Ulanzi 9L Camera Sling Bag with Tripod Holder B122: two-minute review
I increasingly find myself on days where I need just a small bag with quick access to camera gear, whether that's a day out with my compact or lightweight mirrorless camera, taking street photos, or work events where I'm shooting TikTok content with a smartphone, supported by wireless mics and portable lighting.
For such times, a backpack is excessive, and with which access to what's inside is typically slow and complicated. No, I need a small holder with quick access to gear, and that's where a bag like Ulanzi’s Camera Sling Bag (9L) is perfect and one of the best camera bags of its kind.
It takes the same crossbody bag form as the bags all the kids are wearing these days, but is also deeply practical (shh, don't tell them). It's larger than your average crossbody bag – aka a sling bag – meaning it's surprising just what can fit inside, without compromising on the advantages of such a bag type.
With it slung over one shoulder and resting on my midriff, right where I can easily unzip and switch gear, I can store a range of equipment. For a photography day, a couple of compact cameras / an enthusiast mirrorless camera with a short prime lens, wallet, phone, snacks, and a small drink (there's a stretch pocket on each side, but I struggled to find a drink container small enough to fit).
For content creation, a smartphone, wireless mic case, portable SmallRig mini LED Video Light 25W (I have two, and they are superb and worth a feature of their own - that's coming), mini selfie stick-cum-tripod / neck mount, phone clamp, mints, comb, the whole shebang. It all fits.
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I'm currently using a Xiaomi 15 Ultra for social media video work, and it fits vertically in the Ulanzi sling bag, as do the lights and mini selfie stick-cum-tripod, which means I can fit way more in than if I had to stash them horizontally.
I was surprised to discover the Ulanzi sling bag is large enough to hold a regular tablet too (like a 10.9-inch iPad) – it's positively cavernous – while other nice touches include a hidden AirTag pocket.
Even with all of that gear inside, the Ulanzi sling bag is comfortable on a single shoulder, thanks to its padded strap and snug fit around the torso. It's designed to rest over the shoulder and at midriff height, with the main compartment accessed through the top zip, which runs across the entire width, for easy access.
The bag comes with an internal divider component. It can be laid flat to provide a firm underside and leave the main compartment completely open, or folded in on itself to create three separate compartments, dividing out gear to keep it protected from other items inside. It's great having the choice between open and divided, and that the divider can remain inside for either setup.
Build quality is particularly good - I'm expecting to get several years of use from the bag - the outer polyester material seems rugged. The main zip is weather-sealed and glides easily, too.
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There's no rain cover provided, but I wouldn't expect water ingress – it has easily withstood light showers. Just to be clear, though, I haven't used the bag outdoors in sustained inclement weather, so I can’t vouch for it in those conditions yet.
There are external straps to fix additional accessories to, such as a small tripod on the underside. Side straps are included less so for accessories but rather to provide a grip that makes zipping and unzipping the main compartment a breeze.
Elsewhere, there is a disguised external pocket with a particularly sticky and widespread velcro fastening frontage – ideal for thin items such as a wallet. The cover can be tucked away to expose the velcro, and Ulanzi sells velcro badges to customize the exterior, which is something I didn't do.
Put simply, every aspect of the bag functions as expected. I can't find a single fault with the Ulanzi Camera Sling 9L bag, functionally at least, and it's reasonably priced too. I've found it for $49.95 at Amazon US, and at the time of writing, there's an additional $10 off coupon. Bargain. The price is a little different on the Ulanzi site, but there's international shipping (see details below).
The only criticism I have is subjective - the bag’s appearance. Its plain black exterior won't win any style awards, and I'm not convinced that optional velcro badges help matters. No, this is function over aesthetics.
Looks aside, if you need a small sling bag for day trips with lightweight gear or mobile content creation setups, you can't go wrong with the Ulanzi 9L Camera Sling Bag with Tripod Holder B122, and it fully deserves my highest recommendation.
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Ulanzi 9L Camera Sling Bag with Tripod Holder B122: key specs
Type
Sling
Capacity
9L
Size
14.56 x 5.11 x 7.48in / 370 x 130 x 190mm
Weight
1.32lb / 600g
Tablet sleeve
Yes, up to 10.9-inch
Included
Bag, divider, shoulder pad (velcro badges optional)
Material
Polyester Fabric
Ulanzi 9L Camera Sling Bag with Tripod Holder B122: Price and availability
I've found the Ulanzi camera sling bag (9L) on Ulanzi's own website for $61.79 or $67 with velcro badges (which converts to around £47 / AU$93), and international shipping is possible.
It's also available for less at Amazon in the US and Australia, where it costs $49.95 at Amazon US and AU$75 at the time of writing.
Ulanzi 9L Camera Sling Bag with Tripod Holder B122: Also consider
Billingham Hadley Pro 2020
At the opposite end of style and cost is the Billingham Hadley Pro 2020 day bag. With classic looks and a premium price tag, it couldn't be any more different to the Ulanzi sling.
Should I buy the Ulanzi 9L Camera Sling Bag with Tripod Holder B122?
(Image credit: Future)
Buy it if...
You need quick access to gear
Sitting across the body positioned close to hand, and with one large zip easily opened to access the main compartment, gear will be in your hand in no time.
9L storage is sufficient for your gear
Larger than your regular crossbody bag but much smaller than most camera backpacks, the Ulanzi sling is ideal as a day bag, being able to hold a camera with lens, or mobile content creator gear.
Don't buy it if...
You want a stylish bag
I think it's fair to say that aesthetics are hardly the Ulanzi sling bag's strong suit.
