Of the four APS-C EOS R models, the EOS R7 is the most advanced, boasting a higher resolution 32.5MP sensor, faster shooting, a larger viewfinder and in-body image stabilisation.

At a glance:

• New $1,499 / £1,349 body-only
• New $1,949 / £1,799 with RF-S 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM zoom
• Used $1,349 (renewed) / £1,049 (like new used condition)
• 32.5MP APS-C sensor
• ISO 100-51,200 (extended)
• 30fps shooting
• 4K 60p video
• 2.36m-dot EVF
• 3in, 1.62m-dot vari-angle LCD

As the numbering suggests, Canon sees it as a successor to the EOS 7D Mark II APS-C DSLR, which means it’s one of the most ambitious APS-C mirrorless cameras made, going head-to-head with the likes of the Fujifilm X-T4 and Sony A6600.

The Fujifilm X-T5, however, raised the bar for APS-C sensor resolution with 40 megapixels, so the EOS R7 is no longer the highest resolution camera in this class. But still, it is one of the best Canon mirrorless cameras and becomes more appealing as the RF-S lens range continues to grow. With more lenses (or via adaptors) the R7 could also be among the best cameras for action and sports photography.

The EOS R7 is available for $1,500 / £1,350 body-only or $1,950 / £1,800 with RF-S 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM zoom, its usual ‘kit’ lens.

Features

Canon built the EOS R7 around an updated version of the 32.5MP sensor from the EOS 90D DSLR and mirrorless EOS M6 Mark II. In concert with the Digic X processor, this offers a standard ISO range of 100-32,000 that’s extendable to ISO 51,200. The R7 can shoot at 15 frames per second using the mechanical shutter – half as fast again as the EOS 90D – or 30fps using the silent electronic shutter.

Autofocus employs Canon’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF II, with each pixel split into two to enable on-sensor phase detection. There are 651/5915 selectable focus points covering the entire image area, which are claimed to work in extremely low light equating to -5EV. The EOS R7 also inherits the intelligent subject detection and tracking system from the flagship EOS R3, capable of recognising humans, animals or vehicles.

High-speed shooting

• 30fps with the electronic shutter, up to 126 JPG, 42 raw images
• 15fps with mechanical shutter, up to 224 JPEG or 51 raw images

Shutter speeds go as fast as 1/8000s using the mechanical shutter, and up to 1/16,000s using the electronic shutter.

Video recording

4K 30p recording is available for video that’s oversampled from 7K, in 4:2:0 8-bit or 4:2:2 10-bit colour (HDR PQ or C-LOG3), and with no 30-minute time limit. There’s also a 1.8x 4K crop mode that can go up to 60fps, Full HD recording at up to 120fps, and a 4K time-lapse option. Vertical recording is supported for social media use. 4K Fine (IPB) is recorded at 120Mbps, or 170Mbps with C-Log or HDR PQ on, going up to 340Mbps (4K crop, 60p). People, animals and vehicle detection and tracking auto-focus is available while recording video.

Microphone and headphone sockets are built-in, with Canon Log 3 also onboard for easier post-processing. A switch on top selects between stills and video modes, with separate settings retained for each. Canon has also used the same new hot shoe as on the EOS R3, which includes a digital audio interface and can supply power to connected devices.

More key features

• Handling: The compact body boasts a large, comfortable handgrip and a good array of physical controls
• In-body Stabilisation: 5-axis in-body stabilisation promises up to 8 stops of shake suppression, along with automatic horizon correction (which has been only previously been available on Pentax cameras)
• Dual card slots: Canon has included dual UHS-II SD card slots, allowing you to back up files to both while shooting
• Lenses: You can fit RF and RF-S lenses directly, and EF and EF-S DSLR lenses via the Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS R. However, EF-M lenses can’t be used
• Battery: The R7 uses the same LP-E6N battery as many other Canon cameras, and gives up to 770 shots (using the LCD)
• Custom modes: The mode dial offers 3 custom modes, where you can save photo and video settings

Build and handling

A rich feature set has been squeezed into a body that’s smaller and lighter than the EOS 850D DSLR, yet it boasts a large, comfortable handgrip and a good array of external controls. It employs two electronic dials for changing exposure settings, with the rear dial unusually placed around the focus area selection joystick. My initial impression is that this arrangement works well enough, although it’s not obviously better than the horizontal rear dial on other EOS R bodies.

Canon has kept the top plate uncluttered, with the mode dial and power switch joined by movie, IS and Fn buttons; the latter gives quick access to a range of secondary settings. On the front, a switch around the depth-of-field preview button selects between auto and manual focus, which is handy given that many of Canon’s more affordable RF lenses lack AF/MF switches; including RF-S optics.

Weather sealing

For viewing, you get a 2.36m-dot electronic viewfinder and a 3in, 1.62m-dot vari-angle touchscreen. Power is provided by Canon’s familiar LP-E6N battery, which promises 500 shots per charge using the viewfinder, and 770 with the LCD. Canon is promising a similar level of weather sealing to the EOS 90D, but disappointingly, neither of the RF-S lenses are similarly protected.

The menus and controls follow the same layout and design as Canon’s other cameras, and the menus and buttons will be immediately recognisable to anyone who’s used a recent Canon EOS camera – except for the rear command dial / scroll wheel. This surrounds a joystick controller, and seems an unnecessary design flare that adds little to the user experience. It can take a while to get used to this rear command wheel / dial, and we’d have much preferred a standard rear dial, and perhaps a third wheel.

Viewfinder and screen

The rear screen gives a clear, bright view of the scene and menus, although at slightly under 3 inches, it isn’t the largest around. The resolution of 1.62m dots helps make up for this. And you can turn and tilt the screen to your heart’s desire, which aids viewing of the screen even outdoors in bright sunlight. Naturally, it’s ideal for vlogging and selfies.

What about the EVF?

The electronic viewfinder is acceptable in that it does a good job of showing you what’s going on, but with a resolution of 2.36m dots and an average size (1.15x / 0.72x), it is nothing special: disappointing when compared to higher resolution EVFs found on other cameras such as the Fujifilm X-T4/X-T5. Dioptre adjustment can be found on the left, and there’s an eye-detection sensor so the camera will automatically switch between the rear screen and EVF when needed.

You can toggle the view, and a dual-axis electronic level and histogram can be viewed on the screen (and EVF). What’s shown on screen in the menus can be customised, and the Info button will toggle through the displays. A variety of grids can be selected, with all the usual options such as the “rule of thirds”. There’s an optical viewfinder simulation mode designed to give you a natural view of the scene, without additional processing; the opposite of “what you see is what you get”, which has become the norm on mirrorless cameras.

You also get the choice of a power saving mode, or a smoother display, with a faster refresh rate of 120fps. I found the standard, 60fps power saving mode, perfectly adequate.

Native RF-S lenses

Alongside the EOS R7 (and R10) Canon introduced two RF-mount lenses designed for the APS-C format. Firstly, the RF-S 18-45mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM is a compact, collapsible design that offers a 29-72mm equivalent zoom range. It is sold in a kit with the EOS R10 or on its own for $329 / £305. Meanwhile the RF-S 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM costs around $539 / £494 and offers a 29-240mm equivalent range – this is the usual ‘kit’ lens for the EOS R7. Both lenses include optical stabilisation and stepper motors for autofocus.

It has to be said that these lenses are the most disappointing part of Canon’s APS-C RF system so far. The 18-45mm may be small and light, but its focal-length range and aperture is uninspiring to say the least, especially as the firm offers an equally compact 15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 in EF-M mount. The 18-150mm looks like it should be a nice travel lens, and could make a fine match with the EOS R10. But like the 18-45mm, its 29mm equivalent wide end looks out of touch in a world where competing cameras come equipped with 24mm equivalent zooms, especially as there’s no RF-S ultrawide zoom.

Use full-frame lenses

Since the EOS R7/ EOS R10 were launched, only one more native RF-S lens has arrived – the $379 / £386 Canon RF-S 55-210mm f/5-7.1 IS STM telephoto zoom. It’s a shame that in buying a high-speed, high-performance compact camera, one is compelled to use full-frame lenses in order to have a good choice of lenses.

None of these lenses really comes close to matching the ambition of the EOS R7, so let’s hope Canon comes up with some more interesting RF-S offerings soon. For EOS R7 owners to really get the most from the camera, I’d like to see something along the lines of 15-50mm f/2.8 and 15-80mm f/4 zooms, with weather sealing and premium optics. It would also make sense for Canon to make RF-mount versions of its EF-M lenses, which could give it a shortcut to a nice APS-C line-up.

Mount adapters for the EOS R7

If you’re coming from a Canon EOS DSLR, then you’ll find there’s a range of EF-RF mount adapters available, and EF lenses perform well on the camera, albeit without the size advantage of native RF mount lenses.

Autofocus

The EOS R7 offers an impressive 5,915 AF points (manually selectable), with 100% coverage both vertically and horizontally, and 651 AF areas when on automatic selection. The camera has human, animal or vehicle tracking, and recognises dogs, cats and birds for itself. Vehicles will detect cars or motorbikes, but doesn’t mention trains or planes. Human detection will automatically detect eyes, face, heads and bodies.

Focus works in low-light down to -5EV, and an AF assist beam can be switched on/off if needed. The camera has a dedicated section for the auto-focus options, with multiple cases (4) as well as auto. The cases can be customised to preference. You can use the touch-screen to touch and drag the AF point if needed, but this can be switched off in the menus. Manual focus peaking options can be customised letting you set the peaking colour.

You can also shoot at up to 15fps with continuous AF using the mechanical shutter, or up to 30fps with the electronic shutter.

Focus performance was particularly impressive when set to tracking, with the camera successfully tracking and focusing on subjects, including humans. Fast moving subjects rarely seemed to phase the camera with shot after shot correctly focused on the subject’s face.

Performance and image quality

Dynamic range on default settings gives acceptable results in most situations, but there are times when the camera can produce images with blown highlights in JPEGs, and it can be difficult to recover these even from the raw files.

Once you switch to the HDR (multi-shot mode) or HEIF images, you suddenly realise how much dynamic range is missing from the image. If you’re used to shooting with a smartphone where every image is taken in HDR, you’ll quickly wish for more dynamic range. You can of course shoot in raw for additional dynamic range, or use the previously mentioned HDR or HEIF modes.

The HEIF file format

The camera supports HEIF images, and to shoot these, you need to switch on the HDR PQ mode, which lets you shoot a HEIF file (and raw file if raw is switched on). In-camera you can then convert this to a JPEG image, with increased dynamic range over a standard JPEG image. However, there is very little support for HEIF (.HIF) files even with the latest version of Adobe Photoshop (v23.4.1).

The shutter sound is relatively quiet, similar to other mirrorless systems I had to hand, and quieter than a full-frame Sony A7 III. Using the electronic shutter and silent option you can shoot completely silently, and this can be switched on/off in the menus.

Metering

Metering generally performs very well, with the camera giving well exposed images, which tend to give a brighter image than other brands, as is the normal case when using Canon cameras. If you’re used to Canon cameras this will be perfectly normal, but if you’re used to other camera, you can easily alter this with a turn of exposure compensation, or by using Highlight Tone Priority settings.

Auto white balance (AWB) is exceptional, with the camera producing extremely pleasing colours in a wide variety of shooting scenarios. If you wanted to be a little fussy, then you might find colours a little too neutral (rather than warm that many find pleasing) but again, this is entirely subjective, and can easily be adjusted by tweaking the “Picture Style” settings. Auto White Balance also gives the option of ‘Ambience’ priority or ‘White priority’, which will be useful for white background product shots.

In-body image stabilisation performed admirably, with the camera producing sharp photos time after time. On default settings the camera would increase the ISO speed rather than let the shutter speed drop too low, helping keep images sharp.

ISO and noise

Noise performance is particularly well controlled considering the sensor is both smaller than most other APS-C cameras (with a 1.6x crop rather than 1.5x crop), as well as a higher resolution than most other APS-C sensors. As a result, the Canon EOS R7 has some of the smallest pixels of any APS-C camera currently available, barring the Fujifilm X-T5.

The camera gives good JPEG results up to ISO 12,800, with few concerns about noise until going above this; ISO 25,600 and above are particularly noise filled. As you’d expect, using ISO 32,000 and ISO 51,200 is to be avoided.

Video

The amount of scene included in the video (the crop factor) depends on what resolution and frame rate options you go for. This also has a knock-on effect on the quality of the image, as only 4K 30fps uses a 7K image downsampled to 4K, and switching to a higher frame rate results in a cropped image. Focus performance during video recording is good, with the camera quickly and accurately focusing on the subject.

* Canon EOS R7 4K Fine 25p Sample video with 18-150mm lens at 54mm, handheld panning, with IS+DIS switched on (standard, not enhanced), IS on (DIS off), and IS switched off.

Editing the video files is a pain-free process, with video recorded at roughly 120mbps (4K Fine, 25p, IPB). You can also save custom video modes to three different custom modes found on the mode dial.

4K Fine (IPB) is recorded at 120Mbps, or 170Mbps with C-Log or HDR PQ on, going up to 340Mbps (4K crop, 60p). People, animals and vehicle detection and tracking auto-focus is available while recording video. Full HD high-speed video can be recorded at speeds up to 120fps, so for those looking for 240fps video, you’ll need to look elsewhere.

Value for money

The Canon EOS R7 is good value for money. Rivals from other brands do challenge how much: for example, compared to the cheaper Fujifilm X-T3, which offers a higher resolution electronic viewfinder and CINE video recording, although lacks IBIS (in-body image stabilisation). Another alternative is the Fujifilm X-T4, which does offer IBIS. The Fujifilm X-S10 is also another very competitively priced option, but while it does have IBIS, has no weather-sealing.

The other benefit the Fujifilm X-System, Sony E-Mount, and Micro Four Thirds systems have going for them is the vast array of lenses available, in comparison to Canon’s three RF-S lenses. Of course, you can use RF (full-frame) lenses on the EOS R7, however, this defeats the purpose of using a smaller camera system. In comparison, with the Fujifilm X-system and Micro Four Thirds system all lenses have been designed to be the optimal size for the system.

Compared to the Canon EOS 90D, the EOS R7 offers quicker continuous shooting 15/30fps vs 10fps, is smaller and lighter, with significantly more focus points, as well as more advanced focus, but cannot match the 1300-shot battery life of the EOS 90D, with 770 shot battery life (LCD) or 500 shot battery life (EVF).

In comparison to the Canon EOS 7D Mark II – which Canon replaced with the EOS R7 – the R7 again offers faster continuous shooting (15/30fps vs 10fps), a higher-resolution sensor, 4K video, built-in Wi-Fi, a touchscreen and tilting screen, as well as more advanced focus (5915 AF points vs 65). It’s clear that we’ve come a long way since the 7D Mark II was released in 2014!

Verdict

The Canon EOS R7 out-specs all of Canon’s APS-C DSLRs, plus its older EOS M-series mirrorless models. It does this in a lightweight body that handles very nicely, despite its small size. With high-speed shooting, advanced AF tracking, and good battery life, it would make for a great all-round camera, as long as you don’t mind the lack of lens choices, or are happy with using full-frame lenses on the camera.

The Canon EOS R7 does a great job of giving high-speed performance and generally high image quality. However, with the EOS R7, you’re left with the choice of just three APS-C lenses, in comparison to over 40 X-Mount lenses for the Fujifilm X system, over 22 E-Mount (APS-C) lenses for the Sony system, and over 100 Micro Four Thirds lenses for Micro Four Thirds cameras.

Limited lens choice

If you’re a Canon EOS RF system user who wants a slightly smaller camera body, high-speed shooting, and wants to use full-frame lenses with a 1.6x crop, then the Canon EOS R7 could make for an excellent second camera body. If you’re coming to the system with no existing lenses, then make sure you’re happy with the lenses on offer from Canon, as the choice really is limited, unless you use full-frame lenses.

The rear command wheel is another interesting decision, where a standard, normal command wheel would have done the job and been much less awkward to use.

It didn’t take us too long to get used to the command wheel, but with a standard rear dial, we could have picked up the camera and used it straight away, with nothing new to get the hang of. The joystick being in the centre of this dial is also another design annoyance that was avoidable.

The screen looks great, but the electronic viewfinder (EVF) feels a little like an afterthought compared to the resolution and magnification on offer in other cameras such as the Fujifilm X-T3/X-T4/X-T5. It’s not a massive issue as the EVF still looks good, and gives accurate colour and exposure information. Image quality is very good, but the best results will need the use a full-frame RF lens or EF lenses with an adapter. It’s a real shame that the only RF-S lenses are zoom lenses designed to be compact, rather than designed for optimum image quality.

In summary

In our time with the Canon EOS R7, the camera performed almost flawlessly, with great results possible; the only issue being the lack of lens choice.

Whether you’re looking for a camera for stills or video, the high-speed and high-quality output of the R7 certainly makes for an appealing camera. However, without additional dedicated lenses it could easily feel limiting.

Find more great Canon cameras in our guide to the best Canon mirrorless cameras.

Related reading:

• Canon EOS R5 review
• Canon EOS R6 Mark II review
• Canon EOS R10 full review

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Hasselblad X2D II 100C at a glance:

• $7399 / £6400 body-only
• 100MP BSI-CMOS, 43.8 x 32.9mm
• ISO 50-25,600
• 425-point AF with LiDAR assistance and continuous AF
• 3.6in tilting OLED touchscreen, 1400-nit
• 5.76m-dot EVF, 1.0x magnification

In the new Hasselblad X2D ll 100C, for example, we see some of those benefits pretty clearly, with the adoption of the LiDAR focus assistance we’ve already seen in DJI products. Stabilization is another thing DJI is very well known for, and this new camera claims to offer a massive 10-stops of it.

What’s new?

On the face of it the X2D II 100C isn’t a dramatic overhaul of the previous model, the Hasselblad X2D 100C. We still have a 100MP sensor that measures 43.8×32.9mm in a body that is much the same shape and style as before. The 5.76-million-dot electronic viewfinder is the same, and we still get no video options despite Hasselblad’s main competitor in this area, Fujifilm, offering us extensive and sophisticated movie-making features. However, there are also a lot of incremental improvements that have the potential to make a big difference.

It might seem strange to laud the inclusion of a continuous autofocusing feature in 2025, but this is actually the first time the Hasselblad X system has had one – so that is a big step forward. We get subject detection too – something that X2D users were promised as a firmware update in 2022.

As before, the camera uses contrast and phase detection for its autofocusing, but now we have the addition of LiDAR distance measuring too. Hasselblad hasn’t said in which circumstances the LiDAR system will be used, or how the three methods will work together. We have a new AF-illuminator light too, that will help in dim conditions, and the phase detection system now has 425 points instead of just 294 – but we haven’t been told how these are distributed across the frame or what area they cover.

Another significant improvement should come in the form of an in-body image stabilisation system that promises 10 stops shake reduction beyond the shutter speed that would usually be safe for the focal length of the lens in use. The previous camera had a 7-stop IS system, and Fujifilm cameras can manage 8 stops, so this is quite a development. In theory this means we can use a 500mm lens at 2 seconds with no camera shake visible in the images, or a 50mm lens at 16 seconds – testing it will be interesting!

End-to-end HDR Colour

Hasselblad has been proud of its Hasselblad Natural Colour Solution (HNCS) for some time, but now we have what the company is calling end-to-end HDR colour. The camera is now capable of recording images in the HEIF format as well as JPEG and Hasselblad’s 3FR raw format. Each format is able to record in HDR, and the wider HDR DCI-P3 colour gamut will be visible on the new 1400nit rear screen.

We are told we’ll get an extra three stops of dynamic range with these HDR formats for JPEG and HEIF files, and a possible extra four stops when shooting in raw. The company’s free Phocus software is needed to view and edit HDR HEIF files, while Photoshop and Lightroom can cope with HDR raw and JPEG files. For HDR on the Phocus Mobile app, you’ll need an iPhone or iPad running iOS 18 or later.

Revised controls

We have a few new control points on the body, including a ‘5D’ joystick for AF point control and menu navigation, as well as an additional custom button on the rear of the body. The front finger wheel, below the shutter button, is now also a custom button, as it can be pressed in to activate a function of your choice. Including the function button on many XCD lenses, Hasselblad X2D II 100C users will have 8 buttons they can tailor to their own preferences.

Pricing

At $7399 / £6400 body-only, the X2D II 100C is a remarkable $800 / £969 less than the list price of the original X2D when it came out in 2022 – and indeed its current price. This also places the price of the Hasselblad X2D II between the Fujifilm GFX100 II and GFX100S II bodies, which is a bit of an interesting shift in the market.

Look out for our full test of the Hasselblad X2D ll 100C, coming soon.

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The post Hasselblad X2D II 100C first impressions – big tech updates appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

The Olympus PEN E-P7 is one of OM-Systems more stylish Olympus cameras, and offers something for those who love classic styling, as well as high image quality. Joshua Waller reviews this camera to find out how it performs.

