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Potensic Atom review: one of the best beginner drones

10:00 pm | October 1, 2023

Author: admin | Category: Cameras Computers Drones Gadgets | Tags: DNG | Comments: Off

One-minute review

Potensic is a familiar name in the beginner drone arena and enjoys a loyal following, with its Atom range, comprising last year’s Potensic Atom SE and the more advanced Potensic Atom, which was released in September 2023, helping to redefine the low-cost beginner drone market.

The Atom is one of the best beginner drones available, offering performance that belies its low cost. I was impressed with the Atom SE when I reviewed it last year, but I was also acutely aware of its shortcomings, and Potensic has wholeheartedly addressed those here.

Its latest 249g drone sits somewhere between the DJI Mini 2 SE and DJI Mini 3 in terms of features and functionality; it's arguably more of a competitor to the latter, but with a much lower cost that’s comparable to the likes of the Holy Stone HS720R, Bwine F7GB2 and Ruko F11GIM2.

In some cases, despite being a much more able performer in terms of both flight and image quality, the Potensic Atom Fly More Combo is even less expensive than the competition, if not similarly priced – it's excellent value.

The beginner end of the drone market is experiencing a welcome trickle-down of high-end features, and although collision avoidance remains absent at this level for now, many new models, including the Atom, are offering 3-axis mechanical gimbals for smoother video capture.

The Atom features a 12MP 1/3-inch Sony CMOS sensor with a fixed f/2.2 aperture, and a lens that provides a 78-degree field of view. Photos can be captured in raw and JPEG, while video can be captured up to 4K at 30fps, with manual camera control available in both shooting modes. It’s certainly impressive on paper, but let’s take a closer look at how it performs overall.

Potensic Atom: Release date and price

Available from September 15 2023
Costs from $299 / £279 / AU$505
Standard kit and Fly More Bundle available

The release of the Potensic Atom was delayed by a few months, and it was announced on September 15 2023. It's available to order from the Potensic website initially, with availability on Amazon coming soon. There are two kits available: the Standard kit and the Fly More Bundle, with the latter providing the best value for money in terms of both price and the fact that all the included extras are extremely useful.

The Standard kit costs $299 / £279 / AU$505 and includes the Atom drone, a remote controller, one battery, four pairs of spare propellers, eight spare screws, a gimbal Protector, a screwdriver, a USB-C charging cable, and three adapter cables (micro USB, USB-C and a Lightning connector).

The Fly More Bundle costs $399 / £379 / AU$673, and includes all of the above plus two additional batteries, a fast-charging hub with a power adaptor, four extra pairs of spare propellers, eight additional propeller screws, and a carry bag. At the time of writing, and for a limited amount of time, the Fly More Bundle also includes a free 64GB Lexar microSD card.

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Potensic Atom carry bag — (Image credit: James Abbott)

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Potensic Atom fast charging hub with three batteries — (Image credit: James Abbott)

Potensic Atom: Design and controller

Small and lightweight folding design
Unique controller design
Intuitive app

Being a 249g folding drone, the Atom is small and palm-sized, measuring 3.5 x 5.6 x 2.3 inches / 88 x 143 x 58mm when folded, which extends to 8.3 x 6 x 2.3 inches / 210 x 152 x 58 mm when unfolded. The light-gray airframe accommodates the 2230mAh battery at the rear, and offers an advertised flight time of up to 32 minutes. During testing, each battery lasted around 25 minutes before Return to Home was initiated once the battery level reached 16%, which is fairly standard for drones of this type.

Despite its small size and light weight, the Atom offers level 5 wind resistance, which translates to up to 24mph. And during testing in gusts of around 21mph, the Atom performed well, although flight times were reduced to around 23 minutes per battery. In this situation, at higher legal altitudes where wind speeds were higher, the Potensic Pro app did warn of high wind and suggested a reduction in altitude.

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Screengrab from the Potensic Pro app for the Potensic Atom drone — Potensic Pro app manual camera settings (Image credit: James Abbott)

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The Potensic Pro app is new with the Atom, and works with other Potensic drones including the lower-spec Atom SE. It's easy and intuitive to use once your phone is connected to the controller; the user interface isn’t dissimilar to the DJI Fly app, so everything is where you’d expect it to be, with the main advantage over the old PotensicFly app being that manual control over camera settings is available alongside auto options if you prefer a quicker and easier shooting experience.

The controller itself is unique in that it extends lengthways to hold the phone between the two handgrips on which the control sticks are situated, which provides a comfortable and balanced control setup. For testing, I used a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, which is pretty much the largest smartphone the controller can accommodate.

The thumb sticks screw into position, and can be stowed away at the bottom of the controller. There’s a Return to Home button, gimbal control, video record button and a shutter button for photos. Unfortunately, though, there’s no flight mode switch, so you have to use the Potensic Pro app to move between Video, Normal and Sport modes; the app will always revert to Normal mode when the drone is switched off.

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Potensic Atom unfolded on a wooden table — (Image credit: James Abbott)

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Potensic Atom and controller side by side — (Image credit: James Abbott)

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Potensic Atom controller folded — (Image credit: James Abbott)

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Potensic Atom controller with a phone running the Potensic Pro app — (Image credit: James Abbott)

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Top of the Potensic Atom when folded — (Image credit: James Abbott)

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Bottom of the Potensic Atom — (Image credit: James Abbott)

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Potensic Atom close-up of the camera and 3-axis gimbal — (Image credit: James Abbott)

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Potensic Atom controller stick storage at the bottom of the controller — (Image credit: James Abbott)

Potensic Atom: Features and flight

Smooth flight controls
Improved GPS positioning
Effective subject-tracking algorithms

The Atom is by far the best drone that Potensic has made to date, offering a reliable balance of cost, features, and flight performance that make it one of the best drones available for under $300 / £300 / AU$550 (for the Standard kit) if not the best. Flight performance is reliable overall, with the Video, Normal and Sport modes offering different flight speeds. I noticed that when I was flying forwards or backwards and then released the pitch and roll control stick to enter a hover, if the gimbal was pointing the camera straight down it tended to lift slightly, and I had to adjust it to maintain a straight-down viewpoint.

With no collision avoidance, you have to take care when flying manually or when using the subject-tracking features if there are trees or other obstacles nearby. The lack of collision avoidance is unsurprising for a drone of this price, and on the plus side the Atom has improved positioning compared to other Potensic drones, using GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou systems. Then there’s Return to Home, which can be initiated manually using the button on the controller, or activated automatically when the battery is running low.

The connection between the Atom and the controller is solid within realistic and legals distance for a drone of this size, although Potensic's PixSync 3.0 transmission technology is claimed to provide a maximum video transmission of up to 3.7 miles / 6km to provide improved connectivity over the Atom SE. This couldn’t be tested to the extreme because of local aviation laws, but it suggests why the transmission at shorter distances is undoubtedly reliable.

In terms of flight features, there are QuickShots automated flight patterns, which include Pull-away, Rocket, Circle, Spiral, and Boomerang. Plus, there are the subject-tracking modes which use a new algorithm to identify and track the moving subject; these are easy to set up and use, with a few parameters that can be adjusted, and they're highly effective despite the absence of collision avoidance. However, once again, you have to be mindful of your surroundings when using these features to avoid a potential collision.

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Photo of boats from above taken with the Potensic Atom drone — (Image credit: James Abbott)

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Photo of the coast taken with the Potensic Atom drone — (Image credit: James Abbott)

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Photo of derelict boats taken with the Potensic Atom drone — (Image credit: James Abbott)

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Photo of yachts taken with the Potensic Atom drone — (Image credit: James Abbott)

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Photo yachts taken with the Potensic Atom drone — (Image credit: James Abbott)

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Photo of a pier taken with the Potensic Atom drone — (Image credit: James Abbott)

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Photo of sea defences taken with the Potensic Atom drone — (Image credit: James Abbott)

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Potensic Atom: Image quality

12MP photos and 4K 30fps video
3-axis mechanical gimbal
Photos can be captured in DNG format

With any camera drone, even beginner models like the Atom, image quality for photo and video capture is incredibly important. And, thanks to a 3-axis mechanical gimbal, video capture is indeed smooth, with an equally smooth tilt range of +20 to -90 degrees. Some lower-cost beginner models feature a rather unrefined gimbal tilt that’s unusable during video capture, but the Atom performs more like DJI and Autel drones in this respect.

The camera itself features a 12MP 1/3-inch Sony CMOS sensor, paired with a lens that has a fixed f/2.2 aperture and provides a 78-degree field of view. This is also a fixed-focus lens, relying on hyperfocal distance to ensure sharpness throughout the scene. In stills, closer subjects are much sharper than those in more distant scenes, which are only acceptably sharp rather than pin-sharp, and subjects with bright areas in the frame exhibit a haziness. There’s also subtle yet noticeable vignetting in photos, so hopefully these deficiencies can be ironed out with future firmware updates.

Video capture, on the other hand, doesn’t suffer from these issues, and 4K video looks great. The only downside here is that there are no ND filters available to control shutter speed in brighter conditions to maintain the 180-degree shutter rule for capturing natural-looking movement. Video can be captured in 4K up to 30fps, 2.7K up to 30fps, and 1080p up to 60fps in the H.264 codec.

Just like the Atom SE before it, the Atom can capture photos in both JPEG and raw formats (in 16:9 ratio), which is rare for drones at this level, and a hugely useful feature for photographers. Manual control over ISO, shutter speed, white balance, video resolution and frame rates is also available alongside automatic shooting, so you can take as little or as much control over the camera as you want.

Potensic Atom 4K 30fps video

Should I buy the Potensic Atom?

Potensic Atom in flight — (Image credit: James Abbott)

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

How I tested the Potensic Atom

I tested the Potensic Atom over a couple of weeks, initially with the developer version of the Potensic Pro app and then with the full-release version. Testing was conducted in a range of locations, environments, and weather conditions (excluding rain) to test flight performance, flight features, overall handling, and image quality for both photo and video capture. All testing was conducted in compliance with local aviation laws and restrictions.

Drones are always tested using manual flight patterns for video that are typical of professional aerial video capture to shoot visually interesting footage. This also provides the opportunity to test aspects such as the connection between the drone and controller, latency between the two, and the accuracy of the controls and flight in general. Automated flight features are also tested to assess their accuracy and overall performance.

I have nearly 30 years of photographic experience and 15 years working as a photography journalist, and I’ve been writing about and reviewing drone reviews for a number of years. As well as flying most consumer and prosumer models, I’ve previously held a PfCO (Permission for Commercial Operations) issued by the Civil Aviation Authority in the UK, and now fly under an A2 CofC (A2 Certificate of Competency).

First reviewed September 2023

Fujifilm Instax Pal review: a pocketful of fun

8:33 pm | September 29, 2023

Author: admin | Category: Cameras Computers Gadgets Instant Cameras | Tags: Australia, UK, US | Comments: Off

Fujifilm Instax Pal: Two-minute review

Today’s cameras are so good, and so serious, that it’s proved cathartic to review the Instax Pal, a camera that’s seriously enjoyable and no more.

This fuss-free ball of fun – it's about the size of a golf ball, to give you an idea – is suitable for all ages, and the closest a camera can be to a digital pet; it lights up and emits a happy jingle when powered on, and a sad sound when inactivity sends it to sleep, while the compatible Instax Pal app gifts you digital rewards for your activity. Tamagotchi, eat your heart out.

As a self-respecting adult I didn’t fall for such blatant manipulation to motivate me to use the app (okay, I did). And you only have to make the Pal available to the whole family – which you can, because you don’t need to be precious about this low-cost snapper – to appreciate that it speaks to all ages.

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Instax Pal app device pairing process on phone display, with white Fujifilm Instax Pal in the background — (Image credit: Future)

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White Fujifilm Instax Pal alongside smartphone with Instax Pal app on the display — (Image credit: Future)

This is an Instax camera that might actually be used day-to-day, and not stowed away in the cupboard once your film supply has run dry, as is so often my experience with analog Instax cameras.

The Pal might well have the Instax name, but it’s not an instant camera as we know it. It’s a digital-only camera that fits better in the hand, printing via one of Fujifilm’s Instax Link printers, which come in ‘Mini’, ‘Square’ or ‘Wide’ formats; directly via a Bluetooth connection; or through the new Instax Pal app.

So while you don’t get the analog-only experience of traditional Instax cameras, which can be a wonderful remedy in this digital world we live in, you're more likely to take your tiny Pal with you everywhere, and you’ll also print your candid moments with one of Fujifilm’s portable Link printers more often than you would with a desktop printer.

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White Fujifilm Instax Pal in the hand — (Image credit: Future)

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White Fujifilm Instax Pal in the hand with power button illuminated blue — (Image credit: Future)

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Underside of the White Fujifilm Instax Pal showing the tripod thread and photo mode switch — (Image credit: Future)

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White Fujifilm Instax Pal resting on the detachable ring on a wooden table — (Image credit: Future)

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White Fujifilm Instax Pal with detachable ring attached to the top — (Image credit: Future)

To me, the Pal feels like the best of both worlds; it’s a camera that’s not weighed down by a built-in a printer, while the shoot-to-print experience – either directly, or through the app – is seamless.

You can print blind the old-school way, directly to a Link when the switch on the underside of the camera is set to ‘L’, or be selective via the convenient app, and not waste your expensive film by using the ‘F’ setting instead. That’s not the analog soul, but these days I’d rather have the control.

I’m a big fan of Fujifilm’s Instax Link portable printers – and it was the Instax Square Link printer that really completed my Pal experience. You can also use this printer to print the higher-quality photos in your phone’s gallery using the relevant Link app.

The Pal doesn’t even have a screen on which to compose and view your ultra-wide angle snaps, like the Instax Mini Evo hybrid Instax does, and nor does it produce technically excellent image quality images – this is essentially a basic 2560 x 1920 pixel stills-only camera, clothed in cuteness.

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White Fujifilm Instax Pal in the hand with a white table in the background and harsh shadows — (Image credit: Future)

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The rear side of a white Fujifilm Instax Pal, in the hand, with a white table in the background and harsh shadows — (Image credit: Future)

As a camera, the Pal isn’t great. But what it does bring to the table is a fine-tuned experience with the app and printer, in colorful packaging for all to enjoy, and it has one or two surprises up its sleeve.

Selfies and group shots are made easy via the self timer on the app, with the camera supported by the included detachable ring (that you’ll need as a kind of wrist strap if you don’t want to keep dropping the ball-like camera). The Pal even has a tripod thread that's compatible with small table-top tripods.

Also, it was a real curveball to discover that the Pal is a discreet snapper; no one batted an eyelid as I took candid street photos around London with the Pal nestled into the palm of my hand (although the automatic fill-in flash caught me out a few times).

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Digitized instant photo taken with the Fujifilm Instax SQ40 of DJ indoors in darkly lit bar — (Image credit: Future)

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Digitized instant photo taken with the Fujifilm Instax SQ40 of a London bar with person in motion blur walking past — (Image credit: Future)

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Digitized instant photo taken with the Fujifilm Instax SQ40 of highrise buildings reflected in water — (Image credit: Future)

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Digitized instant photo taken with the Fujifilm Instax SQ40 of selfie with two people on colorful backdrop — (Image credit: Future)

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Digitized instant photo taken with the Fujifilm Instax SQ40 of old building along a canal on sunny day — (Image credit: Future)

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Digitized instant photo taken with the Fujifilm Instax SQ40 of London streets on a sunny day — (Image credit: Future)

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Fujifilm has put a lot of thought into the new app, too. Automatically wiping photos from the 50-shot internal memory once they’ve been uploaded to the app is a smart move, while there’s also a micro SD card slot for those that want to double up on storing their photos.

