Photo News

When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission. Image:Meike

Meike's 24mm F1.4 'Mix,' a wide-angle full-frame autofocus lens for Nikon Z, Sony E and L mount that it showed off earlier this year, is now available. While there isn't a ton of information available about the lens, the company says it's made for "creators who see in full frame."

According to the company's spec sheet, the lens is made of 15 elements in 12 groups, though it doesn't mention what kind of special glasses (if any) are used in its optical formula. According to the company's Instagram, its aperture has 11 blades and a minimum focus distance of 0.28m (11").

Image: Meike

It has a stepper motor for autofocus, and a switch on the lens barrel for quickly switching between auto and manual focus modes. Just above that is a customizable button, and rounding out its physical design is an aperture ring, though it's unclear whether it has clicked delinations or not.

The lens can accept 72mm filters, and the E-mount version weighs 556g (19.6oz).

It costs $589, and the E and Z-mount versions are available now on Meike's site. The company says you'll be able to order the L mount version on August 20th.

Sony E mount

Buy from Meike

Nikon Z mount

Buy from Meike

L mount

Buy from Meike

When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission. Image: TTArtisan

TTArtisan has announced the AF 40mm F2, a 'normal' focal-length prime for full-frame Sony E and Nikon Z mount cameras. (An L-mount version is "coming soon" according to an Instagram post from the company.) It's made to be fast, compact and affordable despite having features like a clicking aperture ring and all-metal construction.

The lens is made of nine elements in six groups, with two high-index elements, one extra-low-dispersion element and one aspherical lens. It has seven aperture blades, and can focus on objects as close as 0.4m (15.7").

Autofocus is handled by a stepping motor. The lens can fit 52mm filters, and weighs 167g (5.9oz), despite being made out of aluminium. It also comes with a metal, petal-shaped lens hood.

The lens is available now from TTArtisan's website and only costs $168, which is a very approachable price. If you've never shot with a 'normal' focal length lens before (as in, a lens that offers a similar perspective to human vision: neither zoomed in nor out.), it could be an affordable way to try it out.

Buy at TTArtisan TTArtisan AF 40mm F2 Specifications: Principal specifications Lens Type Prime Max Format size 35mm FF Focal length 40mm Image Stabilization No Lens mount Nikon Z, Sony E, Sony FE Aperture Maximum aperture F2 Minimum aperture F16 Aperture ring Yes Number of diaphragm blades 7 Optics Elements 9 Groups 6 Focus Minimum focus 0.4m (15.7") Autofocus Yes Motor type Stepper Motor Physical Weight 167g Diameter 61mm Length 44mm Sealing No Filter thread 52mm Hood supplied Yes Material Aluminium

Image: 10Art.CC

For those interested in instant photography (and even many who are not), the Polaroid SX-70 is an icon. And now, Chinese manufacturer 10Art.CC is aiming to introduce a modern take on the foldable instant camera. The Pocket Fold 66 promises compact instant photography reminiscent of the classic Polaroid camera.

For those who are unfamiliar, the Polaroid SX-70 is a folding, single-lens reflex instant camera made by Polaroid from 1972 to 1981. It folds down to a flat rectangle and pops up when it's time to take photos. The original model was manual focus only, though a later model featured sonar autofocus.

The Polaroid SX-70 folds down into a compact rectangle when not in use.

Photo: Abby Ferguson

In its announcement post, 10Art.CC says it was inspired by the SX-70 because of its portability and image quality. The company previously released an instant film back for Hasselblad cameras as well as a standalone camera module, the former addressing quality, the latter offering portability. However, neither device satisfied the company's quest for both in one package.

The Pocket Fold 66 aims to address both of the company's goals in a single camera, just as the SX-70 did. However, it makes it clear that this isn't a replica of the classic SX-70. "Please note, this isn't a replica; it's a re-creation," it said in the announcement. "We've only retained its folding structure, as it's the only way to achieve extreme compactness. I deeply admire Dr. Land's ingenuity. Respect!"

Details are limited, but 10Art.CC says that it "optimized all components and redesigned the entire optical system, electronic system, and mechanical transmission system."

Image: 10Art.CC

The company says the Pocket Fold 66 will be a foldable instant camera with an optical viewfinder, automatic metering and EV adjustment. It will feature a 110mm F5.6 lens, though the 35mm equivalent isn't provided. The lens will reportedly offer macro capability and the ability to focus from 15cm (5.9") to infinity. The camera is indeed quite compact, apparently folding down to 16 x 10 x 4.5cm (6.3 x 3.9 x 1.8"). For comparison, the original SX-70 measured 18.4 x 10.2 x 2.5cm (7.25 x 4 x 1").

10Art.CC also says that the camera will feature a built-in rechargeable lithium battery. It claims the camera will use "Polaroid square photo paper." That is a little surprising, since most non-Polaroid instant cameras – like the folding model TTartisan announced earlier this year – use Instax film, which is more affordable and easier to find.

There is currently no price or estimated availability date, but the single image in the announcement says 2025. We may be able to expect more details later this year, then.

When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission. Sample galleryThis widget is not optimized for RSS feed readers. Please open this article's permalink in a browser to view this content.

Product photos: Mitchell Clark

91%Overall scoreJump to conclusion

The Panasonic Lumix DC-S1RII is the company's latest high-resolution full-frame mirrorless camera, now beefed-up with 8K video capabilities and improved autofocus.

Key features

• Full-frame 44MP dual gain CMOS sensor
• Up to 40fps continuous shooting with pre-burst capture (e-shutter only)
• 8.1K/8K video at up to 30p
• 5.76M dot viewfinder
• Flip-out and tilt rear screen
• ProRes 422 and ProRes RAW capture
• Capture to CFExpress Type B, UHS II SD or external SSD
• Multi-shot high res mode up to 177MP
• 32-bit float audio via optional XLR 2 adapter

The S1RII is available now with a recommended retail price of $3300.

Index:

• What's new
• What's new for video
• How it compares
• Body and handling
• Image Quality
• Autofocus
• Video
• Conclusion
• Sample gallery
• Specifications
• Press release

Buy now:

$3598 at Amazon.com

• Feb 25: Initial review published
• Mar 31: Image quality and Autofocus results published
• Apr 23: Autofocus section updated and conclusion added
• Aug 7: Video section added, conclusion updated

What's new New sensor

Rather than the 47MP used in the original S1R, or the 61MP chip used in Leica's SL3, Panasonic has opted for a slightly lower resolution but faster sensor for the S1RII.

It features dual conversion gain on which, as usual on Panasonic cameras, you can manually select which of its two readout modes it uses, at intermediate ISO settings. Panasonic doesn't always disclose when it's using BSI technology, but in this instance it has confirmed it.

Its design means it's appreciable slower than the more expensive Stacked CMOS sensors, with an electronic shutter mode that takes 37.5ms (~1/27 sec) to read out in 14-bit mode and 20.2ms (~1/50 sec) in the 12-bit mode used for bursts and other quick-fire shooting modes.

Autofocus

The S1RII represents the second generation of Panasonic cameras to feature phase detection autofocus, with the inherent depth awareness that this brings. The company says it's significantly improved both its subject recognition and its tracking algorithms in the new camera, to bring its performance closer into line with the best of its peers.

The S1RII has algorithms trained to recognize the following subjects:

• Human
• Animal (Dog, Cat, Bird)
• Car
• Motorcycle / Bike
• Train
• Airplane

We're told it should be quicker at finding a subject and better at continuing to track it, even if, for instance, the subject turns away from the camera or is partially obscured. As before, you can choose whether the camera homes-in on specific details, such as the helmet of a motorbike rider, the nose of a plane or the eyes of an animal. Selecting the more precise focus position can lower the system's responsiveness to smaller, faster-moving subjects.

Cinelike A2 color mode

The S1RII gains a new 'Cinelike A2' color mode, in both stills and video modes. It offers a very gentle response, somewhere between the flat, DR-prioritizing Cinelike D2 and the punchy, ready-to-go Cinelike V2 profile.

Panasonic says the A2 mode's color response stems from work they've been doing in recent months. And it's perhaps worth considering which partners Panasonic has been working with, recently, to guess at the significance of the letter 'A' in the name. Unlike the camera's Leica Monochrome mode, any connection isn't made explicit.

Real time LUT

The S1RII gains the Real Time LUT function we've seen on recent Panasonic cameras, letting you create and upload color and tone-modifying profiles in format with a workflow that's already widely supported across the industry. The S1RII allows you to load up to 39 LUTs onto the camera, with the option to combine two LUTs with varying intensity, if you wish.

Additional LUTs can be created or downloaded via Panasonic's Lumix Lab app.

False color

The S1RII becomes one of the first stills/video cameras to include a false color display option. This is a feature common in the video world, giving a mono preview with certain brightness levels highlighted in different colors, to help you recognize which bits of the image are clipped or near clipping and which areas are exposed as mid tones or at a level appropriate for light skin tones. This display can be used in boths stills and video modes.

Capture One tethering

The S1RII becomes the first Panasonic camera that can be shot, tethered, from Capture One, the popular studio software. We're told any decisions about whether to expand support to other models will depend on customer demand.

What's new for video

The 44MP sensor means the S1RII has slightly more horizontal pixels than necessary to deliver UHD 8K (7680 x 4320) footage and a fraction short of what's needed to capture the DCI 8K's 8192 x 4320 resolution. Instead it offers what Panasonic called 8.1K (8128 x 4288), which conforms to the same 1.89:1 aspect ratio as DCI footage.

The degree to which the sensor resolution is suited to 8K capture is unlikely to be coincidental, and the S1RII offers the kind of extensive video feature set that you might expect from the company that brought us the GH series, rather than the pared-back list of options the original S1R brought.

It also includes everything you'd expect from Panasonic: the option to set exposure in terms of shutter angle, waveforms, vectorscopes, filtering or custom lists of video modes, four-channel audio and 32-bit Float audio via the optional XLR2 accessory, support for anamorphic lenses and a tally lamp to let you know you're rolling. The attention to detail goes beyond the addition of a big red button on the front.

Video options: Output
dimensions Frame
Rates Crop MOV ProRes 1.89:1 modes 8.1K 8128 x 4288 30, 25, 24 1.0 4:2:0 – 5.8K 5760 x 4030 30, 25, 24 1.0 422/HQ 30, 25, 24 1.31 – RAW/HQ 60, 50, 48 1.04 4:2:0 – DCI 4K 4096 x 2160 30, 25, 24 1.0 4:2:2 422/HQ 60, 50 1.04 60, 50, 30, 25, 24 1.52 120, 100 1.10 4:2:2 – 16:9 Modes 8.0K 7680 x 4320 30, 25, 24 1.0 4:2:0 – 5.9K 5888 x 3312 30, 25, 24 1.0 – 60, 50, 48 1.11 – UHD 4K 3840 x 2160 30, 25, 24 1.0 4:2:2 422/HQ 60, 50 1.11 60, 50, 30, 25, 24 1.52 120, 100 1.17 4:2:2 – 3:2 Modes 8K open gate 8064 x 5376 24 1.0 4:2:0 – 7.2K open gate 7200 x 4800 30, 25, 24 1.0 4:2:0 – 6.2K open gate 6432 x 4228 30, 25, 24 1.0 4:2:0 – 4:3 Modes 4.7K 4736 x 3552 60, 50, 48, 30, 25, 24 1.65 4:2:0 422/HQ* - Boxes marked green offer All-I compression options.
- Red boxes have a ProRes option.
* ProRes 422/HQ only available up to 30p

The S1RII can also shoot Full HD (1920 x 1080) footage at any of the frame-rates and crops offered in UHD 4K mode, with the additional ability to capture 120 and 100p footage from the APS-C region.

Dynamic Range Expansion

The S1RII gains a DR Expansion mode, letting you capture an additional stop of highlight information in high-contrast situations. This can be activated in any of the movie modes at frame rates up to 30p, and can only be applied when shooting V-Log footage (where the response curve can easily accommodate different levels of DR capture).

Base ISO 2nd gain step Standard color mode ISO 80 ISO 400 Cinelike D2, V2, A2 ISO 160 ISO 800 HLG ISO 320 ISO 1600 V-Log ISO 200 ISO 1000 V-Log + DR Expansion ISO 400 ISO 2000

This is not the same system as the dual readout DR Boost function in the company's 25MP Micro Four Thirds camera. Instead it moves to a higher bit-depth readout, meaning there's a rolling shutter cost to engaging it. It also boosts the minimum available ISO, to prompt the use of a lower exposure, to capture that additional stop of highlights.

Open gate shooting A still grab from the S1RII's 8K open gate mode.

The S1RII can capture 8K footage from the entire 3:2 region of its sensor, which can be recorded as-is, or downsampled to 6.4K.

Open gate shooting lets you choose and adjust your crop during post production. It also makes it possible to frame wide and then take both landscape and portrait video crops if you're trying to deliver to multiple different output platforms.

5.XK at up to 60p, 4K at up to 120p

Like the S5II models, the S1RII gives you the choice of 1.89:1 DCI 4K capture or 16:9 UHD 4K, or 5.9K or 5.8K versions taken from the same capture regions. All four are available as 10-bit footage, with 4K encoded with 4:2:2 chroma precision and the 5.XK modes in 4:2:0.

Footage up to 30p is taken from the full width of the sensor using the full capture resolution, with a slight crop in to give 60p. 4K (in both flavors) is available at up to 120p with the addition of a further slight crop. Line skipping is used to deliver these 100p and 120p modes.

DCI and UHD 4K can also be captured at up to 60p from an APS-C region of the sensor.

UHD DCI Crop Rolling shutter Crop Rolling shutter 8K, 5.xK*, 4K
30/25/24 1.00 24.9ms 1.00 22.4ms 5.xK*, 4K
50/60 1.11 15.4ms 1.04 15.3ms 4K
100/120 1.17 7.3ms 1.10 7.3ms 4K/30 DRExp* 1.00 31.7ms 1.00 29.8ms *8.1K and 5.9K modes give the same results as DCI 4K, 8.0K and 5.8K matches UHD

Tellingly the rolling shutter rate in DR Expansion mode is consistent with the rate of 14-bit stills, which suggests it's based on 14-bit capture, explaining Panasonic's claims of greater dynamic range.

In turn, the 60p output's rolling shutter is consistent with the 12-bit stills readout rate. This stongly implies that the standard 24, 25 and 30p modes, which are slower than this but quicker than 14-bit mode are taken from 13-bit capture.

In addition to the conventional MOV compressed footage, the S1RII also lets you capture various resolutions in either ProRes 422 or ProRes RAW formats, both of which can either be recorded to the camera's internal CFExpress type B card or to an external SSD. ProRes RAW (with a choice of HQ or standard compression levels) is taken from a 1.31x crop of the sensor, whereas the ProRes 422 (again HQ or Std) is derived from the full-width 8.1K capture. It can also output 8.1K and 7.2K Raw over HDMI to a compatible recorder.

How it compares

The new, more compact S1RII arrives in a market where you can choose between the high resolution Sony a7RV or pay more for the likes of Nikon's Z8 and Canon's EOS R5 II that are both high resolution and fast. The Panasonic occupies something of a middle ground: offering some of the speed of the faster cameras (a higher peak frame rate but with more rolling shutter), but at a lower cost than Canon and Nikon's Stacked CMOS cameras.

We've opted to include the Canon EOS R5 II in this table, but the Nikon Z8 ends up looking very similar in terms of areas of strength, if you were to substitute that in. We've also chosen the DSLR-shaped a7R V from Sony, rather than the smaller, less expensive a7C R, because the larger model more closely resembles the Panasonic in terms of form factor, viewfinder quality, shutter options and screen articulation. But if size and price are your biggest concerns, the a7C R is in the running.