You have bulky gear
Cavernous its 9L storage may be, the Ulanzi sling bag is for lightweight camera gear.
How I tested the Ulanzi 9L Camera Sling Bag with Tripod Holder B122
I tested it for several months
I stored various camera gear and tried various internal configurations
It has seen various weather conditions
The Ulanzi 9L Camera Sling Bag with Tripod Holder B122 has been my go-to day bag for months, for when I need to carry lightweight camera gear and want quick access to that gear, such as for street photography with a mirrorless camera or premium compact camera, to everything I need for filming TikTok content.
It's held everything from a mirrorless camera with a short prime lens to a vlogging camera and mics, portable LED lights, and more. The bag has kept my gear secure on hectic days and in short bursts of inclement weather.
The idea of a 360-degree drone may sound like an impossibility, but the Antigravity A1 is exactly that. What’s more, it manages to implement this concept in a sub-250g drone that includes collision avoidance, and which is controlled via 360-degree FPV goggles and a motion controller. You’ll have to read on to discover whether it’s one of the best drones you can buy, but it’s undoubtedly one of the most interesting.
The idea of a 360-degree drone isn’t a new one, and the fact that Antigravity is an offshoot of Insta360 may shed a little light on its pedigree in this department. But this isn’t Insta360’s first experiment in this arena; first, there was an Insta360 / BetaFPV 360-degree collaboration with the SMO 360 camera for some FPV drones. Then there was the Insta360 Sphere, which was a 360-degree camera that attached to the DJI Air 2 and Air 2S.
Both were great ideas, but – no pun intended – they simply didn’t take off as hoped. The Insta360 Sphere was an interesting idea because it attached to a standard camera drone, but operation was fiddly, and it was tied to a drone model that would inevitably become obsolete.
The Antigravity A1 addresses this issue, as the 360-degree camera is built into the drone. You wear FPV goggles with head tracking that give you a 360-degree view during flight, while control is mostly via a motion controller with head tracking of the goggles. One thing I must stress at this point is that the A1 is not an FPV drone. It’s a 360-degree camera drone that uses goggles and a motion controller, rather than a standard controller and phone.
(Image credit: James Abbott)
Antigravity A1: price and release date
Launched on December 4 2025
Expensive compared to standard camera drones
Three kits available
The Antigravity A1 was launched on December 4, 2025. The drone is more expensive than other sub-250g drones due to the high-quality goggles and motion controller that come with the three available kits. These certainly provide an immersive experience, but it would have been massively more affordable if the drone used a standard stick-based controller with a phone attached, or even a smart controller.
There are three kits available: the Standard Bundle, the Explorer Bundle and the Infinity Bundle. In a nutshell, the Standard Bundle includes the drone, motion controller, FPV goggles and one battery. The Explorer Bundle is all that, but it comes with three batteries, a battery charging hub, a shoulder bag, and spare propellers. The Infinity Bundle is the same as the Explorer, but it includes higher-capacity batteries for longer flight times.
The Standard Bundle costs $1,599 / £1,299 / AU$2,099, the Explorer Bundle costs $1,899 / £1,399 / AU$2,599 and the Infinity Bundle costs $1,999 / £1,499 / AU$2,799. To cut to the chase, you'll want to avoid the Standard Kit because one battery isn’t enough, as it doesn’t provide a long flight duration. The best-value package is the Explorer Bundle, while you can enjoy more flight time by paying a bit more for the Infinity Bundle, if you’re happy for the weight of the drone to exceed 250g.
Price score: 3/5
Antigravity A1: specs
Antigravity A1 specs
Camera:
Dual 1/1.28-inch sensors
Video resolution:
8K
Frame rates:
8K up to 30fps / 5.2K up to 60fps / 4K & 1080p up to 30fps / 4K & 1080p slow motion at 100fps
Video transmission range:
Up to 6.2 miles / 10km (Tested in FCC environments)
Flight modes:
Cinematic, Normal, Sport
Battery:
2360mAh, up to 24 minutes flight time / 4345mAh, up to 39 minutes flight time
Charger type:
USB-C / Battery Charging Hub
Weight:
8.78oz / 249g (10.26oz / 291g with the high-capacity flight battery)
Dimensions:
Folded: 5.56 x 3.79 x 3.20 inches / 141.3 x 96.2 x 81.4mm
Unfolded (propellers extended): 12.15 x 15.05 x 3.51 inches / 308.6 x 382.3 x 89.2mm
Antigravity A1: Design
Standard folding mini drone design
Vision googles for a 360-degree camera view
Motion controller
The A1 sports a standard folding design that makes it look a lot like most sub-250g drones, but it also has an undeniably unique look. The two cameras that provide the 360-degree view to effectively make the drone invisible are on the top and bottom of the front section of the drone. This is dampened and has two forward-facing binocular vision sensors that look like cameras.
There's also a downward binocular vision system, alongside a 3D infrared sensor at the bottom of the drone. Without going into exact dimensions, the A1 is the same sort of size as all other sub-250g drones, but where it differs most notably is the retractable landing gear: two legs extend when the drone is switched on and when it’s landing, while they retract when it has taken off.
This functionality keeps the lower camera off the ground, helping to maintain the invisible drone aspect of the camera stitching for clean footage. Furthermore, when you use the Antigravity landing mat, it provides a precise Return to Home point if you choose to use this functionality to bring the drone back to you at the end of flights. It works surprisingly well, too, so no complaints here.