In-app images filters, basic edits, plus output to the various Instax Link printers cover your bases and ensure that you remain active, provided you don’t run out of paper. And the beauty is that when you do run out you can keep using your digital Pal until you top up your supply again.

The Fujifilm Instax Pal is not one of the best instant cameras – it’s not even an instant camera, technically – and on paper it can’t compete with the Instax Mini Evo. However, sometimes you’ve just got to go with the feeling, and Pal gives all the feels.

Ultimately, Pal isn’t a technically great camera, but it is one that I want to use more than most others, and that says a lot.

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Blue Fujifilm Instax Pal on a white background — (Image credit: Fujifilm )

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Green Fujifilm Instax Pal on a white background — (Image credit: Fujifilm)

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White Fujifilm Instax Pal on a white background — (Image credit: Fujifilm)

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Pink Fujifilm Instax Pal on a white background — (Image credit: Fujifilm )

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Gem Black Fujifilm Instax Pal on a white background — (Image credit: Fujifilm)

Fujifilm Instax Pal: Price and release date

Available in the US, bundled with the Mini Link printer only, for $199.99
Available in the UK and Australia as the camera only, from £89.99 / AU$149

The Instax Pal is available in five exotically named colorways: Milky White, Powder Pink, Pistachio Green, Lavender Blue, and Gem Black.

In the US the Instax Pal is bundled with the Instax Mini Link printer only, for $199, while in the UK and Australia you buy the camera separately, for £89.99 / AU$149 respectively (while the Gem Black version with a shiny, reflective surface costs £104.99 in the UK).

In the box you get a detachable ring that can act as a support to rest the Pal on, or slide onto the top as a 'viewfinder' (you don't need to do that), or, most helpfully, use as a kind of wrist strap.

As for the cost of paper, that depends on which format printer you're outputting to; Mini, Square, or Wide. Twin packs of 10 sheets of Instax Mini film start from $14.99 / £14.99 / AU$34.95

Fujifilm Instax Pal: Should I buy?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Fujifilm Instax Pal: also consider

If our Pal review has you interested in instant cameras, here are a couple of other options to consider...

Fujifilm Instax Pal: How I tested

All the family played with our new Pal
Printing directly to portable Link printer, and via the app

I had the Instax Pal in my pocket for over a week, and in my family home with two generations getting to grips with it. Throughout this time, I've became very familiar with the accompanying Instax Pal app, through which you can access most of the Pal’s functions. The camera device itself is super-simple, and I also operated it bypassing the app altogether and making direct-to-Link prints, for a more ‘authentic’ Instax experience.

I’ve used the camera for family snaps, as a discreet street photography snapper, and for all-round every day moments. I played around with the in-app editor, and made lots of prints from the Instax Link Square printer, which is my favorite size of Instax print, collecting plenty of in-app rewards in the process.

First reviewed September 2023

Sony FE 70-200mm F4 Macro G OSS II review: a superb multi-purpose tool

4:53 pm | September 28, 2023

Author: admin | Category: Camera Lenses Cameras Computers Gadgets | Comments: Off

Two-minute review

Sony’s 50th full-frame lens, the FE 70-200mm F4 G OSS II, is a comprehensive update of the (almost) 10-year-old Sony FE 70-200mm f/4 G OSS stalwart. It’s part of a recent wave of smaller and lighter second-gen Sony lenses, in this case, it's 15% smaller and lighter than its predecessor, weighing 794g / 28.1 oz, and measuring 149mm / 5.8in long.

Lens size is a big deal when you shoot with Sony cameras – they are smaller than most and can feel off-balance with a big chunk of glass on the front. I paired the 70-200mm F4 II with the Sony A7C R, which is one of the best travel cameras, plus the crop-sensor Sony A6700 (with which the lens focal length is increased 1.5x), and both cameras proved an excellent fit with the lens.

If this mark II version of the lens was only smaller and lighter it could be worth an upgrade for that reason alone, but it’s also the beneficiary of a total redesign, which has given it sharper image quality, faster autofocus and next level macro focusing. Yes, it’s smaller, lighter, sharper, quicker and more versatile than the original, and one of the best Sony lenses around.

Sony FE 70-200mm F4 Macro G OSS II lens in the hand attached to Sony A6700 — (Image credit: Future)

The 70-200mm lens is already a versatile focal length – my own Nikon 70-200mm F2.8 G DSLR lens was my most-used lens for many years for portraits, weddings and events, and also proved to be an adept tool for sports, wildlife, landscape photography and more. Sony’s 70-200mm F4 II happily works in these fields, but also adds class-leading macro focusing capability, up to 0.5x magnification at any focal length, with a minimum focus distance of 0.26m / 0.86 ft at 70mm, and 0.42m / 1.38ft at 200mm.

Add the 2x teleconverter with an unchanged minimum focus distance and the macro capability is doubled to 1.0x magnification – that’s 1:1 life size. I’m generally not a fan of teleconverters; even the very best soften the image and can affect color rendering. In fact, you can see the minimum focus distance in action, plus the color shift of the same scene shot with and without Sony's 2x teleconverter, in the sample images below. In any case, the 0.5x magnification without teleconverter beats any other 70-200mm lens and adds another string to the bow of this versatile zoom lens.

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Macro 0.5x magnification of a lego figure, made with the Sony FE 70-200mm F4 G OSS II lens — The maximum magnification is 0.5x at its minimum focus distance (Image credit: Future)

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Macro 1.0x magnification of a lego figure, made with the Sony FE 70-200mm F4 G OSS II lens and 2x teleconverter — With the 2x teleconverter attached, the maximum magnification is doubled to 1.0x (Image credit: Future)

This is also a well-made and complex lens, with customizable function buttons and no fewer than five switches covering features such as a focus range limiter (including a new macro setting), full-time direct manual focus, SteadyShot optical stabilization and a zoom-lock that fixes the lens in its closed position when not in use – otherwise the lens barrel extends when zooming.

Sony also says its new linear XD focusing technology, comprising four ‘high-thrust’ focus motors, increases autofocus tracking precision, even while zooming, and ultimately achieves what is 20% faster focusing than in the 2014 version.

Camera tech has moved on in the 10 years since the original 70-200mm F4, too, and when you use the 70-200mm F4 II’s new focusing skills with a Sony camera equipped with the latest Bionz X processor and AI-autofocus chip, focusing is super intelligent, quick and reliable. For this review, the 70-200mm F4 II and A7C R have given me lightning-quick and reliable autofocus for photos and smooth video autofocus.

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Close up of Sony FE 70-200mm F4 Macro G OSS II lens zoom ring — (Image credit: Future)

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Close up of Sony FE 70-200mm F4 Macro G OSS II lens customizable AF button — (Image credit: Future)

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Close up of Sony FE 70-200mm F4 Macro G OSS II lens controls — (Image credit: Future)

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Close up of Sony FE 70-200mm F4 Macro G OSS II lens nomencalture — (Image credit: Future)

Sony FE 70-200mm F4 Macro G OSS II: price and release date

The Sony FE 70-200mm F4 Macro G OSS II lens costs $1,699 / £1,749 / AU$2,699 and includes a lens hood and removable tripod collar. It was available from August 2023. That's an understandable price increase given the improvements in this second-gen model, somewhere between the F4 original version, and the current pro-level Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 II version.

Sony FE 70-200mm F4 Macro G OSS II: Image quality

An array of advanced aspherical and extra-low dispersion elements suppress lens distortion and render sharp detail, while the 9-blade aperture produces what Sony describes as ‘exquisite full-frame bokeh’.

You can see from my self portrait below (taken remotely using the Sony Creators' app, at the lens' widest possible F4 aperture) that bokeh is smooth with no aberration or onion-ring distortion, while the shape at F4 is fairly round in the center of the frame, yet distinctly cat-eye in the corners. I’ve included cropped areas of the picture for a better look.

If I were to take the exact same picture under identical conditions with Sony's 70-200mm F2.8 lens instead, or a prime lens with an even wider aperture, then bokeh would appear larger, and most likely even rounder. For an F4 lens, bokeh is actually very pleasant, but portrait specialists would choose an F2.8 or wider for that 'exquisite' bokeh.

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Outdoors telephoto portrait at the widest F4 aperture and 200mm focal length of the Sony FE 70-200mm F4 G OSS II lens — Portrait made with 200mm F4 lens settings, eye AF and using the Sony Creators' app remote shooting (Image credit: Future)

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Close crop to show bokeh in outdoors telephoto portrait at the widest F4 aperture and 200mm focal length of the Sony FE 70-200mm F4 G OSS II lens — Closeup of bokeh, cat-eye shaped in the corners, relatively circular in the middle (Image credit: Future)

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Close crop to show sharpnress in outdoors telephoto portrait at the widest F4 aperture and 200mm focal length of the Sony FE 70-200mm F4 G OSS II lens — Close up revealing sharp detail in the portait, at the F4 aperture (Image credit: Future)

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Backlit close up of a spider and web made with the Sony FE 70-200mm F4 G OSS II lens — (Image credit: Future)

Flare is also really well controlled in this backlit scene, and I’ve included a different macro photo of a spider and its web (in the same gallery) with stronger backlighting, and flare is mostly absent in that example, too. The included lens hood helps to reduce flare in these kind of scenarios.

A close look at the detail in the eye of the same self portrait reveals super-sharp detail, right where it matters. This single portrait photo alone displays many excellent attributes of what is an impressive telephoto zoom, paired with a reliable autofocus system in the latest Sony mirrorless camera.

Cast your eye over a wide range of photos, some of which are included in the gallery below to show the breadth of subjects you can capture, and it's clear the 70-200mm F4 II is a highly capable all-rounder. Image sharpness is maintained from the center to the edges of the frame, there's virtually no barrel or curvilinear distortion (the 70-200mm lens isn't known for either), and even in the corner of woodland photos with bright background light punctuating the tree cover, there's virtually no chromatic aberration. Put simply, there's very little fault to pick at in this excellent lens.

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Telephoto portrait in a crowd at an event made with the Sony FE 70-200mm F4 G OSS II lens — The 70-200mm lens is ideal for events photography especially at its telephoto setting (Image credit: Future)

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Telephoto wildlife photo of a duck in a canal, made with the Sony FE 70-200mm F4 G OSS II lens — You can get close enough to various wildlife at 200mm (Image credit: Future)

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Street vendor waiting for customers in multi-color food van, made with the Sony FE 70-200mm F4 G OSS II lens — (Image credit: Future)

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Flowers close up made with the Sony FE 70-200mm F4 G OSS II lens — The 70-200mm F4 G OSS II lens is great for closeup photography (Image credit: Future)

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Outdoors portrait made with the Sony FE 70-200mm F4 G OSS II lens — At 200mm, F4 provides an extremely shallow depth of field on a full-frame camera (Image credit: Future)

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Street photo in a grey modern London, made with the Sony FE 70-200mm F4 G OSS II lens — (Image credit: Future)

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The image quality disparity between the pricier and heavier Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 pro lens and this second-gen F4 model has diminished somewhat and arguably the choice isn’t about overall image quality anymore – or even depth of field, because the F4 aperture gives an extremely shallow depth of field with a full-frame camera. Instead, it comes down to whether or not you need the extra stop of light, or particularly big bokeh.

Personally, I regularly rely on the wider F2.8 aperture for events and wedding photography in particular, where light is often dim. However, that Sony F2.8 lens is much heavier, and if you mainly shoot in daylight and would prefer a travel-friendly lens, then the F4 II is a no brainer.

Overall, the second-gen 70-200mm F4 lens is notably better - and more versatile - than its predecessor in almost every regard. The sting is the costlier list price, although it’s worth the extra money if you want a lighter lens better balanced with your Sony camera, together with its refined image quality and closer focusing.

Should I buy the Sony FE 70-200mm F4 Macro G OSS II lens?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

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Sony FE 70-200mm F4 Macro G OSS II lens attached to a Sony A6700 — (Image credit: Future)

How I tested the Sony FE 70-200mm F4 Macro G OSS II lens

I've had my hands-on the Sony FE 70-200mm F4 lens on several occasions, for short and extended periods of time. I used it extensively while I was writing my Sony A7C R review, in a generous variety of scenarios that allowed me to fully test its capabilities.

At a pre-launch event I was able to test its close-up photography opportunities with the 2x teleconverter that increases its maximum 0.5x magnification to 1.0x. I've also happily used the lens for macro shots without the teleconverter at my own leisure.

It's been attached to the travel-friendly A7C R and A6700 cameras, making for an ideal size-match, and I've shot everything from portraits to landscapes with it, plus low light sequences that push the lens' AF motors. I've also used it for general travel photography, for which this lens is a lovely companion.

First reviewed September 2023

DJI Mini 4 Pro review: minor update or serious upgrade?

4:01 pm | September 25, 2023

Author: admin | Category: Cameras Computers Drones Gadgets | Comments: Off

One-minute review

The arrival of the DJI Mini 3 Pro in May 2022 was a game-changer in the drone world, bringing more professional-friendly features to a sub-250g model that made it the best drone in its class by far. When I reviewed the DJI Mini 3 Pro, I was so impressed with its image quality, small size, light weight and features that I bought one myself. The DJI Mini 4 Pro builds on those qualities to become the new benchmark for what sub-250g drones can deliver.

One aspect of the Mini 4 Pro that can’t be ignored, though, is that despite being the closest Mini-series drone to the DJI Mavic 3 models and the DJI Air 3 in terms of flight and safety features, and some camera functionality, it’s more of an incremental update over the Mini 3 Pro than a radical upgrade; it looks remarkably similar, performs pretty much identically in flight, and even uses the same impressive 1/1.3-inch sensor. And for current Mini 3 Pro owners there could be a sense of frustration, as many of the camera upgrades could likely have been delivered via firmware updates.

This begs the question: if you’re a Mini 3 Pro owner, should you upgrade? And the simple if unhelpful answer is that only you can decide. The Mini 3 Pro remains a fantastic drone, despite not being quite as robustly featured as the Mini 4 Pro. But if you’re upgrading from an older model, or coming to the Mini series for the first time, the Mini 4 Pro is an excellent choice. Whether you’re a professional drone pilot using the Mini 4 Pro as a second drone who can benefit from the D-Log M video color consistency with your Mavic 3, or an enthusiast looking for something small and lightweight, the Mini 4 Pro is undoubtedly the best sub-250 g drone available.

DJI Mini 4 Pro: Release date and price

Available now, priced from $759 / £689 / AU$1,119
Two kits to choose from
Fly More Bundle offers value for money

The DJI Mini 4 Pro was announced on 25 September 2023, and is available to buy from the DJI Store and authorized retailers. It's available in two kit options, with the smart controller option also offered in a Fly More Bundle. And despite the impressive features on offer that set this new model apart from its predecessor, pricing is almost identical to the Mini 3 Pro at launch.

The DJI Mini 4 Pro (DJI RC-N2) kit costs $759 / £689 / AU$1,119, while the DJI Mini 4 Pro (DJI RC 2) kit costs $959 / £869 / AU$1,419. These kits include the drone, the relevant controller, one Intelligent Flight Battery, a pair of propellers, a Screwdriver, a DJI Mini 4 Pro Gimbal Protector, a DJI Mini 4 Pro Propeller Holder, and a Type-C to Type-C PD Cable.

If you’d prefer better value and a host of useful accessories, a Fly More Bundle is available for the Mini 4 Pro (DJI RC 2). Although the obvious caveat here is that you have to opt for the more expensive controller. This kit option costs $1,099 / £1,149 / AU$1,699. In addition to the above, you also get two extra Intelligent Flight Batteries, two additional sets of propellers, a DJI Mini Shoulder Bag and the DJI Mini 4 Pro/Mini 3 Series Two-Way Charging Hub.