Olympus PEN E-P7: At a glance

• $800* / £640 body only, £830 with 14-42mm lens
• 20.3MP Four Thirds Live MOS Sensor
• ISO 100 – ISO25600 (extended)
• Up to 15fps with electronic shutter
• 3inch 1037K-dot, tilting touchscreen
• 4K UHD 30,25,24fps video recording
• 5-axis in-body stabilisation

* difficult to source in the US at the time of publication.

The Olympus PEN E-P7 was the first Micro Four Thirds camera from OM Digital Solutions back in 2021. While not quite the update to the PEN F people were waiting for, it inherited the colour control dial from that model, and many features that make it a good step up from the Olympus PEN “Lite” series.

The E-P7 offers a 20mp Four Thirds sensor, 4K video recording, a wealth of manual and advanced shooting modes, a tilting 3inch touchscreen that can also be used as a selfie screen, plus a new colour/monochrome profile switch on the front. All in a compact and relatively light weight camera body, weighing in at 337g body only.

Olympus PEN E-P7 Features

The Olympus PEN E-P7 features a 20.3MP Four Thirds “Live MOS” sensor, as found in the more premium Olympus PEN-F, and the OM-D E-M10 IV. The camera offers an ISO range from ISO100 (Low) up to ISO25600.

Like other OM-System cameras, in-body image stabilisation (IBIS) comes as standard, a feature that moves the sensor along 5-axis to combat camera shake at slow shutter speeds, giving up to 4.5 stops of compensation. This means you can get a sharp shot in low-light, while previously you’d have to boost your ISO speed, or use a brighter lens. This also works for all lenses attached to the camera, even legacy or manual focus lenses.

Using the Micro Four Thirds lens mount, which has been around since 2008, there is the widest choice of lenses available for any mirrorless camera system, with lenses available from Olympus, Panasonic, Sigma, Tamron, Samyang, and many more. And that’s without the need of an adapter. Of course, if you do want to use a lens with a different lens mount, then you’ll find a vast array of adapters available.

Beginners will find the Olympus PEN E-P7 easy to use, as you can simply leave the camera in the Auto modes and use it as a point and shoot, with easy to use on-screen controls. Venture beyond this and you’ll find that the camera features full manual controls, as well as a variety of advanced shooting modes not found on many other cameras.

Advanced Photo Mode – The advanced photo mode has a range of useful features, along with an introduction letting you know what each mode does, making it easier to use. Of these the Live Composite and Live Bulb modes remain impressive, letting you see your exposure develop in real time on the screen as you take the photograph. Fans of light-painting will find the Olympus (and Panasonic) Live composite features simply game-changing if never experienced before.

Despite this being almost an “entry-level” model in the Olympus range, you can create exposures up to 30 minutes – once you’ve extended the 8min limit in the menus. There is also HDR, multiple exposure, Keystone correction, AE and Focus bracketing available.

The camera offers 8.7fps continuous shooting when using the mechanical shutter, and up to 15fps when using the electronic shutter with fixed focus, at the full 20MP resolution. This drops down to 5fps when using the camera’s image stabilisation system, or when using continuous AF.

The maximum shutter speed available using the mechanical shutter is 1/4000s, but switch on the silent shooting mode shown with a tiny heart symbol next to the drive mode, and you can shoot at shutter speeds up to 1/16,000s. This is great for shooting with a bright lens in sunny conditions, or working discreetly. The Olympus PEN E-P5 and PEN-F both offer mechanical shutter speeds up to 1/8000s.

As you would expect, the E-P7 has built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, letting you connect it to your smartphone or tablet, and remotely control it as well as transfer images. The Olympus IO. Share app works well, and connecting is made easier with first time setup using “Easy setup” and scanning a QR code displayed on the camera’s screen. There are also quick links to the camera’s manual should you need it.

Olympus Art filters are available with 16 different filters to choose from, each one has additional presets and options that can be customised, including a range of effects that can be applied on top of the art filter, including soft focus, pin hole, white vignette, frames, blur, and shade.

One of the newer Art Filters is an Instant Film filter, and there are other film effects including Grainy Film I and II. You’ll find that the monochrome art filters let you add a Yellow, Orange, Red or Green filter, like you would when shooting with a black and white film camera.

In addition to this is a new front colour/monochrome profile switch, giving access to four monochrome profiles, as well as four colour profiles.

The monochrome profiles let you customise the colour filter with greater control than the Art Filters, as well as adjust the vignette with both dark and bright shading options (and every step in between), as well as the highlight, midtone, and shadow tone (+/-7 steps). You can adjust the Highlight and Shadow control in other shooting modes, however these profiles give you slightly quicker access to the settings, and with 4 different profiles available you can customise each to your personal taste.

Outside of the main filter settings, the super control panel contains two additional settings available when in this Mono filter, with options to add a Film Grain effect (Off, Low, Medium and High), as well as tone options including Sepia, Blue/Purple/Green tone.

The colour profile lets you customise the colour saturation for all or individual colours, using an intuitive colour wheel, which can easily be adjusted using the front and rear command dials, or even the touchscreen if you’ve got small enough fingers. You’ll also find vignetting options, and highlight and shadow control, as per the monochrome mode.

As with the Art Filters, you can shoot JPEG and raw, so that if you don’t like any of the effects created you can always return to the raw file and re-process the image to restore the original.

Focal Points

• USB charging – the BLS-50 battery is shared with other Olympus cameras, rated for 360 shots per charge, and can be charged in camera.
• Metal dials – the top dials are all made from knurled metal and with dual command dials you can easily change settings
• Flash – a tiny built-in flash pops up from the left, and has a rating of 7.6 GN (at ISO200)
• Mono/Colour Profile switch – The new front mono/colour profile switch gives you quick access to four mono profiles and four colour profiles that you can customise
• Shortcut button –- There’s a top shortcut button that brings up the onscreen menu tailored to each shooting mode
• Custom buttons – you can customise the video recording button, and on the back the AEL/AFL button

Olympus PEN E-P7 Build and Handling

If you’re used to an Olympus PEN or OM-D camera with a metal body such as the E-P5, PEN-F, EM-5 II, or EM-1 series, then you may be disappointed upon picking up the E-P7, as the camera body is mostly made of plastic.

Build quality could be better, for example, if you squeeze the camera a little too hard then there is a noticeable creak, and you can see the bottom around the battery compartment flex, so I’d probably recommend you avoid squeezing it.

However, one area that does feel very good to the hand is the top controls, dials, and switches. The metal mode dial feels reassuringly solid, and it’s unlikely that you’ll accidentally turn it. There are two command dials, which makes changing the shutter and aperture speeds easy should you be in manual mode, and the on/off switch is also solid, neatly placed where your thumb can easily reach it, with a quality feel when used.

Whilst the camera does give front and rear command dials, giving great control over camera settings, the buttons on the back can seem a little small. The 4-way controller can also take a while to get used to, and I found I accidentally hit the wrong button at times.

Other areas of the camera are also made of metal where needed, for example the hinge mechanism for the tilting screen, the pop-up flash, the lens mount, and the tripod socket, which is also a good distance from the battery compartment.

Disappointingly, there are areas where I’d like there to be more grip; the thumb grip on the rear is made from a tough, hard plastic that’s also rather smooth. There’s a faux leather covering on the camera on most surfaces that your hands meet, and a raised area on the front of the camera gives a good grip point.

The BLS-50 Lithium-ion battery is charged in-camera, with the provided Micro-USB cable and USB charger, or you can plug the USB cable into a computer. There is no dedicated battery charger, but these can be picked up relatively cheaply. Backwards compatibility is something worth mentioning, as the E-P7 will accept the same battery as the original Olympus PEN E-P1 from 2009.

Some parts of the camera’s graphical user interface are extremely user friendly. For example, switch into the Advanced Photo, Art, Video, or Scene modes, and you’ll be presented with the different shooting options and what they do, and you can easily select from these using the touchscreen. Once in the mode selected, you can then use the touchscreen to go back to the selection screen with an on-screen button that is found in the bottom left corner.

In most modes there is also a super control panel where you can quickly access camera settings by pressing the OK button, or top shortcut button – but if you must enter the cameras menus, then you can easily get lost or struggle to find settings, as there is no colour coding.

For example, I wanted to adjust the microphone settings to switch on a wind filter, and instead of this being an option that I could easily find (most cameras list this separately somewhere), it was inside the mic options, which includes (On, on with wind filter, and off).

Olympus PEN E-P7 Screen

The 3.0inch 1037k dot tilting touchscreen looks good, with a gapless design, and great colour reproduction, but the design isn’t as svelte or as flush to the camera body as some models, such as the Fujifilm X100V, or Olympus PEN E-P5. You’ll find plenty of detail available on the screen when shooting, including a dual-axis spirit level, and this can be toggled through using the INFO button.

Whilst the camera’s screen can be tilted down enough to become a forward facing “selfie” screen, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this camera as particularly suited to vlogging as any tripod, monopod or selfie stick is going to block your view of the screen.

Olympus PEN E-P7 Autofocus

The camera has 121 AF points and uses a contrast-detection AF system. Focus is relatively quick and rapid, locking onto subjects quickly. You’ll also benefit from face and eye-detection AF, something that Olympus cameras have featured since the Olympus OM-D E-M5 released in 2012, so it’s no surprise that this works extremely well. Unfortunately, this hasn’t been updated to include animal face detection.

There are options for Single AF, Continuous AF, Manual Focus, Single-AF with MF, as well as C-AF with AF tracking. You can enable an enlarged view, with up to 14x magnification available, as well as focus peaking to assist with manual focus. To use continuous AF when using continuous shooting, you’ll need to select the Low shooting speed option.

Olympus PEN E-P7 Performance

With the 14-42mm pancake zoom lens, you have to wait a little longer for the camera to switch on while the lens extends from its collapsed position. However, with a standard lens, the switch on time is quick, and the camera responds quickly to any changes made to settings.

You can use the touchscreen to set the focus point, or use it to take photos as soon as you touch an area of the screen – or you can switch these features off. The focus point can be set to a fairly wide area of the screen, but surprisingly the camera doesn’t let you set the focus point to the edges or corners of the frame, despite the camera using contrast detection focus.

The shutter sound is quite noticeable, and it’s definitely not one of the quietest cameras available. However, this can be resolved by switching to the electronic shutter.

The camera has built-in 5-axis image stabilisation or IBIS (In-body Image Stabilisation) which promises to give up to 4.5 EV steps of image stabilisation. Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite match the level of stabilisation as the Olympus OM-D E-M5 III and E-M1 III, which offer up to 6.5 – 7.5 EV steps (E-M5 III / E-M1 III respectively). It also doesn’t benefit from the High-res multi-shot modes that these cameras offer, so if you’re looking for higher resolution results, then you won’t find it on the E-P7.

Metering is extremely reliable, with little need for exposure compensation. You’ll also find the level of dynamic range captured in JPEG images is generally good, only struggling at times when your scene has high levels of contrast.

In the Advanced Photo Modes you can find an HDR mode if you wish to capture additional dynamic range, or you can also use the raw files for processing in programs like Photoshop, or in-camera with the built-in raw editor.

About raw editing, in most circumstances you shouldn’t need to edit raw images, as the camera produces excellent JPEG images straight from the camera, with both pleasing colour, and good levels of detail and sharpness, particularly when using a prime lens. If you’re not an expert in raw editing, then you can easily find yourself processing a raw image, and afterwards finding you prefer the original JPEG image produced by the camera.

Colour reproduction on the default “Natural” setting is pleasing with good levels of saturation, without being overpowering. Depending on your own personal tastes you may want to use the Vivid colour setting, or alternatively you can customise each Picture mode in the advanced menus, with options to adjust the sharpness, contrast, saturation, and gradation. Auto White Balance plays a big part in the camera producing good colour output, and can be trusted in most lighting conditions. You’ll even find the option to “Keep Warm Colour” which gives pleasing portraits and warmer results, but for improved product shots on a white background you can switch this off.

The built-in image stabilisation works very well, so much so that you barely need to think about it, letting you continue shooting even in lower light conditions that would normally require a tripod. This also gives you the benefit of being able to use lower ISO speeds.

The Olympus 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 EZ kit lens gives good results, and stopped down can give some very sharp images, although as expected sharpness does tend to drop off towards the corners of the frame, where optical distortion is being automatically corrected in camera. With the compact size of 23mm when collapsed, it makes the E-P7 a compact, go-anywhere camera, that easily fits into coat pockets.

Video Performance

The camera offers 4K UHD video recording at 30,25, or 24fps, and Full HD video recording at up to 60fps. With 5-axis in-body image stabilisation (IBIS) the camera can help you create good looking video footage even when recording handheld.

There are options for the microphone including on/off, or on with wind reduction, and the mic level can be adjusted (+/- 10). The microphone level is displayed on screen when recording, but there is no microphone socket.

Digital IS (Image Stabilisation) is on by default and part of the IS settings, so that you have options of M-IS 1 (IBIS and Digital), M-IS 2 (IBIS only), and IS Off.

In 4K mode you can adjust the frame rate, but not the bit rate, in Full HD you can adjust both with options of Super Fine, Fine, and Normal, however the camera does not tell you what the bit rate is.

Video quality is very good, with plenty of detail, and a useful image stabilisation system that produces steady video even when panning the camera handheld. The only thing to be aware of is wind noise. The focus system is also unlikely to match the best cameras out there for video due to the lack of phase detection AF.

Continuous autofocus was left switched on for this sample video, and at times the focus can be seen to wobble, but remains focused on the area of interest.

ISO and Noise

You’ll find an ISO range of ISO200 to ISO25600 available, with an additional LOW ISO speed of ISO100 available, albeit with a reduced dynamic range when using the lowest setting. Noise options let you choose between Off, Low, Standard, and High, with the default being Standard.

When shooting JPEG images, the default settings give good results, with usable images up to ISO3200 / ISO6400, however, there is quite strong noise reduction which reduces fine detail. For those looking for a little more detail, then the Low filter option is a good setting to use, albeit with a slight increase is noise visible in JPEG images.

Olympus PEN E-P7 Verdict

Available in silver and black, or silver and white, we found the white version not to our tastes, and combined with the plastic build quality, the camera didn’t particularly live up to our expectations for an Olympus PEN E-P camera, as both the Olympus PEN F and Olympus PEN E-P5 are of a more solid premium build quality.

One of the nearest competitors to the E-P7 is the 26MP Fujifilm X-E4, available for £759 body only, which feels like a more premium model, with a built-in electronic viewfinder, a flush LCD screen on the back, as well as metal top and bottom plates. Not that the X-E4 is the perfect camera, lacking a rear control dial, and IBIS. But put the two cameras side by side, and you’ll find the X-E4 feels like a £700-800 camera, whereas the E-P7 does not.

Despite pleasing image quality, and good controls, the camera is let down by build-quality that feels far more budget than premium, and when you can buy the Olympus OM-D E-M10 IV ($600 / £649 body only or $800 / £749 with 14-42mm lens), with built-in electronic viewfinder (EVF) for less than the E-P7, we’re left wondering who would buy the E-P7 at its current price? If the price drops over time, or there’s a great offer available, then the Olympus PEN E-P7 could make a good entry into the Micro Four Thirds world, particularly for those that don’t need or want an EVF.

Combined with the 14-42mm EZ pancake lens, the E-P7 is a compact, go-anywhere camera, that produces some great looking images, but the price is hard to swallow.

For more options, have a look at the best mirrorless cameras, or find more great Olympus cameras in our guide to the best Olympus cameras.

Olympus PEN E-P7 Full Specifications

The post Olympus PEN E-P7 review – good looks with images to match appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

When Sony launched its original Alpha 1 at the start of 2021, it offered an unprecedented combination of resolution and speed. This was a camera that could shoot 50MP images at 30 frames per second and record 8K 30p video. Then the firm transplanted these features, along with all its latest technologies, into a hugely upgraded body design borrowed from last year’s sports focused A9 III. The resultant Sony Alpha A1 II is, without doubt, the best Sony camera yet.

Sony Alpha A1 II at a glance:

• $6,998 / £6,300 body-only
• 50MP full-frame stacked-CMOS sensor
• 30 frames per second shooting
• 8K 30p, 4K 120p video recording
• 5-axis in-body stabilisation: 8.5-stop centre, 7.0-stop edge
• 9.44m-dot, 0.9x, 120fps OLED viewfinder
• 3.2in, 2.1m-dot 4-axis multi-angle LCD

When the original Sony Alpha 1 first appeared, it felt like a ground-breaking camera: the first of its type to work convincingly for any kind of shooting, in stills and video. But the market has moved on since then, and its successor has a couple of very impressive rivals in the Nikon Z8 and Canon EOS R5 Mark II. Both can do essentially all the same things, but for a lot less money than the $7,000 / £6,300 Sony wants for the A1 II.

Of course, the A1 II gains some new tricks of its own, although none that clearly sets it apart from its rivals. Sony has finally added an Auto mode for its subject detection system, plus a Pre-capture option for burst shooting. Both Canon and Nikon offer these features, too. So the question is, does the Sony A1 II jump back to the top of its class, or has it now been overtaken by its competitors?

Features

In terms of its core photographic features, the A1 II offers much the same as the A1 did. It’s built around the same 50MP full-frame stacked CMOS sensor which offers a sensitivity range of ISO 100-32,000 as standard, with extended ISO 50-102,400 options also available. The mechanical shutter maxes out at 1/8000sec, while the electronic shutter extends this even further to 1/32,000sec, and you get a very useful 1/400sec flash sync, too. That stacked sensor means you don’t have to worry too much about rolling shutter distortion.

For shooting bursts, you get 10 frames per second using the mechanical shutter and an impressive 30fps with the electronic shutter. Both come with continuous autofocus and subject tracking while shooting full-resolution raw. Sony promises a buffer of at least 80 frames for uncompressed raw and JPEGs together, rising to 240 frames with compressed raw.

When it comes to video, alongside the headline 8K recording at 30fps, you also get 4K 120fps with a 1.1x crop, and 4K at 60fps from the full sensor width. Along with Sony’s standard S-Log 3 and S-Cinetone options, the camera can store 16 LUTs for custom colour output. Subject detection AF is available during video recording.

Some may be disappointed that there’s no headline speed or resolution update over the A1 here. But this is typical of how Sony operates: it tends to use the same sensor for two generations of camera, with much the same core specs, and update everything else in between. And let’s be clear, these numbers are still entirely competitive with the Nikon Z8 and Canon EOS R5 Mark II.

However, what we do get on the A1 II are all the features Sony has introduced over the past four years. Foremost among these is the addition of Sony’s AI processor, which brings a significant boost to the camera’s autofocus capabilities. It also promises improved exposure, colour, and auto white balance.

In a long-overdue move, Sony has finally brought its subject detection system up to date, with a new Auto mode that recognises the subject type automatically, rather than needing it set in advance. Otherwise, the subject detection is the same as on the A9 III, being able to distinguish humans, animals, birds, cars, trains, airplanes, and insects on sight. Sony is promising a 30% – 50% improvement in subject detection performance over the original A1, thanks to the AI processor.

There are some other welcome updates to the autofocus, too. The system boasts 759 selectable focus points, with 92% frame coverage and the ability to operate in low light of -4 EV. New XS and XL focus area sizes are available, plus the option to set three custom focus areas with user-specified heights and widths.

The A1 II also gains Sony’s best-ever in-body image stabilisation. It’s rated for 8.5 stops of shake reduction in the centre of the image, and 7.0 stops at the edge, compared to 5 stops for the original A1. There are updates for video stabilisation too, with both Active Mode IS and Framing Stabiliser IS on board.

Sony has included various multi-shot modes, promising increased resolution or decreased noise. Unfortunately, these don’t produce composite files in-camera, but require processing on a computer in Sony’s Imaging Edge software. They’re probably best seen as niche options for special situations, and arguably exist more for marketing purposes than real-world use. 

More usefully, though, you don’t have to shoot huge 50MP files all the time. Instead, you can record both raw and JPEG files at reduced resolutions of 21MP or 12MP. You can also switch to a 21MP APS-C crop mode, which can be especially useful for sports and wildlife shooters.   

Pro-spec connectivity is built-in, including 2.4GHz / 5GHz Wi-Fi, Superspeed (10Gbps) USB 3.2, and 2.5Gbps wired LAN. Neither of its main competitors have an ethernet port built-in, which for pro sports shooters, may look like a clear advantage for the A1 II at first sight. But you can add one to the EOS R5 Mark II via a vertical grip, or with the Nikon Z8, simply plug an ethernet adapter into one of its two USB-C ports.

The A1 II does gain one small but welcome design update compared to the A9 III. Open the port covers, and you’ll find that the HDMI connector has swapped positions with Sony’s multi-connector socket. This is more convenient both for photographers plugging in a remote release, and videographers setting up a rig.

