 15.1 oz (body only)
Size: 4.9” x 2.8” x 2.5”
Sensor: 33-megapixel full-frame Exmor R BSI
Pros and Cons
⊕ Small
⊕ Full-frame sensor
⊕ Fair price
⊗ No auto-focus joystick
⊗ Not ergonomic with Sony’s largest zoom lenses
The Sony A7CII is our top pick because it’s small but mighty and the best option for those of us who like to adventure. At just over a pound and about as thick as three iPhones stacked together, it’s travel friendly and comes with a giant full-frame sensor that captures 33-megapixel images, advanced auto-focus, and interchangeable lenses. In short, it’s a pro-level camera that’s significantly better than any current phone camera (or any phone camera we’ll likely see in the next five years).
The interchangeable lenses you can use on the A7CII add bulk and weight, but Sony makes two 35mm f/1.8 lenses that are the perfect add-on. Less than three inches long and about the diameter of a paper-towel tube, they’re much smaller than most standard lenses but fast enough to capture great photos in low light, wide enough for landscapes yet not too wide for portraits, and built with high-quality glass so it produces tack-sharp images
This camera is best for those who primarily want to shoot photos; but if you want to shoot video, you get beautiful 4K footage and incredible image stabilization for handheld shooting.
The A7CII costs $2,198 and the 35 millimeter f1.8 lens adds another $748, which brings the total to just shy of $3,000 for the basic setup. That may seem high, but it’s in the ballpark for a pro-level, full-frame camera that has the chops to shoot everything from action to landscapes.
Read our full review of the Sony AC7II here
(Photo: Courtesy Fujifilm)
Simplest
Fujifilm X100VI
$1,599 at B&H $1,599 at Adorama
Weight: 1.15 lbs
Size: 5” x 2.9” x 2.2″
Sensor: 40.2-megapixel APS-C X-Trans CMOS 5 HR
Pros and Cons
⊕ Easy to transport
⊕ Simple to use
⊕ Rich photos
⊗ No interchangeable lenses
⊗ Not a full-frame sensor
The X110VI won a spot on this list for three reasons: it’s small, relatively simple, and captures gorgeous images. About the size of three iPhones stacked together, the camera weighs just 1.1 pounds so backpackers, bikepackers, hikers, skiers, or anyone who’s moving fast won’t feel weighed down. You won’t want to pack it in a running vest, but the camera is certainly small enough to fit in your daypack, or even the chest pocket of your ski shell.
Some photographers will chafe at the idea of not having interchangeable lenses, but we love the simplicity of this camera. With just one, high-quality 23mm f/2 (35mm equivalent) lens to work with, you’re forced to be a more creative photographer. If you want to zoom in, you’ll need to walk closer. Need to capture a landscape? Back up or climb a hill. The 35mm focal length isn’t perfect for portraits, but it doesn’t distort the subject and can be made to work if you’re careful about your framing.
Why not just pack your iPhone 15 Pro since it’s also portable and actually has three lenses? Because the X100VI is a camera (versus a phone with a built-in camera), Fujifilm is able to pack in a significantly bigger sensor (40.2 megapixel APS-C X-Trans CMOS 5 HR) compared to what you get with the iPhone. That bigger sensor drinks in more light and therefore creates more detailed photos and also does better in low-light situations.
The X100V isn’t as powerful as a full-frame Sony or Canon camera, but it’s the perfect travel-sized option that captures better quality photos than an iPhone.
(Photo: Courtesy Nikon)
Best for Shooting Action
Nikon Z8
$3,497 at Amazon $3,497 at B&H
Weight: 2 lbs
Size: 5.7” x 4.7” x 3.3″
Sensor: 45.7-megapixel FX-format stacked full-frame CMOS
Pros and Cons
⊕ Precise autofocus that’s ideal for shooting sports
⊕ Easy to use with larger lenses
⊗ The shutter sound is awful
⊗ On the pricier side
It’s no secret that Nikon has lagged lately. The brand dominated the film and DSLR market but got its butt kicked by Sony when mirrorless cameras were introduced. Thankfully, the brand is now back with cameras like the Z8, which packs all of the most important features like stunning detail capture and great autofocus into a compact body.
Jim Merithew, a Bay Area photographer who’s edited Pulitzer Prize stories for the San Francisco Chronicle and ran the online photo department at Wired, loved the Z8 first and foremost because of the 45.7 megapixel FX-Format Stacked CMOS sensor that makes amazing images.