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DJI Mini 4 Pro folded showing top of drone — (Image credit: James Abbott)

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DJI Mini 4 Pro folded showing bottom — (Image credit: James Abbott)

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DJI Mini 4 Pro DJI RC 2 smart controller — (Image credit: James Abbott)

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DJI Mini 4 Pro rear of the DJI RC 2 smart controller — (Image credit: James Abbott)

DJI Mini 4 Pro: Design and controller

Small and lightweight folding design
Looks extremely similar to the Mini 3 Pro
Two controller options

DJI Mini-series drones need little introduction in terms of design these days. Alongside its highly portable and regulator-friendly diminutive size and weight, and folding design, the Mini 4 Pro looks very similar to the Mini 3 Pro, the main visual difference being the additional Omnidirectional Collision Avoidance sensors on the top of the airframe and an Auxiliary Light on the bottom.

Most of the upgrades are under the hood, so to speak, in the form of software and feature enhancements. Even the 12/48MP 1/1.3-inch sensor is the same as the Mini 3 Pro's, albeit with image processing upgrades, but that’s no bad thing, because it’s a fantastic sensor that's capable of producing excellent image quality despite its small size when compared to the sensors in flagship Mavic 3 prosumer models.

The new features on offer, which we’ll go into much more detail about later, make the Mini 4 Pro much closer to Mavic 3 models in terms of flight and video features. This is fantastic news for professional drone pilots looking for greater consistency in their workflow, while enthusiasts can simply enjoy an improved Mini Pro model.

Depending on your budget and needs, the Mini 4 Pro is available with two controller options: the DJI RC-N2, which features a telescopic phone holder and no screen, so you have to use a smartphone with it, and the DJI RC 2 smart controller. The DJI RC 2 features a 5.5-inch screen with 700-nit brightness, and provides a much more convenient flight experience with faster set-up times.

DJI Mini 4 Pro: Features and flight

Omnidirectional Collision Avoidance
ActiveTrack 360°
Advanced Return to Home

The Mini 4 Pro's flight times are almost identical to its predecessor's, with the same flight time that’s advertised at up to 34 minutes with the standard Intelligent Flight Battery; flight times typically come in at around 20-25 minutes until Return to Home is initiated at 20% battery, depending on how vigorously the drone is flown and environmental factors such as wind and temperature. There's also an Intelligent Flight Battery Plus, available separately, that increases flight times to an advertised duration of 46 minutes, but this takes the weight of the drone above 250g and isn’t available in Europe.

The most significant feature to arrive with the Mini 4 Pro is Omnidirectional Vision Sensing, which is Omnidirectional collision avoidance to you and me. This uses four fisheye vision sensors, downward binocular vision sensors, and a 3D ToF sensor that aid flight safety in complex environments.

This system works well, and together with the Advanced Pilot Assistance Systems (APAS), it certainly provides confidence; the Bypass/Nifty mode allows you to fly through trees and even indoors, but you still have to take great care, and the DJI Fly app does warn of the risk. More confident and experienced pilots may find that flight is ultimately smoother with collision avoidance switched off, but this comes at the expense of a much greater risk of collision.

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DJI Mini 4 Pro from above — (Image credit: James Abbott)

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DJI Mini 4 Pro close up of camera — (Image credit: James Abbott)

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DJI Mini 4 Pro close up of camera and propeller arm — (Image credit: James Abbott)

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DJI Mini 4 Pro close up of collision avoidance sensor — (Image credit: James Abbott)

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DJI Mini 4 Pro close up of gimbal and bottom sensors — (Image credit: James Abbott)

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DJI Mini 4 Pro close up of battery inserted into the drone — (Image credit: James Abbott)

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DJI Mini 4 Pro carry bag — (Image credit: James Abbott)

Omnidirectional Vision Sensing also delivers a series of additional advanced features including ActiveTrack 360,° which is more reliable from a safety point of view and more effective than ActiveTrack on the Mini 3 Pro. Another feature is Advanced Return to Home, which incorporates Obstacle Avoidance into plotting the most efficient route back to the take-off point. So, from a safety and autonomous flight point of view, the Mini 4 Pro beats the Mini 3 Pro hands down.

Other features include Hyperlapse, MasterShots, Quickshots, Digital Zoom and QuickTransfer (of files to a phone without having to switch on the controller). Then there’s the LightCut app, which can be used to create AI-edited videos at the touch of a button. This is perfect for quick and easy video creation, although it's certainly not a professional tool. There’s also a Cruise Control feature, as on higher-end DJI drones, which can lock the drone in flight so that you don’t have to continue pushing the control sticks when performing a long maneuver.

DJI Mini 4 Pro: Image quality

Same sensor as the Mini 3 Pro
D-Log M color profile
New image processing technologies

The image quality produced by the Mini 4 Pro is impressive overall, and extremely similar – practically identical in most shooting modes – to the Mini 3 Pro. Both drones use the same 12/48MP 1/1.3-inch quad bayer sensor with large 2.4μm pixels that produces excellent 12MP results in low light, and up to 48MP high-resolution photos when the light is good – a similar approach to the iPhone 15.

The camera itself can still be rotated 90 degrees for vertical shooting, and the gimbal can be tilted between -90 degrees and 60 degrees. There’s also a DJI ND filter pack for controlling shutter speed and a wide-angle lens attachment available to extend the field of view of the 24mm equivalent f/1.7 lens from 82.1 degrees to 100 degrees. There is some barrel distortion with this lens when shooting close-up, which naturally reduces with more distant subjects and scenes.

This all sounds extremely familiar; so what sets the Mini 4 Pro apart from its predecessor? Well, alongside the features we’ve already discussed, the camera upgrades appear to be software rather than hardware-based. While some do enhance and improve image quality in some modes, others focus purely on functionality, which has been extended. One such feature is the Night Mode, which optimizes noise handling when shooting video in low light.

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Photo of a river sluice taken with the DJI Mini 4 Pro — (Image credit: James Abbott)

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Photo of a river taken with the DJI Mini 4 Pro — (Image credit: James Abbott)

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Photo of the interior of a derelict building taken with the DJI Mini 4 Pro — (Image credit: James Abbott)

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Photo of a BMX track taken with the DJI Mini 4 Pro — (Image credit: James Abbott)

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Photo of a bridge and trees taken with the DJI Mini 4 Pro — (Image credit: James Abbott)

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Photo of an urban scene taken with the DJI Mini 4 Pro — (Image credit: James Abbott)

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Photo of graffiti under a bridge taken with the DJI Mini 4 Pro — (Image credit: James Abbott)

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Photo of farmland taken with the DJI Mini 4 Pro — (Image credit: James Abbott)

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Photo of the interior of a derelict building taken with the DJI Mini 4 Pro and the wide-angle lens attachment — (Image credit: James Abbott)

Video capture has been improved in several areas, with the introduction of 4K shooting up to 100fps for slow motion, while 1080p can be captured at up to 200fps. Video can be captured in Normal, HLG (HDR) and the flat D-Log M profile rather than D-Cinelike. D-Log M is available on Mavic 3 drones, and its inclusion in the Mini 4 Pro will undoubtedly provide greater consistency in professional workflows when a sub-250g drone is required. You can also now control the sharpness and noise reduction in video, which is a handy feature for more advanced users aiming for more cinematic-looking footage.

But even if you’re an enthusiast, having all of this functionality at your fingertips is fantastic, because it means you can grow into the drone rather than growing out of it when features are more limited. Photo functionality remains much the same as the Mini 3 Pro, but that’s no bad thing because it can’t be faulted. SmartPhoto is claimed to greatly improve on previous-generation HDR capture, although for advanced users, shooting in Raw and using Auto Exposure Bracketing is the best route to take in high dynamic range situations.

DJI Mini 4 Pro Video in 4K at 30 fps

Should I buy the DJI Mini 4 Pro?

DJI Mini 4 Pro in flight in front of trees — (Image credit: James Abbott)

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

How I tested the DJI Mini 4 Pro

I tested the Mini 4 Pro over a week of flying in a range of locations, environments and weather conditions (excluding rain) to test flight performance, flight features, overall handling and image quality for both photo and video capture. All testing was conducted in a way that meets local aviation laws and restrictions to ensure that all flights were safe and legal.

With nearly 30 years of photographic experience and 15 years working as a photography journalist, I’ve been covering drones in terms of shooting and editing techniques, alongside writing drone reviews, for a number of years. As well as flying most consumer and prosumer models, I’ve previously held a PfCO (Permission for Commercial Operations) issued by the Civil Aviation Authority in the UK, and now fly under an A2 CofC (A2 Certificate of Competency).

First reviewed September 2023

Sony A7R V review

4:06 pm | January 16, 2023

Author: admin | Category: Cameras Computers Gadgets Mirrorless Cameras | Tags: AF, EVF | Comments: Off

Editor's Note

• Original review date: January 2023
• Sony's best AI-powered autofocus performance
• Launch price: $3,899 / £3,999 / AU$5,899 (body only)
• Official price now: $3,199 / £3,699 / AU$5,499 (body only)

Update: February 2024. The full-frame A7R V's max 61MP resolution is only matched by Sony's own A7C R and various Leica cameras including the Q3. Put simply, in this sensor format you won't get better detail in your pictures. Furthermore, it's autofocus is powered by a dedicated AI chip for improved subject detection, and that's still the best AF performance in any Sony camera, now matched by the A9 III. It's one of the best professional cameras that has also dropped in price on Sony's website since its January 2023 launch, making it better value, too. The rest of this review remains as previously published.

Sony A7R V: Two-minute review

Sony released the first high-resolution full-frame mirrorless camera – the A7R back in 2013 – and we’ve had an updated model every couple of years since, culminating in the fifth iteration of the series, the A7R V. A lot has changed in the cameras since then in terms of the ergonomics, handling and, of course, the technology employed. But with more rivals on the scene now, the A7R V is up against some stiff competition from the likes of the Canon EOS R5 and Nikon Z 7II.

The Sony A7R V on a table straight from above with lens attached — (Image credit: Future)

Being the newest model on the block, and offering some impressive specs, the A7R V ultimately has little to worry about, despite not providing the highest performance in all areas. Features include a new 61MP sensor and Bionz XR processing engine, up to eight stops of in-body image stabilization, increased burst shooting and AI-powered subject recognition to improve autofocus. Then there’s video capture up to 8K at 24fps and 4K up to 60fps.

Sony A7R V specs

Sensor: 61MP BSI full-frame CMOS
Processor: Bionz XR (with AI processing unit)
Autofocus: 693-point phase-detection
AF subject recognition: human, animal, bird, insects, car, train, automobile
EVF: 9.44-million dot Quad XGA
In-body stabilization: up to eight stops
Continuous shooting: 10fps
Continuous shooting buffer: 184 raw (compressed)
Video: 8K/24p, 4K/60p, 10-bit 4:2:2

Image quality is, as you’d hope, excellent for both photos and video. But with the high-resolution sensor, you’ll need to use Sony’s best lenses in the G and GM ranges with the resolving power to complement the camera. It’s unlikely that you’d be using lower-end lenses if you’re prepared to pay approximately $3,900 / £4,000 / AU$5,900 for a camera body so it shouldn’t be a problem, but if you’re upgrading from a lower-resolution A7 model and already have some cheaper lenses, it’s certainly something to bear in mind.

Sony A7R V: Release date and price

Went on sale in December 2022
Launched with a list price of approximately $3,900 / £4,000 / AU$5,900
Price close to medium format

The A7R V was announced in October 2022, and was available to buy from December 2022, costing approximately $3,900 / £4,000 / AU$5,900. We might have expected a slightly higher price given the launch price of the A7R IV and the consequent rise in camera prices over the last year or two.

The Sony A7R V on a table straight on front — (Image credit: Future)

That said, the cost of the camera is getting close to that of medium-format models. For instance, the Fujifilm GFX 100S costs approximately $6,000 / £4,800 / AU$9,300 body-only. Those shooting faster subjects such as sport and wildlife, and/or video, the A7R V is undoubtedly the better option, but landscape, portrait and studio photographers could benefit from the larger sensor (1.7x) and higher 100MP resolution of the GFX 100S.

Price Score: 4/5

Sony A7R V: design

Versatile 4-axis articulating touchscreen
Moderate 10fps continuous shooting
Dual SD/CFexpress Type A card slots

The overall design of the A7R V is extremely similar to that of previous models, with most innovations occurring under the hood, although there are a few design tweaks that improve upon the A7R IV. Current Sony users will almost certainly feel at home, and newcomers should be able to navigate the main settings with little to no problems.

On the back of the camera is a new 4-axis 3.2-inch articulating touchscreen, which allows the screen to be tilted and flipped out sideways, and twisted to face forwards; perfect for both stills photography and video. This makes the screen slightly bulkier than on the previous two models, which only had a tilting screen, but this doesn’t impact overall handling. The electronic viewfinder is the same one as on the A7S III, and features an excellent 9.44-million dot resolution with 0.9x magnification.

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The Sony A7R V on a table from above with screen flipped out — (Image credit: Future)

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The Sony A7R V on a table with dual hinge screen flipped out — (Image credit: Future)

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The Sony A7R V on a table straight on back with screen on — (Image credit: Future)

Moving up to the top of the camera, the exposure compensation dial is now unmarked, and like most of the buttons and dials it can be set to perform another function if users wish, although having it set to exposure compensation is the most convenient option, despite the almost infinite ways in which you can customize Sony cameras.

Just like previous A7R models, there are two card slots on the side of the grip that can be set to record in several different ways when two cards are installed. On the A7R V, the card slots can take both SD and CFexpress Type A cards, with the latter being the faster of the two options. This is great if you prefer the cost and capacity benefits of SD cards, but to realize the full speed potential of the camera, considerably more expensive CFexpress Type A cards are a must

The Sony A7R V close up of the ports — (Image credit: Future)

Shooting speed has also been improved, and the buffer is also larger, with a continuous shooting speed of 10fps available. Sony claims that up to 583 compressed raw images can be captured in Hi+ mode with compressed raw files. For testing, we used a 128GB Kingston Canvas React Plus SD card with transfer speeds of up to 300MB/s. This allowed us to separately shoot 170 JPEGs in Fine quality, 100 Compressed raw files and 50 uncompressed raw files before the camera began to stutter. It’s a far cry from the claimed buffer performance, but is still respectable, and more than most photographers would ever need.

This card was absolutely fine for shooting 8K video, and the camera was able to shoot for 30 minutes. The camera body did heat up during recording in a 64.5F / 18C room, which wasn’t an issue, but in warmer temperatures when shooting outdoors this could be problematic. One way to aid heat dissipation in warmer temperatures when shooting video is to open the battery door on the bottom of the camera, although this presents obvious risks.

Design 5/5

Sony A7R V: features and performance

Subject-recognition autofocus
8-stop image stabilization
Improved Pixel Shift Multi Shooting

While the A7R IV didn’t offer a great deal more to entice A7R III owners to upgrade, the A7R V aims to address the deficiencies of its predecessor, and is a much more well-rounded camera overall. The improvements Sony has implemented, alongside the inclusion of some welcome new features, make it significantly more attractive, whether you’re upgrading from an earlier model or switching to Sony from another brand.

One new feature, which is designed to address sensor dust complaints from A7R IV users, is the ability to have the shutter close when the camera is switched off. This might work, but after only using the camera for a few weeks it’s impossible to test this claim. Although, given that DSLR shutters close after each shot has been taken, and these cameras still suffer from sensor dust, whether it’ll be effective is questionable.