Sony Alpha A1 II: key features

• Viewfinder eyecup: While the camera comes fitted with a standard eyecup, a new, deeper, soft silicone option is also included in the box.
• Power: Sony’s standard FZ100 battery is notionally rated for 420 frames with the EVF and 520 with the LCD, but you can get many more shots than that when shooting bursts. It can be charged via USB-C, and a high quality USB-C dual battery charger comes as standard.
• Vertical grip: The A1 II is compatible with the same VG-C5 vertical grip that was introduced with the A9 III. It holds two batteries and boasts a full set of duplicate controls for vertical shooting.
• Connectors: On the side, there’s a comprehensive set of ports: microphone, headphone, USB-C, full-size HDMI, RJ 45 ethernet, Sony micro-USB multi-connector, and a PC flash sync socket.
• File storage: There are two card slots, each of which can accept either UHS-II SDs, or the faster CFexpress Type A media. The camera can’t record directly to SSD, though.
• Multi-interface shoe: Sony’s multi-interface (MI) hot shoe accepts both flash units, and Sony’s own microphones without needing a cable.

Build and Handling

To all intents and purposes, the Sony Alpha A1 II uses the same body design as the sports-focused Sony A9 III. This makes for a very similar control layout to the original A1, including all the same buttons and dials in the same places. But the new version also gains the various updates and refinements Sony has introduced in the meantime.

Most obviously, the body is wider and boasts a much-improved handgrip, with more space between the grip and mount. This means it handles much better with the large lenses that are likely to be used on this kind of camera.  It’s also much easier to use when you’re wearing gloves in cold weather. However, the flipside is that it no longer has such a clear size advantage over its competitors. At 136 x 97 x 83 mm and 743g, it’s essentially the same size as the Canon EOS R5 Mark II (however, the Nikon Z8 is noticeably bulkier).

Elsewhere, the exposure compensation dial is now unmarked and rotates freely, so it can be re-allocated to other settings. A separate switch beneath the exposure mode dial selects between still, video, and S&Q (slow and quick motion) shooting. There’s also a new C5 button on the front that’s set to engage speed boost during continuous shooting. You get a much more flexible 4-axis multi-angle screen, too.

No fewer than four electronic dials are onboard for changing exposure settings – that’s not even counting the aperture ring that’s found on most recent Sony lenses. There’s a conventional mode dial on top (which is unusual for a camera of this type), which has three custom positions alongside the familiar PASM modes. A switch underneath selects between stills, video, and quick/slow motion. On the top left, you get physical dials for selecting focus and drive modes, each with a locking button to prevent accidental operation.

A large AF-ON button is placed above the AF-area selector joystick, and you can customise it to activate tracking too, which I find really useful. Meanwhile the video button is tucked away next to the viewfinder. All the controls are highly customisable, so you should be able to get the camera working to suit your work.

One point worth considering, though, is that those AF and drive mode switches complicate using custom modes to switch quickly between camera setups. You always have to ensure those switches are set correctly, too. In contrast, on the EOS R5 Mark II in particular you can quickly change the entire camera setup by engaging a custom mode.

Sony’s menu system is still as huge and incomprehensible as always, with fully 64 pages of options. It also includes some horrible abbreviations that are impossible to parse (Cnt Sht Spd Bst Settings, anyone?). It’s in serious need of simplification and, as with all cameras, would benefit greatly from some kind of search function. It’s worth compiling options you may wish to change into the customisable My Menu. Thankfully this is an unusually straightforward process – just press the delete key when you have a menu option selected. 

Overall, though, the A1 II still just slightly lacks the sheer refinement that comes from Nikon and Canon’s decades of working with professional photographers. I tested it immediately after reviewing the EOS R5 Mark II, and it’s noticeable how many small quality-of-life design details favour that camera. For example, its lens release button is much larger, making it easier to swap lenses in a hurry, and Canon includes a dedicated button for rating images in playback. These are little things, but they do make your life easier.

Viewfinder and screen

The Sony Alpha A1 II, though, is indisputably class-leading with its viewfinder. Large and detailed, with a 9.4m-dot OLED panel and 0.9x magnification, it is also free of any blackout during continuous shooting. Sony now even includes a second eyecup in the box, which is much deeper and made of a soft silicone material to block stray light better. It’s a real improvement and I’d be inclined to use it all the time.

The A1 II also incorporates the same excellent screen design as the A9 III and A7R V. It’s a 3.2in, 2.1m-dot LCD that combines both tilting and side-hinged articulation mechanisms. This gives the best of both worlds – you can point the screen in almost any direction you like shooting at awkward angles, while still having it tilt up and down behind the camera for waist-level or overhead shooting.

Sony previews colour, exposure and depth-of-field by default, which means you get a very good idea of how your images are going to turn out. A comprehensive array of viewing aids is available, too. You can display a small live histogram and electronic levels, although annoyingly, not at the same time. But there’s no option to get the viewfinder to emulate an optical finder, which both Canon and Nikon offer.

Autofocus

With its stacked CMOS sensor and AI processor, it almost goes without saying that the Sony Alpha A1 II’s autofocus is exceptional. With static subjects, it focuses instantly, silently, and perfectly accurately, no matter where the subject is within the frame. With moving subjects, it’ll lock on and follow them reliably.

ILCE-1M2 · f/8 · 1/200s · 35mm · ISO200

Click on any sample image to see the full-resolution version

Sony’s subject recognition is as near-magical as ever, at least when using the pre-set subject modes. It understands people, animals, birds, insects, cars, trains and airplanes, and has no problem with keeping track of even small, erratic subject such as birds in flight. It doesn’t necessarily need Sony’s own lenses, either; I used the affordable Sigma 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS and still got a high hit-rate. But while this kind of autofocus felt ground-breaking on the original A1, now it almost seems unremarkable – the other cameras at this level have caught up, too.

While Sony’s new Auto option generally works well, in my experience it gave a surprising number of false positives. For example, it confidently drew subject detection boxes around such things as Tower Bridge or an oak tree. With the latter, I established that the camera thought it was an insect, which suggests the system has no sense of scale.    

ILCE-1M2 · f/6.3 · 1/2000s · 383.4mm · ISO8000

In a way, this is just quibbling; the camera still focused on the subject I wanted it to, and you can always turn subject detection off when you don’t need it. You can also disable certain subject types in Auto mode, which can help narrow down the camera’s attention onto the things you want to shoot. But then again, you don’t need to do this with Canon and Nikon’s subject detection systems, because they’re not so over-complicated in the first place and have simpler, more sensible options. 

Performance

As we’d expect from a top-of-the-line professional camera, the Sony Alpha A1 II performs superbly while shooting. It’s ready to shoot the moment you flick the power switch and responds instantly to all inputs. The mechanical shutter is nice and quiet, too, firing with just a soft, unobtrusive clunk. If you want the camera to operate completely silently, you can switch to the electronic shutter with minimal image-quality penalty.

ILCE-1M2 · f/8 · 1/80s · 44mm · ISO100

There’s nothing to complain about regarding battery life. Sony specifies 420 shots per charge using the viewfinder, but this is using the CIPA standard test, which is representative of taking single shots at a time. However, this is a camera where you’ll probably spend just as much time in burst mode. In this kind of mixed scenario with single frames and bursts, I got as many as 900 shots per charge. Replacement FZ100 batteries are easy to find and reasonably affordable, too.   

Continuous shooting performance is, of course, remarkable. Even if you use a UHS-II SD card, and shoot full-resolution raw and Fine JPEG files together, the camera will happily deliver bursts of over 100 frames at 30fps before pausing or slowing down. Switch to a CFexpress Type A card, and it’ll fire off about 150 frames at 30fps, before first throttling back to 15fps for another 50-odd frames, and then settling down to 10fps indefinitely (i.e. until you run out of card space, battery power, or motivation).

ILCE-1M2 · f/6.3 · 1/2000s · 400mm · ISO1250

Of course, few people want, or need to shoot this fast for this long. Aside from anything else, sorting through all the files is a nightmare. But at times, the capability can be genuinely useful.

I was lucky enough to get to shoot a Premier League football match between Manchester City and Nottingham Forest, courtesy of Sony UK. Here, the A1 II’s combination of speed and resolution allowed me to experiment with shooting wide – sometimes extremely wide – and cropping heavily after the event. You can see this in the example below.

This is a 100% crop showing Kevin de Bruyne scoring on a rare good night for the club during a spell of poor form. It’s not super-sharp, but let’s zoom out a bit and show more context…

This crop shows a rather wider view of the action, and actually looks decently sharp. But it’s still only 4MP. Let’s see what the full image looks like…

ILCE-1M2 · f/4 · 1/200s · 18mm · ISO1000

That’s right, this image was shot at 18mm to cover the entire pitch, using the Sony FE 16-35mm F4 ZA lens wide open at f/4. The 100% crop is a little blurry as the shutter speed is probably a bit too slow. Obviously this isn’t how you’d shoot sports most of the time, but it still illustrates the sensor’s huge cropping potential.

In the less glamorous surroundings of my local park, I was also able to record precise moments of action, such as with birds squabbling or touching down on water. In short, the A1 II helps you capture exactly the moment you want with relative ease, and with lots of leeway for cropping. For sports and wildlife photographers, this can be invaluable. Here’s another example, this time shot slightly more conventionally with the FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM II lens.

ILCE-1M2 · f/2.8 · 1/500s · 80mm · ISO800

To get the best performance, though, you need to shoot in Sony’s compressed raw format. However, this comes with a risk of posterization in very dark tones, so it’s better to use uncompressed raw whenever you might encounter extreme dynamic range, such as for landscapes.

Thankfully, you can set up custom modes so they record different raw file types, and even use different memory card slots. So you could have a sports/action mode sending compressed raws to CFexpress, and a studio/landscape mode that records uncompressed raw to SD when you don’t need the same speed.

ILCE-1M2 · f/2 · 1/13s · 34mm · ISO400

In-body image stabilisation is crucial with this kind of camera, as it helps you to get the most from that high-resolution sensor without having to worry too much about keeping shutter speeds high to counter camera shake. Here, the A1 II’s IBIS system is very capable indeed. Using the superb FE 28-70mm F2 GM lens, I was able to get consistently sharp images hand-held at shutter speeds in the vicinity of a second.

Given somewhere to rest my elbows, I could get entirely usable results with even longer exposure times around 2.5 seconds. This allows you to shoot such things as night-time cityscapes without necessarily needing a tripod.

ILCE-1M2 · f/5.6 · 1/0s · 55mm · ISO100

If you are prepared to carry around a tripod, you’ll find that Sony’s multi-shot modes work pretty well – technically at least. The 16-shot, 200MP pixel-shift mode delivers genuinely higher levels of detail, with minimal processing artefacts and the ability to suppress ghosting from objects that move between frames.

The problem, though, is that the files take up a massive amount of card space, and annoyingly, you have to manually identify each set for processing in Sony’s Imaging Edge Desktop software (unlike Fujifilm’s software, it’s not smart enough to find them for you within a folder of images). So while these modes can sometimes genuinely be useful in some studio still-life situations, but they’re impractical for most shooting.

ILCE-1M2 · f/11 · 1/80s · 400mm · ISO100

As with the A9 III, I was generally very impressed by Sony’s metering and white balance. On the whole, the camera does a great job of protecting highlight detail from blowing out and losing detail irretrievably. Likewise, the auto white balance system gives a reliable starting point for getting your colour right, with very few of the colour casts that used to bedevil older Sony models.

Sony’s default colour profile is tuned very much for accuracy rather than attractiveness. But it doesn’t quite have the punch and impact of some other brands’ colour modes. It’s pleasant enough, and the camera is capable of producing perfectly acceptable JPEG output, especially for portraits where overblown colour is a bad thing.

ILCE-1M2 · f/2 · 1/250s · 70mm · ISO200

Like other recent Sony cameras, there’s a set of ‘Creative Looks’ onboard, but they’re labelled only by incomprehensible two-letter abbreviations. Ironically the firm is quite happy to tell you what these all stand for in the Imaging Edge Desktop software, just not on the camera itself. They give some interesting alternative options to play with, but I don’t find them especially compelling.   

With the camera using essentially the same sensor as the original A1, image quality is unsurprisingly very similar. Which is to say, more than good enough for almost any purpose. That 50MP sensor is capable of delivering a huge amount of detail when paired with Sony’s G-master lenses – I mainly used the A1 II with the remarkable FE 28-70mm F2 GM that was announced alongside it, and the results were truly exceptional.

ILCE-1M2 · f/2 · 1/3s · 39mm · ISO100

High-ISO noise is also kept well under control, with the camera delivering entirely usable images up to ISO 25,600 at least, even without resorting to AI noise reduction in raw processing. This is complemented by substantial dynamic range, especially at lower ISO settings. Using Adobe Camera Raw, it’s possible to extract four or five stops of additional shadow detail without noise being a significant problem.

This isn’t quite the best image quality you’ll get from a full-frame camera – than honour still goes to 60MP models such as the A7R V – but it’s very close indeed.   

Sony Alpha A1 II: ISO and Noise

At low sensitivities, the A1 II’s 50MP sensor delivers exceptional levels of detail. This is maintained very well up to moderately high ISOs, with barely any visible loss of quality at ISO 1600. Go beyond ISO 3200 and shadow details starts to get crushed and disappear, but even so, I’d be happy shooting at up to ISO 25,600 as a matter of course.

ILCE-1M2 · f/6.3 · 1/640s · 400mm · ISO12800

The extended ISO 51,200 and 102,400 settings aren’t great when examined closely onscreen, but still deliver perfectly recognisable images when needed, especially with AI noise reduction applied in raw processing.

Below are 100% crops at various ISOs from our standard studio, shot in raw and processed using Adobe Camera Raw at default settings. Click on any thumbnail to see the full-size image.

Sony Alpha A1 II: Our Verdict

Let’s get one thing straight. There’s no doubt that the Alpha A1 II is the best camera Sony has ever made. It includes all the best bits of the A9 III but is much more versatile, thanks to its 50MP sensor. While its sibling is highly sports-focused and makes little sense for other purposes, the A1 is capable of handling pretty much anything you might ask of it. Whether you shoot sports, wildlife, portraits, weddings, landscapes or events, it’s got you covered.

In almost every practical respect, the A1 II is every bit as good as both the Nikon Z8 and Canon EOS R5 Mark II. Like those two cameras, it is capable of more than most photographers will normally require of it. No matter what you’re doing, chances are it shoots faster, focuses better, and delivers higher resolution and dynamic range than you need. There’s very little to choose between them, although the Canon arguably does have a killer feature, in the shape of eye control focus – at least for those who can get it to work reliably.

There are, perhaps, a few question marks around detail aspects of the A1 II’s usability. But they’re mostly quite minor, and can generally be overcome if you’re prepared to battle your way through the menus and fine-tune how the camera works. Sony’s new auto subject-recognition option returned more false positives than I expected, but it’s not a massive problem.

ILCE-1M2 · f/11 · 1/50s · 35mm · ISO100

It is, however, impossible to ignore the A1 II’s sky-high price relative to its rivals. At $7,000 / £6,300 versus $4,000 / £4,500 for the Canon EOS R5 Mark II, and $3,700 / £3,800 for a Z8, Sony ask a lot without really doing anything extra. You could argue that the A1 II should be compared to the Canon EOS R1 and Nikon Z9 instead, but that doesn’t really hold water – the sports-specialist A9 III goes head-to-head with those two models.

Of course, that price has to be weighed up against the cost of changing systems, and most users will likely be too heavily invested in lenses to consider it seriously. And the A1 II really can do pretty much anything – if you don’t get the shot, there’s no blaming the camera. For professional Sony shooters, it’s the obvious choice.

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Sony Alpha A1 II: Full specifications

The post Sony Alpha A1 II review: crazy good, crazy expensive appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

The Fujifilm X-E5 is a flat-bodied, rangefinder-style mirrorless camera with a corner-mounted electronic viewfinder. Essentially, it repackages most of the technology of the SLR-shaped X-T50 into a smaller form-factor. In many respects, it can be seen as an interchangeable-lens version of the hugely popular X100VI – to the extent that it comes complete with a new slimline 23mm f/2.8 lens. It’s without doubt one of the best Fujifilm cameras, especially for such things as street, travel and social photography.

Fujifilm X-E5 at a glance:

• $1699 / £1299 body-only
• $1899 / £1549 with 23mm F2.8 kit lens 
• ISO 125-12,800 (standard)
• 40.2MP APS-C X-Trans sensor
• Up to 13fps shooting
• 6.2K 30p, 4K 60p, and Full HD 240p video
• 2.36m-dot, 0.62x viewfinder
• 3in, 1.04m-dot tilting touchscreen
• In-body image stabilisation – 7 stops
• Available in silver or black

The X-E5 follows on from the Fujifilm X-E4 which was launched at the start of 2021. It’s fair to say that the X-E4 wasn’t universally well-liked, due to a somewhat over-simplified design and the lack of any real handgrip. It felt like a step backwards compared to previous models in the X-E line.

Now with the X-E5, Fujifilm has addressed these criticisms and reinstated controls that went missing from the X-E4, including a physical AF/MF switch and clickable rear dial. It’s also added a few more goodies in besides, most notably a film simulation mode dial as previously seen on the X-T50 and entry-level X-M5. The result is a very likeable camera indeed with plenty of appeal for enthusiast photographers.

The X-E5 comes in a choice of silver or black finishes, and costs $1699 / £1299 body-only, or $1899 / £1549 with the new, matched 23mm F2.8 kit lens. That’s in the same ball-park as the Sony A6700, which on paper is a similar camera in terms of form-factor and features, but very different when it comes to design and operability. Arguably, anyone contemplating buying the X-E5 will more likely be weighing it up against its siblings, the X-T50 and X100VI, which are also similarly priced. So how does it measure up?

Features

Looking first at the key photographic specifications, these are broadly the same the same as the X-T50 and X100VI. The Fujifilm X-E5 employs the same 40MP APS-C format X-Trans CMOS 5 sensor and X-Processor 5, and notably, it becomes the first model in the X-E series to include in-body image stabilisation.

The sensor provides a sensitivity range of ISO 125-12,800 as standard, which can be extended to ISO 64-51,200 at the expense of reduced highlight range at the lower end, and image noise at high settings. You can shoot at up to 8 frames per second using the mechanical shutter, 13fps using the electronic shutter, or 20fps with a 1.29x crop.

Subject detection autofocus is on board, with settings for animals, birds, cars, motorbikes, airplanes, and trains. With the conventional AF system, you can choose between using 117 or 425 focus points, with a wide variety of focus area sizes on offer.

New to the X-E5 is the ability to specify three Custom AF zones, which can be rectangular groups of AF points of any user-specified size. This feature brings Fujifilm in line with the other camera makers, but it seems a bit odd to introduce it on the X-E5. It’s essentially for sports photography, and almost any other model in the X-system range would be better suited to that. 

Fujifilm has included the same miniaturised in-body image stabilisation unit as in the X-T50. This promises up to 7 stops of shake reduction in the centre of the frame when shooting hand-held, and 6 stops in the corners. Yet it brings only a slight increase in body size, with the X-E5 measuring 125mm x 73mm x 39mm and weighing in at 445g without a lens.

Film simulation recipes

As you’d expect Fujifilm has included its full suite of Film Simulation modes, which are set using a physical dial. This has positions for the usual favourites: Provia, Velvia, Astia, Classic Chrome, Reala Ace and Acros. There’s also space for three custom ‘FS’ positions, which come set to Classic Neg, Nostalgic Neg, and Pro Neg Std.

X-E5 · f/5.6 · 1/1900s · 23mm · ISO500

However, the big deal on the X-E5 is you can now save your own favourite Film Simulation ‘recipes’ onto the dial. First you assign the base film simulation you want to use to one of those FS positions, and then customise it via a new, clearly-designed menu section which groups together all the relevant image-processing settings in one place. If you also like to use the base film simulation, then pushing the view mode lever to the left for a couple of seconds temporarily disables all your recipe modifications.

The video below shows how to set up a film simulation recipe on the Fujifilm X-E5.

A big advantage of this approach, compared to other fifth-generation cameras like the X100VI and X-T5, is that when you recall a recipe on the X-E5, you only change those image-processing settings that are directly associated with it. On the other cameras, you have to use ‘Custom Settings’ to save recipes, which include the entire camera setup. This means that you can find yourself changing settings that you didn’t want to.   

One slight disappointment, though, is that the film simulation dial’s position directly beside the viewfinder makes it practically impossible to use with the camera up to your eye. There’s no way your right thumb will stretch across, and it’s impractical to use your left hand, either. This is unfortunate, as it’s really useful to be able to see the effect of changing the film mode live in the viewfinder. It’s one area where the X-T50 has an advantage, as its dial is placed on the camera’s left shoulder.

Video features

Video recording is available in 6K 30p, 4K 60p, and Full HD 60p, with a Full HD 240p option also available in high-speed mode without audio. You get a standard 3.5mm stereo microphone input and a micro-HDMI output, and it’s possible to monitor audio via the USB-C port using a suitable adapter.

Video mode is accessed via the drive button, as the last item on a very long list. That’s a pretty strong message from Fujifilm that this really is a camera for shooting stills. It also means photographers can pretty much pretend the video function doesn’t exist, if they want – it never gets in the way.