Panasonic Lumix DC-S1RII Canon EOS R5 II Sony a7R V Panasonic Lumix DC-S1R MSRP $3300 $4300 $3900 $3700 Pixel count 44MP 45MP 61MP 47MP Sensor type BSI CMOS Stacked CMOS BSI CMOS FSI CMOS Stabilization
(IBIS / Synced) 8.0 EV /
7.0 EV – /
8.5 EV 8.0EV /
– 6.0 EV /
7.0 EV Max burst rate (Mech / E-shutter) 10 fps / 40 fps 12 fps / 30fps 10 fps / 9 fps / Viewfinder res / mag 5.76M dot OLED / 0.78x 5.76M dot OLED / 0.76x 9.44M dot
OLED 0.9x 5.76x dot OLED / 0.78x Rear screen 3.0" 1.84M dot Tilt + Fully Artic. 3.2" 2.1M dot Fully Artic. 3.2" 2.1M dot Tilt + Fully Artic. 3.2" 2.1M dot two-way tilt Max video resolution

8.1K [1.89:1] / 30p
UHD 8K / 30p
Full-width 5.9K 60p

DCI 8K / 60p
UHD 8K / 60p

UHD 8K / 24p

5K [3:2] / 30p
UHD 4K / 60p

Output options MOV H.264
MOV H.265
ProRes 422
ProRes RAW

MP4 H.264
MP4 H.265
Canon Raw (/Light)

MOV H.264
MOV H.265 MOV H.265
MP4 H.264 Storage formats 1x UHS-II SD
1x CFe B
External SSD 1x UHS-II SD
1x CFe B 2x UHS-II SD / CFe A 1x UHS-II SD
1x CFe B / XQD Flash sync speed 1/250 sec 1/250 sec
1/160 sec 1/250 sec 1/320 sec HDR output options (Stills / Video) HLG HEIF / HLG video HDR PQ HEIF / HDR PQ video HLG HEIF*
/ HLG video HLG Photo / HLG video USB USB-C
3.2 Gen 2
(10 Gbps) USB-C
3.2 Gen 2
(10 Gbps) USB-C
3.2 Gen 2
(10 Gbps) USB-C
3.1 Gen 1
(5 Gbps) Battery life
LCD / EVF 350 / 300 540 / 250 530 / 440 380 / 360 Dimensions 134 x 102 x 92mm 139 x 101 x 94mm 131 x 97 x 82mm 149 x 110 x 97mm Weight 795g 746g 723g 1,020g

Despite being comfortably less expensive than its immediate peers, the S1RII's specs are competitive across the board. And while its video exhibits a fair bit more rolling shutter than the Stacked-sensor Nikon and Canon models, it significantly out-performs the Sony.

The a7R V's rolling shutter rate of 38ms means it can't deliver 8K/30, whereas the Panasonic can shoot 8K 30 and do so as fast as 24ms. This is respectable but not as impressive as the ∼13 and 14ms that the EOS R5 II and Z8 provide, respectively, from their much more expensive sensors.

Much of whether it's actually competitive, for both stills and video, will come down to whether the autofocus improvements are as significant as Panasonic promises.

* - Sony's implementation of HLG HEIF disables Raw recording, so you only get the output file.

Body and handling

The S1RII uses a body based on the smaller S5II series, rather than the more substantial design of the first-gen S1 series cameras. This leaves it both smaller and lighter than its predecessor.

It has the internal fan from the S5II, with two small exhaust ports on either side of its viewfinder hump. This doesn't give quite 'GH series' recording reliability, but still allows the S1RII to record for extended periods.

However, while the body itself is similar in size to the S5II, it has a deeper hand grip, making it more comfortable to use with larger lenses. It maintains a row of three buttons along its top plate, immediately behind the shutter button, but omits the top plate display that the Mark 1 had.

Other losses in the move to the smaller body see the S1RII offer only a single function button between the mount and the hand grip, and the replacement of the two-position switch at the lower corner of the front panel by a large red [REC] button (whose function can be customized).

The S1RII also goes without a flash sync socket, but gains a dedicated Stills/Movie/Slow&Quick switch. Moving the exposure modes to the right of the camera allows the drive mode to be promoted to the top of the left-side dial, making room for shooting mode to occupy the switch underneath. Both mode dials have toggle lock buttons.

The removal of movie mode from the exposure mode dial in turn provides room for five custom positions on the exposure dial, each of which can be customized separately for stills and video custom settings. Position 5 on the dial can be used to access custom banks 5-10, if you wish, giving you a total of up to ten photo and ten video custom setting sets. Thankfully the camera's settings can be saved to a memory card and duplicated across cameras.

Rear screen

On the back of the camera, Panasonic has adopted a similar screen layout to the one Panasonic used on its explicitly video-focused S1H: a fully articulated rear screen mounted on a cradle that tilts up and down. This means that stills shooters can use the tilt mechanism if they want to keep the screen on-axis (and can flip the screen to face inwards for protection, when stowing the camera), but video shooters can extend the screen out and tilt it away from the mic, headphone and HDMI sockets while shooting.

Battery

The S1RII uses the same 15.8Wh DMW-BLK22 battery as the S5II, a significant reduction compared with the original S1R. Despite this, it achieves a CIPA battery rating of 350 shots per charge if you use the rear screen and 300 via the viewfinder. The usual caveats apply to this number: most people get many, many more shots out of a camera than the CIPA rating (between two and three times the rated figure isn't unusual). To put it in context, 350 is a respectable figure and shouldn't leave you caught out during a busy day's shooting, but it doesn't have the confidence-inspiring duration that Sony's a7R V offers.

A new DMW-BG2 battery grip is also available to fit the S1RII. It adds a second battery in the grip, and is designed to allow hot-swapping of batteries: the external battery is used until the battery door is opened, at which point the camera switches to using the internal battery until a new battery is inserted in the grip. The grip also allows the camera to use both batteries simultaneously, for high power-consumption combinations such as capturing high bit-rate video to an external SSD.

Image Quality

Our test scene is designed to simulate a variety of textures, colors and detail types you'll encounter in the real world. It also has two illumination modes to see the effect of different lighting conditions.

Image ComparisonThis widget is not optimized for RSS feed readers. Click here to open it in a new browser window / tab.

The results are pretty positive. In terms of detail capture, the S1RII performs as we'd expect, capturing less detail than the 61MP Sony a7R V but with no meaningful difference vs the likes of the Canon EOS R5 II, Nikon Z8 or its own predecessor.

There's a fair bit of moiré visible in various places suggesting there's no anti-aliasing filter. But it's not significantly more pronounced than in most of its rivals, suggesting we were just unlucky that we got to see some artefacts in one of our real-world shooting. If anything, looking around various high-frequency targets in the scene, Panasonic's JPEG engine seems to be doing a pretty good job of suppressing the effects of moiré.

In terms of color rendition the Panasonic looks a lot like its immediate peers, with no significant differences in most colors, compared with its peers. The light skin tone patch is perhaps a fraction more pink than Canon's rendering, but there aren't any nasty surprises: something backed up by our experiences of shooting with the camera.

Noise levels seem competitive at low to moderately-high ISO settings but it looks like noise reduction is being applied to the Raws at the higher ISO settings, with distinct blurring of the noise patterns. JPEG noise reduction strikes a pretty good balance between noise suppression and detail retention, but gets a bit overwhelmed at the highest settings.

Dynamic range

The S1RII's sensor is a modern design with dual conversion gain; it has Panasonic's 'Dual Native ISO' function that lets you decide exactly where the switch in modes happens, but at default settings, it's at ISO 400 that the switch happens. Sure enough, if you brighten an ISO 320 image, you'll see it has slightly more noise than images shot at ISOs above that point, with the same exposure.

The further you venture into the ISOs from that low gain mode, the more noisy you'll find the very deep shadows (this is exactly the read noise that using the higher gain step minimizes). So the widest possible dynamic range is encountered at ISO 80, but if you're tempted to underexpose in low light, to protect highlights, you shouldn't venture below ISO 400.

The S1RII has a lower base ISO than its predecessor, so you can't make a direct comparison (the new camera receives 1/3EV more light), but even with that slight discrepancy, it's results seem comparable. It's a competitive result, even compared with the best of its peers.

High res multi-shot

Shot using hand-held multi-shot mode.

Lumix S 20-60mm F3.5-5.6 | 26mm | F8 | 1/250 sec | ISO 80
Photo: Richard Butler

While we generally haven't found high-resolution multi-shot modes to be particularly useful, they can help you capture a bit more detail in the right circumstances. The S1RII has one of the best implementations of the feature, too, with both tripod and handheld modes and the option to compensate if your subject moves a bit at the cost of resolution in that area. Perhaps most importantly, the processing happens in-camera; you don't have to manually combine the shots later on in desktop software.

It's pretty apparent that the Panasonic Lumix DC-S1RII is built around the IMX366 sensor from Sony Semiconductor. So we see a sensor with dual conversion gain giving lots of dynamic range at base ISO and well-controlled noise once you move to the second gain mode. Its BSI design means its high image quality should be maintained right to the corners of the image, as it means the pixels can reliably receive light from more acute angles than on older FSI sensors.

Autofocus Autofocus operation

The Panasonic S1RII features a revised version of the phase-detection AF system introduced with the S5II cameras. It can detect and track more subjects than the S5II supported at launch, and Panasonic promises it's both quicker to find focus and more tenacious in terms of tracking.

The S1RII's button layout puts all your autofocus controls close at hand.

The interface will be familiar to anyone who's used a Panasonic in the past ten-or-so years: pressing the AF Area button on the back of the camera brings up a row of seven icons representing the different AF areas the camera offers. Pressing upwards on the four-way controller or joystick then lets you choose whether the camera should look for a recognized subject near your chosen AF area. Pressing the 'DISP' button lets you select which subjects the camera looks for.

The S1RII's autofocus menu gives you a lot of options from a single screen.

There's a twist, though: the S1RII can either be set to use its focus tracking system or it can be set to track a recognized subject but, unlike most modern cameras, these are separate functions. The upshot is that if you want to focus on a non-recognized subject for one shot, or the camera fails to find the subject it's supposed to recognize, you'll need to disengage the subject tracking: the S1RII will not fall back to its generic tracking system.

This is disappointing as the S5II has now gained the ability to detect all the same subjects as the S1RII, but its subject recognition is built on top of the generic tracking system, so the camera will fall back to tracking AF, making it more flexible.

AF interface

The interface generally does a good job of managing multiple subjects without overwhelming you with information. In most AF area modes, it'll only draw a box over the recognized subject nearest your selected area. If you move the point over another subject in the scene, it'll instantly snap the box to that subject instead. It's responsive enough that it doesn't feel like you're missing out by not having all the recognized subjects highlighted.

When the S1RII finds faces, it can do a good job of sticking with them. In this scenario, it was able to track someone who started out walking straight-on towards the camera but who ended up at an angle to it without losing track of them or jumping to the person next to them.

Lumix S Pro 24-70 F2.8 | 35mm | F4 | 1/200 | ISO 80
Photo: Mitchell Clark

If you prefer, you can use the 'full area' tracking mode. In this mode, the camera highlights all the recognized subjects, letting you select which one you want to focus on using the joystick or touchscreen. The boxes do jiggle quite a bit, though, and can sometimes flicker on and off, which isn't the most confidence-inspiring user experience and means a tap of the joystick doesn't always select the subject you wanted.

Autofocus performance

Our experiences with the S1RII were distinctly mixed: when the AF system works, it can be very good, but overall, we found it to be appreciably less reliable than we've come to expect from the likes of Canon, Nikon and Sony cameras.

We found the camera's AF Custom Setting Set 3 mode was better at tracking the subject than the defaults, which frequently lost track of it if it changed speed as it approached the camera. The custom setting, which is designed to handle unpredictably moving subjects, increased success in following the subject around, but the camera usually still struggled to keep it in focus as it changed speeds.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

Standard tracking, AF Custom Setting Set 3

The subject recognition mode is more successful at tracking the subject and keeping it in focus; using AF Custom Setting Set 3 upped this dependability further. While the camera couldn't respond quickly enough to the subject's approach-rate changing to get every shot in focus, unlike the generic tracking it recovered quickly enough to give a good hit rate.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

Subject recognition mode, AF Custom Setting Set 3

Testing the camera in a variety of settings suggests the S1RII's AF performance varies much more with adjustment of the AF Custom Settings than we've become used to with other brands. Generally, we consider Set 3 to be a good starting point.

Perhaps the most concerning behavior, though, was one we've seen in other recent Panasonic cameras, where very occasionally, tracking AF will fail to find something to focus on at all and will simply present a red flashing box and make no further attempt to focus. This is offputting enough to undermine our faith in the reliability of the camera, probably out of proportion to how often it occurs. Just knowing that the camera will sometimes fail to focus and make you wait a few moments is an unpleasant thought to have lingering in the back of your mind and not something we're used to encountering on a modern camera.

Video Image ComparisonThis widget is not optimized for RSS feed readers. Click here to open it in a new browser window / tab.

Following the v1.2 update, the S1RII now supports an open-gate 8K mode, which records a 3:2, 8064 x  5376 image using (almost) the entire sensor. Unsurprisingly, it offers a noticeable increase in detail captured compared to the downsampled ∼6K open-gate mode initially offered in the camera, and the 6K open-gate modes found in its other models like the S5II/X and S9. Most people shooting in this mode will be doing so because they want flexibility to reframe their shots in post, and the higher resolution offers even more of that; you can crop in even further while still retaining a native 4K resolution.

The camera's UHD 8K and 1.89:1 "8.1K"* capture are derived from this full-width region of the sensor, and have the same level of detail, though are less flexible in post as they're already in delivery-ready aspect ratios. Still, if you plan on outputting in 4K, they'll offer at least some room to move the frame around.

Standard 4K 24p output is on par with the oversampled modes from Canon's EOS R5 II, though the Nikon Z8's output shows noticeably more detail than either, suggesting Panasonic and Canon may be filtering out aliasing before downsizing. The S1RII's rolling shutter rate is considerably higher than the Canon or Nikon; see the chart below for its readout speeds. Compared to the EOS R5 II's subsampled 4K mode, which is mainly useful for avoiding overheating or accessing higher framerates, the S1RII's footage provides finer detail.

UHD DCI Crop Rolling shutter Crop Rolling shutter 8K, 5.xK*, 4K
30/25/24 1.00 24.9ms 1.00 22.4ms 5.xK*, 4K
50/60 1.11 15.4ms 1.04 15.3ms 4K
100/120 1.17 7.3ms 1.10 7.3ms 4K/30 DRExp* 1.00 31.7ms 1.00 29.8ms *8.1K and 5.9K modes give the same results as DCI 4K, 8.0K and 5.8K matches UHD

The story is much the same at 60p, where the S1RII's 4K footage retains a similar level of detail found in the 24p mode, which is good news for anyone hoping to slow their footage down a mild amount, or who prefer the hyper-real look. It does, however, come with a slight crop, and the lower rolling shutter rates strongly imply that it's derived from a 12-bit readout rather than a 13-bit one.

While 60p isn't available in the open-gate modes, you can shoot it at greater-than-4K resolutions; it's available in the 16:9 5.9K mode and the 1.89:1 5.8K mode, which offer slightly more detail than their 4K counterparts, and more flexibility in post.

120p is only available in 4K resolutions, and the capture has a noticeable loss in detail compared to lower framerates; the S1RII is obviously skipping lines to achieve these readout speeds. (Panasonic makes a camera with a faster sensor that's much better-suited to shooting at 120p if that's vital to you.)

Raw video

Panasonic's implementation of ProRes Raw currently doesn't support lens corrections, which will likely require some more work when shooting with modern mirrorless lenses.

LUMIX S 50mm F1.4 | F5.6 | ISO 200 | 1/100 sec | 5.8K ProRes RAW (Internal) | No sharpening

The S1RII has several options for Raw video output, including the ability to send a 8.1K open-gate raw stream to a supported BlackMagic or Atomos recorder via HDMI as of the latest firmware update. It can also record ProRes and ProRes RAW to a CFexpress card using an up-to 5760 x 4030 native-pixel, 1.31x crop (though there are currently no 16:9 options).

Raw video doesn't offer the dramatic benefits that stills shooters may be used to

We'd only recommend a Raw workflow to those working on professional productions that have a compelling reason to use it. While Raw recording can offer more flexibility to adjust parameters like white balance and lightness ("ISO") in post, as we've detailed before, it doesn't offer the dramatic benefits that stills shooters may be used to from comparing Raw and JPEG files.