The Sony A7R V on a table without a lens — (Image credit: Future)

Image stabilization has been improved, with up to eight stops of compensation available when shooting stills. During testing, it was easy to shoot sharp handheld images with a shutter speed of around 1/8 sec, and with a particularly steady hand it was even possible to shoot as slow as one second. For video, Active Mode image stabilization aids smooth handheld shooting, and can be paired with some lenses that feature optical image stabilization for even smoother video.

Pixel Shift Multi Shooting has also been improved. In this mode the camera captures 16 frames, with the sensor position shifted slightly between each, which can then be merged into a huge 240.8MP image that’s claimed to be better corrected for minor movement in scenes. This requires Sony’s Image Edge Desktop software to be used, but it would be much more convenient if these composite images were merged in-camera.

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The Sony A7R V on a table angled front with lens — (Image credit: Future)

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The Sony A7R V on a table straight close up of top controls — (Image credit: Future)

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The A7R V features 693 AF points and offers Real-time Recognition AF, enabling you to select from Human, Animal/Bird, Animal, Bird, Insect, Car/Train and Airplane. The Human option is much more advanced than simply eye or face detection, and can identify people in wider scenes. The feature generally works well across subjects, but it’s not perfect, and turning off subject recognition requires delving into the camera menu. The best way to switch Real-time Recognition AF on and off is to include this in My Menu, which is the camera’s custom user menu.

My Menu is incredibly useful overall, because Sony cameras are infamous for their labyrinthine menu systems. Another feature worth including here is Bulb Timer Settings. With this, when shooting in Bulb mode you can select any exposure duration from two to 900 seconds, which is incredibly useful when shooting long exposures. With this setting turned on, you can use the self-timer to release the shutter and the camera will time the exposure for you – fantastic when using a Big Stopper.

Features and performance 4/5

Sony A7R V: image and video quality

New 61MP Exmor R sensor boasts 15 stops dynamic range
Impressive ISO handling
Sharp video up to 8K video

Image quality in many respects comes down to the optics you attach to the camera, with higher-quality lenses naturally offering the best possible image quality. And with the A7R V, this is certainly the case – you’ll get the best results using higher-quality Sony G lenses such as the 20mm F1.8 and 90mm F2.8 Macro and the flagship G Master lenses. The high-resolution sensor is unforgiving when the camera is paired with cheaper and lower-quality optics, so you do need to avoid these if you want the A7R V to achieve its potential.

With high-quality lenses, image quality for both stills and video is excellent thanks to the new 61MP Exmor R sensor and Bionz XR processing engine. Dynamic range is advertised at 15 stops, and you can certainly increase the exposure of underexposed raw files considerably before image degradation becomes problematic. Photo capture is available in 14-bit raw, compressed raw, HEIF and JPEG, so you’ve got plenty of options.

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A long exposure seascape taken with the Sony A7R V — (Image credit: Future)

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Details of a bridge against a sunny sky taken with the Sony A7R V — (Image credit: Future)

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Details of crumbling wall taken with the Sony A7R V — (Image credit: Future)

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A modern building on a sunny day taken with the Sony A7R V — (Image credit: Future)

ISO performance is impressive within the native ISO 100-32,000 range, with the expanded range taking settings from ISO 50-102,400. The best quality comes at settings up to ISO 1600, with images shot at up to 6400 still looking reasonably good, and those taken at up to ISO 25,600 providing usable results. Beyond this, noise and color loss become very evident, leaving images pretty much unusable.

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Inside an abandoned building taken with the Sony A7R V — (Image credit: Future)

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Beach homes in the sun taken with the Sony A7R V — (Image credit: Future)

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A river and sunny landscape taken with the Sony A7R V — (Image credit: Future)

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A cityscape reflected in water on a sunny day taken with the Sony A7R V — (Image credit: Future)

Video quality is equally impressive, with 8K video available at 24fps, 4K up to 60fps, and FHD up to 120fps in NTSC or 100fps in PAL, with a 4:2:2 10-bit color depth available. Color profiles include S-Cinetone and S-Log3 among others, so there’s plenty to keep hybrid stills/video shooters happy. Videographers will find the A7S III is a better camera overall for shooting video; you could certainly shoot professional video with the A7R V, but it’s not the best Sony A-series camera for the job.

Image and video quality 5/5

Should I buy the Sony A7R V?

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

If our Sony A7R V review has you wondering about alternatives, here are two rivals to consider.

Sony A7R V: testing scorecard

First reviewed: January 2023

OM System OM-5

7:54 pm | November 4, 2022

Author: admin | Category: Cameras Computers Gadgets Mirrorless Cameras | Tags: AF, LCD | Comments: Off

Editor's Note

• Original review date: November 2022
• Launch price: Body only $1,199.99 / £1,199 / AU$2,150
• Official price now: Body only $1,199.99 / £1,199 / AU$2,150

Update: March 2024. OM System does compact mirrorless camera systems for photography better than anyone, using a micro four thirds sensor that strikes an excellent balance between performance and size, not to mention a huge range of lenses available for all types of photography and budgets. The OM-5 feels great in the hand, looks the part and boasts superb image stablization meaning you can ditch the tripod and pack light. It was a minor update of the EM5 III, but in 2024 it remains one of the best travel cameras for enthusiasts.

OM System OM-5: two-minute review

The OM System OM-5 is kind of new, but not in a big way. It’s really a refresh and an update of the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III, with new branding, improved stabilization and weatherproofing, and a couple of new features from higher-end models, including starry sky AF, and live ND filters for longer exposures in bright light.

The main specs stay the same, including the 20MP MFT sensor, 121-point phase-detect AF, and video up to 4K 30p. That might sound a little disappointing, but there’s more to the OM-5 than the headline specs.

OM System OM-5 specs

Sensor: 20.4MP MFT Live MOS

AF points: 121-point phase detect

Video: C4K 24p, 4K 30p, FHD 60p, High-speed 120p FHD

Viewfinder: OLED 2.36m-dot

Memory card: Single SD/SDHC/SDXC UHS-II

LCD: 3-inch vari-angle touch 1.04m-dot

Max Burst: 10fps mechanical shutter (buffer unlimited JPEG / 149 raw), 30fps electronic shutter (buffer 20 JPEG / 18 raw), 30fps Pro Capture

Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Mic, HDMI Type D, USB 2

Size: 125.3 x 85.2 x 49.7mm

Weight: 414g (inc. battery and SD card)

For a start, like the E-M5 III before it, it packs a lot of features, controls and performance into a very small body. This is a pocket-sized interchangeable lens camera that can shoot at 10fps, or 30fps with 14-shot pre-buffer in Pro Capture mode. It has Live Bulb and Live Composite modes for watching exposure build ‘live’ at night, and its pixel-shift High Res capture mode can create 50MP images handheld, and 80MP images on a tripod.

The external controls are remarkably well laid out for a camera so small, with a real quality feel to them, and as well as an EVF you get a vari-angle screen. OM System is pitching this as a go-anywhere adventure camera and it’s certainly one of the best travel cameras you can buy, thanks in part to some excellent, compact and affordable lenses.

The OM-5 may not break any technical barriers, but as a piece of intelligent product design, it’s pretty remarkable.

OM System OM-5: price and release date

• OM System OM-5 body only: $1,199.99 / £1,199 (about AU$2,150)
• OM System OM-5 with 12-45mm f/4 Pro lens: $1,599.99 / £1,499 (about AU$2,850)
• OM System OM-5 with 14-150mm f/5.6 II lens (UK only): £1,499

The previous Olympus OM-D E-M5 III was never a cheap camera, and that’s worth mentioning, because although the OM-5 has a new maker and a new model name, it's largely the same camera.

So if the OM-5’s predecessor seemed stubbornly pricey back then, the same applies now. The OM-5 is a powerful little camera, but it does not do anything remarkable for the money; it's worth its price tag in our opinion, but you're not getting a bargain in terms of value for money.

It’s up against some good cameras in the same price bracket, including the Canon EOS R10, Fujifilm X-S10, Nikon Z50 and Sony A6400, all of which have APS-C sensors. But then the Canon and the Nikon don’t have any lenses to speak of (it’s true!), and the A6400 is an old camera with no IBIS, which leaves the Fujifilm X-S10 as the most serious competitor.

The OM-5 has a smaller MFT sensor, of course. A lot of folk are convinced this gives it a serious image quality disadvantage – wrongly, as it happens. What it also has is a range of lenses that's broadar then those of it's rivals, and the lenses themselves are physically smaller. You can’t use a camera without lenses.

• Value rating: 4/5

OM System OM-5 design and handling

• Mini-DSLR style design
• Flip-out vari-angle screen
• Single SD card slot
• Twin control dials
• Dual mode function lever

For a camera packing this performance, power, and range of features, the OM-5 is very small. This could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on whether you're using big professional, constant-aperture lenses, or the smaller zooms and primes from the Olympus range – and whether you're looking for a tiny travel camera or a big do-it-all mirrorless with serious grunt.

With smaller lenses, the OM-5 is just divine. If you want to use larger lenses, it really needs the optional grip (this doesn't take extra batteries; it's just a bigger grip) in order for it to feel balanced and comfortable.

Regardless of that, OM System (not ‘Olympus’, remember) has done a remarkable job of getting a lot of very usable physical controls onto such a small body.

The EVF is good enough, though it lacks the outright resolution of newer and more expensive rivals, and the flip-out vari-angle screen on the back is a nice feature on a camera as small as this, and a useful one too.

The single SD card slot might deter power users looking for the additional security and backup options of a dual-card setup, but there’s a limit to how much you can fit into a body as small as this. One reason for choosing two card slots is to cover the possibility of card failure, which is rare. Another is to separate stills and video, JPEGs and raw, captures and backups – all of which are reasonable pro requirements, but somewhat outside the remit of a camera like this.

There are two control dials on the top of the E-M5 and these work really well, and are given extra versatility by the dual-mode lever on the back of the camera which switches their functions. You do have to remember what you’ve set these dials up to do for each function mode, but if you can do that you’ll get a very quick system for changing a multitude of settings from shutter speed to aperture, and from white balance to EV compensation.

The OM-5’s external controls have a quality feel, and a logic that’s very endearing. Olympus (sorry, OM System – it still takes some getting used to) is very good indeed at making the controls on small cameras work as well as, or better than, those on larger ones.

• Design score: 5/5

OM System OM-5: features and performance

• 6.5-stop IBIS (7.5-stop with sync IS)
• Extensive and customizable Art Filters
• Pro Capture with pre-shot buffer
• In-camera focus stacking
• 50MP/80MP High Res Shot
• Live Composite, Live Bulb, Live ND

Practically every camera maker in the world now offers 5-axis in-body stabilization systems which it considers the best on the market. But OM System (see, we didn’t say ‘Olympus’!) and Panasonic between them have, we would say, the best. It’s perhaps to do with the smaller sensor size and mass, or the algorithms used, but the OM-5’s stabilization is pretty remarkable. It has its limits for video – an IBIS system simply can’t smooth camera movements like a gimbal – but for all the perceived ‘faults’ of MFT systems, the stabilization is remarkable.

The OM-5 has many other strengths. One of these is its Pro Capture mode, which can capture still images at 30fps with a 14-shot pre-capture buffer to allow for your reaction time. So you can half-press the shutter release for a ‘rolling’ capture, then press it the rest of the way when the action starts, and the camera will record the half-second of action while you were still thinking about it. That’s clever. The only drawback is that the focus is fixed from the start – but that’s fine for setups where you know where the action is going to happen, such as the jumps in a horse race or the bar in a high jump.

The OM-5 uses a lot of computational features that include in-camera focus stacking, which you can use handheld, and a 50MP High Res Shot mode, also handheld, for those times when you might actually need the resolution of a high-res full-frame camera – and it really does generate natively higher-resolution images, not some kind of lame substitute.

On top of that, you've got Olympus’s Live Composite, Live Bulb and Live ND modes. The first two are really good for night shots – once you’ve worked out the settings and parameters – while the second promises the same effect as ND filters for blurring skies, surf and water. This is limited to a 4-stop reduction, however, when for long exposures in bright light you really need a 10-stop reduction.

Finally, Olympus’s Art Filters are worth a mention. These are not the pretty plain 'looks' you might get from other cameras, but actually rather good analog effects.

• Features and performance score: 5/5

OM System OM-5: image and video quality

A lot has been said, and probably will continue to be said, about the perceived deficiencies of the Micro Four Thirds format. First, it's half the size of APS-C; however, it's also far larger than the 1-inch sensor format widely employed in compact cameras, and far larger again than the sensors in phones and point-and-shoot compacts.

At low-medium ISO settings, you won’t see much difference in quality between the OM-5’s images and those from an APS-C camera. At higher ISOs you might start to see more difference, but again, it’s not huge. If you compare the OM-5’s results to those from a full-frame camera you'll see more difference but, even here, you have to weigh this against the OM-5’s far lower price, its portability and unobtrusiveness, and the performance of its image stabilization system.

This is extremely effective for stills photography, and pretty good for video too. For static handheld shots it’s so steady that images can look as if they were filmed on a tripod, and with care it’s possible to produce smooth panning movements too. It’s less effective for walking and filming, but that’s true of every mirrorless camera's IBIS system. The stabilization in the OM-5 is just about the best on the market, aided no doubt by the smaller sensor.

The autofocus is competent without being game changing. It doesn’t have the AI subject recognition found in the latest cameras like the Sony A7R V or Canon EOS R6 II, but its face recognition and tracking seem to be pretty ‘sticky’. It’s easily good enough for casual vlogging and photography, especially since the shorter focal lengths used with MFT systems give you more depth of field latitude anyway.

For its size, this camera delivers excellent video and stills quality, with a stabilization system that gives you a really high hit rate of sharp shots.

It’s also worth mentioning the lenses. We tested the OM-5 with three Pro f/4 Olympus lenses: the 12-45mm f/4, the 8-25mm f/4, and the 40-150mm f/4 (which is actually branded OM System). These f/4 lenses are a good match for the OM-5’s size and price (the f/2.8 Pro lenses and f/1.2 primes are a little large). All three are really well made and finished, and deliver excellent results.

The OM-5 isn’t just small and powerful in its own right; it comes with a small and powerful lens range too, which isn’t just lighter than larger-format alternatives, but cheaper too.

• Image and video quality score: 4/5

Should I buy the OM System OM-5?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider...

Testing scorecard

GoPro Hero 11 Black

4:00 pm | September 14, 2022

Author: admin | Category: Action Cameras Cameras Computers Gadgets GoPros | Comments: Off

Editor's Note

• Original review date: September 2022
• Launch price: $399.98 / £399.98 / AU$649.95
• Official price now: $299.99 / £349.99 / AU$498

Update: November 2024. Now two generations old, the Hero 11 Black is no longer available to buy directly from GoPro. It can still be found at a range of online retailers, though. That’s good news, because at its lower price, we think it represents fantastic value. While the GoPro Hero 12 Black and Hero 13 Black have introduced a number of new features, the core experience remains very similar. Both of those cameras share a near-identical physical designs and the same sensor resolution as the Hero 11 Black. With 5K/60p recording, 10-bit video and class-leading HyperSmooth 5.0 image stabilization, the GoPro Hero 11 Black still holds up well against many of the best action cameras.

GoPro Hero 11 Black specs

Sensor: 1/1.9in (8:7 aspect ratio)
Video (max resolution): 5K/60p
Video (bit-rate): 10-bit or 8-bit
Video (slo-mo): 4K/120p
Photos: 27MP
Stabilization: HyperSmooth 5.0
Battery: GoPro Enduro
Processor: GP2

The GoPro Hero 11 Black is the new flagship model in an action camera range that dates back to 2005. It isn't a huge upgrade on the Hero 10 Black, which will remain on sale for the lower price of $349.98 / £349.98 / AU$549.95 with a GoPro Subscription. But the Hero 11 Black's new 1/1.9in sensor does bring some new tricks that'll make it particularly appealing for social media creators and those who like to color grade their videos.

