5 top mirrorless cameras

In the midst 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, supporting in-camera 8K video shooting.

The combination of a full-frame matrix and a powerful DIGIC X image processor allows recording 8K video at up to 30 fps in RAW or H.265. Video shooting in 4K resolution is available with a frame rate of up to 120 fps. The 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 Dual Pixel CMOS AF second-generation focusing system with the ability to select 1053 autofocus areas. Videographers will appreciate it.

The mirrorless camera also takes photos at a professional level. It is claimed to have a shooting speed of 12 fps with a mechanical shutter and 20 fps with an electronic one, which is very “tasty” for a 45-megapixel sensor resolution. The model also debuted with matrix-shift stabilization. Side by side with some Canon RF lenses, the matrix stabilizer helps to gain up to 8 shutter speed stops 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 tracking the fastest moving objects through the "eye". Instead, you can use the services of a screen that rotates 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.

At one 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 was always conditionally divided into three subcamps: classic models, cameras with the s (sensitivity) prefix for video shooting and with the r (resolution) prefix — a high-resolution sensor is installed in their “guts”.

At the end of 2022, Sony released the fifth edition of the A7r model. It inherited the matrix from the “four” - this is a 61 MP sensor with backlighting, working out 15 stops of dynamic range. The native range of light sensitivity of the sensor is measured in the range from 100 to 32000 ISO units, it is expanded by software methods to ISO 50 - 102400. It is important to take into account that due to the high resolution of the sensor, the model produces quite weighty photographs. Matrix stabilization in the camera has been improved - from now on it compensates for up to 8 stops of shutter speed or exposure.

The new mirrorless camera has a separate chip that is responsible for operations using artificial intelligence. In particular, it controls the automatic focusing system, which consists of 693 points and covers about 79% of the frame. The camera can recognize a wide variety of objects in real time - people (and individual parts of their bodies), animals, insects, trains, planes, cars, etc. At the same time, the Sony A7r V has a significantly improved 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 a variety of positions.

The camera can now shoot videos in 8K at 24/25 fps. The duration of continuous recording without overheating can reach 30 minutes. 4K video footage is recorded at a frame rate of up to 60 fps. The technical quality of video shooting is at its highest in the XAVC SI format with All-Intra H.264 10-bit 4:2:2 compression. The XAVC HS mode uses H.265 compression. At the same time, the operator has access to S-Cinetone or S-Log3 profiles and 10-bit HLG for playback on HDR screens. The mirrorless camera deserves special praise for its dual slot for CFexpress type A and SD class UHS-II cards, USB type C port with Power Delivery support, and reliable dust and moisture protection of the body. The Sony A7r V is a professional tool in all its glory.

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 processes shutter speeds up to 1/32000 s. The powerful EXPEED 7 processor is in charge of the mirrorless camera. Its potential allows for serial photography at a speed of up to 20 fps in RAW at full frame resolution. The camera's memory buffer is virtually infinite and is limited by the capabilities of the memory cards used (CFexpress type B or XQD, for which two slots are allocated).

The multilayer matrix paired with a new processor allows for much faster image reading — it is fed to the screen and viewfinder without the slightest delays or darkening between frames. The Nikon Z9 has an OLED viewfinder with 3.69 million pixels and the highest brightness of 3000 nits. The camera display has a tilt-and-swivel design, which gives more degrees of freedom when viewing from unusual angles. The 493-point autofocus system deserves special praise in the mirrorless camera, capable of recognizing and tenaciously holding various objects in the frame: faces, eyes and heads of people, animals, vehicles. The 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 steps. The camera also copes well with video shooting. In-camera recording of videos is possible in a resolution of up to 8K at 60 fps in ProRes format. Shooting in 4K can be done at a speed of 120 fps, and at 60 fps, 10-bit ProRes 422 HQ is available. The mirrorless camera lacks only logarithmic gamma curve profiles, but instead there is a low-contrast Flat color profile, convenient for post-production of the footage. The model is made in the form factor of a professional camera with an integrated vertical battery grip. The additional info screen on top and dust and moisture protection of the body also indicate the professional orientation of the camera.

The flagship mirrorless Canon EOS R3 is made in the spirit of its top-end DSLR 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 camera's core element is a full-frame image sensor with multilayer architecture and back illumination. The multilayer 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 continuous photography mode at 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.

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

The Canon EOS R3 sensor resolution is relatively small. Therefore, the camera does not support 8K video recording. However, it does support 6K recording at up to 60 fps in RAW to a memory card. In 4K resolution, video recording is available at a frame rate of 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 SD UHS-II or CFexpress type B memory cards — the model has a dual slot for them. The camera is destined to be one of the most desirable among mirrorless full-frame cameras, because its potential is truly enormous.

Sony A9 III became the first swallow in the arena of top mirrorless cameras with global shutter. What is it and what advantages does it provide? Let's figure it out step by step.

The most important advantage of the global shutter is that it reads data from all the pixels of the sensor at once, which solves many problems. Firstly, the camera can shoot continuously at an incredible speed of up to 120 fps, in full RAW format and using autofocus. Secondly, the mirrorless camera can shoot at ultra-short shutter speeds of up to 1/80,000 sec. The third point is synchronization with flashes at any speed. Finally, the global shutter completely eliminates the rolling shutter effect.

The model received an 8-step matrix stabilization system on 5 axes. As for autofocus, the camera has 759 focusing points, which cover almost 96% of the frame. The mirrorless autofocus uses intelligent algorithms to track people, animals, birds, insects and vehicles in the frame. Also, the autofocus system has a new Pre-Capture function - it is activated by pressing the shutter button halfway.

The matrix with a global shutter is an ideal solution for video shooting. Sony A9 III can record video in 4K resolution without cropping with 10-bit color representation and 4:2:2 subsampling. The operator has access to S-Log3 support and the proprietary S-Cinetone color mode. Add to this an OLED viewfinder with a resolution of 9.44 million dots, a touch screen on a rotating hinge, a dual slot for SD UHS-II and CFExpress type A cards, dust and moisture protection of the body - as a result, we have a camera that has the potential to change the world of photography.