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The overall design of the A1 makes it a camera drone, but rather than using a standard controller, the A1 uses a motion controller paired with FPV goggles. The motion controller is easy to use and intuitive, and when you first connect everything, you’re taken through a short and useful tutorial that familiarizes you with the controls.
The Vision Goggles provide the camera view on dual 1.03-inch Micro-OLED screens with a 2560 x 2560px resolution. Yes, that’s square, and quite different to the usual FPV goggle widescreen view, but it works well with a 360-degree drone. I was surprised because I’m much more familiar with FPV goggles offering a 16:9 ratio image, but I found this square view worked well for the A1. The battery for the goggles can be attached to an included and comfortable lanyard that you can conveniently wear around your neck – a well-thought-out and simple solution.
There are also diopters with a range of -5.0 D to +2.0 D, which is great if you wear glasses and need to correct the view to your prescription. Plus, there’s 30GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot for capturing goggle footage. The goggles are comfortable to wear and provide a clear image for flight, while the head tracking functionality provides intuitive control alongside the motion controller.
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There’s also a screen on the front-left of the googles, so people can see the forward-facing camera view while you fly. The downside to a goggles-based approach is that you need a spotter to maintain visual line of sight of the drone while you fly. This makes it much less convenient than a standard camera drone, despite the A1’s immersive and fun flying experience.
The A1 features two battery options, with the 2360mAh option offering up to 24 minutes of flight time, and the 4345mAh option providing up to 39 minutes of flight time. The higher capacity takes the overall weight of the A1 over 250g, so bear this in mind if you plan to opt for the kit with these batteries.
I used standard batteries during testing, and these typically provided around 16 minutes of flight time before Return to Home was automatically initiated. One feature of the batteries that stands out is that you only have to touch the rear end of the batteries and the lights showing the charge level light up – this is rather than pressing a button, as on other drone batteries, and is a subtle yet neat feature.
Design score: 5/5
Antigravity A1: Features and performance
Intelligent flight modes
Solid flight performance
Subject tracking
The A1 flies incredibly well, while the FPV goggles and motion controller approach suit the system. But – and it’s a big but – this does add cost, and requires pilots to have an observer with them to remain safe and legal during flights. Both, you could argue, are a hassle. If Antigravity had taken a standard controller-and-phone approach it would have kept the price down and removed the need for an observer, without sacrificing much, if anything, in terms of flight performance.
You would lose the immersive flight experience, of course, and the two flight modes, FreeMotion Mode and FPV Mode, are enjoyable. The former requires you to point the controller target in the desired direction of flight, while head tracking on the goggles allows you to turn. You can also use a dial on the motion controller to do this. One point I must make is that you should read about how FPV Mode works before flying it, because it’s completely different to FreeMotion Mode, and the drone feels like it’s out of control if you try to use FreeMotion-style control.
FPV Mode isn’t true FPV, but it does allow for more sweeping and flowing drone movements where you simply tilt the motion controller left and right to turn. This was my favorite mode for flight, although I preferred FreeMotion when I needed more precision, such as when flying back to the take-off point to land.
Standard flight modes include Cinematic, Normal and Sport, although even Sport is quite pedestrian in terms of speed and agility. The A1 certainly lacks the excitement of the DJI Avata and Avata 2, but again this isn’t an FPV, drone despite the goggles and controller. This means that flight is fun, but not exciting. With a fly-first, frame-later approach, where you reframe photos and videos in software, you can increase speed here and make the drone appear to dive, flip and roll like an FPV drone to some degree.
I’ve reviewed many drones, and I’m not normally impressed with Quickshots-style automated flight patterns, but the A1’s equivalent, which are called Sky Genie, did impress me. Then there’s Sky Path, which is waypoints, where you can pre-program a flight path and someone else, a non-pilot, can wear the goggles and look around as the drone follows its course. With the goggles, you get a full 360-degree view as you turn around, look up and look down.
Sky Genie modes include Orbit, Spiral Ascend, Comet, Antigravity Line, Fly Away and Ascend. These allow you to achieve flight that’s not possible with the motion controller, which makes them invaluable, particularly in situations when you want to fly around a subject for visually interesting video reframing later.
There’s also a subject-tracking mode that works well once a moving subject is selected. The drone dutifully follows, and like with Sky Genie, the drone does all the work for you, focusing on the subject so you can reframe your video later. This uses Insta360's impressive Deep Track technology. And if you’re looking for a bit of fun, Virtual Cockpit in FPV mode provides an overlay that aims to inject augmented reality fun into flights. At the time of writing, you can fly with a dragon, and more skins will be added in the future. It’s a bit of a gimmick and not for me, but other people may enjoy it.
Performance score: 4/5
Antigravity A1: Image and video quality
Image quality on a par with 360-degree cameras
Fly-first, frame-later approach
Invisible drone technology
(Image credit: James Abbott)
If you’ve ever used an Insta360 camera, such as the X5, you’ll find the Antigravity A1 as easy and intuitive to use, since Antigravity is an offshoot of Insta360. What’s more, Antigravity Studio is a reskinned version of Insta360 Studio, so if you’re already familiar with it, you’ll be right at home. There is a learning curve if you’ve never used it, and it takes time to get to grips with the software, but it’s far from rocket science.
The software allows you to reframe the A1’s aerial photos and videos in the same way you can with a standard 360-degree camera. The only difference is that the drone is being flown rather than the camera being held, attached to a selfie stick or something else. This ultimately combines the advantages of 360-degree cameras with the aerial capabilities of a drone.