That new sensor is mainly on board to boost the Hero 11 Black's versatility, rather than its image quality. Because it has an almost square 8:7 aspect ratio, you can export videos in various formats – like 9:16 for TikTok and Instagram, for example – without losing any quality or resolution. This makes the Hero 11 Black, and potentially its incoming Hero 11 Black Mini sibling, the best action camera around for shooting social media videos.

That unusual sensor aspect ratio supports some other new effects, too. There's a new super-wide 'HyperView' digital lens, which gives you the equivalent of a 12mm focal length. And even more useful is the arrival of Horizon Lock, previously only possible with the Max Lens Mod, which keeps the horizon in place even when you rotate the camera through 360 degrees. Well, as long as you aren't shooting in modes like 5.3K/60p or 4K/120p, when it'll apply Horizon Leveling instead.

The Hero 11 Black's other new headline feature is support for 10-bit video. This feature is usually only found in the best video cameras, so is an impressive first for a GoPro. A video's bit-depth describes the total possible number of color gradations, with 10-bit offering far more than the standard 8-bit seen in previous GoPros. This makes it easier for video editors to fine-tune footage and avoid issues like color banding in skies, particularly when shooting in GoPro's 'flat' color profile.

The GoPro Hero 11 Black action camera sitting on a wooden platform — (Image credit: Future)

In other respects, the Hero 11 Black is more a tweaked version of its Hero 10 Black predecessor. There are handy new 'Easy' and 'Pro' modes in the menus, with the former making it more of a point-and-shoot experience. You can also now shoot TimeWarp 3.0 videos (which are effectively timelapses with HyperSmooth stabilization) in 5.3K resolution, rather than 4K. And aside from the new aspect ratio options (you can choose from 16:9, 4:3 or 8:7 in-camera, or others using the Quik app) the resolutions and frame-rate options are the same as before. This means you can shoot 5.3K/60p or 4K/120p slo-mo videos.

Still, the Hero 11 Black does bring some new timelapse tricks. You can now find Star Trail, Light Painting and Vehicle Lights options in the timelapse menus, which help you produce shareable clips on those themes. And it also comes with GoPro's Enduro battery as standard, which was previously an optional extra. This helps boost recording times by up to 38% over GoPro's previous battery, depending on which mode you're using, and makes it more reliable in extreme cold. We haven't experienced any major overheating issues with it either, which some users reported when using a standard battery in the Hero 10 Black.

Overall, then, the Hero 11 Black isn't a dramatic leap up from its predecessor. It's the most feature-packed, user-friendly action camera you can buy, and the best one around if you shoot a lot for different platforms (with different aspect ratios) like YouTube and TikTok. But it also has some familiar limitations, like low-light performance and pretty average on-board audio. We're looking to do some more testing before we deliver our final verdict, but here's our early GoPro Hero 11 Black review.

GoPro Hero 11 Black price and release date

The GoPro Hero 11 Black is available to buy now for $399.98 / £399.98 / AU$649.95 (if you buy it with a GoPro Subscription), or for $499.99 / £499.99 / AU$799.95 with no GoPro Subscription.

You can check out our in-depth guide to the GoPro Subscription, but the short answer is that it's a no-brainer, for the first year at least. You can cancel at any time, but GoPro's hope is that you'll become tied into its cloud features, like automatic backups and highlight videos.

After that first year, the Subscription will cost $49.99 / £49.99 / AU$69.99 per year, so you'll need to decide how important its features are to you before it auto-renews. But that up-front saving certainly makes it worth getting the Subscription bundle in order to find out.

Unusually, the Hero 11 Black will be available in two other flavors at launch. If you're a vlogger, you can buy the Hero 11 Black Creator Edition, which includes a battery-grip (promising over four hours of 4K recording per charge), plus a directional microphone, external mic input, HDMI port, an LED light and two cold-shoe mounts for mounting accessories. This Creator Edition costs $579.98 / £579.98 / AU$929.95 (with a GoPro Subscription) or $699.99 / £699.99 / AU$1,099.95 (without a Subscription).

But the more interesting option is arguably the Hero 11 Black Mini. This is effectively a standard Hero 11 Black without a front or rear screen. Unfortunately, it won't be available until October 25, when it'll cost $299.98 (with a GoPro Subscription) or $399.99 without a Subscription.

If you're looking for an even cheaper GoPro, the new 'entry-level' model will be the Hero 10 Black, whose price has now dropped to $349.98 / £349.98 / AU$549.95 (with a GoPro Subscription) or $449.99 / £449.99 / $699.95 without one. That's a decent drop on its previous Subscription price of $399 / £379 / AU$599.95.

GoPro Hero 11 Black: design

Exactly the same size and design as the Hero 10 Black
Lens has same impressive scratch-resistance
Handy new 'Easy' and 'Pro' modes in the menus

If you're having a tough time distinguishing between the Hero 11 Black and its predecessor, there's a good reason for that – they look identical.

For the first time in a while, GoPro hasn't made any notable design changes to its flagship action camera. The Hero 10 Black at least delivered a new water-repellent lens coating with improved scratch-resistance. But the only design tweak this time is the inclusion of GoPro's Enduro battery as standard.

This has been available as an optional extra for the Hero 10 Black and Hero 9 Black since November 2021, so isn't exactly a new feature. But it is a welcome addition, given its ability to boost battery life in some settings by up to 38% and reliably start up in extreme cold. We found these claims to ring true in our GoPro Enduro review.

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But otherwise, the Hero 11 Black is physically the same GoPro we've come to know and love for the past few generations. To recap, this means you get a tough little camera that's waterproof down to 10m without a case. There's a 1.4-inch front LCD for vloggers, which is now smoother than when it first appeared on the Hero 9 Black, thanks to the frame-rates unlocked by the GP2 processor. And round the back is the usual 2.27-inch rear touchscreen, which is responsive if a little dated.

This touchscreen experience is a vast improvement on the sluggish Hero 9 Black, which is again largely thanks to the GP2 processor that appeared in the Hero 10 Black. And the UI does now benefit from the inclusion of new 'Easy' and 'Pro' modes.

Flip the Hero 11 Black into 'Easy' and you effectively get a point-and-shoot experience, with no control over resolutions and frame-rates. Seasoned GoPro users, though, will want the 'Pro' experience, which includes the host of presets and ProTune controls that let you decide bit-rate, color profiles and, yes, switch to that lovely new 10-bit mode (when shooting in 4K resolution and up).

Our experiences with the Hero 11 Black have found it to be a polished, charming companion. It's ready to go within five seconds of pressing the power button, which is the same as the Hero 10 Black and three seconds speedier than the Hero 9 Black. The lens does indeed have pretty great scratch resistance – during a mountain bike ride, we roughed up the Hero 11’s casing and the glass remained completely unblemished.

The Hero 11 Black is also super-easy to mount on bikes and helmets, if perhaps not quite as slick as the DJI Osmo Action 3 in this regard. Those who mainly want to head-mount their action cam may also be more interested in the Hero 11 Black Mini, which offers the same shooting power in a smaller, screen-less bundle. We'll update this review when we've had a chance to take it for a spin.

GoPro Hero 11 Black: features

Larger 1/1.9-inch sensor has 8:7 aspect ratio for better vertical videos
New 10-bit color mode gives editors more color grading flexibility
Horizon Lock feature now available in some video modes

The big differences between the Hero 11 Black and its predecessor are under the hood. And the most significant of these changes is GoPro's new 1/1/9-inch sensor, which has an unusual 8:7 aspect ratio.

The new sensor now serves up 27MP still photos, rather than the 23MP ones produced by the Hero 10 Black. But this change is less about image quality and more about the added flexibility that its almost-square aspect ratio brings.

In a similar way to cameras like the Panasonic Lumix GH6, the shape of the Hero 11 Black's sensor makes it much better for producing videos of all kinds of aspect ratio from one shot, particularly vertical videos for TikTok and Instagram.

GoPro has effectively added 4MP of vertical resolution to the Hero 10 Black's sensor, with both cameras sharing the same horizontal resolution. This means GoPro's new flagship still shoots standard 5K/60p videos in 16:9 or 4:3, but also lets you shoot in a 'full-frame' 8:7 mode and export clips later in other formats like 9:16 using the Quik app.

The benefit of this approach is that, rather than taking a crop from a horizontal frame, you still maintain very high image quality with the vertical exports. For example, if you shoot in 8:7 and export a 9:16 vertical video from that footage, its resolution will be about 20% higher than 4K. So this feature is certainly a big boon for social media creators, particularly those posting on platforms that are stylistically different like YouTube and TikTok.

The extra headroom of this 'taller' sensor also brings a few more advantages. There's a new HyperView digital lens, which works particularly well for immersive 'point-of-view' footage. And a new Horizon Lock feature (previously only available with the Max Lens Mod) now also keeps your footage perfectly level, even when you spin the camera through 360 degrees.

Horizon Lock isn't available when shooting 5K/60p, 4K/120p, 2.7K/240p or 1080/240p video, when the Hero 11 Black will default to Horizon Leveling (which can only correct the horizon up to a 27-degree angle) instead. You also need to shoot with the Linear lens, which has a relatively narrow field of view versus GoPro's traditional fisheye look. But the feature is very impressive and a big bonus if you do a lot of rotational movements, like during a wingsuit flight.

The Hero 11 Black's stabilization has also improved in 4:3 aspect ratio video and includes a new AutoBoost setting, which only applies HyperSmooth when the camera detects enough shake to justify it.

The biggest new feature alongside the new 8:7 sensor, though, is the inclusion of 10-bit video recording on the Hero 11 Black. This is a first for a GoPro and a useful addition for experienced shooters who like to color grade their videos afterwards. Rather than producing an instant improvement to video quality, 10-bit video is more about letting you make finer adjustments in post-production thanks to the extra shades of color available (10-bit has over one billion shades of color, compared to 16.7 million in 8-bit).

Given GoPro is renowned for point-and-shoot simplicity, this feature is therefore a little niche. It's also slightly at odds with the fact that GoPro doesn't offer any desktop editing software, and is instead funneling everyone towards its Quik app instead. But it's definitely something that'll please pro shooters who are looking to drop GoPro footage into a timeline shot by more advanced video cameras.

The final improvements of the Hero 11 Black over its predecessor are in timelapses. In the menus, you'll find new 'night effects' including Light Painting, Star Trails and Vehicle Lights. We've only had time to try the former so far, but it's a fun setting that gives the Hero 11 a little more versatility. If you're a fan of GoPro's TimeWarp mode – which is like a super-smooth timelapse with HyperSmooth stabilization applied – you can also now shoot these in 5.3K resolution, rather than just 4K.

These new features are all well and good, but what's still missing on the Hero 11 Black? Well, the audio options are the same as before, which means they're pretty limited. If you want anything approaching decent audio, you'll need to invest in either the Pro 3.5mm mic adaptor or, better still, GoPro's Media Mod.

Despite its larger sensor, it's fair to say the GoPro Hero 11 Black still isn't a great low-light camera either. That's because that extra sensor real estate is mainly on hand to give you extra aspect ratio options, rather than dramatically improving the camera's light-gathering powers. If you need an action camera that's stronger in low light, check out the Insta360 One R 1-Inch Edition.

GoPro Hero 11 Black: video and image quality

Same maximum 5.3K/60p and 4K/120p resolutions as predecessor
Higher 120Mbps maximum bit-rate (100Mbps on Hero 10 Black)
Live-streaming still limited to 1080p

Aside from that new 10-bit color mode, the Hero 11 Black doesn't bring any major image quality improvements over its predecessors, but there are a couple of other small tweaks.

Firstly, the camera's maximum bit-rate has been boosted to 120Mbps, up from 100Mbps on the Hero 10 Black. That doesn't necessarily mean any noticeable boosts to video quality, as other factors like resolution and frame-rate will have a bigger effect, but it does give the Hero 11 Black a higher ceiling that could help in more complex scenes.

You can also now take 24.7MP photo frame-grabs from the Hero 11 Black's 5.3K 8:7 video, compared to its predecessor's 19.6MP stills from 5K 4:3 footage. But more noticeable to your final output will be added features like the ability to shoot TimeWarp timelapses in 5.3K resolution.

While 10-bit is an improvement for those who are happy to shoot in GoPro's 'flat' color profile and color grade the resulting footage, the reality is that most GoPro fans want a simple point-and-shoot experience. And like the Hero 10 Black, this new model has fine-tuned the 'out of camera' default settings to create a more natural, pleasing style out of the box.

The 'Natural' profile, which sits alongside the punchier 'GoPro' one and the 'flat' one for graders, produces good results without too much saturation, while the sharpness is now down to 'medium' by default (another good move). Overall, the video produced by the Hero 11 Black is still along the best you'll find on an action camera, and it's joined by what is undoubtedly the best user experience for beginners.

While it's tempting to whack up the resolution to 5K/60p, it's worth bearing in mind the limitations this brings when it comes to stabilization modes and overheating. Still, we haven't encountered any major overheating concerns during testing, with the Hero 11 Black lasting a decent 58 minutes and 12 seconds when shooting 5K/30p continuously with no airflow. And while higher frame-rates like 4K/120p can cause the Hero 11 Black to run hot, you're unlikely to need to shoot these continuously.

Those slow-mo settings do still produce pretty soft-looking video, but they're certainly still usable if you shoot in decent light. And it's effects like Horizon Lock and HyperSmooth that are arguably more important to the end result, given their ability to help you create videos that simply aren't possible on smartphones, even if the iPhone 14 has introduced a new 'action' mode.

GoPro Hero 11 Black early verdict

Last year, we called the GoPro Hero 10 Black "the ideal social media workhorse", but it's now undoubtedly handed that title over to its Hero 11 Black successor.

GoPro's latest flagship doesn't hugely raise the bar in terms of image quality, but it is the most versatile Hero model we've tested thanks to its new sensor. The ability to export videos in various aspect ratios without compromising on quality means it'll particularly appeal to those who post across multiple social media platforms.

It's a slight shame that the Hero 11 Black hasn't brought any real improvements to audio or low-light performance. But it's undoubtedly the most polished, user-friendly action camera around – and despite the useful addition of a 10-bit video option, it's still most at home being a near-indestructible pocket camera for beginners.

We're looking to spend a little more time using the Hero 11 Black, particularly with the updated Quik app that brings new features like automatic video edits, before delivering our final verdict and star rating. But so far, there's a good chance that it'll rise to the top of our best action cameras guide and become the best GoPro for most people, despite the price drop on the Hero 10 Black.

Fujifilm X-H2S review

2:50 am | September 7, 2022

Author: admin | Category: Cameras Computers Gadgets Mirrorless Cameras | Comments: Off

Editor's Note

• Original review date: September 2022
• Still the only 'stacked' APS-C sensor
• Launch price: $2,499 / £2,499 / AU$4,449 (body only)
• Official price now: $2,499 / £1,999 / AU$3,999 (body only)

Update: February 2024. The X-H2S remains the quickest camera around with APS-C sensor. It's the only camera in this format to feature a stacked sensor that offers unparalled speed for action photography and video, with 40fps burst shooting and 6.2K 10-bit internal video, plus in-body stabilization. It's still the most expensive APS-C mirrorless camera, but price reductions particularly in the UK make the X-H2S one of the most compelling video cameras and stills camera especially for sports and wildlife. The rest of this review remains as previously published.