Shooting Raw also requires substantial post-processing to add back in noise reduction and sharpening. And, while ProRes RAW gained support for lens correction data in 2023, Panasonic's implementation currently doesn't support it, unlike Canon or Nikon's cameras. This adds further work if you're shooting with modern lenses designed with geometric distortion correction as part of their optical formulas instead of older or cinema glass (which, realistically, is what we'd expect most people shooting Raw to be using).

Autofocus and Stabilization

Panasonic continues to have best-in-class sensor stabilization performance and provides several options for tuning it, including a 'Boost' mode that increases steadiness by correcting all movement (rather than assessing whether some movement may be intentional). Outside of that mode, it responds well to pans and tilts, simply smoothing out shakes without any noticeable jumps or other odd behavior.

The electronic stabilization is similarly good, further reducing noticeable shakes without introducing the grab-and-release effect during pans that some other systems suffer from. New to the S1RII is a "cropless" e-stabilization mode, which is intended to reduce perspective distortion when using a wide-angle lens, without reducing the field-of-view. While the resulting footage obviously isn't as smooth as what you'll get from the traditional electronic stabilization, we've found that it can make a noticeable difference.

Video autofocus is capable, but not class-leading

The camera's autofocus performance in video is similar to its performance in stills mode, which is to say that it's capable, but not class-leading. The generic tracking is relatively tenacious, but can occasionally get confused, drifting off target or getting stuck onto something else. However, the camera's subject detection modes are also available in most video modes, and can provide better results depending on what you're shooting.

Conclusion

By Mitchell Clark

What we like What we don't

• Excellent image quality
• Solid and highly customizable controls
• Comfortable ergonomics
• Large, responsive viewfinder
• Versatile display with tilting and articulation
• Competitive burst rates and pre-burst options
• In-camera multi-shot provides resolution boost for static subjects
• Solid L-mount lens ecosystem
• Extensive suite of video features, codecs, and resolutions
• Fan allows dependable video recording for extended periods

• Relatively short battery life
• Autofocus tracking still isn't as reliable as its rivals
• Subject detection doesn't fall back to standard tracking autofocus
• Higher rolling shutter rates than Stacked-sensor cameras
• Relatively small buffer given fast burst rates
• In rare instances the AF will fail to focus altogether

The S1RII was always going to be a difficult camera to build. Its predecessor was Panasonic's flagship stills camera, but since its release, the company has become famous for its devotion to providing every video feature and workflow tool you could possibly want. To its credit, Panasonic doesn't seem to have compromised much on the stills side in its quest to make the S1RII a very capable hybrid shooter.

Image quality is, as you should expect from a modern camera, very good. The out-of-camera JPEGs are attractive, and the Raws seem to be both detailed and flexible when you process them. The S1RII gains Panasonic's LUT options, giving you essentially endless customization options if you want to develop your own 'look.' And, while we tend to find multi-shot high res modes quite limited in their value, the S1RII has probably the most usable implementation.

A 177MP image, produced using the hand-held multi-shot mode.

Lumix S 20-60mm F3.5-5.6 | 21mm | F8 | 1/500 sec | ISO 80
Photo: Richard Butler

We were also impressed by the S1RII's body and handling. It has a more comfortable grip and retains a good level of direct control and customization without these control points getting too cramped, despite a move away from the large 'professional' style body of its predecessor. It's only really button backlighting that goes missing in the transition, but the updated tilting/articulating screen more than makes up for that, in our opinion.

Our biggest concern with the camera is its autofocus system. While AF tracking is an improvement from previous Panasonic cameras, its performance is still well behind that of its competitors. That's combined with Panasonic's unusual decision to separate general tracking from subject recognition, which makes the camera slower and less dependable to use. The battery life also isn't great, considering its pro-level aspirations, though that can be mitigated with Panasonic's battery grip, which supports hot-swapping.

The S1RII offers the most complete video shooting package

On the video side, there's a lot to recommend the S1RII. Its sheer number of resolutions and recording modes, not to mention support for internal and external Raw, anamorphic desqueeze preview and best-in-class stabilization, make it a formidable video tool. While its rolling shutter rates may appear outdated by the standards set by Stacked sensor cameras, they're still very usable for many types of videography and filmmaking.

But while it offers video features that competitors like the Z8 and EOS R5 II don't, it's hard to argue that you should choose it over those cameras unless you need the unique things it offers. The S1RII may offer the most complete video shooting package at a lower price, but it's not like those other cameras are slouches when it comes to their filmmaking credentials.

That's ultimately the story with the camera as a whole. It is certainly a capable option, and for some people it may be the best option. But while it's a very able camera, especially for video, the autofocus system and performance make a compelling argument to spend the bit more for one of its high-resolution competitors if your shooting includes action and movement. While it's still possible some of those issues will be fixed with firmware updates, we don't feel the S1RII currently stands out enough to get one of our awards.

Scoring

Scoring is relative only to the other cameras in the same category. Click here to learn about what these numbers mean.

Panasonic Lumix DC-S1RIICategory: Semi-professional Full Frame CameraBuild qualityErgonomics & handlingFeaturesMetering & focus accuracyImage quality (raw)Image quality (jpeg)Low light / high ISO performanceViewfinder / screen ratingOpticsPerformanceMovie / video modeConnectivityValuePoorExcellentConclusionThe S1RII is a hybrid camera that offers solid detail capture, pleasing JPEGs and plenty of video capabilities, but its autofocus system isn't the best for capturing action and movement.Good forHigh quality movie and stills shooting without stacked sensor priceNot so good forShooting action when absolute dependability is required91%Overall scoreRegularScoreCompareWidget({"mainElementId":"scoringWidget","mainProduct":"panasonic_dcs1rii","scoringSchema":{"id":"SLRs","variables":[{"id":"BuildQuality"},{"id":"ErgonomicsAndHandling"},{"id":"Features"},{"id":"MeteringAndFocusAccuracy"},{"id":"QualityRaw"},{"id":"QualityJpeg"},{"id":"LowLightHighISO"},{"id":"ViewfinderScreenRating"},{"id":"Optics"},{"id":"Performance"},{"id":"Movie"},{"id":"Connectivity"},{"id":"Value"}],"categories":[{"id":"EntryLevel","label":"Entry Level Interchangeable Lens Camera / DSLR","shortLabel":"Entry Level"},{"id":"MidRange","label":"Mid Range Interchangeable Lens Camera / DSLR","shortLabel":"Mid Level"},{"id":"EntryLevelFullFrame","label":"Entry Level Full Frame Camera","shortLabel":"Entry Level Full Frame"},{"id":"MidRangeFullFrame","label":"Mid Range Full Frame Camera","shortLabel":"Mid Range Full Frame"},{"id":"SemiProfessional","label":"Semi-professional Interchangeable Lens Camera / DSLR","shortLabel":"Semi-professional"},{"id":"SemiProfessionalFullFrame","label":"Semi-professional Full Frame Camera","shortLabel":"Semi-professional Full Frame"},{"id":"Professional","label":" Professional Interchangeable Lens Camera / DSLR","shortLabel":"Professional"},{"id":"LargeSensorCompactEntry","label":"Entry Level Large Sensor Compact Camera","shortLabel":"Entry Level Large Sensor Compact"},{"id":"LargeSensorCompactEnthusiast","label":"Enthusiast Large Sensor Compact Camera","shortLabel":"Enthusiast Large Sensor Compact"},{"id":"VideoCamera","label":"Video Camera","shortLabel":"Video Camera"}]},"helpText":"Choose one or more cameras from the drop-down menu, then roll your mouse over the names to see how their scores compare to the camera on review."}) Compared to its peers

The Canon EOS R5 II and the Nikon Z8 are the S1RII's main competitors. They offer similar image quality and hybrid capabilities, though they don't have the excellent tilting/articulating rear display and can't deliver multi-shot high-res images out-of-camera. Both, however, have better battery life, deeper buffers and lower rolling shutter rates for shooting video or stills using the electronic shutter. We also find their autofocus tracking performance to be more capable and user-friendly, as they both fall back to their still quite reliable generic tracking systems when there's no subject to detect. You'll certainly pay for the extra speed and reliability, but it's probably worth it.

Sony's a7R V also has a very capable autofocus system, though it trades speed for even higher resolution. If you're looking to do video or shoot faster-moving subjects, the S1RII is a much better pick, as the a7R V reads out quite slowly. However, it produces even more detailed photos, which may be useful depending on what you're shooting.

Buy now:

$3598 at Amazon.com Sample gallery

Please do not reproduce any of these images on a website or any newsletter/magazine without prior permission (see our copyright page). We make the originals available for private users to download to their own machines for personal examination or printing (in conjunction with this review); we do so in good faith, so please don't abuse it.

Sample galleryThis widget is not optimized for RSS feed readers. Click here to open it in a new browser window / tab.

When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission. Photo: Tamron

Tamron's 18-300mm F3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD APS-C lens is now available for Canon's RF and Nikon's Z mount. When the company announced the new mount options for the lens earlier this year, it caused a bit of a stir, as it's the first third-party APS-C zoom lens with autofocus released for Nikon's mount.

The company is pitching it as an "all-in-one" option for people looking for a lens that can both shoot ultra-wide (27mm equiv. on Nikon, 29mm equiv. on Canon) and capture relatively far-away subjects at its tele setting (450mm equiv. Nikon, 480mm equiv. Canon).

While this class of zooms generally doesn't provide the image quality you'd expect from a prime or higher-end zoom, they are undoubtedly versatile. That makes them a popular pick for people starting out, as they provide reach that smartphones don't, without making you juggle multiple lenses.

These kinds of lenses are a popular pick for budding photographers

Both versions of the lens have a zoom lock switch to keep it from accidentally extending while you're not using it. The version for Canon cameras also has an AF/MF switch and a stabilization switch.

On RF mount, the Tamron 18-300mm F3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD will be competing with the Sigma 16-300mm F3.5-6.7 DC OS, which fills a similar niche. That lens isn't available on Z mount, and Nikon doesn't make any single APS-C lens that covers this kind of range.

The RF and Z mount versions will cost $629, which is actually $70 less than the retail price for the Sony and Fujifilm versions when the lens was originally announced in 2021. The Z mount version will be available on August 28th, and the RF mount version will follow on September 26th.

Z mount:

Buy at B&H

RF mount:

Buy at B&H Manufacturer Samples Sample galleryThis widget is not optimized for RSS feed readers. Click here to open it in a new browser window / tab. Photos: Tamron

Press Release:

TAMRON Announces the Launch of All-in-One Zoom Lens for Nikon Z and CANON RF mounts

One Lens That Covers Wide-Angle to Ultra-Telephoto and Everything in Between!
18-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD (Model B061)

August 7, 2025, Commack NY – TAMRON Americas announces the launch of the 18-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD (Model B061) all-in-one zoom lens for APS-C mirrorless cameras on August 28, 2025, for Nikon Z mount and September 26, 2025, for CANON RF mount. Both lenses will retail for $629 USD / $849 CAD.

The 18-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD (Model B061) is an all-in-one zoom lens for APS-C mirrorless cameras. It was the world's first lens1 to achieve a zoom ratio of 16.6x when it was released in 2021 for the Sony E and FUJIFILM X mounts.2 And now, it is being released for Nikon Z and CANON RF mounts.

The 16.6x zoom range lets you take photos from wide-angle to ultra-telephoto without having to change lenses. With its wide to ultra-telephoto reach3, this all-in-one lens is ideal for a wide range of scenes, including landscapes, snapshots, portraits, animals, and birds. What's more, thanks to its compact design, you can easily take it with you on vacation, backpacking, and hikes. The MOD (Minimum Object Distance) is 5.9” (0.15m) at the wide end, and the maximum magnification ratio is 1:2, making it possible to capture impressive images that bring out the power and detail of the subject. The lens is equipped with the high-speed, high-precision linear motor focus mechanism VXD (Voice-coil eXtreme-torque Drive) and TAMRON's original VC (Vibration Compensation) image stabilization mechanism, supporting comfortable and stable shooting. This all-in-one zoom lens makes photography more fun because you can use it in an unlimited number of situations. Its versatility will inspire you to push your creativity further and further.

Product Features

1. Versatile 16.6x zoom range to capture all kinds of photography including landscape, travel, snapshots, portraits, animals, birds
2. Compact and lightweight design fits APS-C camera concept, and is ideal for travel and everyday photography
3. Uncompromising optical performance throughout the entire zoom range
4. Best-in-class autofocus VXD that’s fast and precise, great for sports, action, bird and animal photography
5. Maximum magnification ratio is 1:2, absolutely amazing for an all-in-one zoom lens
6. Tamron's proprietary VC supports telephoto and low-light shooting
7. AF/MF switch and VC on/off switch for Canon RF mount
8. Firmware update with Tamron Lens Utility™ software for Nikon Z and Canon RF mounts
9. Ø67mm filter diameter for system convenience
10. Protective features (Moisture-Resistant Construction and Fluorine Coating)

1. Among interchangeable zoom lenses for APS-C mirrorless cameras (As of July 2021: TAMRON)

2. The lens for Sony E-mount launched September 24, 2021, and on October 28, 2021, FUJIFILM X mount

3. A full-frame equivalent of 27-450mm for Nikon Z mount, and 28.8-480mm for CANON RF mount

Photo: Serhii Prystupa / Moment via Getty Images

It's no secret that photography gear is expensive. For most of us, whether professionals or hobbyists, purchasing cameras, lenses, tripods and other equipment is a significant investment. Repairing or replacing damaged or stolen gear could be cost-prohibitive, leaving you without gear you need. But a camera isn't much good if you never take it out because of worry over what could happen to it.

That's where insurance comes in. Just as you might get insurance for your expensive guitar or jewelry, a plan for your camera gear can help protect your investment in case something happens. If you're curious about insurance for your camera, here's what you need to know.

Homeowners or renters insurance may not be enough

Homeowners and renters insurance typically are limited in what they cover for camera gear.

Photo: witsarut sakorn / iStock / Getty Images Plus via Getty Images

If you rent or own a home, you likely have insurance for that. Such policies cover your personal belongings, but they often have limitations that could render the policy insufficient for your needs. For example, many policies don't cover accidental damage, such as if you drop your camera. Additionally, a claim may be denied if you use your camera for any amount of professional use, even if it's just an occasional paid shoot or selling prints.

Even more of an issue is that many plans have strict caps on the value and number of items covered. The value caps could even be as low as $1000. That may be enough if you're a casual hobbyist with a beginner-level camera and a single lens, but any more than that could fall outside of coverage, leaving you to foot the bill.

There are policies for your equipment

Homeowners and renters insurance typically doesn't cover accidental damage, so a policy for your gear is a smart investment.

Photo: Boy_Anupong / Moment via Getty Images

If your renters or homeowners insurance is too limiting, you may want to consider a dedicated plan or add-on (called a rider) for your gear. The names of such plans vary depending on the insurance company, but it could be something like a "Personal Articles Policy" or "Valuable Personal Property Insurance."

Cost of coverage varies based on your location, insurance company and the value of your items.

The cost of coverage varies based on your location, insurance company and the value of your items. The more you need covered and the more expensive those items are, the higher the annual cost. However, it is generally relatively affordable even with an extensive, professional kit. Plus, considering what it could save you if something happened, it is well worth the expense.

Even better, many plans don't have a deductible, unlike homeowners or renters insurance, which often have relatively steep deductibles. For example, a $1000 deductible on a $1400 camera often isn’t helpful. Plus, filing a claim is often easier than dealing with homeowners' insurance.

Who should have insurance for camera gear? Photo: Jeff Keller

Dedicated insurance for your camera equipment is likely a good decision if you spent (or plan on spending) a good amount of money on cameras, lenses and other accessories. It's especially worthwhile for those who travel or spend time outside with their camera, where it could get dropped, stolen or damaged from the elements. Even if you only have a single fixed-lens camera, a specific policy for your camera may be smart if your homeowners or renters policy is limited in what it will cover.