The dual cameras both feature a 1/1.28-inch sensor and an f/2.2 aperture. These create a 360-degree view where the drone is invisible, so you don’t have to edit it out – just like invisible selfie sticks with standard 360-degree cameras. Photos can be captured in INSP and DNG
formats at a resolution of 14MP (5248 x 2624) and 55MP (10486 x 5248). Shooting modes include Normal, HDR, Burst, AEB and Interval. You can reframe photos in various formats and even create animated photos.
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Video can be captured in 8K up to 30fps, 5.2K up to 60fps, 4K & 1080p up to 30fps and 4K & 1080p slow motion at 100fps. The maximum bitrate is 170Mbps and can be encoded in H.264 or H.265. Photo and video editing can take place in the Antigravity phone app or the Antigravity Studio Desktop app. The former has more templates for creating reframed videos, which is a shame because it would be great to see these available on the desktop app, where working with 8K footage makes more sense.
Reframed video
Image quality is great for a 360-degree camera – it’s what you’d expect, and capturing photos and videos in the highest resolutions possible allows you to maximize image quality. I shot in Auto mode when capturing both photos and videos, and found that the A1 did a great job in all light conditions; the exposure was balanced. The downside to this, compared to shooting in manual, of course, is that shutter speed can change during video capture.
Animated photo
Image quality isn’t, however, on par with standard camera drones – in the same way standard 360-degree cameras aren’t as good as standard action cameras. This has always been the case, and the trade-off for being able to capture an all-encompassing field of view at up to 8K. 8K, while it produces huge file sizes, isn’t as high-resolution as it sounds when you realize it’s the entire 360-degree view, as opposed to a 16:9 view at 4K or above with standard camera drones.
Image and video quality score: 4/5
Antigravity A1: testing scorecard
DJI Mini 5 Pro
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Price
The A1 is expensive as a result of the goggle-based approach.
3/5
Design
While the overall design is fairly standard, there are some innovative and unique aspects to the drone.
5/5
Performance
Excellent all-round performance, but flight feels quite pedestrian in terms of speed and agility.
4/5
Image and video quality
Great image quality in 360-degree terms, but not as good as a standard camera drone.
4/5
Should I buy the Antigravity A1?
Buy it if...
You'd like a 360-degree drone It goes without saying that if you would like 360-degree photo and video capture in a drone, the A1 is the only option available.
You’d like an immersive flight experience If you’d like an immersive flight experience without the speed and risk of FPV drones, the A1 blends camera drone flight with FPV goggles and the motion controller.
You appreciate innovation The A1 is undoubtedly an innovative drone with some impressive features that could pave the way for future drone innovation.
Don't buy it if...
You’re on a budget The A1 isn’t cheap, coming in at double the price, or more, of other sub-250g drones, so it’s far from being a budget option.
You'd like the best image quality If you want the best image quality available in a sub-250g camera drone, the DJI Mini 5 Pro is a more suitable option.
You'd prefer simplicity Since the A1 relies on FPV goggles for the camera view and some control of the drone, you’re going to need to have a spotter with you every time you fly.
Antigravity A1: also consider
DJI Mini 5 Pro
If you’d like a standard camera drone but the best sub-250g model ever made, then look no further than the DJI Mini 5 Pro. This compact drone somehow manages to pack in a rotating camera with a 1-inch sensor and some seriously impressive performance. This is a drone that beginners and professionals alike will love, thanks to its fantastic image quality, safety features and compact size.
The DJI Neo 2 offers a huge upgrade on the original model released in 2024. It’s arguably not the best selfie drone, with the HoverAir X1 Pro and ProMax offering some serious competition in this area, but the Neo 2 is an impressive performer when it comes to subject tracking. What’s more, it offers obstacle avoidance and multiple controller options, including FPV.
I tested the Antigravity A1 for a couple of months to experience all the features and functionality available, including FreeMotion and FPV mode. I captured photos and videos in the highest quality possible, and captured them in a range of conditions to assess overall camera performance.
I tested all Sky Genie Modes (Orbit, Spiral Ascend, Comet, Antigravity Line, Fly Away, and Ascend), alongside subject tracking and SkyPath functionality. I tested the motion controller and googles for usability, and tested the fly-first, frame-later reframing workflow extensively.
Some photographers, possibly even those working at Sony, see the A7 range of mirrorless cameras as the firm’s entry-level full-frame models. On paper alone, this may seem a reasonable suggestion when comparing the specifications to the most premium models. However, the Sony A7 IV, launched in October 2021, carries a 33-megapixel 36x24mm sensor, ISO50-204,800 sensitivity range, 5.5EV in-body image stabilization system, and a top continuous shooting rate of 10 frames per second. It’s by no means a slouch and this is all available for under $2500, so while it might be one of Sony’s more affordable E-mount bodies, it has been able to give pro-spec cameras a run for their money for several years.
On the face of it, the A7 V seems more of an iterative upgrade to its predecessor, rather than a revolution. However, once you dig deeper, there is a lot of exciting new technology to explore. Debuting the new partially-stacked sensor and new Bionz XR 2 processing engine, this camera represents a significant step forward for photography enthusiasts and semi-professionals. It’s more responsive than the A7 IV, both in focusing reaction time and accuracy, and delivers superior performance from the ground up.
Images are sharply detailed, and noise is well-controlled, especially for a model equipped with a 33MP resolution. It certainly matches or outperforms the current generation of competing cameras, such as the Canon EOS R6 Mark II or Panasonic Lumix S5 II, although I’ll be interested to see how low-light capabilities compare to the likes of the Canon EOS R6 Mark III when it inevitably comes to market, which is likely not too far in the future.
