5 top mirrorless cameras

At the height of 2020, Canon's camera portfolio was expanded with one of the most sophisticated models - the EOS R5 camera. This is a full-frame mirrorless camera with a high-resolution 45 MP sensor that supports in-camera video recording in 8K.

The combination of a full-frame matrix and a powerful DIGIC X image processor allows you to record 8K video at up to 30 fps in RAW or H.265. Video recording in 4K resolution is available with frame rates up to 120 fps. Video footage is saved to SD and CFexpress memory cards in 10-bit format with 4:2:2 subsampling, using C-Log or HDR PQ profiles. During shooting, the operator is assisted by the proprietary second-generation Dual Pixel CMOS AF focusing system with a choice of 1053 autofocus areas. Videographers will appreciate it.

The mirrorless camera also takes photos at a pro level. The stated rate of fire is 12 fps with a mechanical shutter and 20 fps with an electronic shutter, which is very tasty for a 45-megapixel sensor resolution. Also on board the model debuted stabilization based on matrix shift. Side by side with some Canon RF lenses, the matrix stub helps to gain up to 8 stops of shutter speed compared to critical values.

The camera's electronic OLED viewfinder with a resolution of 5.76 million dots operates at a frequency of up to 120 fps, which allows you to track the fastest moving objects through the “eye”. Instead, you can resort to the services of a rotating screen in all planes with touch control. An additional information screen for duplicating key settings is located on the upper end of the camera body, made of magnesium alloy with dust- and moisture-proof qualities.

Once upon a time, cameras from the Sony A7 league laid the foundation for the guard of full-frame mirrorless cameras as a class. At the same time, the series has always been conditionally divided into three sub-camps: classic models, cameras with the prefix s (sensitivity) for video shooting, and cameras with the prefix r (resolution) - they have a high-resolution sensor installed in their “insides”.

At the end of 2022, Sony released the fifth edition of the A7r model. She got the matrix from the “four” - it’s a 61 MP back-illuminated sensor that produces 15 steps of dynamic range. The native sensitivity range of the sensor is measured from 100 to 32000 ISO units; using software methods it is expanded to ISO 50 – 102400. It is important to take into account that due to the high resolution of the sensor, the model produces fairly large photographs. The camera's matrix stabilization has been improved—from now on, it compensates for up to 8 stops of shutter speed or exposure.

A separate chip was delivered from the new mirrorless camera, which is responsible for operations using artificial intelligence. In particular, it controls the operation of an automatic focusing system, consisting of 693 points and covering about 79% of the frame field. The camera can recognize a wide variety of objects in real time - people (and individual parts of their body), animals, insects, trains, planes, cars, etc. At the same time, the Sony A7r V has significantly upgraded the electronic viewfinder, which has the highest resolution of 9.44 million pixels. And the 3.2-inch screen of the model has many degrees of freedom and can be fixed for viewing in the most varied positions.

The camera has learned to shoot videos in 8K at 24/25 fps. The duration of continuous recording without overheating can reach 30 minutes. Video materials in 4K are recorded at frame rates up to 60 fps. The “ceiling” of technical video quality is the XAVC SI format with All-Intra H.264 10-bit 4:2:2 compression. XAVC HS mode uses H.265 compression. At the same time, the operator is provided with S-Cinetone or S-Log3 profiles and 10-bit HLG for playback on HDR screens. The mirrorless camera should be especially praised for the presence of a double slot for CFexpress type A and SD UHS-II cards, a USB type C port with support for Power Delivery, and reliable dust and moisture protection of the case. The Sony A7r V is a pro tool at its finest.

The flagship Canon EOS R3 mirrorless camera is made in the spirit of its top-end SLR counterparts - it is a very large camera from the category of reportage models with a built-in battery grip and dust and moisture protection of the body.

The fundamental element of the camera is a full-frame image sensor with multilayer architecture and back-illumination. The multi-layer structure of the sensor is responsible for lightning-fast processing of large amounts of information - no joke, with all lenses for the Canon RF system, the camera is capable of developing a rate of fire in burst mode of up to 30 fps (when using an electronic shutter with a minimum shutter speed of 1/64000 s) . The mechanical shutter of the mirrorless camera operates at speeds of up to 12 fps, which is also quite decent.

In the body of the model there was a place for a matrix image stabilization system, which effectively works up to 8 stops of shutter speed or exposure. The camera also uses the second generation of proprietary autofocus technology Dual Pixel CMOS AF II with 100% frame coverage. The automatic focusing system recognizes people, animals and vehicles in the frame. But the most interesting “know-how” is choosing an object to focus on with your gaze. When viewing through the viewfinder, special sensors track the position of the photographer's pupil and determine the object of focus following the direction of view.