A protection plan makes even more sense if you're a professional photographer, since homeowners' and renters' insurance won't cover your gear in such cases. It's also critical if you have many pieces of high-end gear. After all, your livelihood, or at least part of it, is dependent on your equipment. If something happens and you have to pay for a new camera out of pocket, it could mean the difference between continuing your business or folding.

It's important to know that general personal article policies typically don't cover professional use. If you make money from your photography, you may need to get a plan specifically for a small business. Look carefully at the plan details beforehand so that you don't end up with a denied claim because of professional activity. It's also worth noting that, while not gear-related, certain states, cities or venues may require photographers to carry liability insurance. However, that type of plan is often separate from gear coverage.

How do you get coverage? Photo: Pattanaphong Khuankaew / iStock / Getty Images Plus via Getty Images

If you decide to take out insurance for your photography equipment, you'll want to get some things in order. Each insurance company has specific information they require, but most will ask for a list of all your gear with the serial numbers (when applicable), value, description and proof of ownership (such as a receipt) for each item. They won't be able to give you a quote for your annual premium until they have that information. Plus, that list is also helpful for your records, even if you don't want to get it insured. Some companies may also require photographs of each item for their records.

You can insure far more than just your camera and lenses.

Keep in mind that you can insure far more than your camera and lenses. Tripods, camera bags, laptops, lights and other accessories can all be quite expensive, so it makes sense to insure those, too.

When it comes to choosing an insurance company, most large insurers will offer some variety of personal property insurance. In the United States, State Farm, Progressive, USAA, Allstate and more offer such plans. Most also have plans suitable for professionals, though many working pros prefer specialized insurers because of better claim handling and scope of coverage. For example, organizations like Professional Photographers of America (PPA), the National Photographic Society (NPS) and The Guild of Photographers offer insurance for members.

Other notes on insurance Photo: Peter Cade / Stone via Getty Images

If something happens to your gear, there are a few things to remember. First, if it is stolen, file a police report immediately. Insurers will require a police report if you're filing a claim for theft, and you want that on the record as soon as possible. If you're traveling out of the country, make sure you do so before you leave, because getting a police report once you're home is next to impossible.

For broken gear, write an account of what happened while it's fresh in your mind, and take photos or even videos of the damaged item(s). Then, contact your insurance as soon as possible. Many companies have deadlines for claim submissions, and if you wait too long, they may not accept your claim.

Talk to an insurance agent

The cost and benefits of insurance coverage will ultimately vary depending on your location, gear and specific needs. If you're on the fence or confused about needing a specific policy or want to know the cost, contact an insurance agent for more specific advice. Additionally, some of the information in this article is specific to the US. While insurance is broadly similar in other countries, it's best to check locally to ensure you have the most accurate information for your area.

Here at DPReview, we don’t usually write news articles about ourselves, but today I’m making an exception to share an exciting update. We’ve added a full-time person to our team dedicated to managing our online forums. This represents a significant investment in the future of DPReview and, more importantly, in you, our community.

The enduring value of our forums

DPReview’s forums have been a central part of our site since the very beginning, with millions of posts dating back as far as 1999. These forums are a vault of information dating to the early days of digital photography and are one of the most frequently cited forums on the internet by Google. To say they’ve had a massive impact on the digital photography community would be an understatement.

For the past 25 years, our forums have run more or less autonomously, thanks to an incredible team of dedicated volunteer moderators. Their commitment has been essential in preserving the expert-driven discussions that make our forums a reliable resource. The addition of a full-time Community Manager is not a replacement for these moderators, but an expansion of our commitment to the forums, allowing us to support our volunteers more effectively.

Meet our Community Manager

On that note, I’m thrilled to introduce our new Community Manager, Mathew Anderson, who joins us with over 15 years of experience managing large online communities. More importantly, Mathew is a DPReview reader and has used our camera reviews to guide his own purchases. In other words, he’s one of us, and he’s excited to engage with our community.

DPReview's new Community Manager, Mathew Anderson, at his desk preparing for an online community roundtable event.

Photo courtesy of Mathew Anderson

Mathew’s primary job at DPReview is to represent you – our readers and forum members. Consider him your advocate and key communications link to our team; don’t hesitate to send him a message if you need assistance or just want to say hello.

What this means for our forums

Adding a full-time person focused on community will allow us to bring you a better forum experience.

In the near term, this means we’ll be able to provide you with better support, more quickly. When you have a question or need assistance, we’ll be able to resolve it sooner. It will also allow us to deliver more consistent moderation. Our volunteer moderators are a dedicated bunch, but they need our guidance and support. Mathew is already working to provide them with better tools, improved communication channels, and direct support for challenging moderation decisions.

With about 85 different sub-forums, the DPReview forums are a busy place.

However, it’s when we look further out that things get really exciting. We’re planning to launch a number of new community initiatives, which may include things like staff-sponsored discussion threads, member spotlights, or even community events. This dedicated focus will help us do a better job surfacing interesting and informative content from users and finding ways to share it with you.

Finally, our team is working on some big changes behind the scenes that will kick our forum experience up a notch and will allow us to do things we haven’t done in the past. I won't give anything away right now, but you can consider this an official teaser that something is coming.

A commitment to our community

Our community is at the core of what we do. DPReview’s homepage may get the headlines, but it’s in our forums where people share knowledge, forge personal connections, and develop communities based on shared interests.

By adding a Community Manager to our team, we’re making an active investment not only in the future of our forums but in DPReview as a brand, and we’re excited to have you all along for the ride.

Finally, if you have a moment, please welcome Mathew to the DPReview team in this dedicated forum thread.

When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission.

Canon EOS R5 II | Canon RF 20mm F1.4 L VCM | F1.4 | 1/800 sec | ISO 100

Processed in Capture One
Photo: Mitchell Clark

Earlier this year, Canon announced the RF 20mm F1.4 L VCM, a fast ultra-wide entry to its lineup meant to be good for shooting stills and video. There were promptly a ton of other camera and lens announcements, but we've finally had the time to shoot with one in a variety of situations to get a feel for how it performs.

As is standard with our lens samples, the images in the gallery have been processed using Capture One, though you're free to download the Raws to poke around at them for yourself.

See the sample gallery

Please do not reproduce any of these images on a website or any newsletter/magazine without prior permission (see our copyright page). We make the originals available for private users to download to their own machines for personal examination or printing; we do so in good faith, so please don't abuse it.

Sample galleryThis widget is not optimized for RSS feed readers. Click here to open it in a new browser window / tab.

When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission. Sample galleryThis widget is not optimized for RSS feed readers. Please open this article's permalink in a browser to view this content. Product photos by Richard Butler 88%Overall scoreJump to conclusion

The Sony DSC-RX1R III is the company's fourth full-frame compact camera with the same Zeiss-branded 35mm F2 lens. The latest version uses a 60.2MP sensor and Sony's latest processors.

Key specifications

• 60.2MP BSI CMOS sensor
• 35mm F2 Zeiss-branded lens
• 2.36M dot (1024 x 768px) EVF with 0.7x magnification
• 2.36M dot (1024 x 768px) fixed LCD touchscreen
• NP-FW50 battery, rated to 300 shots per charge
• 4K video up to 30p with 10-bit 4:2:2 options, Log and S-Cinetone
• Range of color modes including 3 'Film' modes

The RX1R III is available now, at a recommended price of $5099, £4200, €4900. There are also a series of rather expensive accessories available, including an add-on thumb rest, a lens hood and a leather half-case.

The US price is notably higher, in comparison to the European and UK prices, than is typical for Sony products. We have to assume the approximately 10% higher pricing is a result of the tariffs imposed by the US government.

Index:

• What's new
• How does it compare?
• Body and handling
• Image quality
• Autofocus
• Video
• Conclusion
• Sample gallery
• Specifications

Buy now:

Buy at AdoramaBuy at B&H Photo What's new

The RX1R III is a surprisingly subtle update of the Mark II, given the near 10 years gap between models, but the changes that have been made are significant.

The most obvious is the move to the 60.2MP BSI CMOS sensor from the a7R V and a7CR, and also the Leica Q3 models that most directly compete with the Sony. The lens remains unchanged, but that turns out to be less of an issue than many people predicted. Gone is the unique 'cancellable' anti-aliasing filter, with the higher resolution sensor needing it less, especially behind a lens that's a touch soft at wide apertures.

Another big upgrade is the addition of Sony's latest 'Bionz XR' processor with accompanying 'AI Processing Unit,' a dedicated processor for crunching the complex, chewy algorithms produced by machine learning. Collectively, these promise much improved AF tracking both for recognized and unrecognized subjects.

Beyond that there's a fixed viewfinder, rather than the RX1R II's pop-up unit. It's the highest-resolution 2.36M dot (1024 x 768px) unit that's available in the smallest panel size, but this means the spec and the 0.7x magnification optics are shared with the much less expensive Sony a7CR. The rear screen is now fixed, which feels like a step backward: taken to keep the body size down.

Finally, the camera gains a new battery. The NP-FW50 isn't especially large (it was one of our least favorite features of most of Sony's APS-C mirrorless cameras), but it's a big step forward from the old camera, both in terms of capacity and voltage. Sony has managed to fit it into a body that isn't much wider than the battery itself, and it addresses one of the biggest criticisms of the existing models.

Crop mode Crop factor Pixel count Effective sensor size 35mm 1.00 60.2MP 36 x 24mm 50mm equiv 1.43 29.4MP 25.2 x 16.8mm 70mm equiv 2.00 15.1MP 18 x 12mm

With the boost in resolution, Sony has added a "step crop" feature that lets you crop in to a 50mm or 70mm equivalent region of the sensor. If you're shooting Raw, it continues to record the full image but includes crop metadata that your software may or may not choose to honor. As with the GFX100RF these modes can be handy but be aware you're effectively paying a high price for a smaller sensor camera when you use them.

How does it compare?

Like most prime lens compacts, the Sony is priced higher than the otherwise similarly specced Mirrorless model elsewhere in the range. We include the a7CR for reference, but its most direct competitors are the Leica Q3 43, which is conceptually most similar, and Fujifilm's X100VI, which is essentially an APS-C attempt at the same prime-lens photographers' compact concept.

Sony DSC RX1R III Leica Q3 43 Fujifilm X100VI Sony a7CR MSRP (2025) $5099 / £4200 / €4900 $7380 / £5900 / €6750 $1599 / £1599 / €1799 $3200 / £4200 / €4900 Sensor size Full-frame
(864mm²) Full-frame
(864mm²) APS-C
(369mm²) Full-frame
(864mm²) Pixel count 60.2MP 60.3MP 39.8MP 60.2MP Lens 35mm F2 43mm F2 23mm F2
(35mm F3 equiv) ILC Stabilization No Lens Sensor Sensor Burst rate 5 fps 4fps with AF 15fps 12-bit with S-AF 6 fps (Mech)
13 fps (Elec)

8 fps (Mech)

Max shutter speed 1/2000 at F2.0
1/3200 from F4.0
1/4000 from F5.6 1/2000 sec 1/4000 sec 1/8000 sec Flash sync speed Max shutter speed Max shutter speed Max shutter speed 1/160 sec Viewfinder
Res / Mag 2.36M dots / 0.7x 5.76M dots / 0.76x 3.69M dots /
0.66x hybrid optical / EVF 2.36M dots / 0.7x Rear screen
Size / Res / movement 3.0" / 2.36M dots /
fixed 3.0" / 1.84M dots /tilt up/down 3.0" / 1.62M dots / tilt up/down 3.0" / 1.04M dots / fully articulated Storage 1x SD (UHS-II) 1x SD (UHS-II) 1x SD (UHS-I) 1 x SD (UHS-II) Battery life
Shots/charge 300 LCD
270 EVF 350 LCD 450 LCD
310 EVF 530 LCD
490 EVF Video max res/rate UHD 4K/30 DCI 8K/30 6.2K/30
UHD 4K/60 UHD 4K/60 Dimensions 113 x 68 x 88mm (inc eyecup) 130 x 80 x 98mm 128 x 75 x 55mm 124 x 71 x 63 mm (w/o lens) Weight 498g 772g 512g 515g (w/o lens)

The lack of stabilization and the low-res viewfinder are the most glaring omissions from the RX1R III. Its video specs are also relatively modest but this isn't a camera we'd particularly look to for video shooting. For the RX1R III, the key specs (and two we don't give best/worst ratings for) are the size and weight. Despite its larger sensor and the lens that comes with that, it's the lightest camera here and also the smallest full-frame camera currently on the market. If that isn't right near the top of your list of priorities, there are plenty of less expensive alternatives out there.

Body and handling

The RX1R III is small and feels very solidly built. It does a good job of minimizing weight without feeling too light and a good job of being small without negatively impacting handling.

The camera puts the aperture ring exactly where your left hand is likely to hold the camera, the exposure comp dial under your thumb, with the rear command dial and AF-On buttons a short movement away. A custom button next to the shutter button is easy to reach and there's another hiding on the right flank, where the [REC] button used to be on the RX1R II.

The viewfinder cup screws into place on the top left of the camera, adding to the size of the body but significantly increasing comfort and usability, both compared with using the camera without one, and with the pop-up finder on the predecessor.

Despite the camera's features being fairly stripped back (the lack of stabilization means it lacks the a7R models' multi-shot high res mode), the RX1R III's menus are pretty dense and complex. They definitely feel like a hollowed-out version of a still-more complex menu structure: the contrast with the ruthless focus of Leica's current menus is stark. Quite a high proportion of the menu options appear to be for limiting the number of options available, elsewhere, whether that be in terms of AF area modes, subjects to detect or drive modes.

In keeping with recent Sony models, the RX1R III has a settings display page, one level deep in the menus, between the user-definable My Menu section and the main body of the menus themselves. Here more than ever, its presence and function is hard to fathom: it feels like a quick menu that's got accidentally misplaced in the midst of a menu structure: not customizable, easy to inadvertently navigate away from, and with a menu system that defaults to opening on an empty page adjacent to it.

Thankfully, with its dedicated aperture ring, exposure comp dial, top-plate thumb dial and (if you need it), fiddly rear-plate dial, you have most of the camera's key functions to hand, with eight custom buttons available to gain more.

By the time you've slimmed-down all the options you might want to use, and maybe amended some of the Fn menu options, it's hard to see why you'd need to visit the menus at all.

The one instance that might require menu diving is if you want to shoot HLG HDR images, as you not only have to engage HEIF shooting and select the HDR mode but also disengage Raw shooting. So it requires some fairly involved button smashing to switch to and from HDR stills capture.

Image quality

Image quality offers no great surprises: we've seen this sensor often enough to know it's excellent for stills.

Our test scene is designed to simulate a variety of textures, colors and detail types you'll encounter in the real world. It also has two illumination modes to see the effect of different lighting conditions.

Image ComparisonThis widget is not optimized for RSS feed readers. Click here to open it in a new browser window / tab.

We'll take a closer look at the lens in a separate test, but you can see the RX1R III's sensor performs as you'd expect. It can't quite match the Leica Q3 43 for detail but it's capturing finer detail than the Mark II, with its 42MP sensor, could. Noise is comparable with the two other cameras with which it shares a sensor and with its predecessor, when compared at a common output size.

The JPEG engine does a good job of pulling out fine detail, and retains it to a reasonable degree at high ISO. Color rendition seems to be a match for recent Sony cameras, with perhaps slightly less bluey greens and greenish yellows than the RX1R II had.

Shooting the lens at a variety of apertures shows that it doesn't sharpen up to yield the full resolution of the camera until something like F5.6. But portraits shot at the sorts of distances and apertures you might want to use look really good, without being excessively revealing, while more stopped-down images bristle with detail.

The combination of a large sensor, bright lens and good autofocus in a small package is more flexible than it might at first appear.