Connectivity

Like most cameras, the X-E5 has built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi for connecting to your smartphone. This works via Fujifilm’s Xapp for Android and iOS, which brings a pretty standard set of features. You can copy photos to your phone for sharing and use your phone either as a basic remote shutter release, or a full remote control. However, the X-E5 does introduce a couple of new features.

Firstly, the camera is capable of printing directly to Fujifilm’s Instax Link line of Bluetooth instant-film printers (currently the Instax Mini Link 3, Instax Square Link, and Instax Link Wide). This update feels long overdue, with the only disappointment being that it doesn’t work with the first-generation Instax Mini Link.

The X-E5 also has a dedicated Bluetooth pairing button recessed into its baseplate. Holding this button down for a second or two initiates the process of connecting to devices for the first time. It’s not something you’ll use often, but I guess it’s nice that it exists.

Fujifilm X-E5 key features:

• Kit lens: The matched XF 23mm F2.8 R WR lens is slim and lightweight, yet retains an aperture ring and weather resistance
• Film dial: The film simulation dial is recessed behind a top-plate window. You can now save your own custom recipes to its three FS positions
• Front lever: A front lever controls the view mode, digital zoom and aspect ratio selection, much like on the medium-format GFX100RF
• Screen: The super-slim screen tilts down, up and forwards, but sits neatly flush to the back of the camera
• Storage: Files are recorded to a single SD card slot which, as on the X-T50, accepts the faster UHS-II type cards.
• Power: The camera is powered by the long-running NP-W126S battery, which charges via the USB-C port and is rated for 400 shots per charge.

Build and handling

My immediate impression on picking up the X-E5 for the first time was that it’s a really nice little camera. In-hand, it feels much like the X100VI, which means it’s rather nicer than its predecessor. A small finger grip on the front and a thumb ridge on the back provide a surprisingly secure hold, with a nice clear space on the back for your thumb.

The build quality feels pretty solid, thanks to a machined aluminium shell top-plate and dials. It’s worth noting, though, that unlike the X100VI, there’s no weather-sealing.

It’s a notably good-looking camera too, with the same kind of sharp, clean lines as the X100VI and GFX100RF. Fujifilm’s decision to move the AF illuminator light in front of the viewfinder gives a front-on view that just looks more ‘right’.  An unusually nice rope strap comes in the box, with a sliding suede-backed leather neck/shoulder pad.

When it comes to the control setup, the X-E5 offers a familiar-looking set of analogue dials. A pair on the top-plate control exposure compensation and shutter speed, but unlike the X100VI, you don’t get an ISO dial. Instead, you use the front electronic dial to change this setting.

Most of Fujifilm’s lenses have an aperture ring, as do many third-party optics. But there are also plenty that don’t, including Sigma’s excellent f/1.4 DC DN primes and Viltrox’s affordable ‘Air’ series. In this case, you use the front electronic dial to set the aperture, and click it inwards to toggle between aperture and ISO, which works well once you get used to it.

It’s also possible to use the front dial to set the film mode (by setting the film dial to its C position) and even the aperture with lenses that do have their own rings, although this requires changing a slightly obscure menu setting. Personally, I’m not sure why you’d do either, given that those tactile dials are one of the main attractions of Fujifilm cameras in the first place.

Like on the X-E4 before it, the shutter speed dial includes a ‘P’ position for setting the camera to Program auto mode. Presumably the idea is that this is great for non-expert users. But oddly, there’s no auto subject detection mode here that can choose between the possible subject types automatically, unlike the X-T50’s equivalent program mode.

A button on top beside the shutter provides a convenient means of toggling face detection on and off. But in Fujifilm’s usual way, if you had subject detection engaged previously, the camera won’t revert to it when you turn face detection off. I’d like to see Fujifilm fix this behaviour via a firmware update – ideally across its entire lineup.

On the back, there’s a small but effective joystick for positioning the focus point, navigating menus and changing settings. A sliding switch on the side selects between focus modes – single, continuous, and manual.

Fujifilm’s usual Q button is positioned on the corner within easy reach of your thumb, much like on the X100VI, and gives access to the most important secondary camera settings. Overall it’s a highly refined interface that works really well, especially given the camera’s small size.

View mode lever functions

One key addition to the X-E5 is a view mode lever on the front, like those found on several other Fujifilm cameras, including the X100VI and the medium-format Fujifilm GFX100RF. This lever has four functions, depending on the direction you move it, and whether you just flick it or hold it in place for a couple of seconds. Another function is set by a button embedded into the lever. The default functions are as follows:

• Push left: digital zoom, with 1.4x and 2x options.
• Push left and hold: Toggle Film Simulation Recipe on/off (only with the film dial in FS1, FS2 and FS3 positions, and Recipe enabled)
• Pull right: ‘Surround view mode’ for aspect ratio and digital zoom (crop, frameline, or translucent overlay options)
• Pull right and hold: Aspect ratio selection (from 3:2, 16:9, 1:1, 3:3, 5:4)
• Button: cycle through LCD / viewfinder view modes

This set of options makes sense if you see the X-E5 primarily as a vehicle for prime lenses, with digital zoom and aspect ratio selection adding further compositional flexibility. For example, with the 23mm f/2.8 lens, you get 50mm equivalent at 20MP, and 70mm at 10MP (which is still easily enough for detailed 12 x 8in / A4 prints). No matter what digital zoom or aspect ratio you set, you always get full-size raw files, but with cropping information embedded into their metadata.

If you don’t want to use the assigned functions, you can customise them from a wide range of options. I kept the same ones, but swapped digital zoom and surround view mode, as to me it feels more natural to zoom in by pulling (rather than pushing) the lever. I then put aspect ratio onto the front button for easier access.

Overall, I really like how Fujifilm has managed to put five functions under the control of your forefinger like this. The caveat is that the pull-and-hold actions take a frustratingly long time to register, so I relegated them to options I’d only change infrequently. Hopefully this can be fixed in a future firmware update.

The shooting experience

I have to say, I’ve found the X-E5 to be a very pleasant and engaging camera to use – just as you’d expect from an ‘interchangeable lens X100’. All those dials encourage you to immerse yourself in the shooting process, rather than just letting the camera do its thing on Auto. Simply by its presence, the film dial encourages you to experiment with the various colour looks more than you otherwise would.

X-E5 · f/8 · 1/350s · 23mm · ISO250

It’s not necessarily perfect, though, and in particular, I found the controls on the front can be a bit too easy to hit inadvertently. More than once, I found I’d nudged the ISO dial by accident, or switched between viewfinder and LCD viewing modes by pressing the front button (before I re-assigned it). This is especially disconcerting if you manage to select the “EVF only + Eye sensor” mode, because then the camera doesn’t appear to turn on when you flick the power switch.

I spent much of my time shooting with the matched Fujinon XF 23mm F2.8 R WR pancake lens, which fits the camera’s aesthetic perfectly and adds very little to the bulk. Personally, though, I’d probably pair it with the similarly tiny Fujinon XF 27mm F2.8 R WR, as I find the longer focal length gives a more natural look (it’s a bit like having a more upmarket Ricoh GR IIIx, or a mini Leica Q3 43).

Of course, there’s no point in having an “interchangeable lens X100” if you never change the lens. So I also tried the X-E5 with a range of other zooms and primes. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it works especially nicely with relatively small lenses. For example, I found it to be a great match to the classic XF 18-55mm F2.8-4 R LM OIS standard zoom, which means it should also work well with the newer XF 16-50mm F2.8-4.8 R LM WR.

It’s not limited to only working with small lenses, though. I also used it with both the Sigma 16-300mm F3.5-6.7 DC OS all-in-one superzoom and the Fujifilm XF 70-300mm F4-5.6 R LM OIS WR (including with the 1.4x teleconverter), and it worked absolutely fine. You just hold the combination by the lens, that’s all.

Viewfinder and screen

On paper, Fujifilm has used much the same spec electronic viewfinder as all its previous X-E and double-digit X-T models, with a 2.36m-dot OLED panel and 0.62x magnification. That means that it’s one of the smaller viewfinders you’ll find on a mirrorless camera, but even so, it works perfectly well for composing your images. It’s bright enough to be usable on a sunny day and it gives a good impression of how your shots will turn out.

Exposure and colour processing are previewed by default, and when you half-press the shutter button, the lens stops down to the taking aperture, to give depth-of-field preview. You can overlay a live histogram, gridlines, and electronic levels to aid composition.

On the X-E5, Fujifilm has also added a new viewfinder display mode that aims to mimic old film SLRs. This shows the main exposure settings below the preview image in the fashion of a red multi-segment LED display, with a ‘meter needle’ on the right vaguely indicating over or underexposure. Personally I found it downright gimmicky, but I imagine others will like it.

Below the viewfinder is a 3in, 1.02m-dot LCD, which is surprisingly low in resolution compared to the X-T50 and X100VI’s 1.82m-dot screens. However, not only does it tilt up and down, but it can also face forwards over the top of the camera for photographing or videoing yourself, which neither of those cameras can match. However, it’s worth bearing in mind that you can’t really put anything on the hot shoe without blocking most of the screen – so no flash unit, LED light, or microphone.

Autofocus

When it comes to autofocus, the X-E5 works the same way as Fujifilm’s other current cameras. With the conventional AF system, you have a choice between 117 or 425 points arranged across the entire frame, depending on whether you value speed or precision when setting the focus point. There are six different focus-area sizes, plus six zone options for use with moving subjects, three of which are user-customisable. You also get a tracking mode where you specify the subject and the camera will follow it around the frame.

X-E5 · f/8 · 1/2000s · 300mm · ISO400

Pressing a button on the top-plate enables or disables face detection, while subject detection is enabled from the Q Menu. Here you can select between Animal, Bird, Automobile, Motorcycle&Bike, Airplane, and Train options. However as there’s no auto option, you always have to tell the camera in advance what you want to focus on. As is Fujifilm’s way, face detection and subject detection are mutually exclusive – enabling one disables the other.

Personally – and presumably because I’m used to it, and have figured out how it works – I find Fujifilm’s AF system works pretty well. With static subjects, it’s every bit as fast and accurate as you’d expect from a modern camera. I also got a respectable hit-rate with moving subjects such as wildlife and trains. However, it’s definitely not as straightforward to use as some other brands, and it’s clear that a lot of users do struggle with it.

X-E5 · f/9 · 1/800s · 258.4mm · ISO1000

To get face or subject detection to work sensibly, you’ll need to remember to set the AF mode slider switch to its C position. You also need to pay close attention to your focus area size and position, as these define where the camera will start looking for subjects.

I generally find it best to use the largest available focus zone, which gives the camera the best chance of acquiring a subject. However if there are multiple possible subjects, and you want to be able to select between them, that may require using a smaller area and moving the focus zone with the joystick.

X-E5 · f/8 · 1/2000s · 300mm · ISO1600

It’s also worth bearing in mind that if you buy the X-E5 with the XF 23mm F2.8 R WR, that lens really isn’t very fast at focusing at all. This is because it moves the entire optical group back and forth for focusing, unlike larger primes that use small, lightweight internal focusing groups. This is typical of slim ‘pancake’ primes and just a price you pay for their portability.

Performance

The X-E5 is now the fifth model in Fujifilm’s fifth-generation lineup with a 40MP sensor and X-Processor 5, after the X-H2, X-T5, X100VI and X-T50. It’s also, to a great extent, an X-T50 with its parts re-arranged into a smaller form-factor. As a result, it doesn’t bring any surprises in terms of either operational performance or image quality. Which means to say, it’s a very fine camera indeed.

X-E5 · f/8 · 1/300s · 23mm · ISO125

Flick the power switch to the on position, and the X-E5 is ready to shoot in a fraction of a second. It’s pretty discreet too, with a shutter that fires with just a quiet clack. That said, it can’t match the X100VI’s lens shutter, which is, to all intents and purposes, silent.

Fujifilm’s stated battery life of 400 shots per charge seems realistic enough, especially if you’re the kind of person who religiously turns the power off in between shots. At any rate, I never really felt that I was in need of more than one spare, which I’d always recommend getting anyway. Fujifilm has been using this NP-W126 battery for over a decade now, so cheaper but reliable third-party clones are very easy to find if you don’t want to pay full price for an original.

X-E5 · f/3.6 · 1/80s · 23mm · ISO80

Continuous shooting performance is very respectable, with the camera matching its specified shooting speeds in my tests (8fps with the mechanical shutter, or 13fps with the electronic shutter). It’ll keep going for at least 20 frames when shooting in uncompressed or lossless-compressed raw, and many more than that if you’re happy to switch to compressed raw.

Given that this really isn’t the first form-factor you’d choose for sports and action photography, that feels more than adequate.

X-E5 · f/2.8 · 1/5s · 23mm · ISO1600

Fujifilm’s in-body image stabilisation works very well, too. I found that it’s possible to get entirely usable shots at shutter speeds as slow as a second hand-held, especially if you’re prepared to tolerate a little pixel-level blur (which on a 40MP sensor is entirely reasonable). This can help you keep ISOs down when shooting in low light with subjects where motion blur won’t be a problem.

Image quality

Overall, image quality is essentially indistinguishable from the likes of the X-T5 and X100VI. This means it’s better than any other APS-C camera out there, and in certain respects, it surpasses many full-frame cameras. That 40MP sensor is capable of resolving lots of detail, giving you plenty of scope for printing large or cropping. Plus of course, you get Fujifilm’s unmatched out-of-camera colour rendition, which gives JPEG files that are so attractive that you may not feel the need to shoot and process raw files, at all.

X-E5 · f/8 · 1/2000s · 300mm · ISO2000

As usual, Fujifilm’s metering is extremely reliable, and the viewfinder gives you a good impression of what you’re going to get. So there’s rarely any need to apply exposure compensation, aside from for creative effect. It’s worth pointing out, though, that if you like to change metering modes frequently, that requires a trip into the menu. Personally, though, I only did this once in all the time I had the camera, to engage spot metering for photographing a full moon.

X-E5 · f/7.1 · 1/1000s · 23mm · ISO125

Auto white balance is consistently well-judged, too. This is really important as not only does this make those camera files look right, it also means that you have the perfect start-point for processing your raw files. Just occasionally I decided to go for a slightly warmer or cooler rendition – but not very often.

Then, of course, there’s those signature Film Simulations. Fujifilm is unique in giving such a wide choice of attractive colour modes, and I’d defy anyone not to find several that they really like. I tend to gravitate to Astia by default, switching to Velvia for extra punch, or Acros for black & white shots.

X-E5 · f/4 · 1/100s · 23mm · ISO320

But honestly, there are so many great options here that you’re spoiled for choice – especially as you can now apply your own favourite Recipes, too. And remember, Film Simulations are not just for JPEGs; if you use Adobe software, you get most of them in raw too.

In fact raw image quality is extremely impressive, too. At low ISOs, you can expect to be able to pull up three of four extra stops of shadow detail without being troubled by noise, and it’s rare that you’ll need more than that. In the example below, I underexposed by about 4 stops to retain detail in the window, then recovered the interior detail in raw processing.

X-E5 · f/5 · 1/320s · 23mm · ISO250

I’m also perfectly happy using this sensor at sensitivities up to ISO 12,800, particularly with the noise reduction tools now available. Ultimately, this is a camera that punches well above its weight in terms of image quality.

Fujifilm X-E5: Our Verdict

The Fujifilm X-E5 is a fabulous little camera that goes a long way to meeting Fujifilm’s promise of an “interchangeable lens X100VI”. Like its fixed-lens sibling it looks great, is a joy to shoot with, and is capable of producing fantastic results. But now, you can use lots of different lenses. What’s not to like about that?

You get all of Fujifilm’s usual attractions, including those lovely tactile dials for changing exposure settings. It’s not often that we see small cameras that are so unashamedly – and successfully – designed for serious photographers. I particularly like the way Fujifilm has managed to fit five functions onto a control that looks like the self-timer lever of a vintage film camera, even if two of them are painfully slow to activate.

Of course, a huge part of Fujifilm’s appeal lies with Film Simulations, and it’s great to see the firm embracing the idea of user-generated recipes. Unlike with using Custom Settings memories on the firm’s other cameras, you don’t risk changing any of your other camera settings at the same time. I’d love to see Fujifilm roll out the same approach across its existing cameras via firmware updates.

X-E5 · f/4 · 1/900s · 50.5mm · ISO400

While some cameras might only appeal to a niche audience, with the X-E5 I’m left wondering who on earth wouldn’t fall for its charms. It’s perhaps not the best choice for novices looking to work in point-and-shoot mode. But for anyone looking to buy a ‘proper camera’ that’s fully featured yet small and lightweight, it’s an easy recommendation. It would be a particularly fine choice for travel or street photography. 

If you’re an existing Fujifilm user who’d like a smaller camera to complement an X-T or X-H, it would be the perfect choice. Likewise it’s a massive update from X-E older models. It could also be the perfect second camera for enthusiast photographers who’d like something smaller than their main kit for family or social events.

X-E5 · f/8 · 1/180s · 27mm · ISO125

Perhaps ironically, though, I would urge caution if you’re thinking of buying the X-E5 and using it exclusively with its 23mm kit lens. Then you end up with a setup that costs about the same as an X100VI, but which is bulkier, isn’t weather sealed, and has a stop-slower lens. Buying an X100VI would be a better choice, assuming you can find one.

In a market dominated by full-frame mirrorless cameras that all look much the same, the X-E5 really is a breath of fresh air. It proves that cameras don’t need to look like an SLR to work really nicely, and don’t need a full-frame sensor to deliver fantastic photos. It’s yet another home run for Fujifilm.

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Fujifilm X-E5: full specifications

UK – Fujifilm X-E5 Featured Deal with Park Cameras

The post Fujifilm X-E5 review: an X100 with interchangeable lenses? Sign me up! appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

Nikon’s Z50II is an updated version of its APS-C (or DX) format Z50 mirrorless camera, which appeared back in 2019. It’s designed to appeal to first-time camera buyers who have previously been using a smartphone, but now want to take a step up in terms of image quality and interchangeable lenses. It sits roughly alongside the retro-styled Zfc in Nikon’s line-up, although with the latest tech on board, it’s somewhat more advanced (and expensive). But does it supplant the Z50 as the best Nikon camera for beginners?

Nikon Z50II at a glance:

• $907 / £849 body-only
• $1047 / £999 with 16-50mm kit zoom
• $1297 / £1199 with 16-50mm and 50-250mm lenses
• 20MP DX-format CMOS sensor
• ISO 100-51,200 (standard)
• Up to 11fps continuous shooting
• 4K 30p video recording; 4K 60p with 1.5x crop
• 2.36m-dot, 0.68x EVF with 1000-nit brightness 3.2in, 1.04m-dot fully articulated touchscreen

In many respects, the Z50II shares the same photographic specifications as its predecessor. However, it gains an updated body design, brighter viewfinder, much-improved autofocus, and more advanced video features. In line with the latest trend, it also has a dedicated button for accessing in-camera colour profiles, which Nikon calls Picture Controls.

The Nikon Z50II costs $907 / £849 body-only; $1047 / £999 with the Nikkor Z  DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR zoom; and $1297 / £1199 in a twin-lens kit that adds the Nikkor Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR telephoto zoom. At this price point, it sits within a competitive sector that includes the Canon EOS R10, Fujifilm X-T30 II, Sony Alpha A6400, and Panasonic Lumix G97. It’s the most expensive of these cameras, but it includes the most up-to-date technology. So does that make it the best camera available for beginners?

Features

While the Z50II employs essentially the same long-running 20MP DX-format sensor as the older Nikon Z50, it’s now powered by the same Expeed 7 processor as the firm’s latest full-frame models. This allows the camera to offer all the same autofocus options as the flagship Z8 and Z9, including subject detection and 3D tracking. But most of the major specifications remain unchanged.

As before, you get a standard ISO sensitivity range of ISO 100-51,200, with extended settings up to ISO 204,800 also available. Shutter speeds run from 30sec up to 1/4000sec, but it’s also possible to enable timed speeds of up to 15 minutes in M mode. This can be valuable for photographers who use deep neutral density filters.

Continuous shooting maxes out at 11 frames per second using the mechanical shutter,  increasing to 15fps with the electronic shutter. If you’re happy with JPEGs only, it’s possible to shoot at 30fps. Like many recent cameras, there’s also a pre-burst mode, which buffers frames continuously and then records them to card when the shutter button is fully pressed. 

With the most recent firmware update (Version 1.01), it gained pre-release capture when paired with the SmallRig SR-RG2 grip. This means that the camera will start capturing images before the shutter button is fully pressed. This is useful in a variety of scenarios, just think of street photography or taking photos of kids or wildlife.

As with Nikon’s other DX cameras, there’s no in-body image stabilisation. Instead, the Z50II is reliant on in-lens optical stabilisation. This is included in all of Nikon’s matched zooms, but none of the DX-format primes that are available in Z-mount. Electronic stabilisation is employed during video recording.