(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)
If you’ve used other Sony Alpha cameras, you’ll fall right into step with the A7 V. Some might call Sony’s conservative approach to design unimaginative, but it means that you can allow muscle memory to play its part on shoots where speed matters most. A few useful practical refinements notwithstanding, the A7 V is very similar to models that came before it, and on picking it up, you get a feeling of coming home, a comforting sensation when other stressful elements of a photoshoot come into play.
These days, I’m more likely to be blown away by enthusiast-level products than flagships, which rarely offer many surprises, as pro technology trickles down the rankings to more affordable offerings. The niche this camera inhabits has the potential to provide unbeatable value to the greatest range of photographers, and happily, the A7 V fulfills this promise. It’s an impressive upgrade to an already outstanding camera, serving up great responsiveness, useful features and exceptional image quality. I still wouldn’t call it revolutionary, and there are some quirks that I’d like to see refined, but if you’re an aspiring wildlife, event, or travel photographer, I’m confident you’ll fall in love with it, and that it will trouble TechRadar's best cameras and best mirrorless camera guides.
Sony A7 V specs
Sony A7 V Specs:
Type:
Mirrorless camera
Sensor:
Full-frame (36x24mm) semi-stacked CMOS
LCD:
3.2-inch, multi-articulated, 2.095m dots
Memory:
2x SDXC, 1x CFexpress Type A
Resolution:
33-megapixels
Video:
Up to 4K60p (4K120p in 1.5x crop mode)
ISO range:
ISO 50-204,800
Mechanical Shutter speeds:
30-1/8000sec
Electronic Shutter speeds:
30-1/16000sec
Viewfinder:
3.686m dot, OLED EVF, 0.78x
Processor:
Bionz XR 2
Connectivity:
AX WiFi (WiFi 6), Bluetooth, 2x USB-C, audio
Weight:
659g
(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)
Sony A7 V: Price and availability
Released December 2, 2025
Body only price of $2,899 / £2,799 (Australia TBC)
Kit options will be available, including with a new FE 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 OSS II
The Sony A7 V launched worldwide on December 2, 2025 priced $2,899 / £2,799 (body only, Australia TBC), alongside a new FE 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 OSS II kit lens. The lens costs $449.99 / £429 separately (Australia TBC) and will be available separately from February 2026.
Ahead of then, the FE 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 OSS II kit lens can be purchased as a kit with the A7 V for $3,099 (UK / Australia TBC). There will be other kits available, TBC.
This pricing is right on par with the Canon EOS R6 Mark III (and just $100 / £100 more than the Nikon Z6 III was at launch, but which is now available for much less).
Price score: 4.5/5
Sony A7 V: Design
Larger 3.2-inch rear LCD
Versatile multi-pivot articulated monitor
Hybrid memory card slot
Externally, I’d be very impressed if anyone could distinguish the A7 V from the A7 IV on looks alone. Apart from the name, discreetly emblazoned on the top plate, just to the left of the viewfinder, there isn’t much else to identify the latest iteration. However, a closer inspection reveals a redesigned handgrip. It’s very slight, with a tiny shift to the angle of the shutter button to account for the modest increase in weight from the Mark IV, but it makes a natural refinement to the ergonomics of the camera.
In terms of handling, the A7 V is supremely comfortable to hold, perhaps more so than most other Alpha bodies in the range. Logically, I know there is significant continuity between models, but something about the A7 V felt more balanced to me. I’ve always found Sony cameras to be too boxy for my tastes, especially when shooting for longer periods and when using larger lenses. The A7 V is unmistakably a Sony product, but it just fit my hands a lot better than I remember the A7 IV doing.
Shooting all day around London with the FE 24-50mm f/2.8 G lens, the setup was perfectly balanced, the center of gravity seemingly right where the optics meet the lens mount. This made shooting one-handed a breeze, even when holding the camera at arm's length over my head to shoot a street performer over the heads of a large crowd.
I appreciated that the playback and delete buttons are located on the same side of the camera body and immediately adjacent to each other on the back plate. This is a personal preference, of course, but I find this makes quickly making in-the-field quality control decisions quicker, rather than having to work two-handed and hunting for a control on the opposite side of the body to preview and delete obviously blurry shots.
(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)
Another excellent feature that seems unique to Sony cameras is dual-function card slots that fit both SD and CFexpress. As someone with more high-performance SD cards than I’d like to think about, I love this. Although I am gradually filling out my stock of CFexpress, I still like to have the choice, and a camera that supports both, while still allowing dual card functionality with either format is hugely thoughtful.
With a Canon EOS R5 Mark II, for example, you need to take a supply of both card types if you want the benefits of in-the-field backups, while the Canon EOS R6 Mark II requires two SD cards only, delaying investment in CFexpress until a future upgrade (which will no doubt be an expensive ordeal). On Sony cameras, there are no such compromises.
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(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)
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(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)
It’s a shame the A7 V only has one of the two slots capable of accepting CFexpress Type A, but perhaps this is what you pay the extra money for when buying a camera like the Sony A7R V.
Another excellent design flourish is the extra control wheel above the Auto Exposure Lock button, which by default is set up to adjust exposure compensation in P, A or S modes. I enjoy not having to hold down another button to change this, and the additional dial allows you to amend the aperture and image brightness with single controls each. Naturally, each dial can be reassigned a custom function from within the A7 V’s Operation Customize menu, found under Setup.
(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)
The build quality is of an exceptionally high standard. I didn’t have the opportunity to test the camera’s weather resistance – unusual for a British reviewer in November – but nevertheless, there are no obvious compromises in the integrity of the construction. Apart from the hollow battery and memory card bays, no other part of the body reverberates excessively when tapped, giving the sensation of it being milled from a single piece of metal.