Sony DSC-RX1R III | F4.0 | 1/125 sec | ISO 6400
Cropped and selectively warmed with Adobe Camera Raw
Photo: Richard Butler

It feels odd to sound like we're in the realms of 'good enough' in a camera costing this much money, but it's more a case that it delivers what you might want it to, where needed. It doesn't match the Leica Q3 43's lens, in a test-chart shootout, but when you're out shooting, you may find the difference matters less than test charts might make it might appear.

That said, it's worth noting that as a means of ensuring maximum detail from the sensor, Sony has configured the Auto ISO's default setting to maintain a minimum shutter speed of 1/125 sec (roughly 1/ four-times-focal-length). This means shooting in anything other than bright light may see the camera need to raise ISO earlier than expected, with the reduced exposure hitting image quality. Some degree of stabilization would have allowed higher IQ in these circumstances, for relatively static subjects.

Autofocus

The RX1R III's autofocus system is essentially a match for recent Sony models, and it's striking how much these things have improved since the last RX1R model.

The camera has something like twelve shapes and sizes of AF area, tracking versions of which become available in AF-C mode. There's also an array of subject recognition modes, some of which can be selected as part of an 'Auto' subject detection mode. The camera only focuses on a recognized subject on or near your chosen AF area.

There are countless options for customizing and fine-tuning the AF system. You can set it to jump to a different preset location when you rotate the camera, or register an AF position and mode to be recalled at the press of a button. You can limit which subjects are listed in the recognition list and define, per-subject, how strictly the camera should honor your chosen AF point, when it recognizes a subject elsewhere.

The high resolution of the camera highlights when eye-detection puts focus closer to the eye-lashes, rather than the surface of the iris, but overall the system is impressively responsive and dependable.

Sony RX1R III | F4 | 1/125 sec | ISO 100
Photo: Richard Butler

But for the most part, you don't need to: we found we could set the camera to AF-C and a medium-sized tracking target, engage human detection and just shoot. It would focus on a human if we directed it to, or focus on something else if we chose not to.

You can set an AF point by tapping the rear screen or (if you engage the Touchpad function) by tapping or swiping on the screen while the camera is held up to your eye. The Touchpad area and behavior can be specified to avoid inadvertent operation.

The focus itself works unexpectedly well: improved algorithms (and, we suspect, an improvement in focus motor speed) make the RX1R III one of the fastest focusing large-sensor, prime lens cameras on the market. Eye detection doesn't always put focus precisely on the iris, but it's close enough, often enough, quickly enough that you'll get the shot you're going for.

Video

The RX1R III can shoot video, with the settings topping out at 4K/30 in 10-bit 4:2:2 precision with All-I encoding. But, to a large extent, that's only because the software already exists. In the same way that the a7CR missed out on 8K capture for concerns of temperature, the RX1R III misses out on 4K/60, too.

But, while the RX1R can shoot video, it gives a series of hints that it's not expected to be used much. So although the camera has the same option to upload LUTs for preview, embedding or application to footage, it's worth noting that the camera has no headphone socket for monitoring audio. It has no movable screen, to allow operation in a steady fashion. And it's lost its dedicated video record button.

The footage itself is subsampled, giving a decent balance between detail capture and rolling shutter (18.3ms). The only stabilization option is an 'Enhanced' electronic stabilization mode which applies a 1.3x crop and significantly lowers detail levels.

Then there's the fact that camera will run through its battery in no time at all, once you start rolling. It's not a camera we'd recommend if you're expecting to shoot a lot of video, but it can do it if you just need some clips, here and there.

Conclusion

By Richard Butler

Pros: Cons:

• Excellent image quality
• Smallest full-frame camera available
• Impressively lightweight
• Best-in-class autofocus performance and operation
• Battery life much improved
• Attractive JPEGs and excellent Raws
• Very good photo-focused controls and layout
• High build quality

• Image stabilization would be a benefit
• Fixed rear screen will be limiting
• Lens isn't critically sharp at close distances and wide apertures
• Battery life still not great
• 'Film' color modes are quite extreme
• Dense, complex menus

The RX1R III is an expensive camera that succeeds an expensive camera, following a decade with periods of relatively high inflation and, in the US, the imposition of arbitrary tariffs. It also arrives not too long after the launch of the a7CR, with which is shares many of its core components, and whose feature set it fails to match. All of which make it seem more extravagant than ever.

But, although the RX1R III is expensive (especially in the US), it's usual to pay a premium for the niche appeal of a prime lens photographers' camera. All the more so when they're the smallest full-frame digital camera you can buy, which is what the RX1R III currently is.

If you like a small, prime-lens compact and you like the 35mm focal length, the RX1R III is an excellent camera. The autofocus is vastly improved, to the point that it's probably the fastest and most usable camera of its type.

A key part of the RX1R III's appeal is its size and weight. If that isn't one of your top priorities, then the camera as a whole won't make sense. But for those people who need a small, well-built and highly photo-focused camera, it's an excellent, albeit expensive, option.

Lots of 35mm shooters don't find tilting screens or image stabilization to be essential, but it's hard to argue that their inclusion wouldn't have significantly benefited the RX1R III. Of course, you have the option to buy the Leica Q3 (/43) if you consider them necessary for your shooting, but there's a cost to be paid for that, both in terms of size and at the till.

Click here to read our experience of shooting with the Sony RX1R III

There are plenty of people that don't see the appeal of Fujifilm's X100 series, and yet they've continually found an audience among keen photographers. The RX1R III is a rarefied version of that same concept: a compact, photography-focused 35mm equiv camera, but boosted by the image quality benefits of a larger sensor. If you're fed up of waiting for an X100VI, this is what a Super-X100 looks like.

The lens is a little softer at close distances and wide apertures. It's up to you whether you think this is going to be a problem for your photography.

Sony RX1R III | F2 | 1/800 sec | ISO 100
Photo: Richard Butler

While it is an excellent camera in its own right, the pincer-movement of the higher-specced a7CR below it and the larger, but image stabilized, Leica twins above, can't help but further narrow its already niche appeal. But if you are the kind of photographer who wants top-notch image quality in a tiny package...

Ultimately, we can only review the camera that's been released, not the one we think could or should have been made. With the RX1R III, Sony has addressed the focus and battery life concerns we have about the previous camera, and made what might be a future classic in the process. While the criticism that Sony could have done more seems reasonable, and the pricing (especially in the US) doesn't, if you're lucky enough to get the RX1R III in your hands, you'll immediately recognize that it's incredibly good at what it sets out to do.

Scoring

Scoring is relative only to the other cameras in the same category. Click here to learn about what these numbers mean.

Sony DSC-RX1R IIICategory: Enthusiast Large Sensor Compact CameraBuild qualityErgonomics & handlingFeaturesMetering & focus accuracyImage quality (raw)Image quality (jpeg)Low light / high ISO performanceViewfinder / screen ratingOpticsPerformanceMovie / video modeConnectivityValuePoorExcellentConclusionThe RX1R III is the smallest full-frame camera on the market. It features a 35mm F2 lens that can be a touch soft at wide apertures but delivers the full resolution when stopped down. Its autofocus is best in class, in terms of speed and dependability. It's an expensive camera and there are cheaper models with more features, but it's hard to think of a photographers' compact that takes better images so readily.Good forX100 users who want even more. Photographers for whom size and portability are paramount.Not so good forAnyone needing flexibility. Photographers shooting lots of video.88%Overall scoreRegularScoreCompareWidget({"mainElementId":"scoringWidget","mainProduct":"sony_dscrx1riii","scoringSchema":{"id":"SLRs","variables":[{"id":"BuildQuality"},{"id":"ErgonomicsAndHandling"},{"id":"Features"},{"id":"MeteringAndFocusAccuracy"},{"id":"QualityRaw"},{"id":"QualityJpeg"},{"id":"LowLightHighISO"},{"id":"ViewfinderScreenRating"},{"id":"Optics"},{"id":"Performance"},{"id":"Movie"},{"id":"Connectivity"},{"id":"Value"}],"categories":[{"id":"EntryLevel","label":"Entry Level Interchangeable Lens Camera / DSLR","shortLabel":"Entry Level"},{"id":"MidRange","label":"Mid Range Interchangeable Lens Camera / DSLR","shortLabel":"Mid Level"},{"id":"EntryLevelFullFrame","label":"Entry Level Full Frame Camera","shortLabel":"Entry Level Full Frame"},{"id":"MidRangeFullFrame","label":"Mid Range Full Frame Camera","shortLabel":"Mid Range Full Frame"},{"id":"SemiProfessional","label":"Semi-professional Interchangeable Lens Camera / DSLR","shortLabel":"Semi-professional"},{"id":"SemiProfessionalFullFrame","label":"Semi-professional Full Frame Camera","shortLabel":"Semi-professional Full Frame"},{"id":"Professional","label":" Professional Interchangeable Lens Camera / DSLR","shortLabel":"Professional"},{"id":"LargeSensorCompactEntry","label":"Entry Level Large Sensor Compact Camera","shortLabel":"Entry Level Large Sensor Compact"},{"id":"LargeSensorCompactEnthusiast","label":"Enthusiast Large Sensor Compact Camera","shortLabel":"Enthusiast Large Sensor Compact"},{"id":"VideoCamera","label":"Video Camera","shortLabel":"Video Camera"}]},"helpText":"Choose one or more cameras from the drop-down menu, then roll your mouse over the names to see how their scores compare to the camera on review."}) Compared to its peers

Leica offers the Q3 and Q3 43 models, if you prefer a focal length slightly wider or narrower than 35mm. Both cameras share a sensor with the Sony and have excellent, bright lenses. The Sony has the edge in terms of autofocus reliability and usability, but the Leicas add both tilting screens and image stabilization. You'll have to pay around a 30% premium for the German brand's cameras, but you are getting something beyond just the name, for that upcharge. The Sony is appreciably smaller, but it's never going to say Leica on the front, if that's something that speaks to you.

The Fujifilm X100VI is, in many respects, the most similar camera to the Sony on the market. It's a very photo-focused compact, built around a large sensor and a fixed 35mm equivalent lens. The distinction is the Fujifilm rocks a classic aesthetic and dedicated dials (along with programmable command dials) and its innovative hybrid optical/electronic viewfinder, whereas the Sony is more utilitarian. The most significant difference, though is the sensor size, with the RX1R III commanding a premium for having a sensor 2.3x larger, and the stop-and-a-bit IQ benefit this can bring. This, combined with the Sony's faster, more reliable focus is what makes us see it as a 'super-X100,' but you've really got to want that extra capability to make the step up worthwhile.

The Sony a7CR is a very different camera. It's undeniably better specced, with image stabilization, a bigger battery, flip-out screen and more extensive video capabilities, before you even get to the flexibility of being able to change lenses. But it'll never be as small or focused as the RX1R III (which is most of the camera's raison d'etre). In practice, even with the smallest lenses, you can't fully recreate the RX1R III experience with a Mirrorless camera, so it comes down to a question of whether size and focus or spec and utility matter most to you: both conclusions are equally valid.

Buy now:

Buy at AdoramaBuy at B&H Photo Sample Gallery

Please do not reproduce any of these images on a website or any newsletter/magazine without prior permission (see our copyright page). We make the originals available for private users to download to their own machines for personal examination or printing (in conjunction with this review); we do so in good faith, so please don't abuse it.

Sample galleryThis widget is not optimized for RSS feed readers. Click here to open it in a new browser window / tab.

Photo: Mitchell Clark

If you regularly change lenses on your camera, dust or debris will eventually end up on your sensor. There are things you can do to mitigate that, but any time you expose your camera's interior to the surrounding environment, you risk particles entering, resulting in sensor spots. Dealing with that is simply a normal part of camera maintenance, so there's no need to panic. Here's what to do if you notice a dirty sensor in your camera.

Edit them out The Adobe Camera Raw "Visualize Spots" feature makes it easier to quickly see and edit out those dark specks.

First and foremost, you don't need to delete all the images you just took that have spots. Editing software like Adobe Photoshop makes it easy to edit them out. Of course, if your sensor is filled with debris, it may be quite time-consuming, but a few here and there will be quick and easy.

Adobe Camera Raw even has a feature specifically for editing out those pesky specks. If you navigate to the Remove Tool, there is a check box for Visualize Spots. Photoshop will apply a filter that makes it easier to identify them, with a slider to adjust the sensitivity. Then, you can use the brush tool to quickly edit them out. If you open multiple images in Camera Raw at once, you can even edit them all at once, since the spots will be in the same place every time.

Start with the camera's sensor cleaning function Many cameras have a cleaning mode that tries to shake debris off the sensor.

If you don't want to deal with editing out those annoying marks, there are multiple ways to clean your sensor. Many modern cameras feature a built-in sensor cleaning mode, which is a good place to start. When activated, it vibrates the sensor to help shake off loose dust. In some cases, that can be enough to leave you contaminant-free. That's not always the case, though.

Use a bulb blower Bulb blowers are very useful tools for photographers.

If the sensor cleaning function wasn't enough, the next step is to use a bulb blower. It's safe, easy, only requires an affordable item and may completely take care of the problem. For mirrorless cameras, simply remove your lens, point the lens opening towards the ground to use gravity, and squeeze some air towards it.

With DSLRs, use the "mirror lock-up" or "sensor cleaning" mode in your settings menu to raise the mirror and access the sensor. Then, as with a mirrorless camera, point the camera down so that the dust you blow off doesn't fall back onto the sensor. For both types of cameras, it's also a good idea to blow off the rear element of the lens before reattaching it.

The key here is that you choose the right type of blower. Using your mouth to blow into the camera can just introduce more debris, while canned air and similar products can severely damage your sensor. A bulb blower is safe and effective. Just be sure to keep the tip at a safe distance.

Try a sensor brush

Sometimes, debris can be a little stubborn, and a blower may not always cut it. If that's the case, you could try a sensor brush. These look similar to paintbrushes, but to be clear, you shouldn't use just any old brush you have lying around. Those will only introduce more dust or other contaminants. Sensor brushes are specifically designed to use static charge to attract and lift dust. They are also reusable, so you don't need to buy disposable products, which is always a plus for your wallet and the planet.

Wet cleaning for stubborn spots

Stubborn contaminants or seriously dirty sensors call for wet cleaning.

Photo: Nurma Agung Firmansyah / iStock / Getty Images Plus via Getty Images

Finally, if you've tried the above methods and still have spots, you may need to do some wet sensor cleaning. Sometimes sensors may have oil spots or stubborn dust that a bulb blower won't remove. In those cases, wet cleaning is necessary.

When wet cleaning, only use purpose-made sensor cleaning fluid. To be clear, this is not the same as lens cleaning fluid. You will also need purpose-made sensor cleaning swabs that are designed for your sensor size. Using a smaller swab on a larger sensor could add streaks, so make sure you have the right size.

Each kit will have specific directions. Generally speaking, you will put a few drops of fluid onto the swab and gently wipe all the way across in one fluid motion. Many will have you wipe in each direction after you rotate the swab to use the fresh side.

What to do about compact cameras

While sensor spots are more common in interchangeable lens systems, compact cameras aren't immune. Dust can find its way into odd places. For compact cameras, start by checking if the camera is still under warranty. If so, you may want to send it back to the manufacturer for a proper cleaning. If it's not, your only real course of action is to use a vacuum pointed at the lens attachment point.

What you shouldn't use to clean your sensor

A photography student cleaned this sensor, which resulted in permanent damage because they used products not meant for sensors.

Photo: Myra Holt

We've touched on what you should use to clean your sensor, but it's also worth pointing out what you shouldn't use. As mentioned (though it can't be said enough), do not use canned air or other spray-type blowers. These can cause all sorts of problems, including residue from the liquid propellants, freezing and moisture risks.

You should also never use lens cleaning liquid or general-purpose screen cleaners. Sensor cleaning liquids are purpose-made to ensure they don't damage any special coatings. They are also made to evaporate rapidly, contain minimal dissolved solids and use pure solvents that won't leave streaks or spots. That's not the case for lens cleaning liquid and screen cleaners, which could leave your sensor in worse shape than before, potentially causing permanent damage.

You should also never use lens cleaning liquid or general-purpose screen cleaners.