There are significant updates to both the viewfinder and screen. While the EVF has the same size and resolution as before, it’s twice as bright, at 1000 nits. Nikon says this is the brightest in its class, making it easier to see what you’re doing on bright, sunny days. Meanwhile, the rear screen now employs a conventional side-hinged fully articulated design, rather than just tilting up and down. 

Video recording is available in 4K at 60fps, albeit with a hefty 1.5x crop. Alternatively, it’s possible to record at 4K 30p from the full sensor width, downsampled from 5.6K readout. Full HD recording is on offer at up to 120fps. The Z50II also supports Nikon’s 10-bit N-log output profile for easier colour grading. It includes 3.5mm sockets for both a microphone and headphones, with the latter also being compatible with a new MC-DC3 cable release (£35).

Nikon has added a red tally lamp on the front to indicate clearly when the camera is recording. A new (for Nikon) ‘product review mode’ will focus on a product held up to camera, rather than the presenter’s face. The Z50II also works as a plug-and-play webcam without requiring any additional software. 

Naturally Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are built-in for smartphone connectivity via Nikon’s SnapBridge app. This gives a choice between a simple Bluetooth shutter release and full remote control over Wi-Fi. You can also pull your favourite photos across to your phone for sharing, and even set things up so every single photo you take is copied to your phone automatically.

Nikon Z50II: Key features

• Picture Controls: A new button on top gives direct access to Nikon’s colour profiles, or “Picture Controls”. You can customise it to show only those that you want, and hide the rest.  
• SD card: The single SD card slot is in the battery compartment and supports high-speed UHS-II media.
• Battery: The Z50II uses the small EN-EL25a battery, which offers 230-250 shots per charge. It’s recharged in-camera using a USB-C PD supply .
• Connectors: One the left side you’ll find microphone, headphone/remote release, USB-C and micro-HDMI ports. All interfere with the articulation of the rear screen.
• Flash: As is common at this price point, but not in more expensive cameras, the Z50II has a small pop-up flash, released by a switch on the side for the viewfinder housing.
• Z-mount: There’s still relatively few DX-format autofocus lenses in Nikon Z mount at the time of writing: four zooms and a prime from Nikon, three f/1.4 primes from Sigma, and eight primes from Viltrox.

Build and Handling

Physically, the body has had a makeover with more attractive styling, which gives a more than passing resemblance to the full-frame Z6III. It also gains some extra buttons over the Z50, that bring its control layout more in line with its siblings. One subtle change is that Nikon has shifted the viewfinder unit forwards on top, which makes the design slightly more svelte, but brings the eyepiece closer to the screen.

At 127 x 96.8 x 66.5mm and 520g, the Nikon Z50II is one of the larger bodies in its class. But it’s still far from huge and, with the retracting 16-50mm lens on board, will fit into a small bag. You get a nice, deep handgrip and there’s space for plenty of external controls. The camera sits very nicely in your hand and feels perfectly well-made for the price.

You get a conventional DSLR-like shooting experience, with an exposure mode dial on top, electronic control dials under your index finger and thumb, and an 8-way d-pad on the back for moving the focus point. The mode dial is a bit loose, though, and several times I found it in an unexpected position when taking the camera in out of my bag. The d-pad works OK for moving the focus area, but it’s not as quick or precise as a joystick.

Rear controls have been revised, to give a closer match with the Z6III. The playback button has moved to the right side for easier access, and there are now physical buttons for display mode and image magnification, replacing the Z50’s unusual touch buttons. A new button on the left shoulder is used for setting the drive mode, while a pair of buttons on the front give direct access to autofocus settings and white balance.

A new button on top gives direct access to Picture Controls, with the camera also providing a clear on-screen preview of how each one looks. You can change various processing settings on the fly, including sharpening, contrast and saturation, with a nice clear viewfinder interface. This button also ties in with Nikon Imaging Cloud compatibility, which allows users to download custom picture controls and recipes from their favourite creators.

Three buttons lined up behind the shutter release are used to initiate video recording, change ISO, and set exposure compensation. However they’re all quite small and closely spaced, and indistinguishable by touch alone with the camera to your eye. I’d recommend that the first thing you should do is turn on Easy Exposure Compensation, which lets you use the rear dial to change this setting directly.

Other functions can be accessed by pressing the ‘i’ button, which brings up an onscreen quick menu that can be easily operated by touch. The main menus are also fully touch compatible and reasonably logically laid out. As usual, though, if you find yourself changing particular settings frequently, it’s best to add them to the customisable My Menu.

About the only aspect of the camera’s operation that I found a little annoying is that for many functions, including AF area/mode, drive mode, and white balance, you can’t simply press the requisite button and then spin the front or rear dials to change the setting, like on most cameras. Instead, you have to keep the button held down and turn the dial. This has the virtue of preventing accidental changes, but it also makes the camera slightly clunkier to use. 

Overall, though, the Z50II gives a reasonably pleasant shooting experience, with the main controls where you want them and most the major functions readily accessible. In this respect, it’s very similar to the Canon EOS R10, and much nicer than the Sony A6400. But it doesn’t quite have the same “pick me up and use me” charm as the retro-styled Fujifilm X-T30 II, or indeed its own stablemate the Nikon Zfc.

Viewfinder and screen

One area where the Nikon Z50II shines is with regards to its viewfinder. It isn’t quite the largest in its class – that honour goes to the Sony A6400 – and it’s not most detailed either, with its 2.36m-dot panel being the same as its main competitors. But it’s strikingly bright, and Nikon’s image processing makes the scene in front of you look colourful and appealing, which positively encourages you to take photos.

Alongside colour, Nikon previews exposure across a +/- 3-stop range, and depth-of-field at apertures down to f/5.6. If you want to extend this to smaller settings, for example for close-ups or landscapes, you’ll need to assign Preview onto a function button.

You can display gridlines, a small live histogram, and electronic levels and combine them as you please across up to three screen layouts, switching between them using the DISP button.

Beneath the viewfinder, the LCD screen is a little larger than those on competing cameras, at 3.2in. In a welcome improvement over the original Z50, it now employs a fully articulating design that can face forwards for self-recording, as well as up or down for shooting at high and low angles in both horizontal and vertical formats. Again, it does a good job of accurately previewing your final image. Overall, it’s probably the best screen on any camera at this price.

Nikon Z50II: Autofocus

Nikon’s recent full-frame cameras have gained a well-earned reputation for having an excellent autofocus system, and on paper, the Z50II inherits all the same features. You get the same broad choice of focus area modes, even including three custom options that allow you specify the width and height of the focus frame manually. The firm’s 3D tracking mode is built-in for moving subjects, too. Nikon makes it particularly easy to select between focus areas and modes (manual, single, or continuous) via a button on the front.

NIKON Z50_2 · f/5.3 · 1/60s · 36mm · ISO400

Click on any sample image to see the full-size version

No camera would be complete these days without  built-in subject detection. With the Z50II, this works for people, animals, birds, cars, and airplanes. Most of the time, you can happily leave the system set to auto, and the camera will recognise subjects and switch between the various types depending on what’s in front of it. But alternatively, you can tell the camera to focus exclusively on a specific type of subject, if you know that’s what you’re going to be shooting. Or you can switch off subject detection altogether, and use the conventional AF system instead.

I only had Nikon’s 16-50mm kit zoom and 24mm f/1.7 to hand for my review, so wasn’t able to test the autofocus as fully as I’d have liked. Naturally, it worked flawlessly with static subjects, as pretty much all cameras do these days. I also got good results with predictably moving subjects, such as oncoming vehicles.

NIKON Z50_2 · f/4 · 1/3s · 16mm · ISO100

If you’re shooting unpredictable high-speed action, though, it would be naïve to expect the Z50II to match the performance of the professional Z8 and Z9 with their super-fast stacked sensors, or even the Z6III with its partially stacked sensor. This is, after all, a camera that costs a fraction of the price.

However, it’s still on a different level to models like the Panasonic G97, Sony A6400 or Fujifilm X-T30 II, none of which include the same level of subject recognition. And while the Canon EOS R10 does have subject recognition, it lacks an auto mode. So overall, you’re probably getting the most advanced AF system in its class here.

Performance

When you take the Z50II out and start taking photographs, you’ll quickly discover that it’s efficient and responsive, and never gets in the way of you shooting. There’s no waiting around for it to start up, with the camera ready to shoot the instant you flick the power switch. Likewise, there’s no hint of any operational lag using either the physical controls or the touchscreen.

NIKON Z50_2 · f/8 · 1/125s · 50mm · ISO100

It’s pretty unobtrusive too, thanks to a mechanical shutter that operates with a quiet, low-pitched clack. You can also get the camera to be completely silent by delving into the Setup menu and engaging Silent mode. However, the electronic shutter is prone to both rolling-shutter distortion and colour banding under artificial light. So you’ll want to use this only when absolutely necessary. 

Looking at battery life, the Z50II’s CIPA rating is nothing to write home about, at just 230 shots using the EVF, and 250 with the LCD. I found that to be a realistic representation of what you can expect to get when shooting single frames, although as usual you’ll get a lot more shots from a charge when shooting bursts, especially with the electronic shutter. You can also top-up the battery from a powerbank via the camera’s USB-C port when you’re out and about. But as always, I’d certainly make sure I acquired a spare and kept it to hand.

NIKON Z50_2 · f/8 · 1/80s · 50mm · ISO280

When it comes to continuous shooting, Nikon’s headline numbers are pretty eye-catching, at up to 30fps. But this requires shooting JPEG-only with the electronic shutter, which is prone to rolling-shutter distortion. You won’t get close to that if you want to shoot raw and use the mechanical shutter for highest image quality. Nikon says you’ll then get 11fps, but try as I might, I could only persuade the camera to operate at 10fps in my testing. But to be fair, that’s still as fast as I’d usually like to shoot.

It’s also worth noting that at 10fps, you don’t get live view between frames, with the camera instead playing back recently shot frames in the viewfinder to give an impression of what’s going on. But this makes it difficult to keep track of fast-moving subjects. If you want proper live view, the camera slows down to a more pedestrian 5.6fps. The buffer is very impressive, though, with the camera capable of shooting 16-second bursts at 10fps in JPEG and raw before slowing down. 

NIKON Z50_2 · f/7.1 · 1/50s · 16mm · ISO100

I found metering to be extremely reliable, and I only rarely found myself applying any exposure compensation, except for creative effect. In high-contrast situations, engaging the Active D-lighting option can be useful for balancing highlight and shadow areas more naturally. Nikon’s auto white balance is excellent too, if perhaps a little on the cool side (which to be fair, does a great job of emphasising blue skies).

By default, the camera selects automatically between its conventional colour processing modes, depending on the kind of subject. For example, with sunlit blue-sky landscapes, it’ll usually select Vivid mode. I really like this effect – it makes your images look punchy and saturated, but without obviously being overblown. The Standard mode also gives quite nice results, without being outstanding. For those who like to shoot in black and white, Nikon’s Deep Tone Monochrome is pretty special, too.

NIKON Z50_2 · f/4.2 · 1/1000s · 24.5mm · ISO100

When it comes to the more ‘creative’ options available on the Picture Control button, though, I’m afraid they leave me somewhat cold. They’re mostly stylised colour filters with names like Dream, Morning and Pop. I’m sure some people will make good use of them, but to my mind they don’t have anywhere near the same charm as Fujifilm’s hugely popular Film Simulation modes.

You might be concerned that Nikon’s 20MP sensor won’t be able to capture as much detail as its 24MP or 26MP rivals. But in reality, there’s very little in it, with just a 10% difference in linear resolution between them. All are plenty good enough to make highly detailed A3 / 16 x 12in prints. And this sensor does offer very good high-ISO performance by APS-C standards. I was perfectly happy with my real-world images shot at settings as high as ISO 10,000, and even ISO 20,000 with AI noise reduction in raw processing.  

NIKON Z50_2 · f/8 · 1/80s · 28mm · ISO100

Raw files are also impressively malleable, allowing you to pull out clean detail from deep within shadow regions. Using Adobe Camera Raw, I found I could adjust the exposure and shadows sliders pretty much as I pleased when shooting at low ISOs. This means that in high-contrast situations you can easily under-expose by two or three stops to retain highlight details and then re-balance the  tonality in raw processing.

One thing we simply can’t ignore when talking about Nikon’s DX-format cameras, though, is lenses. The firm offers a perfectly good set of affordable entry-level options, including a 16-50mm standard zoom, 12-28mm wideangle, 50-250mm telephoto, 18-180mm travel zoom, and 25mm f/1.7 prime. But 5 years after Nikon released its first APS-C Z-mount camera, that’s your lot. If you want to step up to something more premium from Nikon, you’ll have to acquire ill-matched full-frame optics.

NIKON Z50_2 · f/1.7 · 1/40s · 24mm · ISO200

Having said that, the 16-50mm that comes with the camera is probably my favourite among basic APS-C kit zooms, for its combination of useful zoom range, decent optical quality and portability. You can get some very nice third-party autofocus primes, too, including Sigma’s f/1.4 DC DN range and a nice selection of primes from Viltrox. This is great if you want to add something Nikon doesn’t offer, for example a bright 16mm wideangle, or a 56mm for portraits. But while these lenses help make the Z50II a more attractive option, you can get them in other mounts too.  

ISO and Noise

Nikon has been using variants of this 20MP DX sensor for years, and it performs much the same here as in the likes of the Z50 and Zfc. It delivers clean, detailed images at ISO 100, with barely any loss in image quality on boosting to ISO 1600. Noise starts to degrade the image at higher settings when you examine images closely, but both ISO 3200 and ISO 6400 deliver perfectly usable results.

NIKON Z50_2 · f/4.5 · 1/40s · 27.5mm · ISO10000

Beyond this, detail and colour saturation suffer noticeably, but even ISO 25,600 is usable, especially with AI noise reduction. ISO 51,200 is pretty sketchy, though, and I’d leave the extended settings well alone. 

Below are 100% crops at various ISOs from our standard studio, shot in raw and processed using Adobe Camera Raw at default settings. Click on any thumbnail to see the full-size image.

Nikon Z50II: Our Verdict

There’s no doubt that the Nikon Z50II is a very capable little camera that offers the most advanced feature set in its class. It handles well and delivers attractive images in both JPEG and raw. Don’t be put off by the 20MP resolution, as that’s more than enough for most purposes, and there’s minimal practical difference compared to 24MP or 26MP. 

So why, then, did it leave me feeling a little cold? To be honest, that black plastic SLR-like design just doesn’t have the same charm as the likes of the Zfc or the Fujifilm X-T30 II. Also, the fact that Nikon has dedicated a button to Picture Controls doesn’t really help when I don’t particularly like most of what’s on offer. In the end, I pretty much just used it as a means of swapping between colour and black & white.

The lack of any premium Nikkor DX lenses is also an irritation. If you’re happy with the idea of Nikon pushing you down an upgrade path that will inevitably involve switching to a larger, heavier and more expensive full-frame setup, you might be fine with this. But the fact is that much better APS-C lens systems are available elsewhere, from Sony and in particular Fujifilm. This gives you so much more room to grow as a photographer, without having to change format.

NIKON Z50_2 · f/11 · 1/40s · 17mm · ISO100

Ultimately the Nikon Z50II is still a very good camera that delivers very nice results. But, dare I say it, I found it just a little bit boring. My head tells me it’s the best in its class, but my heart would urge me to buy something more charismatic instead. 

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Nikon Z50II full specifications:

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It’s eight years since Fujifilm revolutionised medium format digital with the launch of its GFX 50S. Since then, the GFX system has gone from strength to strength. With the GFX50S II, Fujifilm brought the price of entry even lower, with an option for a new matched GF 35-70mm F4.5-5.6 WR kit zoom. Its price has not budged much since. It also remains among our best cameras for landscape photography to this day. Welcome to our full review of the Fujifilm GFX50S II.

Fujifilm GFX50S II at a glance:

• $3,275 / £2,270 (used) body-only
• $4,500 / £3,900 with 35-70mm F4.5-5.5
• 51.4MP medium format sensor
• ISO 50-102,400 (extended)
• 3.69m-dot EVF, 0.77x magnification
• 3.2in, 2.35m-dot tilting touchscreen
• 5-axis in-body image stabilisation

Despite its name, the GFX50S II isn’t based on the original GFX 50S. Instead, it employs the same 51.4MP sensor, but places it in the exact same body as the GFX100S, while mating it with the updated X-Processor 4. As such, it promises fine image quality in an excellent, proven camera design. In effect, it replaced the rangefinder-style GFX 50R as the entry point to the GFX system, with that model no longer in production.

Its price renders the GFX50S II competitive with high-resolution full-frame cameras such as the 45MP Canon EOS R5, 45.7MP Nikon Z7 II or 61MP Sony Alpha A7R IV, (which launched for £4,200, £3,000 and £3,500 respectively). As we’ll see, it’s somewhat less of an all-rounder, with less sophisticated autofocus and slower shooting. But for certain subjects that benefit mostly from raw image quality, it’s a really interesting alternative.

Fujifilm GFX50S II: Features

In essence, the GFX50S II offers the same imaging specifications as the older GFX 50S and the flat-bodied, rangefinder-style GFX 50R. Its 51.4MP sensor is, at 44x33mm, 70% larger in area than full frame, which means it promises images with extremely low noise and high dynamic range, especially at low ISOs. It provides a standard sensitivity range of ISO 100-12,800 that’s extendable down to ISO 50, although with a greater tendency to clip highlight details, and up to ISO 102,400 at the cost of noisy images.

One area where the sensor shows its age is a continuous shooting speed of 3 frames per second, which is pretty pedestrian by current standards. There’s no live view between frames, either, just playback of your previous images, which makes it difficult to keep track of moving subjects.

The camera is also only capable of recording video in Full HD resolution, rather than 4K, which feels decidedly outdated. But if you’re thinking of buying into medium format, chances are you’ll be far more interested in shooting still images anyway.

Timed shutter speeds are available for as long as an hour, which is great for those shooting landscapes with neutral density filters, and as fast as 1/4000sec using the mechanical shutter. It’s possible to go higher still using the silent electronic shutter, right up to 1/16000sec. But this comes with a considerable risk of rolling shutter distortion and banding under artificial light, so I’d avoid generally using it.

Instead, I set the shutter to its EF+E mode, which employs an electronic first-curtain shutter at slower speeds to eliminate vibration. Strangely it also locks you out of using the extended ISOs, but as far as I’m concerned, that’s not a big problem.

Unlike its 102MP siblings, the sensor lacks on-chip phase detection, so autofocus is based on contrast detection only. But thanks to the faster processor, it should generally be quicker than the older GFX 50 models. Even so, it’s inevitably not going to be a good choice for tracking erratically moving subjects, meaning the camera is best suited to landscape, portrait or studio work, rather than sports or wildlife.

One notable feature is 5-axis in-body image stabilisation (IBIS) that promises up to six and a half stops of shake reduction. This is great for shooting hand-held at much slower shutter speeds that you could otherwise contemplate, but more generally, it ensures you get sharp pictures hand-held as a matter of course. This means you don’t have to use a tripod all the time, which at one time was considered de rigueur with medium format.

The IBIS unit also enables a 205MP multi-shot mode in which 16 exposures are compiled to produce a single high-resolution image, although this is will only work with completely static subjects. In addition, the camera won’t create a 205MP file itself, which instead requires Fujifilm’s Pixel Shift Combiner software for Mac or PC.

You also get the benefit of Fujifilm’s industry-leading colour science, with a full set of Film Simulation modes that provide a wide range of attractive looks for your images. There are 19 to choose from, ranging from the punchy, saturated Velvia to more subtle, muted options such as Pro Neg and the cine optimised Eterna. The GFX 50S II also gets Nostalgic Neg that first appeared on the GFX100S, while monochrome lovers are well served by Fujifilm’s excellent Acros mode.

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are built-in for connection to your smartphone or tablet, offering the usual set of functions via the free Fujifilm Camera Remote app. You can copy files across to your phone for sharing, control the camera remotely from your phone, or geotag your images using its GPS while you’re out shooting.

Fujifilm GF 35-70mm F4.5-5.6 WR kit zoom

To complement the GFX50S II, Fujifilm also launched a bespoke kit zoom, the GF 35-70mm F4.5-5.6 WR, which equates to a 28-56mm equivalent range. It features a retracting design to take up less space in your bag, while also being the first GF lens without an aperture ring.

However, like the rest of the system it features weather-resistant construction, and Fujifilm says the optics should match up to the demands of its high-resolution sensors.

Fujifilm GFX50S II: Key features

With the same body design as the GFX100S, the GFX50S II shares many of the same features.

• Storage  Two UHS-II SD card slots are available for recording images. These can be used in either sequential or backup modes; alternatively, you can record raw files to one and JPEGs to the other.
• Remote release  On the side of the handgrip, you’ll find a standard 2.5mm TRS socket that works with a huge range of electronic cable releases originally designed for Canon or Pentax cameras.
• Connectors  Microphone and headphone sockets are found under one cover on the left side, with USB-C, Micro HDMI, and PC sync sockets under another cover lower down.
• Power  Fujifilm’s NP-W235 Li-ion battery can deliver 455 shots per charge, according to CIPA-standard ratings. I got close to this in real-world use.
• LCD light  Pressing a tiny button on the side of the viewfinder housing illuminates the top LCD status panel.
• Grip  No vertical grip is available, but Fujifilm offers the add-on MHG-GFX S grip extension, which boasts an Arca Swiss profile baseplate for tripod use and costs £139.