All of the dials are beautifully knurled and easy to twist, but with enough resistance that it isn’t too easy to nudge them by accident.
We also can’t talk about the design of the camera without mentioning the versatile dual-hinged main LCD. Sony has gone back and forth with its approach to screen articulation over the years, and as far back as the A99 II DSLR camera, the multi-point design has allowed the user to both tilt and swivel the LCD. Some photographers prefer the vertical tilt format, while others like myself appreciate a full swivel function.
Users of the A7 V don’t have to choose – unlike with the A7 IV which is single-axis vari-angle only – which I found useful when shooting ground-level street photos of graffiti artists under Waterloo Station. It’s a clever strategy also found in recent Lumix cameras, and which I’d like to see more brands adopting.
Design score:4.5/5
Sony A7 V: Performance
New Bionz XR 2 processor
No dedicated AI autofocus processing engine
Long 750-shot battery life
Speaking of LCD screens, the model featured on the A7 V is both larger and more detailed than its predecessor. It measures 3.2 inches, up from 3 inches on the A7 IV, while resolution has doubled the 1,036,800 dots previously available. I found it to be very crisp, and colors look natural. This is a attribute of camera screens that isn’t talked about enough. Monitors might be super contrasty and saturated as standard, but this won’t always give the most useful preview of the images about to be captured.
The touch sensitivity is just right, and I found it to be more responsive than both the Mark IV and the A7R V, demonstrating the difference that three years can make. It’s not that those cameras were particularly unresponsive, but this latest monitor gave me no sense that it was standing between me and the settings I wanted to access.
I especially liked the reaction time for touch focus; with a single tap the camera activates the AF and immediately snaps to the object selected. I don’t always use touch focus features, but combined with the versatile LCD pivot points, I found myself using them frequently during my testing of the A7 V.
Autofocus itself is smooth and super-fast. Built around a new system of 759 Phase Detection AF points that cover 90% of the frame, the A7 V can focus in lighting as low as -4EV. Although the camera did slow down as ambient lighting dropped, with the rate of focus hunting increasing, it still did a sterling job of finding and tracking the subject. It’s also incredibly precise.
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Changing the AF subject recognition mode to Animals, the A7 V could easily keep track of this squirrel's eye (Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)
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(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)
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(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)
Interestingly, the A7 V doesn’t feature a dedicated AI processor, as found on the Sony A1 II. This might surprise many industry observers, in an age where AI is king and excluding such features might seem a retrograde step. However, the new Bionz XR 2 moves all AF computations on-chip, instead of dividing the workload between two units.
Sony says the up-specced processor brings the same benefits of a separate AI engine, namely better AF target recognition, but with the added advantage of reduced heat emissions, superior speed, and improved battery life. After all, powering one chip is better than supplying two.
I didn’t have an A1 II body available to test the cameras side-by-side, but rarely did the A7 V struggle to locate my subject. There are plenty of options to customize subject recognition, and the camera coped well with human figures, cars, and airplanes, in the chaos of Central London and at Heathrow Airport.
Also new to the A7 V are the options to change AF responsiveness and to select an extra small or large AF point. While I didn’t find much need to alter these settings during my test, I could see where this might be of huge benefit. Turning down AF responsiveness if it’s likely that other objects will pass between the camera and the subject, like when shooting across a busy road or players on a football field, will help keep the focus sticky on your subject.
I can also vouch for the stated 750-shot battery capacity. After 300 frames, in the relative chill of a winter afternoon, I still had 75% charge, and by 650 shots, this sat around the 40% mark. This excellent, rival-beating performance included shooting both long still exposures and video.
In terms of shooting speed, the A7 V is one quick camera in operation. Startup is near instantaneous, and exposure assessment is now done at twice the number of calculations per second compared to the A7 IV.
Using the electronic shutter, it’s now possible to capture images at up to 30fps, up from 10fps on the previous camera. Pre-capture is also possible up to a user-selectable 30fps, meaning the camera is always ready and able to cover the action in the briefest of moments. Without wanting to sound like an advert for Sony (remember, this review is completely independent), there were times when I felt I was having to keep up with the camera. This isn’t something I encounter often, and it kept me on my toes.
It’s a very minor point, but I found the shutter release to be just a little too sensitive for my liking. There were a few occasions when I was simply trying out a composition and accidentally fired off a burst of shots – a bit of a laborious situation when the camera makes 30 frames every second! I’d definitely recommend re-assigning focussing to the AF-ON button to work around this.
Performance score: 5/5
Sony A7 V: Image quality
Excellent Dynamic Range
Superior high-ISO performance
Ultra-effective IBIS system
One of the headline features of the A7 V that is certain to get people talking is the new semi-stacked sensor. This CMOS design has developed somewhat of a bad rep because of its deployment in other cameras with limited success, such as the Nikon Z6 III. There is a risk of significant trade-offs in dynamic range for the additional readout speed a semi-stacked (or partially-stacked) sensor provides. Sony is confident enough, however, to claim a DR of up to 16-stops with the A7 V – that's an additional stop versus the A7 IV – so I couldn’t wait to see how the camera performed in the real world.
I’m not entirely convinced by the 16EV claim, as there were times when there was less highlight texture than I had anticipated, and clipped shadows where I hadn’t expected. However, the results were still impressive. In the majority of shots, there was recoverable detail across the range. From memory alone (and not having yet taken the A7 V into the lab for testing, that’s all I have to work on), I would place the dynamic range on an even footing with models like the 24MP Canon EOS R6 Mark II and Nikon Z6 III. Clearly, Sony deserves some applause for this, as it’s a clear indicator that the A7 V is a next-gen competitor.