While it can be tempting to use a microfiber cloth, especially for a quick touch-up, these can trap dust and grit that could scratch your sensor's protective glass. Similarly, lens pens, while perfect for lenses, can transfer grease and particles to your sensor, potentially resulting in scratches or smears.

Finally, general cleaning products like cotton buds (Q-tips), cleaning brushes and household cleaners should also be kept away from your sensor. These will only introduce more debris and can cause permanent damage.

When in doubt, send it out

Cleaning your sensor can be intimidating. There's always a risk of adding more spots or, even worse, damaging your sensor. Although there is a protective layer of glass over your sensor to help prevent damage, tackling more robust cleanings can still be nerve-wracking.

If you're nervous about cleaning it yourself, or your sensor is exceptionally dirty, you can send it out to let professionals handle it. Most camera companies have service centers that will do this, or you may be able to find a local camera shop that offers cleaning. Just be aware that you may need to be without your camera for a while.

The Carretera Austral is a remote highway in Chile that runs through the rugged landscape where the Andes Mountains meet the Pacific Ocean. Although it looks like a major highway on many maps, it's very rural and in many places remains unpaved. I captured this photo on a road trip along the Carretera – one of many times I had to stop for... local traffic.

Photo: Dale Baskin

The theme for our August Editors' photo challenge is "Road Trip."

It’s summer, and we’re ready to celebrate one of its great traditions: the road trip. Show us your favorite moments from the open highway – whether it’s epic highway vistas, quirky roadside attractions, spontaneous detours, or even views from the car. Share your best road trip photos and help us capture the essence of the classic road trip!

Photos can be submitted between Sunday, August 10, and Saturday, August 16 (GMT). It is open to photos taken at any time.

Important: Images MUST include a title and a caption of at least 25 words to be eligible. We need to be able to share the story behind your photo. We will consider both photos and captions when selecting our winners, so make sure to tell us that story!

Visit the challenge page to read the full rules and to submit your photos for consideration as soon as the challenge opens.

Visit the challenge page to see all the rules

This video is part of our Intro to Photography series, where we break down some of the fundamental concepts of the image-making process. You can find a written version below.

Intro to Exposure

• What is Shutter Speed?
• What is Exposure?
• What is Aperture?

What is aperture?

Aperture value is one of the fundamental aspects of exposure and perhaps the most intimidating, but it needn't be. The easiest way to think about it is as the name of the size of the hole through which your camera sees the world. A bigger hole lets in more light, and a smaller hole lets in less.

Why are aperture numbers in that sequence? At first, it can be hard to grasp the aperture scale, since it goes 1.4, 2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, etc.

The naming system can seem confusing at first: aperture settings are named for what fraction of the focal length the diameter of the hole is. This risks being confusing in two ways: firstly, a smaller number represents a larger hole, and, secondly, the pattern relates to the square root of 2. Most people won't be able to spontaneously think in terms of root 2, so your best bet will be to memorise them.

How does aperture affect exposure?

The key thing to learn is that changing your aperture value by a whole'stop' lets in double or half the amount of light, in just the same way that doubling or halving your shutter speed does. With time, you'll come to remember that F2 is a whole stop brighter than F2.8 and that F4 is another stop less bright.

F2 F2.8 F4

This is why lenses with very large apertures are typically so much larger and more expensive than lenses that aren't as bright.

As well as letting in more light, to give you better image quality in low light conditions, a wide aperture will also give you shallower depth-of-field, and blurrier backgrounds. But that's a story for another day.

Intro to Exposure

• What is Shutter Speed?
• What is Exposure?
• What is Aperture?

When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission.

We recently posted our review of the Fujifilm X-E5 and, as always, we took a lot of pictures with the camera while writing it. The look is pretty much what you'd expect from a modern Fujifilm camera, as it has the 40MP APS-C sensor that's shared among many of its X-series cameras, like the X-T5, X-T50 and X-H2.

Please do not reproduce any of these images on a website or any newsletter/magazine without prior permission (see our copyright page). We make the originals available for private users to download to their own machines for personal examination or printing; we do so in good faith, so please don't abuse it.

Sample galleryThis widget is not optimized for RSS feed readers. Click here to open it in a new browser window / tab.

See the sample gallery

There's also a separate sample gallery taken using a few "recipes"; custom JPEG settings shared among the Fujifilm community. The X-E5 supports saving recipes to its Film Simulation dial, so we made sure to use the feature while working on the review.

Sample galleryThis widget is not optimized for RSS feed readers. Click here to open it in a new browser window / tab.

See the recipe sample gallery

When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission. Image: Canon

Canon USA, Australia and Asia have issued a notice for owners of the black EOS R50 regarding a potential issue with the mode dial. The company apologized and is offering free repair services to those experiencing issues.

In the announcement, Canon says that a small number of R50 units may have a stiff or difficult-to-operate mode dial. It added that the dial may break and detach from the camera entirely in some instances. This issue only impacts the black model of the R50 and does not apply to the white version.

Canon provided specific serial numbers, allowing users to check if their camera may be at risk. Cameras with the first two digits of serial numbers between 19 and 23 are included in the batch of impacted units. The service advisory is for customers in Asia, Australia and the US.

So, what do you do if you own a black R50? Canon says that any black R50 with those serial numbers is eligible for a free inspection and repair. If you want to take advantage of the free service, you first need to create a Canon account and register your camera. Canon will perform free repairs for this issue until July 31, 2028.

Camera photo: Fujifilm

Rumors had been swirling for weeks about a looming increase in Fujifilm prices in the US on August 1, and now those rumors are confirmed. Prices of Fujifilm cameras and lenses have increased, with list prices for US customers as much as $800 higher than they were in July.

The price increases apply to both cameras and lenses. We noted prices at B&H and Fujifilm yesterday and compared them to list prices as of today. Most of the company's camera lineup has seen an increase, with the exception of a few older models. The X half and X-E5 remain consistent, but those prices already had the tariffs factored in at the time of launch. The rest have been increased by anywhere from 10 to 15%.

The GFX100 II, for example, jumped from $7,500 to $8,300, resulting in a $800 difference. Percentage-wise, the X-S20 saw the most substantial change, with a 15% increase. Most of the lenses we looked at increased from $100 to $200.

US retailer Moment shared about the increase with a list of cameras and their respective prices. It also addressed the fact that many Fujifilm cameras are backordered, explaining that, according to Fujifilm, "all open backorders containing these affected products will be subject to the price increase." That's far from good news for those who have backordered cameras and expected a certain price. If you ordered from Moment, though, it said it is paying the difference in price so that customers don't have to. How other retailers plan to handle this is unclear.

This increase should come as no surprise, given the tariff situation in the US. Most other camera brands had already increased prices, including Canon, Nikon, Sony, Leica and Sigma. Canon even recently said that it will potentially increase prices again. Japan and the US recently reached a new trade agreement with a 15% tariff rate on goods shipped to the US, but that's still higher than the 10% rate that had been in place since May.

Photo: Abby Ferguson

Photography can be an overwhelming hobby for those starting out. There are mountains of technical jargon, endless gear choices, and it can also seem like you need to know it all right off the bat. Plus, it can be discouraging when you are bombarded with work from experienced photographers on social media all the time.

While living in a time when information is so easily accessible can certainly be a good thing, there is plenty of confidently incorrect (or at least misleading) information out there as well. Knowing what is right and what is worth paying attention to can only add to the intimidation factor when getting into photography. To help you sift through the noise, here are some good ways to start your photography journey (or refresh your skills if you've been here for a while).

DPReview's Intro to photography series

First, a shameless plug: we started the DPReview Intro to photography series for just this reason. This video series breaks down concepts into easily digestible content, like "What is shutter speed?" It dives into terms and techniques for videographers and photographers alike. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel and check back at the DPReview website to stay updated on the series.

Outside of our videos, we've also been focused on putting out beginner-focused articles. These touch on everything from travel photography to gear care.

In all of our beginner content – videos and articles alike – we aim to simplify complex terms and concepts while maintaining accuracy. It can be hard to unlearn bad technique or knowledge, so we want to ensure you have the correct information right out of the gate.

Brand and retailer websites Image: Tamron

Did you know that many camera brands and retailers produce educational content? Canon, Nikon and Sony all produce content with helpful information that you can trust. Sometimes, it's materials specifically for their gear, but it is frequently general photography content related to technique and creativity. Tamron also has what it calls Tamron University, offering free master classes put on by pro photographers.

Beyond camera brands, some retailers also offer educational content. B&H Explora, for example, is filled with a wide range of informational articles and videos. Likewise, Adorama's blog has articles on everything from editing to composition tips to gear.

Read books

Books are great resources for learning techniques and terms and for finding inspiration.

Photo: Abby Ferguson

I know, who reads books anymore? But books can still be a superb source of information, and, for some, that format is easier to learn from than videos or reading on a screen. There are loads of fantastic photography books that cover anything you may be trying to learn, from the technical to creative and even theory.

Photography textbooks, such as Photography by Barbara London, Jim Stone and John Upton, or Digital Photography Complete Course by David Taylor, offer a wealth of information that will cover every step of the process, from learning your camera to editing, printing and more.

Beyond the technical side of things, photography books (as in, books of photographs) are a fun way to learn about composition and find inspiration. Simply looking at loads of pictures is a great way to learn about the medium and expand your knowledge of what's possible, helping you improve your images.

Enroll in a class or workshop Organizations like Maine Media offer a wide variety of in-person and online workshops.

Sometimes, a more structured format is the best way to learn and grow. That doesn't mean you need to get a four-year degree in photography, though. Taking a single semester of an introductory photography course is a great place to kickstart your learning. It will help you learn the basics more in-depth and set you up to keep learning outside of class. One of the best parts of taking a class is having the opportunity to get feedback on your work, so that you aren't trying to learn in isolation.

Many small community colleges offer photography classes that can be relatively affordable (at least when compared to larger universities). You could also take an online photography class if you don't have a college near you but want access to that structured format. These can be offered through colleges and universities, as well as through smaller organizations that put on workshop-style courses online. Maine Media is one such example, but there are many options available.

Use social media with a grain of salt

Of course, YouTube and Instagram are all full of individuals teaching photography. Likewise, a lot of advice is available in forums like ours or Reddit. These platforms are free and easily accessible, which is ideal. However, as with anything online, there's also a lot of iffy information.

That's not to say that you can't learn from YouTube videos or forum posts. YouTube is full of experts who share their opinions and knowledge. But there are just as many people who don't necessarily have all the facts straight. If someone is saying something that contradicts everyone else, perhaps give it some extra thought before implementing their advice.

There's no replacement for practice Photo: Mitchell Clark

All of the above resources are excellent tools for learning how to use your camera and take better images. Use them on their own, or use a combination of all of them. However, there is no replacement for simply using your camera. You can read about how to adjust exposure all day. But unless you practice those skills and experiment to see firsthand what happens when you change certain settings, that information likely won't fully click.

You may soon have to pay tariffs on older gear too, if it's shipped from outside the US.
Photo: Abby Ferguson

The US' de minimis exemptions, which used to protect purchases under $800 from tariffs and duties, will be going away on August 29th, according to the White House. The policy change will have a massive impact on direct-to-consumer brands like AliExpress or Temu, but could also affect Americans shopping for photography gear or used cameras.

For example, say you were searching for a camera – say a PowerShot S120 – on eBay, and found one for $300 that ships from Japan. If you ordered it today and it arrived before August 29th, the price would be the price. You wouldn't have to pay anything on top of it.

However, if you bought that same camera after the de minimis exemptions go away, you'd then have to pay duties and tariffs on top of the purchase price. Yes, those recently announced tariffs even apply to used goods. It's also worth noting that the tariff you'd pay depends on where the good was originally made, not where it's shipping from; if you're buying a Chinese-made camera from Japan, you'll pay the 30% tariff that applies to Chinese exports, not the 15% one for Japanese goods.

The change could substantially increase the cost of buying vintage cameras in the US

This could substantially increase the cost of buying vintage cameras in the US, so if you've been hunting for something in particular, now may be the time to act. Of course, it won't make a difference on items over $800, as those wouldn't have been exempted anyway.

There is some nuance to exactly how much extra you'll be charged, as it's different depending on how your package is shipped. However, the upshot is that you'll be paying more than you would've on packages that came in before August 29th.

This change has been on the horizon for a while. Recent legislation passed in the US already mandated that the exemptions would end on July 1, 2027, and goods from China and Hong Kong haven't been exempt since early May. People buying new gear have also been dealing with prices inflated by tariffs for months, but now even used gear isn't necessarily a safe harbor.

Photo: Abby Ferguson

We've all been there: You pull up the photos you just took on your computer or phone, only to notice dark blobs in the same place on every image. It can be confusing and alarming if you're unfamiliar with them. Luckily, those spots are typically nothing to be concerned about. They are even a rather inevitable part of photography. Here's what you need to know.

What causes those spots?

See those tiny white specs on the sensor? Those are pieces of dust that are stuck, creating sensor spots.

Photo: Abby Ferguson

While your first thought may be that a smudge on the lens caused the spots, that's not the case. Smudges on the front or rear element don't appear as clearly defined dark spots. Instead, those dots or squiggles you see are sensor spots.

Sensor spots are caused by hair, fuzz, grease, dust or other debris landing on your camera's sensor. Dust takes the form of dark circles, while hair and other fibers show up as dark squiggles. If you use an interchangeable lens camera, you expose your sensor to dust and debris every time you change lenses. That's especially true if you change lenses outside or in dusty rooms.

There are ways to reduce the potential for sensor spots when changing lenses (which you can learn about in a separate article), but no matter what, you'll likely end up with sensor spots at some point.

Even compact cameras with fixed lenses can get spots, though. Dust has a way of working into places. So if you notice these types of spots on images taken with a compact, it doesn't mean that your camera is broken.

How to identify sensor spots Taking a photo of a white desk or plain blue sky can help you identify how dirty your sensor is. In this case, the sensor is in desperate need of a cleaning.

If you suspect you have sensor spots, there is an easy way to confirm that is what you are seeing, and it wasn't just a bug flying past. All you need to do is take a photo of a cloudless sky or flat, white surface. Anything that is uniformly bright with little texture will do.

To clearly show any sensor spots, close down your aperture to a large aperture value, such as F16 or F22, and adjust shutter speed and ISO so that you end up with a roughly correct exposure (essentially not an overly dark image). Switch to manual focus and focus to infinity if using a perfectly smooth subject like the sky, or slightly defocus to smooth out the background if working indoors.

You can look at the photo on your camera's display, though it's helpful to transfer the image to a computer to get a good picture of what's going on. If you identify spots on your images, there's no need to panic. You can clean your sensor, provided you use the right tools and follow the right steps. We'll be sharing more on that soon, so be sure to stay tuned.

Image: DJI

At the start of this week, 360 camera brand Insta360 announced it was entering the drone game, and now, drone giant DJI has announced a 360 camera. The Osmo 360 promises "the sharpest photos possible on the 360 camera market." It also claims a few firsts, including the first 360 camera to shoot 8K 50fps 360° video and the only 360 camera capable of recording continuously for 100 minutes in 8K 30fps.

DJI proudly boasts about the sensor found in the Osmo 360. It features two sensors that, when added together, result in around the same area as a Type 1 sensor. DJI says it is an "industry-first square HDR image sensor" that is specifically designed for 360° capture. It offers 13.5 stops of dynamic range, which, when combined with the F1.9 aperture, should help with capturing footage in low-light and high-contrast settings.

Image: DJI

The Osmo 360 supports up to 8K 50fps 360° video, as well as 4K 100fps for slow motion needs. The camera can also record at up to 5K 60fps with a single lens when 360° video isn't necessary, resulting in a 155° field of view. Or, the Boost Video mode offers a 170° field of view at up to 4K 120fps. On the photo side of things, the Osmo 360 can capture 120MP 360° photos.

Image: DJI

Beyond image quality, DJI also promises plenty of other benefits, including long battery life. DJI says it is capable of recording continuously for 100 minutes, even at 8K 30fps resolution, or 180 minutes with the Osmo 360 Battery Extension Rod accessory. It can also handle cold conditions, with over 1.5 hours of recording possible in temperatures as low as -20°C (-4°F). Charging also promises to be fast, with 12 minutes of charging resulting in 50% battery.