Fujifilm GFX50S II: Build and handling

Physically, the GFX50S II looks identical to the GFX100S, with the only way of telling the two apart being the subtly placed product name on the camera’s side. To users of Fujifilm’s older GFX models, or most of its APS-C X-system mirrorless cameras, the design philosophy might come as a surprise, as instead of using the company’s signature analogue dials for the main exposure settings, it behaves more like a conventional DSLR. So there are twin electronic dials under your finger and thumb, an exposure mode dial on top, and a joystick for positioning the focus point. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, though; just different.

Overall, the body is about the same size and shape as a high-end full-frame DSLR, and is built for pro use, with magnesium alloy construction and extensive weather-sealing. A large, deep handgrip makes it very comfortable and secure to hold, even with the larger lenses in the GF line-up.

With lightweight lenses such as the 35-70mm kit zoom, it’s entirely possible to shoot one-handed, which isn’t something you’d normally associate with medium format. On the whole, the controls are large and well-spaced, making them easy to use while you’re wearing gloves, while a large status panel on top shows all your settings at a glance.

Unusually, both electronic dials can be clicked inwards like buttons. With the front dial, this switches between controlling aperture and ISO, which comes into its own when using the 35-70mm lens. By default, clicking the rear dial engages live view magnification, but I think there’s a better way to use it.

This is because Fujifilm has persisted with the same tiny exposure compensation button as the GFX100S, which I find awkward to use. But by changing a couple of menu settings, you can set the camera up so that clicking the rear dial switches between shutter speed and exposure compensation instead. This makes it much nicer to shoot with. (In Setup – Button/dial setting, first change Function (Fn) setting – R-dial to Expo Comp, and then Expo Comp Button Setting to On/Off Switch. I also reassigned the exposure compensation button to Focus Check.)

Compared to a lot of other high-end cameras, the back plate is relatively clean. There’s a joystick for positioning the AF area and navigating menus, a dedicated button for changing the drive mode, and a small switch beside the viewfinder for the focus mode. But most other settings are accessed via Fujifilm’s enviably clear Q menu.

A couple of unmarked buttons on top of the camera can be customised to suit your preferences, as can one on the front, while swipe gestures across the touchscreen (up, down, left and right) can also be used like custom buttons. Meanwhile the exposure mode dial has no fewer than six custom positions for saving camera set-ups for specific purposes.

One of the few criticisms of the design is that the touchscreen is underemployed. You can use it to set the focus point, select and change Q Menu items, swipe though images in playback, and double-tap on them to zoom in to inspect focus. In video mode, enabling Movie Optimised Control allows exposure settings to be changed silently using the screen. But there’s still no option to operate the menus by touch.

Fujifilm GFX50S II: Viewfinder and screen

The GFX50S II inherits the same large, high resolution electronic viewfinder as the GXF100S. At 3.69 million dots and 0.77x magnification, on paper it looks very good indeed. But as a reminder that the numbers don’t always tell the whole story, the user experience doesn’t quite match up to its more expensive sibling. Instead, the GFX50S II’s live view feed suffers from visible artefacts, with jagged edges and false colour along high-contrast angled lines. Unlike several of Fujifilm’s other cameras, there are no boost modes available to fix this. It’s not a huge problem, but it’s noticeable, especially when shooting architecture.

One a more positive note, the EVF displays a huge range of information about camera settings, which Fujifilm allows you to customise to show only those you want, and hide the rest. When the shutter button is half-pressed, the camera stops down the aperture to the shooting setting, clearly previewing depth of field. It also provides a pretty accurate rendition of how your pictures will come out in terms of colour and exposure, which is great for judging when to apply exposure compensation.

With the more contrasty Film Simulation modes, though, this isn’t always desirable, as the shadows can block up quickly, hampering composition. In such situations, help is at hand in the shape of Fujifilm’s Natural Live View setting, which mimics the experience of using an optical finder in terms of contrast and colour. I like to assign this to a function button, such as the one on the camera’s front which is particularly easy to hit with the camera up to your eye.

Below the EVF there’s an excellent 3.2in rear LCD, with its 2.36m-dot resolution providing a detailed view with few visible artefacts. A proximity sensor beside the viewfinder eyepiece allows automatic switching between the LCD and EVF. The screen tilts in three directions, allowing high- and low-angle shooting in both portrait and landscape orientation, while being quicker to use than a side-hinged fully articulated unit. This is my favourite screen design for shooting stills, with its only limitation being that it can’t be set facing forwards. But I doubt many GFX users will care about that in the slightest.

Fujifilm GFX50S II: Autofocus

With only contrast detection to fall back on for autofocus, the GFX50S II is unable to match the performance of the GFX100S II, let alone the incredibly sophisticated AF systems on its full-frame rivals. But whether this will actually matter depends entirely on your expectations, and the types of subjects you intend to shoot.

It’s not going to be a great choice for capturing rapidly or erratically moving subjects. But if you want an autofocus system that’s capable of consistently acquiring accurate focus on a static subject, wherever it may be within the frame, it’ll do the job very well.

One situation where it can struggle, though, is in low light, which is exacerbated by the  relatively small aperture of the kit zoom. When shooting at twilight it’s not only slow and hesitant, but also has a habit of missing focus slightly. In such situations it’s best to select the largest focus area that’s practical – the size can be adjusted in six steps – and to make a point of identifying a high-contrast edge for the camera to focus on.

For those who wish to speed things up, Fujifilm included a Rapid AF function, which by default is activated using the function button on the front plate. According to Fujifilm, the main disadvantage of using it is reduced battery life. But with the lenses I mostly used for this review – the GF 35-70mm F4.5-5.6 WR and GF 50mm F3.5 R LM WR – it didn’t make a noticeable difference, as both are among the snappiest in the GF arsenal already.

When you need to engage manual focus, Fujifilm offers the usual focusing aids of peaking and magnified view, which generally work well. In a clever piece of interface design, both can be accessed from the same button – pressing it engages magnified view, while holding it down for a second turns on peaking.

Another neat feature in manual focus mode is that you can use the magnified view to zoom in on your subject, and then use the AF-ON button to autofocus precisely on that point. Again, though, manual focusing can get difficult in low light, as the viewfinder image becomes noisy and indistinct.

Fujifilm GFX50S II: Performance

Historically, medium format digital cameras have generally been clunky and awkward to use. But with Fujifilm’s recent GFX models, that’s no longer true. Like its 102MP sibling, the GFX50S II mostly works just as well as its high-resolution full-frame rivals, to the extent that you soon forget that you’re shooting with medium format.

Indeed the experience of working with the GFX50S II is much like any other modern mirrorless model. A flick of the power switch sees it ready to shoot in less than a second, and after that, it’s quick and responsive to the controls. The well-damped, low-vibration shutter also means it’s relatively quiet and discreet, especially if you engage the electronic first curtain mode.

Crucially, where using medium format used to mean lugging around a heavy bag full of kit, the GFX50S II is no larger or heavier than a high-end full-frame DSLR. I took it on a ten-mile walk along the North Kent coast with a couple of lenses (the 30mm f/3.5 and 35-70mm f/4.5-5.6), and never once felt weighed down by the kit.

A knock-on benefit is that you don’t need to carry a large, heavy tripod, either. Indeed the image stabilisation is so effective that a lot of the time, you don’t need a tripod at all; I got sharp images as shutter speeds as low as 0.8sec hand-held at the wide end of the 35-70mm lens, and 0.3sec at 70mm. This gives you the mobility to explore creative compositions and exploit the tilting screen to shoot from low or high angles.

As always from Fujifilm, the automated systems work brilliantly. Metering and auto white balance are both supremely well-judged; I occasionally applied a little negative exposure compensation to tame bright highlights, but that’s all. The in-camera JPEG processing is typically stunning, with those lovely Film Simulation modes giving a wide range of attractive options.

I particularly like Astia for everyday shooting and Acros for black & white, while Velvia is great for punchy, saturated landscapes. In fact, the JPEGs are so good that sometimes there’s no point in trying to improve on them by reprocessing from raw.

Of course it’s the raw image quality that potentially marks the GFX50S II apart from full-frame mirrorless, and as with its predecessors that used the same sensors, the files are superb. They show sensational levels of detail coupled with huge dynamic range at low ISOs, so you can expose to retain highlights and then bring up shadow detail by at least four stops in post processing without any problem with noise.

However, with little or no advantage over the latest full-frame sensors in terms of pixel count, the case for buying into the GFX50S II isn’t as clear cut compared to the GFX100S. But it’s crucial to understand here that lenses are just as important as the sensor when it comes to overall image quality, and Fujifilm’s GF range is superb.

Special mention here must go to the GF 35-70mm F4.5-5.6 WR, which is anything but a stereotypical kit zoom. Instead, it delivers superb levels of detail, with just a little softening visible in the extreme corners at the wide end. The key is to remember that you need to stop down more than you would on full frame to get sufficient depth of field, with apertures of f/11 to f/16 often being advisable.

About the only thing that doesn’t work brilliantly is the 205MP pixel-shift mode. Each set of 16 raw files takes up to 900MB of space, which will fill up your SD cards rapidly. Also, the Pixel Shift Converter program isn’t capable of scanning through a folder of images on your computer and identifying sets automatically; instead, you have to hunt them down and feed them into the software manually.

The converter program churns out massive DNGs up to 800MB in size, which in turn must be processed using a raw converter. At the time of testing, Adobe software doesn’t allow you to apply its Fujifilm camera-matching profiles to these DNGs, so you’re stuck with the generic colour and monochrome looks as start points.

Examining the resultant images close-up reveals that the pixel shift converter can’t deal with any subject motion at all, giving ugly coloured artefacts. Even with static subjects such as architecture, it will often end up rendering strange grid-like artefacts in some areas, perhaps due to the light changing subtly between frames. As a result, it only really works satisfactorily for studio still-life work under completely controlled lighting. But when everything does come together, it’s capable of producing excellent results.

Fujifilm GFX50S II: ISO and noise

At low ISO settings the GFX50S II gives superb images, with a no visible noise and impressive rendition of even the finest detail. It’s only really at ISO 3200 that we see any degradation when examining images close-up onscreen. By ISO 12,800 quality is suffering from noise, although the camera’s own processing does a better job of maintaining colour than Adobe Lightroom or Camera Raw. Beyond this, however, things go downhill fast, with colours fading and serious problems with noise. ISO 25,600 might sometimes be usable at a pinch, but I’d steer well clear of the top two extended settings.

Below are 100% crops taken from our standard test scene – click on any one of them to see the full-size image.

Fujifilm GFX50S II: Our Verdict

Before Fujifilm launched the original GFX 50S, digital medium format kit was bulky and expensive, and completely out of the question for most photographers. So it seems remarkable to be discussing the GFX50S II in the same breath as high-end full-frame models. But this is a camera that serious enthusiasts might genuinely contemplate buying. It can seamlessly replace a full-frame DSLR kit, fitting into the same bags and sitting happily on the same tripods, while delivering fantastic image quality.

Of course, it might be tempting to dismiss the GFX50S II based on those areas where it lags its full-frame rivals, particularly with regards to continuous shooting, autofocus and video. But the reality is that not everybody needs to shoot at 10fps with eye-tracking AF, and some users’ requirements are geared more towards the highest possible image quality. This is where the camera excels, with superb colour, detail, and dynamic range.

It’s not just the image quality on offer that matters, either, but how readily you can take advantage of it. In particular, the effective in-body stabilisation and soft, discreet low-vibration shutter help you get the best results from that excellent sensor when shooting hand-held. Fujifilm’s GF lenses are absolutely superb, too, although they’re also large and expensive, which remains the system’s biggest drawback. Then again, high-end full-frame optics aren’t exactly cheap, either.

Ultimately, at its price and complete with an impressively fine lens, the GFX50S II is the closest thing to bringing medium format digital to a mainstream audience. It’s a truly impressive camera that’s a pleasure to use and delivers superb images in both JPEG and raw. For photographers who prioritise image quality over shooting speed, it’s a wonderful tool.

 Fujifilm GFX50S II: Full specifications

The post Fujifilm GFX50S II review – all about image appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

Designed for professional sports and action photography, the Canon EOS R1 is the firm’s first mirrorless model to sport its flagship “1-series” designation. Announced in mid-2024 alongside the 45MP EOS R5 Mark II, it can shoot 24MP stills at up to 40 frames per second, record 6K raw video at 60fps, and has a large body with an integrated vertical grip. In many ways, it can be seen as a fully pro-spec update to the EOS R3 from 2021, which inevitably makes it one of the best Canon cameras.

Canon EOS R1 at a glance:

• $6,799 / £6,799 body-only
• 24MP stacked CMOS sensor
• ISO 100-102,400 (standard), 50-409,600 (extended)
• 40 frames per second shooting
• 6K 60fps video
• 9.4m-dot, 0.9x viewfinder
• Fully articulated touchscreen

While the EOS R1 and EOS R5 Mark II differ significantly in terms of body design and key photo and video specifications, they’re both pro-spec models that share most of their internal technology. Both are built around Canon’s “Accelerated Capture” concept, which employs a new Digic Accelerator co-processor alongside the main Digic X processor. They also share a huge array of features, including the firm’s unique Eye Control Focus.

At $6,799 / £6,799 body-only, the EOS R1 is similarly priced to its spiritual predecessor, the EOS-1D X Mark III DSLR. This counts as a significant hike over the EOS R3, making it one of the most expensive cameras on the market. It costs significantly more than either of its direct competitors, namely the superb Nikon Z9, and the Sony Alpha A9 III with its unique global-shutter sensor. So what do you get for your money, and can the Canon EOS R1 possibly make sense for anyone other than professional photographers?

Features

While the EOS R1 employs a 24MP stacked-CMOS sensor, it’s not exactly the same unit as that used by the EOS R3. The big first difference lies in its implementation of Canon’s dual-pixel CMOS AF, where every sensor pixel is split into two for phase detection autofocus. In Canon’s other cameras, each pixel is split into left/right pairs, but in the R1, alternate green pixels are split vertically instead. This enables cross-type focusing, which should help the R1 to focus in certain situations where other cameras might fail.

Another update lies with the optical low-pass filter in front of the sensor. This now employs a more complex design, that aims to give sharper images with minimal risk of sampling artefacts such as aliasing and false colour.

The sensor offers a huge sensitivity range of ISO 100-102,400 as standard, which is further extendable to ISO 50-409,600. The mechanical shutter maxes out at 1/8000sec, but the electronic shutter can go as fast as 1/64,000sec. Flash sync is 1/320sec, which sounds pretty good until you remember that the A9 III’s global shutter can sync at any setting.

This kind of camera is all about speed, and to that end, the EOS R1 can shoot at 40 frames per second in full-resolution raw using its electronic shutter, complete with autofocus. While this is extremely impressive, again it’s eclipsed by the Sony A9 III, which can reach a remarkable 120fps in 24MP raw. Switch to the mechanical shutter, and the EOS R1 maxes out at 12fps.

Like many other recent cameras, pre-burst shooting is available for capturing split-second action in unpredictable situations. In this mode, the EOS R1 will continuously buffer half a second’s worth of frames, and then record them to card when the shutter button is fully depressed. It’s enabled via a menu setting, though, rather than as a drive mode, which makes it less easy to access than it should be.

When it comes to autofocus, subject detection is available with settings for people, animals, and vehicles. But unlike Canon’s other cameras, there’s no option to get the camera to select between subject types automatically. That’s perhaps understandable on a camera that’s designed for intensive shooting sessions with specific subjects, but it still feels like a strange omission.

There are, however, some new autofocus features that reflect the EOS R1’s particular specialisation. Perhaps most interesting is the Action Priority mode, which initially works for football, basketball, and volleyball. It employs ball tracking and an understanding of certain ‘action poses’ to determine when to switch focus between the players. With football, for example, it’s designed to recognise and prioritise such things as ‘save by keeper’ and ‘sliding tackle’.

There’s also a new Registered Face Priority option. Here, it’s possible to get the camera to recognise up to ten faces at any given time, simply by taking a single photo of each person. You can then arrange them into an order of interest. The idea is that you could, for example, tell the camera to prioritise focusing on your team’s striker and star players, while ignoring the opposition.

Ten does seem like a strange choice of number here, though, given that most sports teams have rather more players than that. Maybe Canon thinks that nobody ever wants to photograph goalkeepers. To be fair, though, this is still first-generation technology, and sure to develop.

In-body image stabilisation (IBIS) is built-in and rated for up to 8.5 stops at the centre of the frame, and 7.5 stops at the edges. Canon hasn’t included a high-resolution multi-shot mode that uses the IBIS unit for pixel-shifting, but that’s perfectly sensible on a sports camera. If you need more than 24MP, it’s possible to upscale images in-camera during playback.

Canon has included an impressive array of video features, too. It’s possible to record 6K video at up to 60fps internally, using Canon’s own raw format. Switch to the more universal XF-AVC S format, and you can shoot in 4K at 120 fps, or Full HD at 240 fps. Proxy recording is now available, allowing you to record high-resolution video to one card and Full HD to the other, which facilitates easier editing.

The camera also supports simultaneous stills and video recording, in which Full HD video is saved to one card and 18MP, 16:9 JPEG stills to the other. This is most likely to be useful to journalists.

As we’d expect from a professional sports camera, you get extensive connectivity options built in. Alongside Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and USB-C, there’s an RJ45 ethernet port that can be used for transferring images to an FTP server. The EOS R1 also supports direct wired connections to iPhones via USB-C for improved speed and reliability.

Canon EOS R1: Key features

• Power: Canon’s hefty LP-E19 battery occupies most of the vertical grip. It promises 1330 shots using the LCD, or 700 with the EVF
• Storage: The camera records files to dual CFexpress Type B slots. There’s no facility to use SD cards or external SSDs.
• Connectors: On the side, you’ll find headphone, microphone, USB-C, full-size HDMI, PC flash sync, and RJ45 ethernet ports. Canon’s N3-type remote release connector is placed on the front.
• Multi-function shoe: The hot shoe works with a full range of Canon Speedlites and a number of digital audio accessories
• Smart Controllers: The AF-ON buttons double-up as mini touchpads for selecting the focus point, and can activate a second function with a firmer press
• Lenses: As well as native Canon RF lenses, you can also use EF-mount DSLR lenses with no loss of functionality, via the Canon EF-EOS R Mount Adapter

Build and Handling

Design-wise, the EOS R1 closely resembles the EOS R3, but with a few extra buttons on top and a subtle rearrangement of some secondary controls on the back. This also means that it inherits a great deal of its DNA from the EOS-1D X Mark III, but with some significant additional controls that have become standard across the EOS R range. Pro photographers who might be contemplating pairing it with an EOS R5 Mark II will be pleased to find that the two cameras work in almost exactly the same way, too.

While the R1 looks very much like the R3, it’s not actually the same body. In fact, it’s slightly larger and heavier, measuring 157.6 x 149.5 x 87.3mm and weighing in at 1115g. Thankfully, that’s not as huge as the EOS-1D X Mark III and, perhaps surprisingly, it’s more than 200g lighter than the Nikon Z9. But it’s still a hefty piece of kit to carry around.

In your hand, the Canon EOS R1 certainly feels like a top-end professional camera. The build quality is exemplary, and (almost) all the buttons and dials are decently large and positive in operation. Much of the body is covered by a textured non-slip grip, which makes the camera extremely secure in your hand, despite its weight. Naturally it’s fully weather-sealed, and my review sample held up to some wintery showers with no ill effects.

That large dual-grip design offers plenty of space for external controls, to the extent that this might just have the most of any camera that I’ve used. There are no fewer than 31 buttons, 5 control dials and 3 switches dotted around the body, although in fairness this includes plenty of duplication across the two grips for vertical and horizontal shooting. Even so, it’s not one for the faint-hearted.

What this means is that you get dedicated external controls for almost every key function. Regardless of which grip you’re using, there are three electronic dials for changing exposure settings, an AF-area joystick, plus buttons for AF-ON, AE lock, AF area selection, AF tracking and depth-of-field preview. All are placed within relatively easy reach of your right hand.

You get direct access to an array of major camera functions via a pair of buttons on the top left. Used in concert with the dials, these control such things as drive, AF and metering modes; flash exposure compensation, and auto-exposure bracketing. There’s also a dedicated button for white balance, which wasn’t on the EOS R3.

There are also a few standout controls that you won’t find on the R1’s competitors. Most obviously, you get a thumb dial for setting the ISO directly without having to press a button, which can also be used to shift the ISO temporarily in Auto mode. Personally, I find this extremely useful.

Canon’s unique ‘smart controllers’ are particularly worthy of mention. At their simplest, these act as AF-ON controls for back-button focusing. But they can also be used as mini touchpads for moving the focus area, so you don’t necessarily even have to shift your thumb onto the joystick.

