Cnet Camera Reviews

[Roselee Kruppa]

Canonapos;s R6 II packs some formidable specs for both still image and video shooters, making it a superb all-round hybrid camera for both enthusiastic amateurs and anyone who wants to take their first steps into the professional arena. Its 24-megapixel resolution is up from the 20-megapixels of the first R6 and it has seen upgrades to its specs across the board. Its burst shooting speed now goes up to an impressive 40 fps (with the electronic shutter), making it faster than Canon's pro-level R3 when using focus tracking and double the speed you get from the first-gen R6.

Speaking of focus, there are upgrades there too, with improved detection for faces, animals or cars and with lightning-fast lock-on and tracking. It works great in video too, recognising your subject and keeping locked on as they move through the scene. It'll shoot video internally at up to 4K resolution in 10-bit raw, or up to 6K using an external recorder via the HDMI port and video clips can now run beyond the R6's 30-minute limit up to 6 hours in length.

Its full-frame sensor delivers great-looking images, with plenty of scope for pulling back highlights and lifting shadows in Lightroom. It offers up to 8-stop in-body image stabilization (with a compatible lens) to help you get sharp and steady results even at lower shutter speeds.

Overall, the R6 II's improvements over its predecessor make it a superb do-it-all mirrorless camera that excels in stills and video. Its relatively compact size makes it a great option for taking on your next family vacation, capturing stills for a family photo album and video to send to your friends and family back home.

Fujifilm's previous X100 V became something of a legend among street photographers due to its compact size, small, fixed lens and great image quality. Its popularity meant it was hard to find on sale, and it demanded high prices on the used market.

The X100 VI is already selling faster than stores can keep it in stock. And I can see why. It maintains the compact form factor and optical viewfinder, while its f/2 35mm equivalent lens is a great all-round focal length for street and documentary photography. It improves on its predecessor with a higher resolution APS-C sensor, better video skills and improved auto focus, but otherwise it stays true to what makes the X100 series so admired.

While its fixed lens won't suit those of you looking for an adaptable camera for any scenario, its great image quality and portable size makes it an awesome choice for street and travel photographers among you.

While Sony's A1 has cranked all of its specs to the max, the A7 IV takes a more "sweet spot" approach, offering solid performance at a much more approachable price. Its 33-megapixel full-frame sensor still offers superb clarity and excellent dynamic range and its maximum 10fps burst rate is still pretty nippy.

It also has in-body stabilization but it's also got excellent noise reduction allowing you to crank the ISO speeds higher without overly degrading the image quality. Video tops out at 4K at 60fps, but like the A1 you can shoot in 10-bit S-LOG format for greater control in post-production.

My favorite aspect is its compact size, which is small enough to pop into a small shoulder bag (assuming you don't have a massive zoom lens on) making it a great option for travel photography, street photography or even just as an "everyday carry" camera so you're always ready to shoot when inspiration strikes.

Sony's ZV-1 is primarily aimed at aspiring YouTube vloggers who are looking for a video camera you can just pick up and start shooting with. It's got an articulated display that lets you easily see yourself when you're filming your pieces to camera and the built-in mic does a decent job of capturing audio and includes a fluffy windshield, which helps cut down on wind noise.

Its 1-inch type sensor is the smallest of all cameras on this list, so its image quality isn't as good as more expensive models -- particularly in lower light conditions, but in daytime lighting, its footage looks solid. It doesn't have interchangeable lenses but its built-in zoom takes it from an equivalent of 24mm through to 70mm. It's stabilized well enough for vlogging when you're standing still, but it struggles to smooth out bigger movements when you're walking at more of a pace.

It'll shoot video at 4K resolution at 60 frames per second, but turn that quality down and it can shoot up to an astounding 960fps for some super slow-mo action. Stills max out at 20.1 megapixels and they're perfectly good for daytime snaps on your travels.

The ZV-1 isn't the best camera to go for if you only want still photographs, but if you're looking to shoot a lot of video on your next vacation, or if you're after a second camera specifically for video purposes then it's worth considering. Its small size, solid video quality, all-purpose zoom range and decent built-in mic mean it's well-equipped to help you on your first steps to vlogging success.