The Osmo 360 also provides access to DJI's tracking and control features. Intelligent Tracking will lock onto and track people, vehicles, pets and more. It is compatible with gesture and voice control, and offers the company's RockSteady 3.0 stabilization to reduce shake and smooth out video while moving. Users also have access to its HorizonSteady mode to automatically keep footage level.

Image: DJI

Like the Insta360 360° cameras, the Osmo 360 hides the selfie stick in footage with no editing necessary. Users can edit content from the Osmo 360 on either the DJI Mimo or DJI Studio apps, or using the Premiere plugin. Additionally, the Osmo 360 offers 105GB of built-in storage.

The camera offers an IP68 waterproof rating and can be used at depths up to 10 meters (32.8'). However, DJI says it is not recommended to use the camera body for long-term underwater shooting or with high water impact pressure. It also explained that the fisheye lens design will result in light refraction that may cause distortion and stitching errors when underwater.

Unfortunately for US customers, the DJI Osmo 360 will not be for sale in the US via official DJI channels. It added that it doesn't have a current timeline for when it will be available in the US.

For those outside of the US, the camera is available today. In Europe, the Standard Combo costs €480, while the Adventure Combo costs €630. In Canada, the Standard Combo is $430 while the Adventure Combo is $580 (the DJI Store can only accept USD, EUR and RMB).

Manufacturer sample images Sample galleryThis widget is not optimized for RSS feed readers. Click here to open it in a new browser window / tab.

Press release:

DJI Revolutionizes 360 Camera Market with the Osmo 360

New 360 Camera Offers Industry-first Features Including 1-inch 360° Imaging and Native 8K 360° Video

July 31, 2025 - DJI, the global leader in civilian drones and creative camera technology, today launches the Osmo 360. As the company’s first foray into 360 cameras, the Osmo 360 delivers new imaging innovation to elevate existing industry standards, bringing creators the flexibility needed for any creative vision.

The Osmo 360 delivers the sharpest photos possible on the 360 camera market with 1-inch 360° imaging*. It is the first 360 camera to shoot ultra-high-spec 8K/50fps 360° video, and is the only 360 camera that can shoot continuously for 100 minutes in 8K/30fps*.

"With the Osmo 360, DJI is challenging the status quo of the 360 camera market," said Christina Zhang, Senior Director of Corporate Strategy at DJI. "We are revolutionizing panoramic innovation by leveraging DJI’s long history of innovation in creative camera technology. With each technological breakthrough, from 1-inch 360° imaging with industry-first square HDR sensor, to outstanding low-light performance, we aim to change what’s possible in a 360 camera."

Standout 1-inch 360° Image Quality and Native 8K 360° Video

Specially designed for 360° capture, the Osmo 360’s industry-first square HDR image sensor maintains the same 360° image field as a traditional 1-inch rectangular sensor, while eliminating the unused area of traditional rectangular sensors. This results in 25% more sensor utilization, as well as outstanding image quality and lower power consumption, all in an ultra-compact, lightweight camera body.

The Osmo 360 is also the first 360 camera to feature native 8K/30fps 360° panoramic video with large 2.4μm pixels, boasting an industry-best run time of 100 minutes at 8K/30fps. The large pixel size - double the industry standard size of 1.2μm - captures more picture details, less noise, better low-light performance, and higher dynamic range. Also supporting ultra-high-spec 8K/50fps 360° video, Osmo 360 sets a new standard for video resolution in 360 cameras.

With an impressive 13.5 stops of dynamic range, combined with the larger pixel size and f/1.9 aperture, which significantly increases the amount of light intake, the Osmo 360 captures crisp, vibrant footage - even in low light settings or high-contrast scenes like sunrise and sunset.

Additional Creative Features:

• Invisible Selfie Stick: The Osmo Invisible Selfie Stick vanishes from 360° videos with no editing needed, providing third-person views typically captured by a cameraman.
• High Frame Rate Video: For those that want to capture split-second details at a high frame rate, the Osmo 360 can also shoot in 4K/100fps 360° video.
• Slow Motion: Capture video in up to 4x slow motion mode to make every awe-inspiring moment last longer.
• 120 MP 360° Photo: To capture a single moment in time, users can take an ultra-clear 360° photo up to 120 megapixels, achieving razor-sharp detail for still images.
• Gesture and Voice Control: Start or stop recording with a simple palm gesture, or use voice control to go hands-free.
• HorizonSteady and RockSteady: With HorizonSteady enabled, the footage remains level no matter how the camera is rotated. In single-lens mode, RockSteady 3.0 effectively reduces shakes while retaining the dynamic impact of motion, delivering a more immersive first-person perspective.
• GyroFrame and Intelligent Tracking: DJI Mimo’s GyroFrame allows users to to adjust the 360° composition using motion control, while intelligent tracking makes it possible to lock onto and track people, vehicles, pets, and more.
• Multi-Platform Editing Support: Edit videos with DJI Mimo or DJI Studio. DJI Studio offers a full suite of tools, and the Premiere plugin streamlines the workflow to create stunning 360° videos.

Performance as a Single Lens Action Camera

Effortlessly switch between the front and rear lenses without stopping recording - perfect for capturing travel vlogs in one seamless take. Osmo 360 can be used as a first-person action camera with single-lens mode, offering crisp 5K/60fps flat videos with a sweeping 155° ultra-wide angle. Boost Video mode provides an even broader 170° field of view and smooth 4K/120fps video.

Convenient to Carry, with Long Battery Life

For creators on the go, Osmo 360 prioritizes convenience with 105GB of built-in storage. Weighing just 183g, the advanced stacked design allows the camera to pack two large 1-inch 360 imaging lens modules into one, ultra-compact body. Moreover, the Osmo 360 is built to thrive in extreme conditions, capable of recording for over 1.5 hours in freezing conditions as low as -20° C (-4° F)1. The battery can record continuously for 100 minutes* at 8K/30fps resolution, which can be extended for another 180 minutes* with the Osmo 360 Battery Extension Rod. In just 12 minutes, Osmo 360 reaches 50% power to ensure creators are never without a camera for long.

The Benefits of the DJI Ecosystem

Osmo 360’s magnetic quick release design works with Osmo Action series accessories, while also featuring a 1/4" thread hole for easy compatibility with traditional gear.
Osmo 360 offers the OsmoAudio™ Direct Microphone Connection*, allowing users to connect Osmo 360 directly to two DJI microphone transmitters without a receiver, capturing studio-quality sound.

For more information, please refer to: https://www.dji.com/360

1 When capturing 360° content, Osmo 360's CMOS sensor features an imaging area equivalent to that of a 1- inch CMOS sensor with a 4:3 aspect ratio.
2 All data was tested in controlled conditions. Actual experience may vary. For more details, please refer to https://www.dji.com/360.
3 Direct connection to the first-generation DJI Mic is not supported. DJI microphones are sold separately.

When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission. Sample galleryThis widget is not optimized for RSS feed readers. Please open this article's permalink in a browser to view this content. Product photos: Richard Butler 85%Overall scoreJump to conclusion

The Fujifilm X-E5 is the latest mid-range rangefinder-style mirrorless camera to join the X-series. It takes several steps back towards the enthusiast-friendly outlook of the original X-E models and gains image stabilization along the way.

Key specifications

• 40MP BSI CMOS APS-C sensor
• Image stabilization rated to 7.0EV
• Twin clickable command dials
• Film simulation dial with 'recipe' option
• 2.36M dot EVF
• 1.04M dot rear up/down tilt LCD
• Video up to 6.2K//30 (with 1.23x crop)
• Continuous shooting up to 8fps, 13fps with e-shutter
• Mic socket, headphones via USB

The Fujifilm X-E5 will be available in August at a recommended price of $1699, body only, or $1899 with the new 23mm F2.8R WR lens. The body-only price represents a $300 premium over the launch price of the similarly-specced X-T50. This difference doesn't exist outside the US. In the UK, for instance, the body-only price is the same £1299 the X-T50 launched at, and in Canada it's CAD $2000: a 5% increase over the X-T50's launch price.

Simply put, in most countries, the X-E5 matches the launch price of the X-T50, in the US it matches that of the X-T5.

Index:

• What's new
• How it compares
• Body and handling
• Image Quality
• Autofocus
• Video
• In Use
• Conclusion
• Sample gallery
• Press release
• Fujifilm X-E5 specifications

Buy now:

Buy w/ 23mm F2.8 at AdoramaBuy at B&H Photo What's new Film simulation dial

Slightly unexpectedly for such an enthusiast-focused camera, the X-E5 has a dedicated film simulation dial. In a purely aesthetic flourish, the selected film simulation is displayed through a small circular window on the top of the camera. It's pure style over function, and yet...

Film simulation recipes You can save different sets of parameters for each of the three FS positions on the dial, and configure a button to toggle between your standard settings and the recipe.

The detail we found really interesting, though, is the ability to assign not just your choice of film simulation to the dial, but the option to assign film sim 'recipes,' with Fujifilm explicitly adopting the term that originally came from the user community.

Each of the three customizable FS positions on the dial gives you the option to customize a full suite of settings, including grain effect, highlight and shadow response, clarity, noise reduction and color chrome effect (red and blue). These settings are retained specifically for that FS slot, and changing them when a different film sim is selected doesn't override the values you've chosen.

Image stabilization

Another thing signalling the X-E5's status in the Fujifilm lineup is the incorporation of in-body image stabilization. Like the version in the X-T50, the X-E5's stabilization is rated as giving up to 7.0 stops of correction at the center and 6.0 at the peripheries. Fujifilm says it's using an updated gyro to detect roll motion and an updated algorithm to improve performance.

'Self-timer' switch

The X-E5 regains several of the control points it lost in the previous iteration, but also adds, for the first time, one from the X100 series. The faux 'self-timer' switch on the front of the camera is the same as the one on the X100VI, which can be pushed left or right to select a function or held (for >2 sec) in either direction to access a further two. There's a button at the center of the switch to access a fifth function, with all five options being customizable.

Classic viewfinder mode The X-E5's classic viewfinder mode

One of the other additions to the X-E5 is perhaps the clearest reminder that this is a camera that comes from the designers who brought you the X half. It's a retro display mode for the viewfinder that shows just the exposure mode, exposure settings and battery indicator in red, as if you were looking at an LED-lit display. The image preview shows the effect of exposure comp and film suimulations, as usual.

In this mode, the exposure comp scale on the left of the display is replaced by a needle-style indicator on the right. It's almost impossible to interpret with any accuracy at anything other than the centered position, but it's visually in keeping with the rest of the camera's looks. Charming or ridiculous: you decide.

Other functions

In most other respects, the X-E5 matches the spec of the X-T50, with both cameras sharing a sensor and processor and hence offering the same video modes, the same burst rates and otherwise similar capabilities.

How it compares:

The most obvious comparison for the X-E5 is to the X100VI. The two are very similar in size and feature set, especially if you pair the X-E5 with the new 23mm F2.8. The X-E5 is an interchangeable lens camera, giving you more overall flexibility. But this means leaving room for a focal plane shutter, the absence of which lets the X100VI's lens extend closer to the sensor, making it easier to deliver an extra stop of brightness, despite the similar external dimensions. The big difference is the hybrid optical/electronic viewfinder and the all-in-one package the X100 offers. We suspect most people will know which they want.

If you're looking for interchangeable lenses, the X-E5's most similar competitor is the Sony a6700. They follow very different schools of design but are both very capable, relatively compact, stabilized APS-C cameras.

Simply put: in most countries, the X-E5 matches the launch price of the X-T50, in the US it matches the X-T5.

The high price (in the US, at least) puts the X-E5 into low-end full-frame territory. Its shape and leatherette cover might make you think of the Panasonic DC-S9, but that's aimed as much at vlogging as photography. We think the Nikon Z5 II, with its twin command dials, is a better comparison, despite its SLR-like format. And, if you're not committed to the X-E's boxy layout, Fujifilm's own X-T50 and X-T5 are interesting comparisons. Outside the US, you can get the X-T50 for similar money, but we're going to compare the X-T5 here, simply because there's more to set them apart.

Fujifilm X-E5 Sony a6700 Nikon Z5 II Fujifilm X-T5

MSRP US
/ RRP UK

$1699
£1299 $1399
£1429 $1699
£1599 $1699
£1699 Sensor res,
type, size

40MP BSI CMOS
APS-C

26MP BSI CMOS
APS-C 24MP BSI CMOS
Full-frame 40MP BSI CMOS
APS-C Stabilization 7.0EV 5.0EV 7.5EV 7.0EV Viewfinder 2.36M dot OLED
0.62x mag 2.36M dot OLED
0.70x mag 3.69M dot
OLED
0.8x mag 3.69M dot OLED
0.8x mag Rear screen 3.0" 1.04M dot
tilt up/down 3.0" 1.04M dot
fully-articulating 3.2" 2.10M dot
fully-articulated 3.0" 1.84M dot
two-axis tilt Cont. shooting 8fps Mech
13fps Elec. 11fps Mech
11fps Elec. 9.4fps EFCS
10fps Elec* 15fps Mech
13fps Elec. Video options 6.2K/30 w/ 1.23x crop
4K/60 w/ 1.14x crop
4K/30 full width 4K/120 w/1.58x crop
4K/60 oversampled 4K/60 w/1.5x crop
4K/30 oversampled 6.2K/30 w/ 1.23x crop
4K/60 w/ 1.14x crop
4K/30 full width Mic/'phones Yes / Via USB Yes / Yes Yes / Yes Yes / Yes 4ch audio Via optional adapter Via optional adapter No Via optional adapter Media slots 1x UHS-II SD 1x UHS-II SD 2x UHS-II SD 2x UHS-II SD Battery life LCD / EVF 310 / – 570 / 550 350 / 330 580 x 590 Weight 445g (15.7oz) 493g (17.4oz) 700g (24.7oz) 557g (19.6 oz) Dimensions 125 x 73 x 38mm 122 x 69 x 64mm 134 x 101 x 72mm 130 x 91 x 64mm

*30fps in JPEG-only mode, from 12-bit readout

The X-E5's high price in North America pits it against some impossible competition, including the X-T5, which, with its nicer viewfinder, twin card slots and weather-resistant build, is clearly meant to sit higher up in the lineup. It'll be interesting to see whether its price has to rise as the tariff situation evolves.

There are certainly arguments to be made for a smaller, lighter camera, and the smaller, lighter lenses that go with it, but the strong specs and aggressive price of the Nikon Z5II mean it's a tempting option, if size and weight aren't especially important to you.

It's much easier to make the case for the X-E5 at its UK price, where it undercuts all the other cameras here, and its style and charm can make their case a little more loudly, without being drowned out by the noise of trade concerns.

Body and handling

The X-E5 is a very solid feeling camera. At 445g, almost a third heavier than the previous iteration. The whole camera feels more dense than earlier models in the series, giving more of an impression of solidity than before.

Control points

The X-E5 has more control points than its immediate predecessor, regaining the twin pressable command dials of the earlier models. It also has the side-panel focus mode switch, which was absent from the X-E4.

In addition to these reinstated controls, there's the self-timer style switch and button combination on the front of the camera, meaning you can access up to five settings or functions quickly (or, at least, three of them quickly and another two eventually).

Grip

The X-E5 also gains a bulge along the front and back right edge of the camera, giving it more of a grip than the last model and again bringing it closer into line with the previous cameras. It's not the most substantial grip, and it stops just above the camera's base plate, leaving a hard edge that you probably don't want to wrap your fingers under.

As with previous X-Es, this is a camera you're most likely to be supporting with your left hand when in a shooting stance, and we'd consider the grip to be sufficient, rather than anything more than that.

Viewfinder

There's a small viewfinder at the top left of the camera. It's a relatively small finder with the same 2.36M dot (1025 x 768px) resolution as the X-E4 had.