However, what’s new and clever on the EOS R1 is that they now also act as two-stage buttons. So you can use them for such things as engaging eye control focus, or temporarily boosting the continuous shooting speed, whilst still activating AF.  

Canon also provides a handy set of extra controls in playback. There’s a dedicated button on the back for star-rating your favourite images, which can also be used for adding voice annotations. It’s also possible to crop your images, or mark them for FTP transfer, without ever having to enter the menus.

These may not be things your typical enthusiast wants to do, but they could be invaluable for professionals looking to send their preferred shots to their picture desk without a moment’s delay.

That vast array of controls also means that there are often multiple different ways of doing the same thing. Even for functions that have their own buttons, you can also use either the M-Fn button beside the shutter release, or the onscreen quick menu via the Q button.

This reflects that fact that the R1’s control layout has evolved through multiple iterations, traceable all the way back to the original EOS-1 35mm SLR from 1989. It gives a great deal of operational flexibility, but I can’t help but feel there’s no way that you’d design a camera quite like this from scratch. 

Almost every control is customisable, with an entire menu section dedicated to the job. The menus themselves are reasonably clear and well laid out, and easy to operate by touch. As usual, though, they’re not searchable, so it’s a nightmare trying to find any given setting in a hurry. So it’s worth taking a few moments to set up a My Menu with all the options you might wish to change frequently.

Once you’ve got used to how the camera works, though, there’s very little to criticise. About the only thing I disliked was the power switch, which Canon has rotated by about 45 degrees relative to previous models. I’m not entirely sure why, but I found this strangely awkward. The M-Fn buttons are tiny as usual, but they still work OK.

Viewfinder and screen

One of the Canon EOS R1’s standout features is its viewfinder. It’s Canon’s largest, brightest and most detailed to date, with 9.4-million dots and 0.9x magnification. It delivers a fantastic viewing experience that’s at least a match for Sony’s high-end models, including the A9 III. This is aided by a particularly large, soft eyecup that blocks out stray light very effectively (and which also helps the eye control focus work effectively).

All the usual viewing aids are available, including gridlines, levels, and a live histogram which, unusually and usefully, can be set to RGB. Helpfully you can configure up to three screen setups that combine these aids in any way you like, and toggle through them using the Info button. I like to have one clean, simple view, and another that shows the levels and a small sRGB histogram.

Canon previews colour and exposure, and there’s a conventional DOF preview button on each grip. This makes it really easy to see how your shots are likely to turn out, and then apply any adjustments that might be necessary.

For those who prefer a more SLR-like experience, Canon’s OVF simulation mode disables all this processing, and instead aims to deliver a neutral view more like an optical viewfinder. I find this especially useful in bright, high contrast situations where shadow detail might otherwise be difficult to make out.

Below the viewfinder, there’s a 3.2in, 2.1m-dot touchscreen. Again, it’s bright and detailed and provides a good idea of how your shots are going to look. With a side-hinged fully articulated design, it can be set to practically any angle you choose, which is great for shooting at awkward angles.

Personally, though, I’d prefer a mechanism that allows the screen to tilt up and down directly behind the camera, so it doesn’t block connector ports or get obscured by your camera strap. In this respect, both Nikon’s 3-way tilt on the Z9, and Sony’s 4-axis articulation on the A9 III, have an advantage. But Canon’s design still works well enough, while being a little less bulky.

Autofocus

We’ve now got used to the latest top-end cameras with stacked CMOS sensors and sophisticated subject recognition algorithms providing autofocus performance so good that it borders on magical. But the big difference between the EOS R1 and its competitors lies with Canon’s unique eye control focus, where the camera can detect what you’re looking at in the viewfinder, and then focus on that subject. I found this worked really well when I reviewed the EOS R5 Mark II, and the EOS R1 continues in the same vein. However, not everyone can get eye control to work accurately.

Canon EOS R1 · f/2.8 · 1/1600s · 70mm · ISO2500

Click on any sample image to see the full-resolution version

As I only had the camera for a relatively limited length of time over the Christmas break, I couldn’t test out its AF system as fully as I’d have liked. But I did get to test it shooting basketball practice at Canon’s launch event using the RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM zoom, and with local wildlife using the RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1L IS USM zoom. Just like its peers, it’s impressively capable of picking up subjects and tracking them around the frame, giving very high success rates even with fast-moving, erratic subjects such as birds in flight.

Enable eye control focus, and a small circular cursor indicates where in the viewfinder the camera thinks you’re looking. Half-press the shutter button, or press AF-ON, and it’ll shift focus onto that point. I wouldn’t use this in static situations, as that cursor quickly gets distracting while you’re scanning your composition, and it’s not quite accurate enough for fine focus-point placement. But it comes into its own as a means of selecting between multiple possible subjects in fast-moving situations. Here I find it’s much quicker and more intuitive than any physical control – you literally don’t even have to think about it.

Canon EOS R1 · f/6.3 · 1/2000s · 400mm · ISO2000

Canon makes it notably quick and easy to control the AF functions in general. Pressing the button in middle of the control wheel on the back turns eye control on or off, while the upper of the two function buttons on the front engages subject tracking. All the different AF area modes are accessed using button on the camera’s shoulder. It’s all just extremely well set up and easy to use.

I wasn’t unduly annoyed by the lack of an Auto subject-selection mode on the EOS R1. Indeed if anything, I made me appreciate how much more sensibly Canon’s system is configured compared to some other brands, and Sony in particular.

Canon EOS R1 · f/8 · 1/1000s · 500mm · ISO800

There are only three options to choose between – people, animals, and vehicles – with the camera continuing to recognise people when set to the latter two. Also, ‘animals’ encompasses multiple options that other brands force you to choose between separately (mammals, birds, and insects), while ‘vehicles’ covers planes, trains, and cars, etc. You really don’t need any other modes, and it’s a shame that other cameras don’t make things this easy.    

Performance

As befits a pro-spec flagship camera, the EOS R1 is as quick and responsive as you could possibly hope for it to be. It’s ready to shoot the moment you flick the power switch, and then responds instantly to all the controls. It’s never going to slow you down or make you miss a shot. It’s quiet, too, with the mechanical shutter firing with a low-pitched and unobtrusive clunk. Engage the electronic shutter and turn off any audio signals, and it can be totally silent.

Canon EOS R1 · f/7.1 · 1/800s · 451mm · ISO6400

Thanks to the huge LP-E19 battery, the R1 will also keep on shooting long after most other cameras have run out of juice. I fully charged the battery when my review sample arrived, and proceeded to take almost 3000 frames during the course of my testing, many of them as 20fps or 40fps bursts using the electronic shutter. I didn’t have to top up the battery once, and it was still indicating 10% remaining when I finished.  

Continuous shooting performance is extremely impressive, too, with the EOS R1 fully capable of sustaining 40fps for 300 frames, or 7.5 seconds in my tests. It’s true that both the Sony A9 III and Nikon Z9 can shoot even faster at 120fps, but this probably isn’t something you’ll want to do that often. Even at 20fps, let alone 40, it’s all too easy to press down the shutter button for what feels like a brief burst, and then when you come to review your images, discover you’ve fired off dozens of frames that all look practically identical.

Canon EOS R1 · f/3.2 · 1/1600s · 70mm · ISO4000

Canon’s in-body image stabilisation works reliably well. Using the RF 24-70mm F2.8L IS USM, I was able to get pixel-sharp images at shutter speeds down to about a second at wideangle, and maybe 0.3sec at the long end. If you can tolerate a little bit of blur, multi-second hand-held exposures really aren’t out of the question.  

This may not sound like a feature that’ll be of much use with sports photography, which tends to be associated with fast shutter speeds. But it could be valuable if you want to use slow shutter speeds to convey a sense of motion, especially in situations where it’s not possible or practical to set up a tripod.

Canon EOS R1 · f/2.8 · 1/4s · 46mm · ISO100

It’s always worth noting that Canon’s EOS R mirrorless cameras work completely seamlessly with older EF-mount DSLR lenses, via either the firm’s own EF-EOS R adapter or cheaper third-party alternatives. I used the EOS R1 with my 1990s vintage EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro and it worked perfectly. This is good news to existing EOS-1D X-series shooters who might be heavily invested in expensive high-end telephoto lenses.  

Canon’s metering is generally very reliable, although as usual, it’s strongly linked to the AF point. This means you can get very different recommendations depending on whether you position the focus area in a bright or dark region of the fame. But it’s easy to judge in viewfinder what’s going on, and then adjust your settings accordingly.

Canon EOS R1 · f/8 · 1/80s · 41mm · ISO125

Auto white balance gives consistently attractive results, with little of the tendency towards over-neutralisation that we often see from some other brands. Canon’s colour processing is very nice too, which means that files are generally very usable directly from the camera, with just minor tweaks for brightness and contrast. As sports photographers routinely deliver their files as JPEGs, this is a significant benefit.  

When it comes to raw image quality, it’s clear that Canon’s clever new optical low-pass filter has paid dividends. Images are super-sharp at the pixel level with essentially no visible artefacts, which means that you get quite possibly the most real detail of any 24MP camera.

Canon EOS R1 · f/11 · 1/100s · 100mm · ISO3200

Files hold up very well at high ISOs too, and I got perfectly usable images at up to ISO 51,200 with the help of AI-based noise reduction such as Adobe Denoise. Canon’s new built-in neural network denoising also does a decent job with high-ISO files. But it can only be applied manually to in-camera raw conversions in playback, which means it’s only really suitable for one-offs. 

As we’ve often seen with cameras that shoot extremely quickly, though, one trade-off with the Canon EOS R1 is slightly limited dynamic range. If you try to retrieve detail from deep in the shadow regions, you’ll run into problems with noise sooner, compared to conventional sensors.

However, I must stress that this is only something you’ll encounter when making relatively extreme tonal adjustments in raw processing, and pulling up shadows by well over three stops. Most of the time, it simply doesn’t matter. However, it reinforces the message that the EOS R1 isn’t really a landscape camera, just a startlingly good sports camera.

ISO and Noise

Images are exceptionally clean at low ISO settings, with strikingly clean and crisp detail. This impressive quality is maintained well as the sensitivity is raised, with even the finest monochromatic detail only starting to blur away at ISO 3200. I’d be entirely happy shooting at up to ISO 12,800 without any special noise reduction.

Canon EOS R1 · f/7.1 · 1/640s · 500mm · ISO51200

Beyond this, files benefit significantly from AI denoise, with even ISO 102,400 then becoming quite acceptable if you don’t look too closely. The extended higher settings are horrible, though, and should be avoided if at all possible.  

Below are 100% crops at various ISOs from our standard studio, shot in raw and processed using Adobe Camera Raw at default settings. At settings of ISO 25,600 and higher, I’ve also included versions processed with Adobe DeNoise. Click on any thumbnail to see the full-size image.

Canon EOS R1: Our Verdict

There’s no doubt that the Canon EOS R1 is a remarkable camera. It’s built like a tank, and once you’ve worked out what all the myriad of buttons and dials are for, it handles brilliantly, too. Its autofocus system and continuous shooting ability are both spectacular, and the viewfinder is fantastic. If you shoot the kind of subjects that’s designed to tackle, it’s unlikely to let you down.

This is, however, a camera that’s so specialised, and so expensive, that rationally, hardly anyone should buy it. Unless you know for sure you need its particular strengths – that pro-spec reliability, blistering 40 frames per second speed, and immense battery life – there are better options available.

Chief among them is the Canon EOS R5 Mark II, which provides higher resolution in a smaller body for less money, but with otherwise almost all the same features. And if you’re happy with 24MP, the vastly cheaper EOS R6 Mark II will be a far more sensible choice for most photographers.

Canon EOS R1 · f/2.8 · 1/3s · 46mm · ISO200

This isn’t to belittle the EOS R1 – it really is very impressive indeed. But the fact that it’s designed for a very specific market means you pay a lot of money for features that most photographers will never use. For its target audience, it’s superb, but for practically everyone else, it’s almost certainly overkill.

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Canon EOS R1 full specifications

The post Canon EOS R1 review – high-speed super-heavyweight appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

The Canon EOS R100 represents the entry point into the firm’s RF-mount range of mirrorless cameras. Designed to be a compact, lightweight and easy-to-use family camera, it sits below the similar-looking Canon EOS R50 in the line-up but is notably cheaper, costing just $549 / £589 with the 18-45mm kit zoom, compared to $749 / £699 for the R50. It’s clearly not going to be one of the best Canon cameras in terms of specifications, but aims to make up for this with its price.

At a glance:

• $399 / £699 with 18-45mm f/4.5-6.3 lens
• $299 / £509 body-only
• 24.1MP APS-C CMOS
• ISO 100-12,800; ISO 25,600 (extended)
• 6.5 fps shooting (3.5fps with C-AF)
• 2.36m-dot, 0.59x OLED EVF
• 3in, 1.04m-dot fixed LCD
• 4K video recording at 25fps

So, how has Canon achieved this feat of affordability? In essence, it’s gone back in time and re-used the innards of the EOS M50 Mark II from 2020, which itself wasn’t much different from the original EOS M50 that appeared a couple of years before. And it’s put these into a super-simple body that has a lot in common with the EOS R50 but makes do with a fixed, non-touch-sensitive screen. The result is a camera that’s reminiscent of the firm’s older, very basic entry-level DSLRs.

To put the price into perspective, just compare it to entry-level kits from other brands. Sony’s Alpha A6100 and the Nikon Z30 come closest among APS-C mirrorless models, but still cost around $700 / £700 with a basic zoom. Some lower-priced alternatives can be found, but only by buying either a much older model (for example, the Panasonic Lumix G7 from 2015), or an entry-level DSLR such as the Canon EOS 2000D. However, buying a DSLR is pretty much a dead-end these days.    

In essence, if you want a small, simple and cheap camera with interchangeable lenses, the EOS R100 seems to fit the bill. But what do you get – and what do you miss out on?

Features

Like the EOS R50, the EOS R100 employs a 24MP APS-C sensor. It provides a standard sensitivity range of ISO 100-12,800, which is extendable to ISO 25,600 (slightly lower than the R50’s ISO 32,000e). By current standards, it isn’t particularly quick either, shooting at 6.5 frames per second with focus fixed, or 3.5 fps with focus tracking. The R50 can go twice as fast.

You also get the older Digic 8 processor, rather than the latest Digic X. Unfortunately, this isn’t beefy enough to run the subject detection autofocus that’s on all of Canon’s other recent cameras, so the EOS R100 is restricted to face and eye detection instead. If you can accept this is a simple family camera mainly for taking pictures of people, that might not be a huge loss.

Another penalty of the old sensor and processor comes with regards to video, and particularly 4K. This comes with a substantial 1.6x crop, and using the 18-45mm kit zoom, that equates to a 46mm equivalent view, which is not very wide at all. Canon’s Dual Pixel AF isn’t available with 4K, either, which instead uses the inferior contrast detection AF method.

This means that for decent video performance, you’re limited to shooting in Full HD. There’s only a mono microphone built-in, too, although a 3.5mm stereo input allows you to use an external unit. But if you consider yourself a ‘creator’, you should buy an EOS R50 instead.

Canon has included both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for connecting to your smartphone, using its Camera Connect app. This enables full remote control with live view, plus the ability to copy images to your phone for sharing on social media. But for some reason, you don’t get the quick and easy Bluetooth remote release option available with the R50.

Key features

• Power: Canon’s LP-E17 battery is rated for 340 shots per charge using the viewfinder, and 430 with the LCD. It can’t be charged in-camera, so an external mains charger is supplied
• Microphone: The built-in microphone is only mono, but there’s a 3.5mm stereo socket on the side for an accessory unit
• Remote: There’s a standard 2.5mm port for Canon’s RS-60E3 remote release cable. The camera is also compatible with the BR-E1 Bluetooth wireless remote and HG-100TBR tripod grip 
• Connectors: USB-C and Micro-HDMI ports on the side of the handgrip allow the camera to be connected to a computer or TV
• Flash: The small built-in flash lifts up from the viewfinder, offering a modest guide number of 6m at ISO 100. There’s also a hot shoe on top for external units
• Storage: Unsurprisingly, the camera only has a single SD card slot, of the UHS-I type. So, there’s no point in buying more expensive UHS-II cards.

Build and handling

As for design, the EOS R100 employs a simple, lightweight plastic body with the number of controls kept to a minimum. In principle, this should make it easier for beginners to learn and use. However, those with larger hands might find it cramped and fiddly, as the handgrip is inevitably rather small and the buttons are close together.

A full set of exposure modes is on offer from Scene Intelligent Auto, which aims to tailor the settings to each shooting situation to full manual control. Canon has included various beginner-friendly features, including its Guided User Interface, which illustrates what the various modes can achieve with onscreen examples.

Meanwhile, the auto mode includes Creative Assist, designed to help inexperienced users get the effects they want via easy-to-understand terminology such as ‘brightness’ and ‘background blur’, rather than ‘exposure compensation’ and ‘aperture’. Unfortunately, it makes no link between the two, so it’s not that much use as a learning tool.

Looking at the top plate controls, there are just the shutter and video buttons, power switch, exposure mode dial, and a single electronic dial for changing settings. Unlike the EOS R50, there’s no ISO button beside the shutter button, which feels like an odd decision for a model designed for stills photography.

On the back, you’ll find a small array of buttons including a slightly overworked 4-way d-pad. This is used for such things as moving the focus area, navigating menus, and changing settings. Each d-pad button also gives quick access to a key shooting function: ISO, exposure compensation, plus drive and flash modes. A small Q/SET button calls up an onscreen quick menu for other commonly used functions.

It’s worth noting at this point that while the flash mode button brings up a prominent On/Off option, you can’t activate the built-in flash simply by changing it to On. You still need to raise the unit manually, which could confuse new users.

While there are enough controls here to get by, the shooting experience is (unsurprisingly) quite slow and clunky. This is compounded by the fact that the rear screen isn’t touch sensitive. Obviously, this helps keep costs down, but it feels like a strange decision in a world where almost every other electronic device has a touch-based interface.

Once you get used to how it all works, though, the EOS R100 is reasonably straightforward to use. But, it’s perhaps best treated mainly as a point-and-shoot, and the chances are that it would soon frustrate more advanced users.   

Viewfinder and screen

It should come as no great surprise to find that the electronic viewfinder reflects the camera’s entry-level pricing. It’s one of the smallest around, offering a paltry 0.59x magnification, and it’s also very dim at its default setting. This makes composition rather difficult, and I found I needed to increase its brightness to the maximum to get a decent preview image. However, this will inevitably reduce battery life.

Meanwhile the 3in, 1.04m-dot rear screen is decently bright and detailed, but its usefulness is limited by the fact that it doesn’t tilt in any direction.

Canon previews colour and exposure, giving a reasonable idea of how your images should turn out (just as long as you turn up the EVF brightness). If you’d like to preview depth-of-field, this can be assigned to a function button; I used the video button. Other shooting aids available include gridlines and a live histogram. But in another example of cost-cutting, there’s no level display to help get your horizons straight.

Autofocus

When it comes to autofocus, the R100 offers a fairly basic set of options. You can either use an auto-area mode that incorporates face/eye detection and tracking, or choose between three sizes of focus point (spot, 1-point, and zone), which can be placed almost anywhere in the frame. Then, there’s a choice between one shot or continuous AF, which Canon calls Servo.

Canon EOS R100 · f/8 · 1/320s · 200mm · ISO1000

Click on any sample image to see a full-resolution version

Positioning the focus area requires you to press a button on the camera’s shoulder and then use the d-pad. This isn’t difficult, but it is rather long-winded, especially if you want to do it for every shot. I often ended up using the auto-area mode instead, particularly in situations with a clearly defined subject when I could be confident it would work.

Overall, this autofocus system works fine for static or slowly moving subjects, on which it’ll focus quickly, silently and accurately. But I wouldn’t really want to trust it for faster, more erratic subjects such as pets or kids. I tried photographing local wildlife and it really struggled the moment anything started moving quickly. This is one area where the EOS R50 performs dramatically better.

Performance

So, how does the EOS R100 behave when you go out and take pictures? The good news is that it’s quick and responsive, so you’re unlikely to miss a shot waiting for the camera to respond. Equally, it’s pretty discreet, thanks to its relatively quiet and unobtrusive shutter that shouldn’t unduly disturb a subject.

Canon EOS R100 · f/6.3 · 1/125s · 18mm · ISO100

Battery life is acceptable given its entry-level status, with Canon’s 340-shot rating counting as a reasonable guide when firing off the odd frame here and there. You can also engage Eco mode, which conserves power aggressively by dimming the screen and lowering the viewfinder refresh rate after a few seconds of inactivity. I’d still buy a spare battery, though, and maybe a third-party charger with a USB input, as you can’t top up in-camera from a powerbank during a break in shooting.