The sensor resolution of the Canon EOS R3 is relatively small. Therefore, the camera does not support video recording in 8K format. But here it is possible to record 6K videos up to 60 fps in RAW to a memory card. In 4K resolution, video recording is available at frame rates up to 120 fps, and the operator has C-Log3, HDR PQ profiles and 4:2:2 subsampling at his disposal. The footage is saved to the memory of SD UHS-II or CFexpress type B drives - the model has a double slot for them. The camera is destined to be one of the most desirable among full-frame mirrorless cameras, because its potential is truly enormous.

Nikon Z9 is a truly iconic mirrorless camera aimed at the professional segment of photographers and videographers. The model became the first professional swallow without a mechanical shutter, and its matrix is completely devoid of the rolling shutter effect.

The camera has a full-frame image sensor with a multilayer design to ensure the fastest possible data reading. Its resolution is 45.7 MP. The camera's silent electronic shutter handles shutter speeds up to 1/32000 s. The mirrorless camera is powered by a powerful EXPEED 7 processor. The potential inherent in it allows for serial photography at speeds of up to 20 fps in RAW at full frame resolution. The camera's memory buffer is almost endless and is limited by the capabilities of the memory cards used (CFexpress type B or XQD, for which two slots are allocated).

A multilayer matrix paired with a new processor allows you to read the image much faster - it is sent to the screen and viewfinder without the slightest delay or darkening between frames. Nikon Z9 has an OLED viewfinder with 3.69 million pixels and the highest brightness of 3000 nits. The design of the camera display is tilting and rotating, which gives more degrees of freedom when viewing from atypical angles. The 493-point autofocus system, which is capable of recognizing and tenaciously holding various objects in the frame: faces, eyes and heads of people, animals, vehicles, receives special praise in the mirrorless camera. Autofocus is assisted by artificial intelligence algorithms.

The model uses a matrix image stabilization system with an efficiency of up to 6 shutter speed or exposure levels. The camera also copes well with video recording. In-camera recording of videos is possible in resolutions up to 8K at 60 fps in ProRes format. Filming in 4K can be done at 120 fps, and at 60 fps 10-bit ProRes 422 HQ is available. The only thing the mirrorless camera lacks is logarithmic gamma curve profiles, but instead it has a low-contrast Flat color profile, convenient for post-production of footage. The model is made in the form factor of a professional camera with an integrated vertical battery grip. Also, the camera’s professional orientation is indicated by an additional info screen on top and dust and moisture protection of the housing.

The top-end full-frame camera A1 has climbed to the top rung in Sony's mirrorless hierarchy. The model is equally suitable for professional photography and video production. And that's why.

The main character in the camera design is the new multi-layer full-frame Exmor RS sensor with a high resolution of 50.1 MP. It is paired with two powerful Bionz XR processors. The model's image sensor boasts the highest data reading speed. So, in full resolution 50 MP, the mirrorless camera is capable of taking photographs at 30 fps in 12-bit RAW format. In this case, an electronic shutter is used and autofocus functionality is fully preserved along with exposure automation. With a mechanical shutter, the camera's rate of fire reaches 10 fps.

The stabilization system in the Sony A1 is based on sensor shift, and its effectiveness is estimated at 5.5 shutter speed or exposure steps. Autofocus performs no worse - the automatic focusing system has 759 phase detection points covering about 92% of the frame. It allows you to track a person's eyes even when they are not looking at the camera, and autofocus also does an excellent job of tracking animals, birds and a variety of vehicles. The electronic viewfinder, built on an OLED matrix with a resolution of 9.44 million dots, gives you pleasure while composing a frame. Another of its trump cards is the highest refresh rate of up to 240 fps.

Videographers will love the camera 's support for recording 10-bit 4:2:0 video in 8K resolution at up to 25/30 fps. Recording is carried out at a bitrate of 200 or 400 Mbit/s directly to an SD flash drive of video recording class V90(or to a CFexpress type A card). In the 4K frame format, 10-bit 4:2:2 video is recorded with a frame rate of 120 fps and S-Cinetone color rendering technology. It is practically impossible to find a model equal to the totality of qualities - although some other mirrorless cameras can surpass it in some respects, then in the complex the Sony A1 is one of the most advanced tools in the hands of a skilled photographer or videographer.