Which mirrorless dslr

We've pulled out the key differences below and picked out the best in each camp, so read on for more analysis of the pros and cons of DSLRs versus mirrorless cameras. Already know what type of camera you want? Head over to our full DSLR camera reviews and mirrorless camera reviews and use our filters to narrow down your choice. Digital single-lens reflex DSLR and mirrorless often referred to as compact system cameras are both interchangeable lens cameras, with features for more advanced photography.

There are ranges of models available for each, from those aimed at entry-level photography enthusiasts to professionals. Both cameras typically have big sensors, allowing them to let in more light and capture more detail than a standard digital camera. A key difference between the two lies in way image previews are displayed:. While what you see through an electronic viewfinder or on an LCD screen is very similar to what you'd see through an optical monitor, there are some subtle differences, as we explain in more detail in our guide on optical vs electronic viewfinders.

Below, we've rounded up our pick of the DSLR and mirrorless cameras that have performed the best in our tests alongside some great-value models that are well worth a look if don't want to spend big.

Only logged-in Which? Sign up to reveal. It has high-speed shooting, super-fast autofocus and amazing picture quality — perfect for professionals. This camera is an amazing starter model at a brilliant price. It offers functionality above and beyond a compact model, and image quality is good; the camera produces balanced, highly-detailed shots with good colours and natural skin tones, especially when used in bright, evenly lit scenarios. Models and prices last checked March It scores higher than all other mirrorless and DSLR models, thanks to outstanding image quality and superior focusing, even in low light.

By delivering outstanding quality in stills and video, alongside upgraded performance features such as in-body stabilisation and an improved autofocus, this brand has bagged itself another Best Buy. This affordable Best Buy takes fantastic shots and still has enough of the latest technology and features to make it a great choice for both beginners and enthusiasts. If you're just breaking into photography, the best mirrorless camera for beginners is the Sony a This camera lacks a touchscreen, and it can only shoot video up to p, but these are fine compromises at this price.

Having trouble deciding which Sony mirrorless camera is right for you? Check out our best Sony mirrorless cameras page. Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, and Sony have all released software that allows you to use certain of their cameras as webcams. For more information, including compatible cameras, check out our guide on how to use your camera as a webcam. We think most consumers will find the Sony a to be the best mirrorless camera for their needs. The camera even has a microphone jack for better audio.

Plus, the a has an excellent design with a good hand grip, as well as an articulating 3-inch touchscreen, which makes it easy to hold the camera above or below eye level and still get the shot you want.

What you don't get at this price are features such as in-body image stabilization, and the A's viewfinder is a lower resolution than higher-end models. But these tradeoffs are more than acceptable.

Read our full Sony a review. The Sony a is the best mirrorless camera for beginners, in that it's an ideal compromise between power and portability.

Its autofocus is as good as a DSLRs, and it shoots at a blistering 11 frames per second with continuous autofocus and metering. Electronic viewfinders are a weak point on many mirrorless models, but the a's OLED eyepiece is bright and crystal-clear, and doesn't suffer from the stuttering you'll sometimes find on EVFs with lower refresh rates.

A DSLR shooter would be comfortable moving over to this eyepiece. The a shines in low light, and features the ability to capture clean images up to ISO sensitivity and usable shots in very dim conditions way up to ISO 12, On top of that, the a shoots gorgeous full-HD video at up to 60 fps, as well as 24 fps for a cinema look.

Clips show fine detail, rich color and buttery-smooth motion rendering, even in low light. It's the world's first full-frame mirrorless camera to carry in-body 5-axis image stabilization, but there's more to the Sony a7 II than just steady shooting. This petite, sexy camera fits in most bags, and packs a bunch of customizable buttons and knobs for quick access to your favorite controls. We also loved the bright, clear pictures and relatively low amount of noise graininess even at high ISO light sensitivity levels.

Thanks to effective wireless capability, you'll be able to beam your shots to your smartphone or computer within seconds. But the a7 II is still a powerful camera, and it's a lot cheaper than the new model, making it a better bargain. Read our full Sony A7 II review.

The Sony Alpha a is the successor to the older, but still great a, and brings with it such features as 5-axis in-body image stabilization, 4K video recording at 60 frames per second, and a compact but sturdy magnesium-alloy body that's protected against dust and mist. The a has the same And, the a's rated battery life of shots is double that of the a; while we still recommend you pick up a spare battery, it's good to know the a's will hold out for a lot longer.

Read our full Sony Alpha a review. It's got a great retro look with a ton of dials, but still has modern touches, such as its articulating touchscreen. The X-T30 takes fantastic pictures in a wide variety of lighting settings, and there are an abundance of settings and artistic filters to get more out of your photos.

It has a fast processor that allows you to take DCI 4K video at 30 fps. However, you're limited to minute clips, so those who plan to shoot video should check out the Sony a instead. Read our full Fujifilm X-T30 review. However, there are some compromises: The EOS RP lacks in-body image stabilization, it has a comparatively short battery life, and a slower shooting speed than other mirrorless cameras. Also, because Canon is relatively new to mirrorless cameras, there are fewer lenses available when compared to models from Sony.

The Nikon Z5 is an excellent midrange mirrorless camera with a full-frame sensor, letting you get large and luscious images. It's weather-sealed against the elements, too. The Z5 took excellent pictures in low light, thanks to in-body image stabilization and an ISO range up to Last, the 3. Read our full Nikon Z5 review. There's certainly no doubts around its image quality: it shoots stellar 24MP stills and 4K video, though the latter is limited to 30 fps.