“The colors were beautiful and the files were easily worked to meet my creative vision,” he said. Merithew often shoots cycling photos, so he also fell in love with the smart autofocus system that will lock onto and follow anything from a human to an airplane to a bicycle. If you half press the shutter, the Z8 will also capture a burst of pre-images, so that if you’re a little late to the decisive moment the camera already has the moment recorded. “There was no situation where I felt underprepared,” Merithew said.
Ergonomically, Merithew liked that the camera hit a nice balance between weight and heft. “It was substantial and felt great in the hand without being a total brick,” he said. Nikon has a huge range of high-quality lenses that work with the Z8, and those lenses are a worthy investment because they’ll still be sharp and relevant long after the Z8 has been replaced by whatever Nikon has up its sleeve next.
If there was one thing Merithew wanted to fix, it was the shutter sound Nikon added in to accompany the electronic shutter. The sound “made me feel less like a professional photographer and more like a teenager playing a cheap version of an 8’s handheld video game,” he said.
Sound aside, we’re glad to see that Nikon is back with a competitive mirrorless offering that fits the bill for aspiring and pro photographers alike.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the Difference Between DSLR and Mirrorless Cameras?
A DSLR has a mirror inside the camera body that reflects the light coming through the lens and shoots it up to the viewfinder. When the shutter button is pressed, the mirror moves out of the way to let the light from the lens hit the digital sensor.
In a mirrorless camera there is no mirror, so the image you see through the viewfinder is electronically generated and the light goes straight from the lens to the sensor.
Which Is Better—DSLR or Mirrorless?
You could spend a week combing through threads about whether DSLRs or mirrorless cameras are better, but the short answer is this: mirrorless cameras are the future and that’s where you should spend your money.
Some people like that the viewfinder on a DSLR is optical, not digital, but the digital viewfinders these days are so good that you’ll never have any problems. Some people like the larger form factor of DSLRs when handling big lenses, but it’s easy to add an extra grip to a mirrorless that makes these smaller cameras just as easy to handle.
The advantages of the mirrorless camera, on the other hand, are numerous and growing. They’re smaller to start because there is no mirror, and therefore easier to transport on adventures. You can also shoot silently, since there’s no mirror moving around, which is an advantage in situations where you’re capturing wildlife or other sensitive scenes.
There used to be more lenses for DSLR cameras, but all the major companies now have a full line of high-quality mirrorless lenses, and the prices have also come down so you can easily find affordable but high-quality mirrorless cameras these days
How Much Does a Decent Camera Cost?
You should plan on spending at least $2,000 for the body. That gets you a pro-level camera that uses interchangeable lenses and comes with all the best features, like a full-frame sensor and high-quality autofocus. If you can make the jump to $3,000, you get even better resolution and all the new autofocus features that make shooting sports a breeze.
What Are Key Features to Look For?
If you’re going to invest in a mirrorless camera, get a full-frame sensor. These large sensors have incredible resolution and great low-light performance. From there you’ll need to decide what kind of photographs you want to make.
Shooting sports? Go for a mirrorless camera that has a really high frame rate and all the newest autofocus technology. More focused on landscapes and portraiture? Go for a camera that shoots high-resolution or high-megapixel images.
How We Test
Number of cameras tested: 10
Number of testers: 5
Number of pictures taken: 70,000 +
Hours spent figuring out each camera: Over 50 hours total
You’ve probably heard the term “camera geek.” I bring this up because our tester pool was full of digital nerds. All the testers are former or working photojournalists who’ve followed camera development for the past 20 years and love to geek out on new specs and features. They spend hours debating which camera is the best overall, which is the best for sports, which is the best for portraits, and love to argue about where the technology is going next.
All this enthusiasm made our job easy because we just had to distribute the cameras and let them go crazy. For this test, the cameras traveled all over the United States and Europe and captured everything from bike races to beach vacations.
What made a camera rise to the top of our test was a blend of performance and usability. Our testers looked for cameras that performed, whether that was accurate autofocus or great low light captures, and then also gave notes on how easy it was to get the camera to do what you asked. Were the dials in a convenient place? Was it easy to hold the cameras with a larger lenses? Did the camera bog you down on longer adventures? To be honest, the final decisions were quite hard but these were our clear favorites.
Meet Our Lead Tester
Before Jakob Schiller was a columnist at Outside he spent almost a decade working as a photojournalist at newspapers around the country. He’s old enough to have shot film, but since the rise of the digital camera, has taken well over 1,000,000 photos on various DSLRs and smartphones. He loves photography because it facilitates adventure and captures important historical moments, but he’s also a tech lover and can geek out with the best of them about things like resolution, autofocus, and shadow detail.
The post Our 3 Favorite Cameras for Adventurers and Travel Junkies appeared first on Outside Online.
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