Fujifilm X-H2S: Two-minute review

The Fujifilm X-H2S is an incredibly powerful mirrorless camera for sports and action photographers who also want to shoot pro-quality video. It’s expensive for an APS-C camera and features like 40fps burst shooting will be overkill for many. But the X-H2S is also a hybrid camera with few peers, and its all-round performance also justifies that price tag.

The key to its power is a new, stacked 26MP X-Trans CMOS 5 HS APS-C sensor. So-called ‘stacked’ sensors, which have a design that delivers incredibly fast read-out speeds, have so far only appeared in flagship full-frame cameras like the Nikon Z9, Sony A1 and Canon EOS R3. But the X-H2S brings some of that performance to a camera with the comparatively ‘low’ price of $2,499 / £2,499 / AU$4,449 (body only).

The X-H2S may have a smaller sensor than those full-frame cameras, but it’s definitely capable of pro-quality results. Thanks to the combination of that new sensor and an X-Processor 5, it offers blackout-free continuous shooting at 40fps (with the electronic shutter), plus some impressive subject-tracking skills, and the option of shooting 6.2K/30p or 4K/120p video with 4:2:2 10-bit color depth.

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The Fujifilm X-H2S camera sitting on a wooden bench — (Image credit: Future)

Fans of Fujifilm’s signature retro look, which usually includes the tactile dials seen on old film cameras, might be disappointed by the design of the X-H2S. It’s very much a modern brute of a camera, with a more clinical focus on performance. But while it lacks the charms of the X-T series, the X-H2S is an incredibly fun camera to use.

It has one of the best electronic viewfinders we’ve used, while the subject-tracking autofocus (which now recognizes animals, birds, cars, motorcycles, bicycles, airplanes and trains) makes it by far the best Fujifilm X-series camera for shooting moving subjects. Video shooters are also incredibly well-served by a sparkling spec sheet that includes internal ProRes recording.

There’s no denying that the X-H2S is expensive, and many photographers will probably be better off buying an X-T4 plus a lens or two with the considerable spare change. After all, 40fps burst shooting isn’t ideal for your editing workflow and Fujifilm’s autofocus, which is still a little short of the flagship performance offered by its rivals, is more hit-and-miss in this top mode.

But if you do regularly shoot speeding subjects and also need a pro-quality video camera that’s more travel-friendly than many of its full-frame rivals, the X-H2S makes a very compelling argument for being top of your shortlist.

Fujifilm X-H2S: Release date and price

Available to buy now for $2,499 / £2,499 / AU$4,449 (body-only)
Similar price to some full-frame cameras like the Sony A7 IV
X-H2S has a smaller sensor but superior performance to its full-frame rivals

The Fujifilm X-H2S is available to buy now for $2,499 / £2,499 / AU$4,449 (body-only). Some new X-H2S accessories are also now available, including the VG-XH vertical battery grip ($399 / £399 / AU$749) and, for video shooters, a FAN-001 Cooling Fan ($199 / AU$369).

This price makes the X-H2S one of the most expensive APS-C cameras around and it’s a pretty big step up from the Fujifilm X-H1, which arrived in 2018 for £1,699 / $1,899 / AU$3,399. But the X-H2S does combine a new 26.1MP stacked sensor with the X-Processor 5, which allows it to make improvements across the board to autofocus, video, burst shooting and more.

The X-H2S faces stiff opposition in its price bracket, including the Canon EOS R6 ($2,499 / £2,499 / AU$4,499), Sony A7 IV ($2,499 / £2,400 / AU$$4,299) and Panasonic Lumix S5 ($1,999 / £1,799 / AU$3,199).

All of those cameras have larger full-frame sensors, but none offer the speedy all-rounded performance of a stacked APS-C sensor, which is the USP of Fujifilm's new flagship.

Price: 4.5/5

Fujifilm X-H2S: design

Has ‘PASM’ control setup rather than Fujifilm’s traditional dials
Excellent 5.76-million dot viewfinder and articulating screen
Tough, weather-sealed body with useful top-plate LCD

The Fujfilm X-H2S looks and feels like a professional camera. This may disappoint fans of Fujifilm’s retro dials, but its pronounced grip, top-plate LCD screen and overall heft helps to balance out the longer lenses you'll likely want to pair it with. The X-H2S also has one of the best electronic viewfinders (EVF) we’ve used on any camera.

Weighing in at 660g, the X-H2S is slightly smaller and lighter than the X-H1. But it also borrows many of its design cues from Fujifilm’s medium format GFX series. Its top plate, for example, is pretty similar to the one on the Fujifilm GFX50S II.

This all means that the X-H2S does away with Fujifilm's signature array of manual dials, instead adopting the PASM (Program, Aperture, Shutter Speed, Manual) approach favored by its rivals. You’ll largely be changing shutter speed or ISO using the front and rear dials, which will be a comfortably familiar experience for most non-Fuji fans.

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While some may miss the dedicated dials of the X-T series, this approach makes sense on a camera like the X-H2S, where settings like shutter speed will be largely tweaked while looking through the viewfinder at speeding subjects. Fuji has also previously stated that many photographers have been put off from switching to the X-series because they find its dials too confusing.

This PASM dial, with its seven custom modes, sits to the left of the viewfinder, though it’s a shame there’s no handy ‘drive mode’ switch underneath for quickly switching between. Still, on the right-hand side of the top plate you'll find that useful LCD screen (for quickly checking settings like shutter speed, aperture and ISO) on the right next to buttons for ISO, white balance and video recording.

Unlike cameras like the Canon EOS R7 and Sony A7 IV, the X-H2S only has a standard hot-shoe rather than a 'multi-function' one that can power or transfer data to external accessories. If you regularly use flashes or external microphones, you might find the setup of those rival cameras to be a bit simpler and cleaner due to the lack of cables.

Around the back, the Fujifilm X-H2S is pretty similar to the X-H1. There's a fully articulating touchscreen, which flips around the front for video shooters. One of the main changes is a new AF joystick, which is larger than before and has moved up next to the viewfinder. While we initially found this AF stick to be a bit of a stretch for our thumb, we soon got used to it and found the X-H2S to be very comfortable to shoot with.

One significant upgrade that the X-H2S has over the rest of the X-series is that impressive 5.76-million dot OLED viewfinder. Thanks to its size (it has an equivalent 0.8x magnification), resolution and 120fps refresh rate, we found it to be one of the best viewfinders we’ve used. The resolution remains high whatever focusing method you’re using and it makes the EVFs on the rest of the X-series, and even rivals like the Sony A7 IV, look dated.

Overall, the X-H2S has great handling and is a lot of fun to use. The lack of a drive mode switch beneath the main dial is a bit annoying, as is the absence of a focus mode switch on the front. We also wish the front and rear dials were still clickable like on other Fuji cameras. But the X-H2S otherwise offers a very polished, and customizable, shooting experience for both stills and video shooters.

Design and handling: 4.5/5

Fujifilm X-H2S: features and performance

Maintains 40fps speeds for over three seconds with CFexpress card
Impressive subject-tracking autofocus, if not quite class-leading
Useful in-body image stabilization and no overheating issues

The X-H2S is by far the most powerful Fujifilm camera to date and one of the best hybrid cameras for stills and video that you can buy. It may not offer the dynamic range or low-light performance of full-frame rivals like the Sony A7 IV, but it more than compensates with the burst shooting, autofocus and video skills that are unlocked by its stacked sensor.

Like the OM System OM-1, the X-H2S focuses mainly on speed for wildlife and sports shooters (hence the ‘S’ in its name). It can blast through stills at 40fps (raw or JPEG) when using the electronic shutter, all with full AF / AE tracking and with no blackout in the viewfinder. But how usable is this burst shooting in practice?

We did some burst-shooting tests using both a CFexpress card and SD card to find out. You can see our results below. The conclusion is that you’ll definitely want to use a CFexpress card to unlock the true potential of the X-H2S.

This will let you hit the top 40fps speed for just over three seconds until the buffer slows things down, or over five seconds when shooting at 30fps. While the 20fps mode isn’t quite unlimited, we found you can keep going for at least 15 seconds at these speeds, which is more than enough for most situations.

There are a few caveats to add to this, though. Firstly, we found the autofocus performance to be a little more hit-and-miss when shooting fast-moving subjects like motocross riders at 40fps.

This means that you’re better off switching to ‘only’ 20fps or 30fps during particularly challenging scenes. Also, while the rolling shutter is minimal when using the electronic shutter, it hasn’t been completely eliminated for fast panning shots. This means you’ll still want to use this camera’s 15fps mechanical shutter mode on some occasions.

Lastly, the final thing to bear in mind when shooting at 40fps is that it’ll leave you with some considerable photo-culling to do before editing. So while it’s definitely a useful more to have for extreme situations, you may not ultimately use it that often for those reasons.

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A young fox in a garden — (Image credit: Future)

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How does the X-H2S’ autofocus perform overall? In our tests, very well. It isn’t a huge leap up from the Fujifilm X-T4, and its tracking isn’t quite as unerringly confident as the systems on flagship rivals like the Canon EOS R5 or Sony A7 IV.

But it’s still certainly good enough for high-end sports and wildlife shooting, once you’ve tailored it to your needs.

A football player pointing and shouting — (Image credit: Future)

Alongside the usual ability to track human faces and eyes, the X-H2S can track animals, birds, cars, motorcycles, bicycles, airplanes and trains, as long as you’ve selected the right one in the menu.

One day, cameras will be able to automatically apply the right AF mode to whatever you’re looking at, but for now you still need to manually pick your subject in the menus.

We found the eye detection worked well for portrait shots or soccer matches, proving pretty sticky whether our subject was moving or not. Animal detection, meanwhile, was versatile enough to recognize subjects like foxes and lock onto their eyes.

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A rally car turning the corner of a race track at Goodwood — (Image credit: Future)

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Switching to car and bike autofocus mode at the Goodwood Festival of Speed produced similarly impressive results, with the X-H2S quickly drawing a tracking box around our speedily-moving subject before locking onto a face or head.

For cars, it’d often default to the front of the car if it couldn’t find a helmet through the windshield. Our autofocus hit-rate was again best when using either the 15fps or 20fps burst modes, so we generally stuck to these for the best results.

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A car racing on as track at Goodwood — (Image credit: Future)

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When it comes to stabilization, the X-H2S is pretty similar to the Fujifilm X-T4. On paper, these cameras offer six-to-seven stops of compensation when shooting handheld, although in our experience that’s closer to four-to-five stops with most lenses and does vary depending on which lens you’re using.

Still, you certainly get a useful helping hand when using longer lenses and the combination of in-body stabilization with Fujifilm’s digital image stabilization (DIS) can produce tripod-style results when handholding. It’s less useful for moving shots, though, so you’ll definitely still need a gimbal when doing walk-and-talk style vlogging.

Lastly, battery life and overheating. The X-H2S offers a fairly standard battery performance for a high-end mirrorless cameras, lasting for 390 shots per charge when using the EVF or 580 when shooting with the LCD. That might sound a bit limiting, but you’ll get a lot more shots than that in reality when using burst mode – we took over 1,000 photos before needing to change batteries. You can also add an optional VG-XH grip ($399 / £399 / AU$749) to triple the camera’s endurance.

Video shooters will be pleased to hear that the X-H2S doesn’t have any overheating limitations either. Without any of the old recording limits that we’ve seen on previous Fujifilm cameras, we were able to shoot in 4K for over two hours before the battery gave out. This makes it a good choice for those looking to shoot longform interviews, particularly as the eye-tracking works best in fairly static scenes.

Features and performance: 5/5

Fujifilm X-H2S: image and video quality

For photos, the Fujifilm X-H2S offers no major image quality upgrades over its cheaper siblings like the X-T4. That might sound a bit disappointing considering the camera’s price, but the benefits of its new 26.1MP X-Trans CMOS 5 HS sensor are its fast readout speeds, which mainly affect autofocus and burst shooting (alongside video).

Those features can definitely help you get shots that aren’t possible on cameras like the X-T4, particularly when it comes to moving subjects. But because the X-H2S has the same 26.1MP resolution as previous X-Trans IV cameras, you won’t see any major quality improvements in the shots themselves.

This is no bad thing. We’ve long been impressed with the results produced by X-series cameras, including the ‘color science’ behind that unique X-Trans design. And it’s no different on the X-H2S, which produces some lovely JPEGs and raw files with a good few stops of editing leeway.

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A young deer calling at Bushy Park — (Image credit: Future)

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Our ISO tests produced very similar results to our X-T3, with results very acceptable up to ISO 6400 before smoothing becomes visible due to some increased luminance noise. This is where full-frame cameras still have the slight edge, but the X-H2S’ results from ISO 12800 or above are still certainly usable in emergencies.

Fans of Fujifilm’s Film Simulations – which are based on its classic film stock – will also be pleased to see that all 19 options, from Classic Chroma to Eterna, are available to add a quick bit of personality to JPEGs.

But it’s video where the X-H2S really does feel like a step up from previous X-series cameras, particularly when it comes to the resolutions, frame-rates and bit-depths that are available.

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You can shoot 6.2K/30p video internally with 4:2:2 10-bit color depth, or 4K/120p slo-mo video if you're prepared to accept a 1.29x crop. Unfortunately, there is also a slight crop when shooting Full HD/240p video and that mode is pretty soft, but the sensor's speedy read-out speeds largely control any rolling shutter issues.

Pro videographers will also be pleased to see support for the flat F-Log2 profile, which offers 14 stops of dynamic range for color-grading in post. If you bring a CFexpress card to the party, there's also support for three Apple ProRes codecs: ProRes 422 HQ, ProRes 422, and particularly useful ProRes 422 LT. Perhaps our only complaint here is how labyrinthine all the menus are.

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A man's face on the sidelines of a football match — (Image credit: Future)

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A BMX rider doing a jump on a track — (Image credit: Future)

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The front of a supercar in the paddocks — (Image credit: Future)

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The grill of a supercar at Goodwood — (Image credit: Future)

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Three boys watching a crowd — (Image credit: Future)

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The front of a racing car in the paddocks — (Image credit: Future)

Whatever settings you choose, the X-H2S’ video quality is generally clean and crisp, even if its slo-mo modes are slightly disappointing – the 4K/120p mode incurs a 1.29x crop, while the 240p mode is best avoided. But overall the X-H2S is a powerful, pro-quality video camera, which is pretty impressive when you consider how capable it is for stills, too.

Image and video quality: 4.5

Should I buy the Fujifilm X-H2S?

Buy it if...

Don'y buy it if...

Fujifilm X-H2S: also consider

Testing scorecard

Canon EOS R10 review

9:31 pm | September 3, 2022

Author: admin | Category: Cameras Computers DSLRs Gadgets | Comments: Off

Editor's Note

• Original review date: September 2022
• Mid-level mirrorless camera with Canon's RF mount
• Launch price: $979 / £899 / AU$1,499 (body only)
• Official price now: $879 / £999 / AU$1,729 (body only)

Update: May 2024. Nearly two years after its launch, Canon’s mid-tier mirrorless camera remains our top pick among the best beginner cameras you can buy. We continue to rate its handling, autofocus performance and rapid bursts speeds. In terms of overall value, it’s a camera that offers a huge amount of potential for novices, as well as versatility for hobbyists. In certain regions, including the UK and Australia, it actually costs more from Canon now than it did at launch. However, many online retailers offer it for less than the official price, so it’s worth shopping around, especially if you’re looking for a lens bundle. We’ve also seen its price reduced during seasonal sales events, including a £326 saving versus the RRP in January of this year. In the US, the EOS R10 costs $100 less in 2024 than it did in 2022, making it even better value. The rest of this review remains as previously published.