Nikon's Z50 packs a smaller APS-C-sized image sensor into a small and lightweight body which makes it excellent for chucking into a little backpack and heading out on your travels. Its 20.9-megapixel sensor takes good-looking images, with excellent detail and enough dynamic range in the raw files to pull back highlights or lift shadows.

There's no in-body image stabilization (you'll need to splash more cash for that) but its 11 frames per second burst shooting rate should help you score a sharp image. It shoots 4K video at up to 30 frames per second and its tilting rear LCD will help get shots in more awkward angles.

Nikon currently offers only three lenses designed for its APS-C DX-format camera which isn't a wide selection -- although the wide zoom ranges available will likely suit beginners well. It does use the same Z-mount for its lenses as Nikon's FX-format cameras like the Z7 II, so you can always use those professional-standard lenses on this camera. That said, the higher prices of those lenses will somewhat negate the affordability of the Z50 itself.

Canon's EOS R5 is the company's best all-rounder camera, offering rock-solid specs for professionals in both still images and video. On the stills side, its full-frame image sensor packs 45 megapixels and has up to eight stops of image stabilization (with a compatible lens) helping keep handheld images sharp even at slower shutter speeds. It can shoot up to 20 frames per second and its handy flip-out screen means getting shots in awkward positions is no problem.

On the video side, it was Canon's first camera to offer a whopping 8K resolution in 12-bit raw which, while overkill for your average family movie, does offer pro shooters more scope for cropping in post-production. At 4K resolution, it'll shoot up to 120fps for smooth slow motion in Canon's CLog format for easier color editing.

Hasselblad's 907X 100C isn't the fastest camera around, and its lack of in-body stabilization or any video skills means that in many ways it doesn't measure up well to many other cameras on this list. And that could be a bitter pill to swallow considering its extremely high price. But what this camera lacks in modern features it more than makes up for in its image quality.

Shots from its large medium-format sensor are truly outstanding, with pristine details and exceptional dynamic range. But more than that, I've found the retro-styled, boxy design of the 907X to offer me more creative inspiration than I think I've had from any other camera. This is a camera that seems to want to go out and take beautiful images every bit as much as I do and I think I've taken better photos in my few weeks of testing it than I have with many months with other cameras.

Its high price means this is a camera that's out of reach for most of us, but if you eschew the TikTok and Instagram Reel-focused nature of many hybrid cameras and instead pursue still imagery in a more pure form, the Hasselblad 907X 100C should be top of your list.

Canon's flagship is built for speed. Capable of shooting up to 30 raw images a second, it's a camera aimed squarely at serious sports or wildlife photographers who need to guarantee they'll nail that decisive moment. Its full-frame sensor offers a maximum 24-megapixel resolution, and like the EOS R5, it comes with a fully articulating screen and in-body image stabilization for when the light gets low.

Its auto-focus has been bolstered with deep-learning algorithms allowing the camera to recognize and lock on to people, animals and birds, as well as cars and motorcycles. It's even able to identify a driver's helmet in an open-cockpit racing car and lock focus on it. Motorsports photographers have no excuses for missing that winning shot.

The Osmo Pocket 3 takes the large image sensor, wide angle lens and stabilizing gimbal from the company's line of drones and whacks it onto a small handle with a 2-inch display. The result is smooth, stabilized footage and great image quality in a range of scenarios.

I've used the Pocket 3 to film a variety of my YouTube videos, and I've been impressed at both the great, smooth video quality and the crystal clear audio captured by the radio mic. Its overall small size means it can easily fit into a pocket, making it superb for creators on the go who don't want to be weighed down by carrying a dedicated video camera.

Like Canon's EOS R5, the Sony A1 is designed to excel with both stills and video. Its compact body is packed with a 50.1-megapixel full-frame sensor that delivers pristine detail and excellent dynamic range. It's stabilized too for sharper hand-held images while its 30fps maximum burst rate (in compressed RAW or JPEG) means it's well-equipped for sports or wildlife photographers too.

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