It has a very small, hard rubber surround, but no real eye cup to protect from stray light. It has a fairly short eye-point, so glasses wearers are likely to find they can't see the whole finder at the same time. We'd say it's there for working in bright light, rather than full-time use, which is more of an X-T5 way of working.

The rear screen is a tilt up/down, 1.04M dot (720 x 480px) display, the same panel used by the X-M5's fully articulating screen.

Battery

The X-E5 uses the same NP-W126s battery as most of Fujifilm's smaller cameras. Fujifilm says it's rated to get 310 shots per charge, which is just a touch more than the X-T50, with which it shares the majority of its components.

CIPA ratings tend to significantly under-represent most people's real-world shooting patterns, and getting double the quoted figure isn't unusual. A rating around 300 shots is reasonable and should be good for a weekend of occasional shots or an afternoon of committed photography. The camera can be charged or powered over USB-C.

Image Quality

Our test scene is designed to simulate a variety of textures, colors, and detail types you'll encounter in the real world. It also has two illumination modes, full even light and low directional light, to see the effect of different lighting conditions.

Image ComparisonThis widget is not optimized for RSS feed readers. Click here to open it in a new browser window / tab.

As expected, the X-E5's Raw detail capture is identical to Fujifilm's other 40MP cameras, and it outperforms the 24MP Nikon Z5II and 26MP Sony a6700. Its images also have more detail than those from its 26MP predecessor, the X-E4.

Its base ISO noise performance is on par with the rest of the current-gen APS-C competition, and it's a bit cleaner than the X-E4; no surprise, given that its base ISO is 125 while its predecessor's was 160. The full-frame Z5II, however, provides around a stop improvement in noise, which follows its increased sensor area.

These trends continue at mid to high ISOs, and the X-E5's lead in detail slips away past around ISO 1600.

The camera's JPEG engine isn't quite as good as its competitors at emphasizing fine details, even at base ISOs, so its lead isn't as apparent as it is in Raw. However, it continues Fujifilm's tradition of offering pleasing colors and does a decent job of retaining details even while reducing noise at higher ISOs, though its performance does suffer a bit in low-contrast areas.

Dynamic Range

This sensor has always offered excellent dynamic range with low read noise, and it's no different in the X-E5.

Exposure Latitude | ISO Invariance

This means it offers plenty of room to bring up shadows in post, so you can make the most of its maximum dynamic range at base ISO. Its design also lets you choose to extend dynamic range when shooting in low-light scenes, as long as you're willing to use a lower ISO to reduce blown highlights.

Autofocus

The X-E5 has the same autofocus system that Fujifilm's used in many of its recent cameras, which provides a lot of flexibility for your focus selector, with sizes that range from a single point to customizable zones and a wide area. In continuous autofocus mode, the wide area is replaced by the tracking mode, where you get a box that you can place over your subject, which the camera will try to follow. You can select your focus point using the joystick, by directly touching the area you want to focus on with the touchscreen or using a configurable section of the screen as a touchpad when the camera is to your eye.

All these modes can be used in conjunction with the camera's AI-derived subject recognition system, which has been trained to pick out humans, animals, birds, cars, motorcycles/bikes, planes and trains. The X-E5 will automatically jump to a recognized subject if your focus point is over or around it, though it does a good job of not jumping to a subject if your selected area is far enough away from it.

Humans and their faces/eyes are a separate function from the rest of the subject detection modes, which can make it more of a hassle to use; if you want to set a custom button to turn on subject detection, you'll have to decide whether you want it to be for humans or something else (or devote two buttons to switching between them). Other brands' systems side-step this issue by having humans listed as a subject alongside the others that the camera can recognize.

You choose between AF-S, AF-C and the manual focus modes using a switch on the side of the camera. Despite being placed on a part of the camera that you may touch frequently, it's stiff enough that we didn't find ourselves in an unexpected mode too often.

Autofocus Performance Fujifilm XF 33mm F1.4 | F1.4 | 1/950 sec | ISO 160
Photo: Mitchell Clark

The X-E5's autofocus system is generally quick and reliable, doing a good job of focusing on whatever you've put your focus point over. The vast majority of the shots we took while testing it were perfectly in focus, with only a few coming out a touch soft.

Fujifilm's tracking system continues to be off the pace set by the likes of Canon, Nikon and Sony, but in most situations, it got the job done. It was occasionally distractible, wandering off the target or failing to lock onto it. It's at its best when using subject recognition, though even then, we've historically found that it can occasionally misjudge distance (especially for moving objects) or wind up focusing on someone's eyelashes rather than their pupils.

Those issues seem like bigger shortcomings on Fujifilm's higher-end cameras meant to take on sports and action cameras than they are for this style of body, though; for most use cases, its autofocus system should prove sufficient. That's especially true if you spend some time optimizing your settings.

Video The X-E5 has a microphone jack, but no headphone jack aside from the ability to use a USB-C to headphone adapter.

The X-E5 isn't designed to be an ultra-capable hybrid shooter, but it essentially has the same mix of resolutions and features as the X-T50, with the ability to shoot 6.2K footage and oversampled 4K derived from it. Like that camera, the X-E5 has a microphone socket but no port for headphones, though it does come with a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter in the box if you really need to monitor audio.

It has some provisions for those who want to take video of themselves: the display has a second articulation point so you can flip it up for a selfie view (though pretty much any microphone will block it).

The X-E5 also has Fujifilm's classic Movie Optimized Control setting, which does a good job of keeping your settings for stills and video separate; it ignores the settings on your shutter speed, exposure compensation, and aperture dials. While this setting makes it easier to switch between modes, it unfortunately also makes it so you can't use the film simulation dial either.

That's a bit of a shame, since the video mode actually supports recipes too. Your settings won't carry over from your stills recipes, and there are far fewer parameters to tweak, but you can make at least some changes to the underlying simulations.

Video performance

The carryover from the X-T50 means it provides solid levels of detail, especially in its 6.2K and HQ modes, though they have a relatively slow 24.9ms rolling shutter rate, which can result in a jello-like effect when shooting fast-moving subjects or panning the camera quickly. The standard 4K mode still provides a fair amount of detail, but with only 15.3ms of rolling shutter, which is quite decent.

Unlike some of Fujifilm's more video-focused cameras, the X-E5 isn't compatible with the company's fan accessory, which can extend video record times. However, it doesn't seem particularly eager to overheat, especially if you're only trying to shoot short clips.

In Use

The X-E5 takes the series back up-market, and it definitely feels the part. Fujifilm says the aluminum top plate is made using the same process as the GFX100RF, which allows for a beveled edge that the dials are inlaid into. The knurling on those makes them easy to locate and operate, and the camera has a solid feel overall.

Speaking of the GFX100RF, the X-E5 comes with the same rope-style shoulder strap. While it certainly looks fancier than the traditional pack-in strap, it's an absolute pain to install, even with the plastic tool Fujifilm packs in the box. The tiny eyelets on the camera are low-profile, sure, but that does mean you'll have a far from premium experience as you struggle to get the included strap's snap-rings onto them.

The X-E5 will be very familiar to anyone who's picked up a Fujifilm recently

Once you've got past the strap or installed your own (Peak Design includes a similar tool and snap rings with its ever-popular anchor straps, and the installation is way easier), the camera will be very familiar to anyone who's picked up a Fujifilm recently. The menus are largely unchanged, for better or worse, depending on your level of familiarity with them. Of course, there is the inclusion of a new trick: the recipes system.

We've written a more in-depth piece about those here, but if you find that you're not satisfied by the built-in (and, likely, more subtle) Film Simulation color modes, they'll be lots of fun to play around with. They also make a more compelling case for the Film Simulation dial than previous iterations by giving it an extra layer of control. And while editing a Raw will always give you more flexibility, seeing the style as you're shooting may change how you compose your scene, or what you decide to take pictures of.

Sample galleryThis widget is not optimized for RSS feed readers. Click here to open it in a new browser window / tab.

The system won't be for everyone, and it has its flaws: you add the recipes by setting up to a dozen parameters, while other camera systems let you download community-made looks through their app, and they aren't available everywhere that you might use a Film Simulation. But for those that are interested, it provides easy access to the ability to put your own mark on your JPEGs.

Like with the X100VI, it can feel like the X-E5 has more controls than necessary. While we're happy to see the second command dial return, having both be the clicking variety and adding a front toggle switch* with an extra button on the front and a bluetooth button on the bottom risks making it feel a little unfocused and unclear how you're expected to operate the camera. For some, that won't be an issue, especially on an ILC, but those concerned with the purest photo experience may need to learn to ignore some of the buttons, dials and functions.

* with four functions: two for a press in either direction, and two for long presses that take just a little too long.

Conclusion

By Mitchell Clark

What we like What we don't

• Great image quality
• Film recipe system turns fan favorite into a great feature
• Very packable size, especially with kit lens
• Premium build quality
• Goes a long way to replicating X100 look and feel
• Plenty of direct controls

• Not so premium screen/viewfinder
• Recipe system could still use some improvement
• Weather sealing would've been nice
• Battery life is just decent
• US pricing stings

Let's address the elephant in the room first: the value proposition of the X-E5 will be substantially different depending on where you live. In the US, it costs as much as the higher-end X-T5, where in other places it costs as much as the lower-end X-T50. Compared against the latter, its single card slot, relatively small viewfinder and lack of weather sealing are par for the course, but they're starkly contrasted by the former's capabilities.

While that's certainly something potential buyers will have to consider, it's almost beside the point. The main reason to get an X-E5 isn't necessarily for its capabilities, but because it's one of the few cameras with a high-resolution sensor and up-to-date processor to come in a rangefinder-shaped package.

Is the X-E5 a substitute for an X100? It very well could be, depending on your needs.

That styling is very 'in' right now. Even 18 months after its announcement, the popular X100VI is still hard to get at list price, and the X-E5 comes very close to replicating the experience of using one, apart from the appeal of a fixed lens and the compelling hybrid optical viewfinder.

That's good news for enthusiasts who are, ultimately, the ones who will most likely be interested in this camera. Its predecessor, the X-E4, had stripped-back controls which made it less engaging to use and an unstabilized sensor. The X-E5 no longer asks you to make those compromises to get a classically-styled body that's easy to pack with you, depending on your lens choice. It comes with the full suite of tech that you'd get from many of Fujifilm's other current-generation cameras.

That means it inherits some of the parts of Fujifilm's formula that would benefit from an update in the next generation, such as its autofocus system and complex, non-touch-friendly menus. However, the company is also clearly continuing to make improvements. The recipe feature, in particular, does a good job of putting control over one of Fujifilm's greatest strengths: its JPEG colors, right at your fingertips.

Of course, that's not to say it's perfect. We would've liked to see a higher resolution and magnification viewfinder, though that likely would've made the camera larger. More focused controls and an autofocus system with performance closer to its competitors' would've also been nice. And while Fujifilm isn't entirely to blame for the US pricing, a camera coming in at double what its predecessor cost will always be a bit hard to swallow, even with the move back up-market.

Still, we're happy that move has happened, and that the X-E5 remains a photography focused tool. If you're not into rangefinder styling, there are certainly more capable options, especially if you're paying the price demanded in the US market. But if that's important to you, Fujifilm has done a great job with this camera, and it's one of your best options in the absence of any updated X Pro. For that reason, we feel it handily earns our Silver award.

Buy now:

Buy w/ 23mm F2.8 at AdoramaBuy at B&H Photo Scoring

Scoring is relative only to the other cameras in the same category. Click here to learn about what these numbers mean.

Fujifilm X-E5Category: Mid Range Interchangeable Lens Camera / DSLRBuild qualityErgonomics & handlingFeaturesMetering & focus accuracyImage quality (raw)Image quality (jpeg)Low light / high ISO performanceViewfinder / screen ratingOpticsPerformanceMovie / video modeConnectivityValuePoorExcellentConclusionThe X-E5 is an excellent option if you want rangefinder styling, but other cameras offer more substance.Good forStreet and travel photography People who want an X100 but can't get oneNot so good forSports/action photography Serious video shooters85%Overall scoreRegularScoreCompareWidget({"mainElementId":"scoringWidget","mainProduct":"fujifilm_xe5","scoringSchema":{"id":"SLRs","variables":[{"id":"BuildQuality"},{"id":"ErgonomicsAndHandling"},{"id":"Features"},{"id":"MeteringAndFocusAccuracy"},{"id":"QualityRaw"},{"id":"QualityJpeg"},{"id":"LowLightHighISO"},{"id":"ViewfinderScreenRating"},{"id":"Optics"},{"id":"Performance"},{"id":"Movie"},{"id":"Connectivity"},{"id":"Value"}],"categories":[{"id":"EntryLevel","label":"Entry Level Interchangeable Lens Camera / DSLR","shortLabel":"Entry Level"},{"id":"MidRange","label":"Mid Range Interchangeable Lens Camera / DSLR","shortLabel":"Mid Level"},{"id":"EntryLevelFullFrame","label":"Entry Level Full Frame Camera","shortLabel":"Entry Level Full Frame"},{"id":"MidRangeFullFrame","label":"Mid Range Full Frame Camera","shortLabel":"Mid Range Full Frame"},{"id":"SemiProfessional","label":"Semi-professional Interchangeable Lens Camera / DSLR","shortLabel":"Semi-professional"},{"id":"SemiProfessionalFullFrame","label":"Semi-professional Full Frame Camera","shortLabel":"Semi-professional Full Frame"},{"id":"Professional","label":" Professional Interchangeable Lens Camera / DSLR","shortLabel":"Professional"},{"id":"LargeSensorCompactEntry","label":"Entry Level Large Sensor Compact Camera","shortLabel":"Entry Level Large Sensor Compact"},{"id":"LargeSensorCompactEnthusiast","label":"Enthusiast Large Sensor Compact Camera","shortLabel":"Enthusiast Large Sensor Compact"},{"id":"VideoCamera","label":"Video Camera","shortLabel":"Video Camera"}]},"helpText":"Choose one or more cameras from the drop-down menu, then roll your mouse over the names to see how their scores compare to the camera on review."}) Compared to its peers

In most countries, the Fujifilm X-T50 is the more direct comparison in terms of price and specifications. Its SLR styling allows for the inclusion of a built-in pop-up flash and it has a higher-resolution screen, but otherwise the two cameras have very similar capabilities, though the X-T50 build quality and controls are aimed more towards beginners, while the X-E5 feels built for enthusiasts. At time of writing, the recipes system hasn't made its way to the X-T50, despite it also having a Film Simulation dial.

Sony's a6700 is a very technically capable camera, with an autofocus system that's more reliable than Fujifilm's and a chunky grip that should make it comfortable to use with a wider array of lenses... though Sony remains a runner-up to Fujifilm when it comes to the expansiveness of its APS-C lens ecosystem. Interestingly, the a6700 uses the same sensor as Fujifilm's budget model, the X-M5, though it adds stabilization, which that camera lacks. Its headphone jack and fully articulated screen make it a much better choice for video, though we suspect some photographers will struggle to find joy shooting with it.

The full-frame Nikon Z5 II is, in many ways, a more capable camera: its full-frame sensor provides better image quality, and it comes equipped with dual card slots, a larger, brighter viewfinder, weather sealing and a more reliable autofocus system. However, the boost in image quality also comes at the cost of larger, more expensive lenses, and its styling is more conventional.

In the US, Fujifilm's X-T5 is similarly priced to the X-E5, but it has a very different focus. Its much larger and higher resolution EVF, weather sealing and dual card slots mark it as a camera that could happily act as a professional workhorse. Its focus is less on size and looks, and more on giving you an incredible amount of control at your fingertips. It trades the film simulation dial for an ISO one, which may have more appeal to some photographers.

Sample Gallery

Please do not reproduce any of these images on a website or any newsletter/magazine without prior permission (see our copyright page). We make the originals available for private users to download to their own machines for personal examination or printing (in conjunction with this review); we do so in good faith, so please don't abuse it.

Sample galleryThis widget is not optimized for RSS feed readers. Click here to open it in a new browser window / tab. Pre-production sample gallery Sample galleryThis widget is not optimized for RSS feed readers. Click here to open it in a new browser window / tab.