Two-minute review

There's been a hole in the middle of Canon's mirrorless camera lineup for a few years now, but the Canon EOS R10 finally fills it. If you're a beginner looking to expand your photographic horizons, or an existing Canon fan who wants a fun second camera for everyday shooting, it's now one of the best cameras around, and thanks to its small size and weight, it's also one of the best travel cameras.

While it's a little more advanced and expensive than traditional entry-level cameras, like the Canon EOS Rebel SL3 / EOS 250D DSLR, the EOS R10 is a considerable upgrade on those models and well worth its price tag. It's really an evolution of the double-digit DSLRs like the Canon EOS 90D, cameras that became firm favorites with those who wanted to snap their family, vacations and day-to-day lives with smartphone-beating quality.

The key to the Canon EOS R10's charm is its Digic X processor, which helps unlock the latest autofocus tech and some impressive burst-shooting speeds for its price. You get Dual Pixel CMOS AF II and 15fps continuous shooting (albeit with a firm brake applied by the EOS R10's buffer), which make this camera more than capable of snagging a shot of the family dog's winning goal in the garden water polo.

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The Canon EOS R10 camers sitting on a wooden bannister — (Image credit: Future)

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The EOS R10 can track a wide range of subjects, including people, animals (dogs, cats, birds) and vehicles, and follows them around pretty tenaciously. This is a really useful tool that lifts this camera above rivals like the Fujifilm X-S10, although that camera does fight back with in-body image stabilization and (right now) a bigger selection of lenses.

Ah yes, lenses. Along with a slightly small viewfinder (with 0.59x magnification), these are the EOS R10's main weakness. At the time of writing, Canon has only made two native lenses for the EOS R10 and its EOS R7 sibling: the RF-S 18-45mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM and RF-S 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM zoom. This is pretty paltry compared to Sony and Fujifilm, although you can use both Canon's full-frame RF lenses and older EF ones on this camera with an optional adaptor.

How important this is very much depends on your photographic preferences and experience. There are some affordable RF lenses that will work nicely with the EOS R10, including the RF 50mm f/1.8 ($180 / £220 / AU$340), RF 16mm f/2.8 ($299 / £320 / AU$479) and, for wildlife snappers, the RF 600mm f/11 ($699 / £860 / AU$1,399). We also tested it with the RF 85mm f/2 Macro ($550 / £670 / AU$1,049), which is a versatile prime lens.

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There's a good chance that these options will tide you over until Canon gets around to launching some new APS-C lenses. But if you want more options out of the gate, or don't like the uncertainty, then a camera like the Fujifilm X-S10 or Fujifilm X-T30 II could be more suitable.

If you're just starting out and want a lightweight camera that'll grow with you, though, then the Canon EOS R10 is one of the best beginner cameras around. Its new 24MP CMOS sensor produces some lovely images with enough leeway for you to claw back some details from shadows, even if you won't want to regularly push it beyond ISO 6400. You can also shoot some impressive video, even if the 4K/60p mode does come with a 1.56x crop.

Despite its relatively old-fashioned sensor, which isn't backside-illuminated, the EOS R10's powerful processor, autofocus experience and versatile controls give beginners a great camera to start with and a powerful one to grow into. That means you can have plenty of fun with it while you wait for Canon to make some more native lenses.

Canon EOS R10 price and release date

Available to buy now for $979 / £899 / AU$1,499 (body only)
Also available in two different kit lens bundles
Slightly cheaper than the Fujifilm X-S10

The Canon EOS R10 is available to buy now in a few different bundles, with the cheapest one being its body-only price of $979 / £899 / AU$1,499.

If you'd rather buy it with one of Canon's new RF-S kit lenses, you can pick it up for $1,349 / £1,249 / AU$2,049 with the RF-S 18-150mm kit lens, or $1,099 / £999 / AU$1,649 with the RF-S 18-45mm f4.5-6.3 IS STM kit lens.

This is pretty reasonable pricing that has echoes of the Canon EOS RP, a full-frame camera that landed for $1,299 / £1,399 (body-only) back in 2019.

The EOS R10 slightly undercuts the Fujifilm X-S10 ($999 / £949 / AU$1,699), although that camera does offer in-body image stabilization, which is useful for preserving image quality and shooting video. And it's priced similarly to the Nikon Z50, another relatively compact APS-C camera that's now a little behind the EOS R10.

Price score: 4/5

Canon EOS R10: design

Small and lightweight, weighing only 429g
Deep grip makes it comfortable to hold with most lenses
Small viewfinder magnification (0.59x) and no weather-proofing

The Canon EOS R10 probably isn't going to win any Red Dot Design awards, but it does fulfill its brief of being both impressively small and comfortably familiar to anyone who's used a Canon DSLR.

In your hand, the little thing is quite reminiscent of a Canon EOS Rebel SL3 (otherwise known as the Canon EOS 250D, outside the US), which actually weighs 20g more than the 429g EOS R10.

Realistically, this is about as small as RF-mount cameras are likely to get – which is to say, not quite as diddy as EOS-M series like the Canon EOS M50 Mark II. Those cameras will live on, albeit looking wistfully through the garden fence as photographers play fetch with Canon's new APS-C darlings, the R7 and R10.

The top of the Canon EOS R10 camera sitting on a wooden bench — (Image credit: Future)

On top, the Canon EOS R10 again looks like a Rebel SL3 / EOS 250D, with a mode dial joined by front and rear command dials, a multi-function button and a video record button. One useful addition, though, is the inclusion of Canon's multi-function accessory shoe, which can both power and send data to accessories like shotgun mics. Considering this is a feature you don't even get on the full-frame cameras like the EOS R6, it's another reason to feel smug about owning an R10.

Around the back, it's a similar setup to the pricier Canon EOS R7. There's a fully articulating touchscreen that can flip forwards for video shooters and, helpfully, an AF joystick. This is a feature that affordable cameras often jettison in the name of simplicity, but it's a real boon for photographers who are looking to quickly move AF points. And that's likely to be the case when you have a powerful autofocus system with 651 AF points, like on the R10.

One slight disappointment with the EOS R10 is its small viewfinder. While this EVF has a similar 2.36-million dot resolution to the one on the EOS R7, its limited 0.59x magnification does feel a bit stingy. It works well enough in practice and can be customized with handy tools like live histograms and gridlines, but other cameras at this price point do offer better views of your scenes.

The Canon EOS R10 camera sitting on a wooden bench — (Image credit: Future)

There are a couple of other design downers on the EOS R10 that are a little more understandable for the price. The EOS R10 lacks the weather-proofing you get on the EOS R7, which means you'll need to look after it that little bit more. There's also only one UHS-II card slot, rather than two. And while the EOS R10 does have a microphone input, you also lose the headphone jack for monitoring your audio when shooting videos.

All in all, though, we really enjoyed shooting with the Canon EOS R10 during our time with the camera. Like the Nikon Z50, it has a pretty deep grip for such a small camera, which means you can pair it with relatively long lenses if needed. But it's also a neat, lightweight little bundle when combined with primes like the RF 50mm f/1.8 STM lens and is a camera you'll look forward to taking out.

Design score: 4/5

Canon EOS R10: features and performance

Can briefly hit 15fps speeds with the mechanical shutter
Electronic shutter brings a higher top speed but also rolling shutter limitations
Impressive autofocus tracking for a mid-range camera

Like the Canon EOS R7, one of the most appealing things about the EOS R10 is its combination of modern autofocus smarts and pretty rapid burst-shooting speeds. The R10 isn't quite in the same category as the R7 for the latter, but it's still an improvement on mid-range DSLRs like the Canon EOS 80D and even the EOS 90D.

Canon's specs sheet says that the EOS R10 can shoot at an impressive 15fps with its mechanical shutter or at 23fps with its electronic shutter. And out tests backed up these claims, even if the camera's buffer couldn't maintain those speeds for as long as the official specs claim.

We were able to shoot uncompressed raw files for 15fps for one second using the mechanical shutter, before the buffer slowed things down to around 7fps. When shooting JPEGs, we were able to keep going at 15fps for a more useful six seconds, before it dropped to around 12fps.

Switch to the electronic shutter and you're able to briefly hit 23fps speeds. There are a couple of reasons why this is best avoided in most situations, though. Firstly, the electronic shutter is much slower than the mechanical one over extended bursts in this mode. Also, shooting moving subjects with the electronic shutter can produce warping issues (otherwise known as rolling shutter), which means you're best off sticking to the mechanical one most of the time.

Fortunately, the EOS R10's autofocus is able to keep up with these decent burst-shootings skills. Its Dual Pixel CMOS AF II setup, seen in more advanced forms on cameras like the professional Canon EOS R3, is both impressive and intuitive, too. You get a total of 4,053 AF points, which is impressive for an entry-level camera, and moving around them is easy thanks to the inclusion AF joystick (another feature that's often jettisoned on beginner cameras).

We tested this AF system on a wide range of animals, including cats, deer and a very speedy cockapoodle. And while the hit-rate certainly wasn't 100%, the EOS R10 did a good job of finding eyes and locking onto them, even from distances of 5-10 meters away.

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A dog running in a garden — Canon EOS R10 with RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM, 1/1000 sec at f/4, ISO 320 (Image credit: Future)

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A running cockapoo dog in a garden — Canon EOS R10 with RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM, 1/1000 sec at f/4, ISO 250 (Image credit: Future)

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Unlike previous autofocus systems, this tracking is available across most of the EOS R10's AF modes, and it'll automatically switch to a face or body if it can't find any eyes. Switch to continuous AF (or 'Servo', as Canon calls it) and the EOS R10 will also track any subject you choose to lock onto around the frame, which puts it ahead of rivals like Fujifilm.

Where the Canon EOS R10 is slightly weaker than some rivals is battery life and the lack of in-body image stabilization (IBIS). The Fujifilm X-S10, for example, offers IBIS for a similar price to the R10, and this can be a useful way to preserve image quality when shooting handheld in lower light (thanks to longer shutter speeds).

The EOS R10's battery life isn't terrible in comparison to other mirrorless cameras. Its CIPA rating (which is a standardized metric for camera battery life) is 340 shots per charge, or 210 if you're solely using the EVF. While Sony cameras tend to fare a little better, that's only just below par for mirrorless cameras.

DSLRs like the Canon EOS Rebel T8i / EOS 850D (which uses the same LP-E17 battery as the EOS R10) can keep going for 800 shots, though, because they use optical viewfinders rather than electronic ones. We still think the EOS R10's overall advantages make it the better buy, but it's something to bear in mind if you're planning to take it on long days out. Getting a spare battery is likely a wise idea.

Features and performance score: 4.5/5

Canon EOS R10: image and video quality

Image quality impresses despite sensor's lack of backside-illumination
Shoots uncropped 4K/30p video that's oversampled from 6K capture
No headphone jack or 'flat' log video profile for color graders

The EOS R10 has a new 24.2MP sensor, but this chip isn't backside-illuminated (BSI). As the name suggests, BSI sensors have their circuitry on the back of the sensor rather than in front of the light-sensitive photosites, which traditionally means they have less noise and better all-round image quality.

This could have been a black mark against the EOS R10, but overall we've been impressed with its image quality. Photos look very clean and detailed up to ISO 1600, with pleasing colors and skin tones.

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A deer standing in a field — Canon EOS R10 with RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM, 1/800 sec at f/5.6, ISO 500 (Image credit: Future)

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The head of a black and white cat — Canon EOS R10 with RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM, 1/100 sec at f/4.5, ISO 125 (Image credit: Future)

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Noise starts to become slightly noticeable from ISO 3200, but results are certainly still usable here and at ISO 6400. It's really only ISO 12800 and above that should be considered emergency options for particularly gloomy situations.

In short, the image quality is very similar to APS-C rivals like the Sony A6400 and Nikon Z50. Only the Fujifilm X-S10 and X-T30 II hold any advantage at this price point, because they use BSI CMOS sensors that should (in theory) give them a slight advantage at higher ISO sensitivities. But we haven't been able to do a side-by-side comparison between the EOS R10 and those cameras yet.

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A man standing in the shade at a station reading his phone — Canon EOS R10 with RF-S 18-45mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM, 1/800 at f/7.1, ISO 100 (Image credit: Future)

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A man sitting outside a train station — Canon EOS R10 with RF-S 18-45mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM, 1/320 at f/7.1, ISO 100 (Image credit: Future)

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Slightly more impressive, compared to the competition, are the EOS R10's video skills. Some occasionally temperamental autofocus aside, it impresses with the ability to shoot uncropped 4K/30p that's oversampled from the sensor's 6K resolution.

While this isn't the case for the camera's 4K/60p mode (which as you can see below, incurs a 1.56x crop), this is still a useful tool for vloggers and YouTubers. The benefit of 60p mode is that you can slow it down to half-speed to create some nice cut-scenes.

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The petals of a red flower in a garden — Canon EOS R10 with RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM, 1/125 at f/6.3, ISO 100 (Image credit: Future)

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A purple and white flower in a garden — Canon EOS R10 with RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM, 1/250 at f/6.3, ISO 160 (Image credit: Future)

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A flower in front of the sky — Canon EOS R10 with RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM, 1/1250 at f/4.5, ISO 160 (Image credit: Future)

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A pink flower in a garden — Canon EOS R10 with RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM, 1/40 at f/7.1, ISO 100 (Image credit: Future)

Other video bonuses include the ability to shoot 1080/120p slo-mo and an 'HDR PQ' mode that delivers 4:2:2 10-bit quality. Unfortunately, there's no 'flat' log option on the EOS R10, though, which means keen color graders will need to consider the EOS R7 or rivals like the Fujifilm X-T30 II. And the lack of a headphone jack means there's no way to monitor audio when you're out in the field.

Still, there's no 30-minute video recording limit on the EOS R10, which means you can shoot clips for up to two hours (depending on battery life and card capacity). And pair the camera with a slightly better lens than Canon's two RF-S kit zooms, and you have a very capable video tool for shooting clips alongside your snaps.

Image and video quality score: 4/5/5

Should I buy the Canon EOS R10?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider...

If our Canon EOS R10 review has you considering other options, here are three more cameras to consider...

Testing scorecard

First reviewed August 2022

Canon EOS R7 review

11:43 am | August 3, 2022

Author: admin | Category: Cameras Computers DSLRs Gadgets | Tags: AF, EOS, LCD | Comments: Off

Editor's Note

• Original review date: May 2022
• Canon's first flagship APS-C model for mirrorless
• Launch price: $1,499 / £1,349 / AU$2,349 (body only)
• Official price now: $1,399 / £1,379 / AU$2,469

Update: February 2024. Canon has filled out its APS-C range of cameras for EOS R mount mirrorless, but the EOS R7 remains the flagship model that still offers excellent value if you don't need full-frame. No other camera in this crop sensor format can better the EOS R7's 32.5MP resolution, and that class-leading detail is supported by excellent in-body stabilization, rapid high-speed shooting and superb autofocus performance. In short, the EOS R7 remains an excellent camera for wildlife and sports photography. Unfortunately there's still a sore lack of native RF-S lenses to choose from. If you're keen on wildlife and looking for a high performance telephoto lens, you'll need to use one of Canon's full-frame RF offerings, like the RF 100-400mm F5.6-8 or the pricier RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L. The uncertainty surrounding the system's lenses is worrying, but the EOS R7 itself is a certainty as one of the best mirrorless cameras in its class. The rest of this review remains as previously published.

Canon EOS R7: Two-minute review

If you're a keen amateur photographer who also likes to shoot video, the Canon EOS R7 is one of the best cameras you can buy and also the sweet spot in the camera giant's EOS R range for amateur shooters.