Now let’s talk about color. Traditionally, this hasn’t been my favorite aspect of Sony cameras. I’ve always felt that, compared to Canon and Fujifilm models, Sony color science was a bit sterile. Accurate, maybe, but lacking warmth and ‘flavor’. These traits are present in the A7 V, as is to be expected, but I noticed colors seemed more organic than I’ve seen from its stablemates.
The auto White Balance system hardly ever missed a trick, even when shooting wall art comprising overlapping primary colors in mixed natural and artificial lighting: quite possibly a condition that cameras have nightmares about. The A7 V handled the situation beautifully. I could wax lyrical here for three more paragraphs, but I’ll summarize with this: if the camera could cope this well under these conditions, it could cope anywhere.
Dynamic range might not quite manage 16-stops in every image, but matches lower resolution cameras from competing brands (Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)
I don’t always believe rumors, but in this case the suggestion that Composite RAW capability was to be included on the A7 V has turned out to be true. Previously seen on the Sony A9 III, this mode captures a sequence of RAW files that are then combined to produce a higher-resolution file with reduced noise. It works nicely and does what it says on the tin – if you shoot landscapes or in the studio, this is a great feature for squeezing every oodle of quality out of the sensor.
Of course, it works less well with moving subjects, even when shooting at a high frame rate, so I chose not to use it for street photography. If you can support the camera, it would also be beneficial for capturing poorly-lit interiors at higher sensitivities.
Even without Composite RAW active, the signal-to-noise ratio will put a smile on your face. I spent most of my shoot at ISO 6400 and above, and the camera delivered a commendable balance of sharpness and grain. I wasn’t blown away by the in-camera treatment of JPGs though, and as low as ISO 800, there was smudging of detail through quite aggressive noise reduction. Weirdly, this didn’t seem to get much worse up to ISO 3200.
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(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)
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(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)
Further proof that the dynamic range is noteworthy is highlight retention at the extended low ISO settings. At ISO 50, which is essentially an overexposed image with the exposure digitally reduced, there was still data present at the right side of the histogram.
One of my favorite features of the A7 V is the IBIS system. Compensating for up to 7.5EV of shake in the center of the frame and 6.5EV at the edges, up from 5.5-stops on the A7 IV, the stabilisation enables hand-held shots at ridiculously slow shutter speeds. I was able to capture usable images at exposures of around one second – unthinkable just a few years ago. This enabled me to capture the movement of objects within the frame while rendering static areas sharp. It’s one of my go-to street and urban photography techniques.
It doesn’t quite match the 8-stop hybrid IBIS-lens-based system seen in the Canon EOS R5 Mark II, Canon EOS R3, and Canon EOS R7 on paper, but it performs exceptionally well.
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(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)
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(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)
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(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)
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(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)
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(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)
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(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)
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(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)
Image quality score: 4.5/5
Sony A7 V: testing scorecard
Sony A7 V
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Price
The A7 V is another example of how pro features are becoming increasingly more affordable. It's not cheap, but you get a hell of a lot of camera for the money
4.5/5
Design
There are no surprises from Sony. You might call the similarities with other Alpha cameras unimaginative but why fix what isn't broken?
4.5/5
Performance
The IBIS is superb, allowing hand-held long exposures, while AF is responsive, customizable, and accurate.
5/5
Image quality
Low-light quality is superb, as is auto White Balance. Jpeg processing is heavy-handed, but overall, the camera sets a new standard for enthusiast products.
4.5/5
Should I buy the Sony A7 V?
Buy it if...
You want an affordable full-frame camera
It might not be the cheapest camera with a full-frame sensor on the market, but you get a lot of camera for your buck. The A7 V has everything an enthusiast photographer could hope for or need.View Deal
You shoot both stills and video
Like the A7 IV before it, the new camera delivers exceptional video features too, with 4K resolution, 60fps without a crop, and S-Log available for high-end grading.View Deal
Don't buy it if...
You are a beginner
There is a lot of camera here. Novices are unlikely to get the most from all of the features available, and the mammoth toolset might even be off-putting. View Deal
You just bought an A7 IV
Let's be clear, the A7 V is a significant upgrade to its predecessor, but with a similar resolution, equal sensor size, and advanced features, the A7 IV is a great camera on its own merits. I wouldn't suggest there's enough difference between the two for an upgrade just yet.View Deal
Also consider
Canon EOS R6 Mark II
The EOS R6 Mark III builds on the 24MP Canon EOS R6 Mark II with improved resolution that matches the A7 V, now 33MP. Sony and Canon take different priorities; the A7 V has the partially stacked sensor and video recording up to 4K 60p, while the EOS R6 Mark III's sensor isn't stacked at all, but there's open gate 7K video recording. Both feature incredibly powerful IBIS and autofocus performance. This is a close call. Note, at the time of writing we're still working on our EOS R6 Mark III review.
Nikon Z6 III
Nikon's all-rounder, the Z6 III also features a partially stacked sensor, but with a resolution of just 24MP. That said, video recording is up to 6K 60p, and the Z6 III is blazing fast, also being supported by powerful in-body image stabilization. Launched in July 2024, it has come down in price and can be had for much less than the A7 V.