As for continuous shooting, suffice to say that the R100 isn’t the quickest. Even its specified rates seem slightly optimistic; in my tests, it delivered 6.4fps in One Shot AF, and 3.4fps in Servo. When recording JPEGs only, it’ll keep going for at least 50 frames before slowing down, which is more than enough. However, if you wish to shoot raw files, the buffer is limited to 9 shots in Servo, and just 7 in One Shot. Thankfully it doesn’t take long to clear, so you can shoot another burst fairly quickly afterwards.

Canon EOS R100 · f/9 · 1/500s · 28mm · ISO100

Where the EOS R100 really excels is at making JPEG files direct from the camera. Its metering and auto white balance are both superbly judged, and the colour rendition is bright and punchy. Canon’s Auto Lighting Optimiser also does a brilliant job of bringing out extra detail in darker areas of the image, without losing anything in the highlights. This means you get consistently attractive image files that are ready for sharing with no further work.

Once we look at the camera’s raw files, though, the sensor starts to reveal its age. It’s not terrible, by any means, but high ISO noise looks that little bit worse than its peers. Likewise, if you attempt to bring up additional detail from dark areas during raw processing, you’ll encounter noise fairly quickly, even at moderate ISO settings. You get what you pay for, I suppose.

Canon EOS R100 · f/8 · 1/80s · 18mm · ISO640

Canon’s RF-S 18-45mm F3.5-6.3 IS STM kit zoom isn’t great, either. It’s very small and lightweight, but offers limited creative potential in its zoom range and ability to blur away out-of-focus backgrounds. That small aperture also forces you to hike up the ISO setting earlier in low light. Also, while the lens pretty sharp at wideangle, it’s weak at the long end.

Canon does now at least offer a basic range of APS-C format RF-S lenses, including a 10-18mm f/4.5-6.3 wideangle zoom and a 55-210mm f/5-7.1 telephoto zoom. These are both designed to be very portable and relatively affordable, but again achieve this by having very small maximum apertures.

Canon EOS R100 · f/5.6 · 1/1000s · 300mm · ISO125

It’s also possible to use Canon EF-mount DSLR lenses via an adapter, including APS-C format EF-S optics. I tested this using my 15-year-old EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM telezoom, and it worked seamlessly. But this probably will be of most interest to existing EOS users who already own some lenses, and chances are they’ll want a more sophisticated camera than the EOS R100.

ISO and noise

The EOS R100 delivers clean images at low ISO settings, with plenty of detail visible. Some noise starts to creep in at ISO 800 if you examine images close-up onscreen, and by ISO 3200 it’s having a clear negative impact on fine detail.

Canon EOS R100 · f/5.6 · 1/80s · 30mm · ISO1000

I’d still be quite happy using ISO 6400 with careful noise reduction, although colour saturation suffers and fine detail blocks up. However, I’d avoid stepping up to ISO 12,800 unless there’s really no other option. The expanded ISO 25,600 setting is definitely a step too far. 

Below are 100% crops from our standard studio test scene, shot in raw and processed in Adobe Camera Raw with default noise reduction settings. Click on any image to see the full-size version.

Our verdict

With the EOS R100, Canon has clearly sought to create the simplest and cheapest mirrorless camera possible. Its price tag may look high compared to sub-£400 DSLRs like the firm’s EOS 2000D, but it’s more affordable than its mirrorless rivals such as the Fujifilm X-T30 II, Nikon Z50 and Sony Alpha A6100. Chances are it’ll drop further over time, too.

For your money, you get a very small, portable camera that is relatively easy for beginners to use. It also delivers consistently attractive JPEG files, with well-judged colour and exposure. However, you do have to accept a lot of compromises for the low price.

In particular, you don’t get the brilliant subject recognition autofocus system that’s the highlight feature of Canon’s next model up, the EOS R50. Its viewfinder is small and dim, too, while the rear screen is fixed and not even touch sensitive. This seems extraordinary now that touchscreens are ubiquitous on other devices – not least the mid-range smartphones that probably count as the R100’s main competition. Video features are severely lacking, as well.

Canon EOS R100 · f/8 · 1/250s · 45mm · ISO100

Overall, while the EOS R100 has the virtue of being cheap, it’s not particularly appealing beyond that. If you’re in the market for an entry-level mirrorless camera, I’d recommend saving up for something nicer, or looking at the second-hand market instead.

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Canon EOS R100 full specifications

The post Canon EOS R100 review – Canon’s cheapest mirrorless appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

The Fujifilm X-T30 II arrived as an update to Fujifilm’s best selling and most popular camera in the X-series range, the X-T30 (and before that, the X-T20). The X-T30 II was introduced with an improved specification at a reduced price of £769 body only. Now around $800 / £700 it remains very competitively priced, considering what is on offer; hence it ranks among our best Fujifilm cameras.

You get the same 26.1MP APS-C X-Trans 4 CMOS sensor, as used in the flagship X-T4, which is roughly twice the price, as well as the same image processor. The X-T30 II also features 4K CINE video recording, a 3inch 1.62M dot screen, and an electronic viewfinder (EVF).

Fujifilm X-T30 II – At a glance

• Price – $899 / £799 body only, $999 / £899 with 15-45mm XC lens
• Sensor 26.1MP X-Trans CMOS IV Sensor
• ISO 80 – ISO51200 (extended)
• Speed: Up to 30fps with electronic shutter (cropped), 20fps uncropped
• Screen 3inch 1.62M-dot, tilting touchscreen
• Video 4K CINE/UHD 30,25,24fps video recording
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth built-in
• Available in silver/black or all-black

Fujifilm say that buying this camera gives you the same image quality as the flagship camera, but instead you get a different camera body and features, with the X-T30 II lacking the weather-sealing of the X-T4, and the IBIS, amongst other things.

However, rather than focus on the differences between the X-T4 and X-T30 II, we thought it’d be better to look at the differences between the X-T30 Mark II, and the original X-T30.

X-T30 II vs X-T30 – New to the X-T30 II:

• 1.62M-dot 3inch touchscreen
• Classic Neg and Eterna Bleach Bypass film simulation modes
• Improved multi-exposure mode (up to 9 shots)
• High-speed video recording (FullHD, 240fps)
• Improved autofocus system from the X-T4
• 0.8mm thicker (due to newer screen)
• Improved buffer memory
• Refreshed menu system (splits stills/movie)

Fujifilm X-T30 II Features

At the heart of the X-T30 II you’ll find the 26.1MP X-Trans 4 CMOS sensor, which features a BSI (backside illuminated) design, as well as the X-Trans colour filter array, both are designed to give improved noise performance compared to non-BSI sensors, and the traditional Bayer sensor. The camera offers an ISO range from ISO80 (Low), up to ISO51200 (Extended).

One thing that this does mean, however, is that not every photo editing package can support the raw files from the camera, with DxO PhotoLab only recently adding raw support for Fujifilm raw files. However, this shouldn’t cause too much concern, as the camera features built-in raw editing, so you can quickly process raw files in the camera if needed.

With the same sensor and image processing as the X-T4 you also benefit from the high-speed shooting possibilities of the X-T4, and that includes up to 30fps continuous shooting, using the electronic shutter, albeit with a 1.25x crop that gives a 16.6MP resolution image. Drop down to 20fps and you get to shoot at 26.1MP. If you’re using the mechanical shutter then you can shoot at a maximum continuous shooting speed of 8fps.

In-Body Image Stabilisation (IBIS) isn’t included, and for that you need to look at the X-T4 or the X-S10, or pair the camera with an optically stabilisation lens, such as the 18-55mm f/2.8 OIS.

Of course, as a Fujifilm camera, it features all of the same film simulation filters as other X-series cameras, as well as the most recently introduced, which includes Classic Negative and Eterna Bleach Bypass.

Using the X-Mount, there are a range of Fujifilm lenses, with premium lenses available (XF), and more affordable lenses available (XC). As well as some options from third party manufacturers, with a number of lens options from Samyang, as well as Tamron. Something to look into is what lens you want, and how much it costs before committing to a camera system, something recommended for all camera systems.

In comparison to other mirrorless lens mounts, such as Micro Four Thirds, or Sony’s E-Mount, there is currently less third party support, but the range of X-Mount lenses from Fujifilm themselves is good, with 40+ lenses available.

As well as an abundance of manual controls that you can access directly, including the shutter speed, exposure compensation, and with an XF lens, the aperture, you can also use the camera in a full automatic mode, using the AUTO switch on the top panel. This makes it easy for anyone to use the camera, and can be a quick solution if you’ve accidentally got the settings wrong but still need to take a shot.

Bracketing options include AE, ISO, Film simulation, White balance, Dynamic range and Focus bracketing.

Face and eye detection autofocus is included and works with humans, with the option to give the left or right eye pirority, or leave the camera on auto eye selection, or switch this off entirely. AF points can be selected from a wide area of the screen, with 117/425 AF points selectable, from the camera’s on-sensor phase detection system.

Exposure can be set up to 15 minutes, or up to 1/32,000sec, with the electronic shutter enabled. Setting the shutter speed dial to T lets you control the shutter speed with the rear dial. The maximum shutter speed available using the mechanical shutter is 1/4000s, and bulb mode will let you extend the longest exposure up to 60 minutes.

On the top left drive mode dial, you’ll find a panoramic mode, multiple-exposure, Advanced filters, as well as the continuous shooting drive modes, bracketing, and the video mode. In the menus you can add additional effects, including a grain effect (giving film-like grain), a colour chrome effect, and colour chrome fx blue (off/on).

The monochrome filters let you add a Yellow, Red or Green filter, like you would when shooting with a black and white film camera.

With all of the different film effects and colour options you can shoot JPEG and raw, meaning that if you don’t like the colour tone in the JPEG you can always go back to the raw file and re-process the image to get a different look.

Video recording includes high-speed video at up to 240fps at a FullHD resolution, up to 60fps with normal FullHD video, and up to 30fps when recording CINE or UHD 4K video. There’s also support for clean HDMI output.

Image stabilisation is only available when using a lens with optical image stabilisation, and there is no digital image stabilisation option available.

Videographers might be interested to know that there’s a mini 2.5mm microphone socket on the side, and you can use a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter if you want to use headphones with the camera.

Fujifilm X-T30 II Need to know:

Like most other Fujifilm X-Series cameras, the retro design is functional as well as good looking, with direct access to most settings.

• USB charging – the NP-W126S battery is shared with other Fujifilm cameras, rated for 390 shots per charge, and can be charged in camera.
• Metal dials – the top dials are all made from knurled metal and with dual command dials you can easily change settings
• Flash – a tiny built-in flash pops up from the middle, and has a rating of 7 GN (at ISO200)
• Advanced SR Auto mode – Beginners can quickly switch into the Advanced Scene Recognition Auto mode, so you no longer have to worry about having the right settings.
• Shortcut button – There’s a rear Q button that brings up the onscreen menu giving you quick access to common settings
• Custom buttons, you can customise the Function button, plus the AEL/AFL buttons, as well as the View mode button

Fujifilm X-T30 II Build and Handling

If you’ve used the original X-T30, then the X-T30 II should feel immediately familiar to you, however you’ll find the X-T30 II benefits from updated menus, and this means that you get stills or video optimised menu options depending which mode you’re in.

Build quality is good with a mix of metal and plastic construction. Whilst the build quality doesn’t match the X-T3/X-T4 range of cameras, which benefit from weather-sealing, the build quality of the X-T30 II is certainly very good for the price, with the camera feeling solid and well made.

The Q-button is positioned on the rear thumb grip, and this makes it incredibly easy to accidentally press the Q-button, bringing up the Quick Control panel unnecessarily. This ended up being quite frustrating, and seems badly placed, especially as you need to loosen your grip on the camera to reach it with your thumb. This is particularly noticeable if you’re using the camera with one hand, but is less of an issue when holding the camera with two hands.

Perhaps people with smaller hands and therefore smaller thumbs may not suffer from this problem so much. You can also switch this button off, or change the function of the button, so if it is an issue, you can switch off the Q-button and then customise the Fn button to access the Quick menu instead.

The front and rear grips provide a good level of “stick” with a soft rubber covering, but if they feel a little too small, then you can add an optional grip that increases the size of the grip.

If you’re looking for a small mirrorless camera, check out our guide to the best small mirrorless cameras!

The front and rear command dials can be pressed in to access additional controls and functions, the front switching between changing the ISO speed or the aperture, and the rear being used to show a magnified view (on default settings). I found myself accidentally pressing these when I had no plans to press them in. You can disable these to avoid accidental camera settings if this is an issue.

There are four touch-screen “swipe” functions available, and these too can be customised or disabled. You can also customise the View mode, AEL and AFL buttons so that you can set them up to quickly give you access to your favourite settings.

The dials are easy to accidentally turn, including the top left drive mode, and exposure compensation dial (top right), so care needs to be taken when taking the camera in and out of bags.

The on/off switch features a shutter release cable thread, giving it the option to use a cable release, however we expect most people will want to use this to customise the shutter release button. The shutter release button feels good, but could easily be considered small in comparison to other cameras.

The NP-W126S battery is charged in-camera using the provided USB-C cable. Battery life is rated at a respectable 390 shots, or 45 minutes of video recording. If you need to you can power the camera whilst shooting / recording.

There is no dedicated battery charger, but these can be picked up relatively cheaply if you want to charge a second battery outside the camera. Backwards compatibility is something worth mentioning, as the X-T30 II will accept the same battery as other Fujifilm cameras

Menus are colour coded with red for photo/video settings, setup in blue, MyMenu in purple, and playback in blue.

To add items into the MyMenu section, for quicker access, you have to go into the Setup menus, then User settings, then MyMenu settings, then you’ll find ‘add items’. You can’t quickly add items to the MyMenu screen from within MyMenu, you have to go through these steps every time you want to add or remove a setting. It would have been much quicker and easier if Fujifilm had added a shortcut to “add items” from within the MyMenu screen. Perhaps a future firmware update will add this?

Once you do setup the MyMenu options, the camera will take you directly to MyMenu whenever you press the Menu button, rather than the last place you were in the menus, which you might find frustrating.

Some parts of the menu system include additional help and information, and the film simulations have additional details, accessed by simply pressing the Q button when selecting the film simulation.

The Q (Quick) menu gives you quick access to a wide number of common settings, and these can be customised so that you can put your most used settings here if you don’t like the default options.

Viewfinder and screen

There’s a 3.0inch tilting touchscreen, updated since the X-T30, with a higher resolution of 1.62M-dot, with a gapless design, which means it looks great, with excellent colour reproduction. There’s an electronic level available, that can be switched on in the menus, however it isn’t dual-axis. The screen can’t be tilted far enough to be used for vlogging or as a selfie screen.

The electronic viewfinder (EVF) hasn’t changed since the X-T30, and features the same 2.36M-dot resolution, and with a 0.62x magnification, the view is reasonable for an entry level camera with an EVF.

Autofocus

The X-T30 II has 117/425 AF points letting you set how precise you want to be when setting your focus point. Using a combination of contrast AF and on-sensor phase detection AF, focus is rapid and reliable, locking onto subjects quickly.

Face and eye detection works very well, giving you confidence when shooting people. However, the camera doesn’t benefit from animal or bird detection, which hasn’t yet been introduced to Fujifilm cameras.

Single AF, Continuous AF, Manual Focus can all be selected using the front switch. Tracking AF is also available, as well as AF+MF – which can be switched on in the menus. You can also adjust the MF assist modes, with an option to use digital split image, digital microprism, or focus peaking – with a choice of colours.

Fujifilm X-T30 II Performance

The X-T30 II is available body only, or as a kit with the XC 15-45mm PZ OIS lens, or the 18-55mm OIS lens. With the 15-45mm compact power zoom lens, equivalent to 23mm to 69mm, there is a slightly slower switch on time, due to the lens extending from its collapsed position. However, with a standard lens such as the 18-55mm lens, the switch on time is rapid, and the camera responds quickly to any changes you make to settings.

The touchscreen can be used to set the focus area, set the focus point (and have the camera focus on it), or to take a shot, or you can switch this functionality off. You can set the focus point to almost any area on the screen, with just the very far left and right being unavailable.

Metering is extremely reliable, with little need for exposure compensation. You’ll also find the level of dynamic range captured in JPEG images is generally very good, especially when using the dynamic range (DR) options.

When shooting images, you can select from different dynamic range options, without having to use the multi-shot HDR mode. The dynamic range options give you a choice of Auto, which will select from the different DR options, which include DR100 (full ISO range available), DR200, (ISO320 or more), and DR400 (ISO640 or above).

Using the HDR mode you get a photo combining a number of shots taken at different exposures, with options for HDR200, HDR400, HDR800 and HDR800+ which gives more extreme HDR look.

In-camera raw editing is possible, and is a great way to adjust images if needed, for example if you’d like to alter the white balance settings, or shadow/highlight settings.

In most circumstances you shouldn’t need to edit raw images, as the camera produces excellent JPEG images straight from the camera, with both pleasing colour, and good levels of detail and sharpness, particularly when using a prime lens. However, you may want to process raw files if you want to adjust sharpness and clarity to your own personal preferences.

Colour reproduction on default settings is very pleasing, however, the camera excels in letting you setup the look of photos, with numerous film simulations to choose from, as well as colour chrome effect (deeper reds), or colour chrome effect blue, which gives deeper blues. You can also adjust the tone curves for highlights and shadows to customise the appearance of images. There are also options for clarity, colour (saturation), and sharpness.

If you like fiddling with settings, then you’ll be in paradise, but if you ever find yourself overwhelmed by options, and uncertainty when setting up a camera, then you may find this daunting. You either like the ability to change hundreds of settings, or you like it when things are kept simple. You don’t have to use these settings, but it’s nice that they’re there for those that do want to fiddle.

Read our guide to setting up your Fujifilm JPEG camera settings.

Auto White Balance gives you all the usual presets you’d expect, plus auto white balance with white priority, or ambient priority, depending on whether you want to capture white backgrounds for example when shooting product shots, or ambience for capturing the mood of a scene. There are multiple custom white balance options, as well as an underwater preset. If you’re ever unconvinced by the auto white balance results, then using one of the presets is one way to get better colour, for example on cloudy days, using the cloudy white balance setting will give you much more pleasing looking images.

Image stabilisation isn’t included in the camera body, but does work well if you use an optically stabilised lens with the camera such as the 18-55mm OIS lens.

Fujifilm X-T30 II ISO and Noise

There’s an ISO range of ISO160 to ISO12800 available, with an additional LOW ISO speed from ISO80 available, albeit with a reduced dynamic range when using the lower settings, plus at the higher end, you can extend the ISO speed to ISO25600 and ISO51200. Noise options let you set High ISO noise reduction to +4, all the way to -3, with the default being 0.

Shooting JPEG images, the default settings give excellent results, with usable images up to ISO6400 / ISO12800, above this you may want to resize your image or process the raw files to more finely tune the noise reduction. Below are 100% crops taken from our standard test scene. Click on any thumbnail to see the full-size image.

Video recording

Despite being the entry-level camera in the range, there appear to be no limitations in video recording quality, with both 4K CINE and UHD options available as well as a full range of frame rates including 29.97/25/24/23.98p, and compression options of 200/100Mbps. It can also record up to 30 minutes at a time.

FullHD video lets you record at frame rates up to 60fps, with compression options of 200/100 and 50mbps. High-speed fullHD video offers frame rates up to 240fps, with a crop, and without audio.

There are far more video options available than you would expect for an entry-level camera, including Zebra display, microphone level settings (internal/external), F-log recording, tally light options, interframe NR, plus time code settings.

If you do plan on changing batteries, then the tripod socket position could cause problems when using the camera on a tripod. However, you could solve this by using power over USB.

Note that the X-S20 is Fujifilm’s true specialist for video and vlogging enthusiasts, currently available for $1,299 / £1,049.

Video quality is very good, with plenty of detail, and with an optically stabilised lens, handheld video can be quite stable. Wind noise can be a problem when using the internal microphones, even with wind reduction switched on. The auto focus is quite reliable, although your results are likely to vary depending on the lens you’re using.

Fujifilm X-T30 II Verdict

The Fujifilm X-T30 Mark II may not seem like much of an update compared to the X-T30, and whilst that may be true, it doesn’t stop it from being an excellent camera. The X-T30 was (and still is) a great camera and, similarly, the X-T30 II is also a great camera.

Slightly improved over the original, but at a lower price, the X-T30 II would make a great mirrorless camera for those looking for excellent image quality, in a compact and portable camera.

The main alternative to the X-T30 II is another from Fujifilm: the X-S10, currently going for around $1,600 / £1,100. It benefits from built-in in-body image stabilisation, and a larger DSLR style grip, which could draw many to prefer it to the X-T30 II.

From other manufacturers, the Olympus OM-D E-M10 IV is a great choice for $700 / £649 body only, although it does have a plastic rather than metal construction.

Another thing that the Fujifilm X-T30 II has going for it, is the metal build quality, and metal dials on the body. Sharing the 26.1MP sensor and image processing from the flagship X-T4, you get the same exceptional image quality and rapid auto-focus, for roughly half the price of the X-T4, making the X-T30 II great value for money.

If you’re looking for a small mirrorless camera, check out our guide to the best small mirrorless cameras!

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