Buy it in a kit with the similarly diminutive mm lens and you have a great option for traveling light. Read our full Sony A7C review. If street photography is your thing, then the Fujifilm X-E4 could be just what you're after. The latest entry in Fuji's excellent X series of mirrorless cameras packs a lot into a small, rangefinder-style retro body, including a 3-inch touch-screen LCD that flips out by degrees, a bright EVF and 4K video. But it's the megapixel stills that really shine here, digging up masses of detail and handling exposure and dynamic range well.

Noise is also well controlled, while Fuji's superb film simulations ensure that every shot looks just like you want it to. The relative lack of manual controls won't be to everyone's taste, and there's no built-in image stabilization, but the price is reasonable for the feature set and Fuji's ever-growing lens range offers something for every situation and budget.

Read our full Fujifilm X-E4 review. Nikon was a bit late to the mirrorless camera category, but it's making up for lost time. Following the launch of the full-frame Z6 and Z7 mirrorless cameras, Nikon introduced the Z 50, which doesn't have a full-frame sensor, but offers a solid feature set, great image quality and good performance — in a smaller form factor at a more consumer-friendly price.

The Nikon Z 50 is a great mirrorless camera for Nikon enthusiasts; we liked its build and deep, comfortable grip, as well as its sharp electronic viewfinder. Its 3. The Z 50 has intuitive controls, in-camera retouching, and good performance in low light.

However, there's no in-body image stabilization, and the single card slot only supports lower-end SD cards. Also look out soon for our review of the Nikon Z fc — a new mirrorless camera that has the same specs as the Z 50 but in an attractive retro body. Read our full Nikon Z 50 review. With its touch screen that rotates forward for selfie mode and 31 built-in image filters, the camera offers an easy upgrade from cellphone photography.

And its compact design makes the Mark IV pretty easy to carry around. But the Mark IV is not dumbed-down in any way. The bright OLED viewfinder offers a generous resolution of 2. The screen tilts up about 90 degrees and down degrees to face you when shooting selfies. It's not common in mirrorless cameras, and the capability is especially rare at this price. And, it comes in a much more compact package, weighing in at If you can live with this compromise, though, you'll be rewarded with crisp photos and fast shooting speeds.

The criteria when shopping for a mirrorless camera are pretty much the same as when you're looking for any sort of camera. Fujifilm also has an impressive lens line-up see our guide to the best Fuji lenses , with many stabilized lenses to choose from, making the lack of IBIS not really a huge issue. There are certainly more expensive full-frame mirrorless cameras that provide better still image quality, but no other camera offers such an excellent balance of still image and video quality.

At a whopping 61 megapixels, the a7R IV comes out as the highest-resolution full-frame camera on the market, mirrorless or not. This, along with its standard ISO range of makes it an excellent performer in low-light conditions, turning out low noise images even with the higher pixel count. All the other high resolution cameras have fewer than AF points, DSLRs, medium format, and mirrorless cameras alike.

It even outdoes the Sony a7 III. Despite its high resolution, the Sony a7R IV reaches up to 10fps in burst shooting. The new tracking algorithm is also quite impressive — once the autofocus locks onto a subject, it follows it everywhere. Other features include a more rugged build and better weather sealing than its predecessor, the a7R III.

The AF tracking during 4K video capture is quite impressive and the level of detail in the footage is the best in its class. There are also plenty of video capture tools, including zebra exposure warnings, focus peaking, and a variety of Log modes. One downer is that the footage is only 8-bit, but this is unsurprising considering how difficult it is for a sensor to capture high resolution and read out quickly enough to produce good video footage.

In the end, the high resolution and portability of the a7R IV make it one of the best cameras for landscapes, portraits, and weddings — anywhere you require the best image quality for print, or the ability to crop heavily and not lose quality. The extraordinary performance overall and all-around amazing-ness make it an awesome camera for just about everything else as well.

While the Z7 is more of a landscape and portraiture camera, the Z6 is — like the Sony a7 III — an impressive, more affordable all-rounder. One thing that is quite different, though, is the lens mount. Nikon ditched the old F-mount in lieu of the new Z-mount, which is designed to let in more light to the Z-series sensors. Talk about a fast lens!

Another thing that stands out in the build of the Nikon Z6 is the fantastic electronic viewfinder. The downside of this is that the 60Hz refresh rate is a bit slow, especially when shooting in burst mode. Speaking of autofocus, the Z6 keeps up with the Sony a7 III in most situations, although loses out in low light.

It also does a reasonably good job of tracking subjects, both at 5. As far as movie footage is concerned, no disappointments here. One thing of note is that Nikon opted to go with a single XQD card slot rather than dual card slots. Image quality is marginally better with the R, notably in low light, and video features are more advanced, but for the money, the RP is the best option for most photographers.

Despite being so light, the build and handling is excellent and it feels great in the hand. The front and rear dials allow you to adjust shutter and aperture settings. The other dials and settings all seem to be in the perfect place, and everything is customizable. The That undoes a bit of the low-light shooting excellence. Unlike many full-frame mirrorless cameras, the LCD screen flips fully around. Another limitation is the lens selection.

The other two options are about twice the price of the camera body. It has the same megapixel sensor and many of the same features as the awesome X-T3, but is smaller, lighter, and much less expensive. Build-wise this camera is tiny, which ups its portability factor quite a bit. For some, the ergonomics will be a deal breaker especially those with large hands , but for those needing something small and light with awesome image and video quality, the Fujifilm X-T30 will be a dead ringer.

The burst shooting is also impressive, with speeds up to 30 fps in sports mode. There is a 1. On the other hand, the 4K video quality is down-sampled from 6K and looks fantastic.