Sitting in between classic DSLRS like the Canon EOS 7D Mark II and EOS 90D, it combines Canon's latest Dual Pixel CMOS AF II autofocus system with speedy 15fps burst-shooting speeds (or even 30fps speeds, when you use its electronic shutter). It's pricier than the Canon EOS R10, but the R7's higher-resolution 32.5MP sensor, in-body stabilization, deeper buffer and dual card slots will justify the cost for many.

Unlike Canon's full-frame cameras, the EOS R7 has an APS-C sensor. While these can't gather as much light as the full-frame sensors seen in cameras like the Canon EOS R6, they do bring a few benefits – including a smaller, lighter overall camera system and a lower price tag.

For its price, the EOS R7 delivers an impressive range of features that show why it's now Canon's flagship APS-C camera. Unlike the EOS 90D, you get in-body image stabilization (IBIS), which helps preserve image quality when you're shooting handheld. You also get two UHS-II card slots and a solid range of video-shooting specs, including headphone and microphone inputs, plus the ability to shoot uncropped 4K/60p video.

The Canon EOS R7 camera sitting on a stone step — (Image credit: Future)

Together, these features make the EOS R7 one of the best mirrorless cameras who can't justify Canon's full-frame models, which share the same RF-mount. But this mount is also, currently, the EOS R7's main weakness – at the time of writing, there are only two native RF-S lenses for this camera's sensor.

One of these lenses is an 18-150mm 'all-rounder' that comes available in a package with the EOS R7, with the other being an 18-45mm f/4.5-6.3 kit lens. Other than these two lenses, you have two choices when it comes to optics – use existing full-frame RF lenses, or use either EF or EF-S lenses via the optional EF-to-RF adapter. Neither solution is ideal for keeping things on the light and small side, but hopefully as the system ages, it will also grow to include more options.

Confusingly, you might already be aware of Canon’s 'other' APS-C mirrorless system, which uses the EF-M mount. Lenses from this system are not compatible with the EOS R series' APS-C models, and there’s no way to mount them via an adapter either. Canon has yet to outwardly admit that it’s going to stop making EF-M models. But the arrival of the EOS R7 and EOS R10 means the EF-M series has now likely reached its end.

Aside from this limited range of native lenses, the EOS R7 is otherwise an excellent all-rounder. With up to 30fps shooting combined with Canon’s latest autofocus wizardry, it’s a dream for wildlife, action and sports photographers – especially as that crop sensor will allow you to get closer to the action with your long lenses.

Canon EOS R7 specs

Sensor: 32.5MP APS-C CMOS
AF points: 5915 manually selectable, 651 automatic selection
Video: 4K/60p, Full HD/60p, High-speed 120p Full HD
Viewfinder: 0.39-inch OLED 2.36m-dot resolution
Memory card: Double SD/SDHC/SDXC UHS-II
LCD: 2.95-inch vari-angle touch 1.62m-dot
Max Burst: 15fps mechanical shutter (buffer 224 JPEG / 51 raw), 30fps electronic shutter (buffer 126 JPEG / 42 raw)
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Size: 132 x 90.4 x 91.7mm
Weight: 612g (inc. battery and SD card)

You also get in-body stabilization (IBIS), something that was missing from Canon's mid-range Canon DSLRs. With up to eight stops of compensation, this is ideal for shooting handheld with slower shutter speeds or in low light.

The EOS R7 is also a nice little camera to use. You get a reasonably solid and chunky grip, plus a good range of dials and buttons that make it enjoyable to change the settings in different situations. Its vari-angle touchscreen is also helpful for shooting from different angles – and while the electronic viewfinder is a little pedestrian, it does the job.

Dual UHS-II card slots are a nice bonus for a camera like this (and at this price), hinting it might also be favored by pros looking for a good, fast backup model to their main full-frame body. A range of useful video specifications, including uncropped 4K/60p video, round out the specs sheet nicely to make the R7 a great little all-rounder.

In our real-world tests, the camera produced lovely images in a range of conditions, though as we’d expect it’s not quite on par with full-frame siblings when it comes to low-light or high ISO shooting.

The main problem is that lack of a real lens system to harness the EOS R7's potential. Having to compromise on lenses from the get-go isn’t ideal, particularly when the likes of Sony and Fujifilm have a solid set of lenses to back up APS-C cameras like the Sony A6600 and Fujifilm X-T5. But if the R7 and R10 prove to be as popular as Canon surely hopes they will be, that lack of native lenses should become less of a problem in time.

Canon EOS R7: release date and price

Available to order now
$1,499 / £1,349 / AU$2,349 (body only)
$1,899 / £1,699 / AU$1,959 (with 18-150mm lens)

The Canon EOS R7 is pretty aggressively priced to make it much more appealing to those on a budget, compared to full-frame models. It also compares favorably to other APS-C big-hitters, too.

The EOS R7 is just a shade more expensive than the three-year-old Sony A6600. It’s also significantly cheaper than the higher-spec Fujifilm X-H2S, another flagship model with fast-shooting and quick-autofocusing smarts.

It’s a little closer in price to the Fujifilm X-T5 – the EOS R7 edges it on autofocusing but loses on native lenses, so a decision between the two very much depends on your existing lens collection.

Older full-frame Canon tech, such as the full-frame Canon EOS RP, is available for less than the EOS R7, but uses much older technology that means autofocusing and video is not a patch on the R7.

We’re yet to see a direct 'entry-level' full-frame replacement for the Canon EOS RP, and it's possible that one could be coming in 2023. Right now, there's no real evidence to suggest an EOS RP successor is imminent, and the EOS R7 nicely fills the gap as an affordable mirrorless camera for hobbyists, as long as you prefer the advantages of APS-C cameras over full-frame.

Canon EOS R7 review: design

Combined control wheel and joystick
Vari-angle screen and modest viewfinder
Weather-sealing to same standard as EOS 90D DSLR

Canon has combined elements from both its DSLR line-up and its existing EOS R series cameras to make the EOS R7 both portable and intuitive.

If you’ve used a Canon EOS camera before, you’ll likely be very at home. But even if this is your first time with the brand, it won't be too difficult to find everything you need. Impressively for such a small camera, the EOS R7 manages to include a deep chunky grip, which should prove popular among photographers. At the same time, the overall size of the camera isn't too big for travel shooting.

As you’d expect for a mid-range cameras you don’t get a top-plate LCD for quickly checking settings. The same is true of the full-frame EOS R6, so APS-C users shouldn’t feel too hard done by here. What you do get is a sensibly laid out control system, which includes a mode dial to the right of the viewfinder, a control dial just behind the shutter button and dedicated buttons just behind that for ISO and video recording.

Flipping to the back of the camera, there’s a joystick-cum-control wheel hybrid that some will love, and others may well hate. It does take some getting used to, especially if you’re an existing Canon owner. But after a few days in its company, it works quite well in tandem with the principal control dial. The dials can be used to adjust shutter speed and aperture – depending on the shooting mode you’re in – as well as flip through menu items and images in playback.

The joystick is ideal for moving the AF point around the frame when shooting through the viewfinder, though you can also use the screen to do this so long as you have 'Touch and Drag' enabled in the main menu.

Other buttons include a four-way d-pad, a useful ‘Q’ button for quickly accessing your common settings, and buttons for playback and deleting photos. Almost all of the controls are found on the right-hand side of the camera, which is ideal for one-handed operation, with the small size of the body meaning everything is within easy reach of your thumb.

If you’re moving to the EOS R7 from a DSLR, one thing you might find yourself getting used to is an electronic viewfinder. The R7’s is arguably a little dated, offering 2.36m-dots, 1.15x magnification and a 120fps refresh rate. But if you’ve never used anything better, then you’ll likely find it perfectly serviceable. Those switching from a DSLR can also switch on OVF (optical viewfinder) simulation, which might help ease you in if you’re not totally convinced about EVFs just yet.

The fully articulating touchscreen is just shy of three inches, but being able to maneuver it into whatever position you need is helpful for video and awkward angle shots. It’s also nice to be able to fold the camera's screen in on itself when carrying it in a bag to keep it free of scratches. A similar standard of weather-sealing to the EOS 90D means the EOS R7 should be able to stand up to a light sprinkling of rain, but we’d probably keep it away from heavy downpours or extensive sea-splashes where possible.

Some had expected the EOS R7 – a camera for wildlife/sports fans – to include a CFexpress slot for ultra-fast shooting. Instead, we get double UHS-II slots. On the one hand, it’s a shame not to have the speeds of CFexpress, but it’s not particularly surprising for an APS-C camera at this price, and it’s undeniably a more straightforward setup. It’s also a lot cheaper to buy SD cards for now, so it’s a better setup for those on a budget.

Design score: 4.5/5

Canon EOS R7 review: features and performance

Dual Pixel CMOS AF II, subject recognition and eye-detection
Up to 30fps shooting with electronic shutter
500-shot battery life

The Canon EOS R7 is being heavily targeted towards wildlife and sports shooters, thanks to its high-quality autofocusing and burst-shooting prowess. If you’re coming across from an older DSLR, it's this technology that's likely to impress you the most. It also outshines some of the older EOS R entry-level models, as well as Canon’s EOS M APS-C models, too.

This power is ably supported by Dual Pixel CMOS AF II, which is Canon’s latest autofocusing system. Broadly speaking, this is something we’ve seen on more advanced full-frame models like the EOS R5 and the EOS R6, which means you get very good performance for the price.

Covering the whole frame, Dual Pixel CMOS AF II also includes clever and useful technology such as intelligent subject-tracking, which can identify animals (dogs, cats and birds), vehicles and people.

Pro cameras like the EOS R5 and R6 have more AF zones (1,053) than the R7 (651 when the camera is left to automatically select them), so it isn't exactly the same system as Canon's pricier models. But in our tests it kept up extremely well with whatever subject we were trying to follow across the frame, almost unfalteringly so.

As well as subject-tracking, you'll also see face and eye-detection kick in when you're photographing animals or humans. This also works impressively well – during our tests, it was able to pick out a bird’s eye from a few hundred meters away and easily track it around the frame.

Similarly, when photographing a dog running around the beach, it did exactly the same – keeping up with a dark eye surrounded by dark fur. Human eyes are just as easily picked out, making it ideal for sports photography and portraits.

Of course, you also need fast shooting speeds for sports and wildlife, and the EOS R7 offers this, too. You get up to 15fps with the mechanical shutter, which is pretty good in itself, but switching to the electronic shutter you get around 30fps. Considering this includes raw shooting and continuous AF, that's excellent for the price. The trade-off is the risk of rolling shutter – which can give slanted vertical lines – but this isn’t something we experienced much.

While 30fps is great, what you don’t get is the same deep buffer such as you’d see on a more expensive model like the EOS R6 or the R5. At 30fps, the camera will need to take a pause after just 42 raw files. But as long as you aren’t too trigger happy and practice controlled bursts, this will be enough for most hobbyist users hoping to catch a specific moment.

It’s worth noting that to take full advantage of these speeds, you’ll need a fast UHS-II memory card. We found when photographing a fast running dog, more shots were in focus than weren’t, making photographing wildlife, sports and action easier than ever before at this price. That said, it's worth noting that the EOS R10 offers a similar hit-rate and is even cheaper than the EOS R7.

The 500-shot quoted battery life is decent for a mirrorless camera. Remember also that this is a lab-specification – in real-world shooting, you can also always eke out more shots if you’re careful with power saving or if you're not doing something power intensive (like shooting 4K video).

In our tests, the camera always lasted a full day without dropping more than a couple of bars of battery. You can also charge the camera via USB, so if you were particularly concerned, you could always carry a battery pack for power bursts on the go.

Features and performance score: 4.5/5

Canon EOS R7 review: image and video quality

At 32.5MP, the EOS R7 has a high megapixel count for an APS-C camera. The advantages of this are that images are beautifully detailed, plus you’ve got good scope for cropping – which often comes in handy when shooting wildlife and action-type subjects.

The downside of all those pixels crammed onto a fairly small surface area is that low-light shooting can’t compete with full-frame models, or even APS-C models with more modest resolutions. That might not be too much of an issue for most photographers, but there are some instances where it can lead to less than perfect imagery. For example, during our test, we used the RF 600mm f/11 lens.

Image 1 of 2

A pink flamingo in front of other flamingos at a nature reserve — The R7’s subject detection and eye-recognition picked out the eye on this bird from quite some distance away, following it easily around the scene. (Image credit: Future)

Image 2 of 2

A flamingo shaking its head and releasing water droplets — Shooting with lenses like the 600mm f/11 and an APS-C sensor means that you might have to shoot at high ISOs even in relatively good light – some image smoothing can be seen here. (Image credit: Future)

While this is a great lens for wildlife shooting, thanks to its compact size and long reach (960mm equivalent when mounted to the R7), having f/11 as its maximum aperture generally means using fairly high ISOs, even when light is pretty abundant.

The resulting photos show a reasonable degree of noise and image smoothing. This isn't too bad when looking at images at small sizes, but is pretty apparent as soon as you view them at full size or scrutinize them closely.

On the whole, though, we’ve been very impressed by the EOS R7's image quality. Colors are rich, warm and attractive, just as we’d expect from Canon. The automatic white balance setting proved a winner in every lighting scenario we threw at it - and you can even ask it to prioritize warm tones or cool tones depending on your preference.

Image 1 of 5

The petals of a white flower in a field — You can still achieve attractive shallow depth of field effects even with the smaller than full-frame sensor and shooting at reasonably narrow apertures. (Image credit: Future)

Image 2 of 5

A dark street leading to a high-rise building — Evaluative metering does a good job of providing well-balanced exposures, even when there are areas of high-contrast. (Image credit: Future)

Image 3 of 5

A small dog running on the beach — The R7 easily keeps up with fast moving subjects. This image has been cropped slightly for better composition - something which the 32.5 megapixel sensor gives you plenty of scope to do. (Image credit: Future)

Image 4 of 5

A small dog running on a beach — ye-recognition works very well for animals, keeping the image sharp where you want it to be. (Image credit: Future)

Image 5 of 5

A tomb inside a church — Shooting in low light reveals some loss of detail, plus some image smoothing, but it’s still perfectly usable at normal sizes. This image shot at ISO 10000. (Image credit: Future)

The all-purpose metering mode (known as evaluative metering for Canon cameras) worked well to produce well-balanced exposures, even when presented with high-contrast scenarios.

Raw files show a good amount of scope for making adjustments, allowing you to pull back a good degree of missing detail in lowlights and highlights when you need to. You can also change the balance of smoothing and noise if you’d prefer to see a little more detail than the JPEG output provides.

Image 1 of 3

A man looking away in front of a graffitied wall — Colors, including skin-tones, are rendered very nicely in straight out-of-camera JPEGs. (Image credit: Future)

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The interior of a large church — The EOS R7’s sensor is capable of capturing plenty of detail. (Image credit: Future)

Image 3 of 3

The roof of a stadium in front of a cloudy sky — (Image credit: Future)

Video quality is also good, with the benefit of uncropped 4K/60p video with 4:2:2 10-bit color depth. We’ve been critical of Canon’s mid-range (EOS M) mirrorless options for their video limitations for some time, so it’s nice to see a good hybrid camera at a reasonable price.

Content creators may want to consider the EOS R7, especially considering other useful features include the flip-out screen, mic and headphone sockets. One downside of video is that there’s no 4K/120p mode for slow-mo shooting, but that won’t be a deal-breaker for most.

Image and video quality score: 4/5

Should I buy the Canon EOS R7?

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Canon EOS R7: Also consider

If our Canon EOS R7 review has you considering other options, here are three more mirrorless cameras to consider...

Testing scorecard

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