The A7 V body was accompanied by the FE 20-50mm f/2.8 G and FE 70-200mm f/4 Macro G OSS II
Images were taken in a range of lighting conditions, using each ISO setting so noise levels could be compared throughout the range
I always like to push a camera to the edges of its capabilities and, to that end, I shot using the extremes of the ISO range. In bright light, I set the camera to the extended low ISO of 50, and then explored several low-light locations to test the camera all the way up to the expanded high setting of 204,800. I left the White Balance set to auto throughout the review to see how the camera responded to different lighting conditions. I also shot in RAW+JPG mode, so I had unprocessed files and compressed images for the sake of comparison.
Some photographers, possibly even those working at Sony, see the A7 range of mirrorless cameras as the firm’s entry-level full-frame models. On paper alone, this may seem a reasonable suggestion when comparing the specifications to the most premium models. However, the Sony A7 IV, launched in October 2021, carries a 33-megapixel 36x24mm sensor, ISO50-204,800 sensitivity range, 5.5EV in-body image stabilization system, and a top continuous shooting rate of 10 frames per second. It’s by no means a slouch and this is all available for under $2500, so while it might be one of Sony’s more affordable E-mount bodies, it has been able to give pro-spec cameras a run for their money for several years.
On the face of it, the A7 V seems more of an iterative upgrade to its predecessor, rather than a revolution. However, once you dig deeper, there is a lot of exciting new technology to explore. Debuting the new partially-stacked sensor and new Bionz XR 2 processing engine, this camera represents a significant step forward for photography enthusiasts and semi-professionals. It’s more responsive than the A7 IV, both in focusing reaction time and accuracy, and delivers superior performance from the ground up.
Images are sharply detailed, and noise is well-controlled, especially for a model equipped with a 33MP resolution. It certainly matches or outperforms the current generation of competing cameras, such as the Canon EOS R6 Mark II or Panasonic Lumix S5 II, although I’ll be interested to see how low-light capabilities compare to the likes of the Canon EOS R6 Mark III when it inevitably comes to market, which is likely not too far in the future.
(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)
If you’ve used other Sony Alpha cameras, you’ll fall right into step with the A7 V. Some might call Sony’s conservative approach to design unimaginative, but it means that you can allow muscle memory to play its part on shoots where speed matters most. A few useful practical refinements notwithstanding, the A7 V is very similar to models that came before it, and on picking it up, you get a feeling of coming home, a comforting sensation when other stressful elements of a photoshoot come into play.
These days, I’m more likely to be blown away by enthusiast-level products than flagships, which rarely offer many surprises, as pro technology trickles down the rankings to more affordable offerings. The niche this camera inhabits has the potential to provide unbeatable value to the greatest range of photographers, and happily, the A7 V fulfills this promise. It’s an impressive upgrade to an already outstanding camera, serving up great responsiveness, useful features and exceptional image quality. I still wouldn’t call it revolutionary, and there are some quirks that I’d like to see refined, but if you’re an aspiring wildlife, event, or travel photographer, I’m confident you’ll fall in love with it, and that it will trouble TechRadar's best cameras and best mirrorless camera guides.
Sony A7 V specs
Sony A7 V Specs:
Type:
Mirrorless camera
Sensor:
Full-frame (36x24mm) semi-stacked CMOS
LCD:
3.2-inch, multi-articulated, 2.095m dots
Memory:
2x SDXC, 1x CFexpress Type A
Resolution:
33-megapixels
Video:
Up to 4K60p (4K120p in 1.5x crop mode)
ISO range:
ISO 50-204,800
Mechanical Shutter speeds:
30-1/8000sec
Electronic Shutter speeds:
30-1/16000sec
Viewfinder:
3.686m dot, OLED EVF, 0.78x
Processor:
Bionz XR 2
Connectivity:
AX WiFi (WiFi 6), Bluetooth, 2x USB-C, audio
Weight:
659g
(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)
Sony A7 V: Price and availability
Released December 2, 2025
Body only price of $2,899 / £2,799 (Australia TBC)
Kit options will be available, including with a new FE 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 OSS II
The Sony A7 V launched worldwide on December 2, 2025 priced $2,899 / £2,799 (body only, Australia TBC), alongside a new FE 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 OSS II kit lens. The lens costs $449.99 / £429 separately (Australia TBC) and will be available separately from February 2026.
Ahead of then, the FE 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 OSS II kit lens can be purchased as a kit with the A7 V for $3,099 (UK / Australia TBC). There will be other kits available, TBC.
This pricing is right on par with the Canon EOS R6 Mark III (and just $100 / £100 more than the Nikon Z6 III was at launch, but which is now available for much less).
Price score: 4.5/5
Sony A7 V: Design
Larger 3.2-inch rear LCD
Versatile multi-pivot articulated monitor
Hybrid memory card slot
Externally, I’d be very impressed if anyone could distinguish the A7 V from the A7 IV on looks alone. Apart from the name, discreetly emblazoned on the top plate, just to the left of the viewfinder, there isn’t much else to identify the latest iteration. However, a closer inspection reveals a redesigned handgrip. It’s very slight, with a tiny shift to the angle of the shutter button to account for the modest increase in weight from the Mark IV, but it makes a natural refinement to the ergonomics of the camera.
In terms of handling, the A7 V is supremely comfortable to hold, perhaps more so than most other Alpha bodies in the range. Logically, I know there is significant continuity between models, but something about the A7 V felt more balanced to me. I’ve always found Sony cameras to be too boxy for my tastes, especially when shooting for longer periods and when using larger lenses. The A7 V is unmistakably a Sony product, but it just fit my hands a lot better than I remember the A7 IV doing.
Shooting all day around London with the FE 24-50mm f/2.8 G lens, the setup was perfectly balanced, the center of gravity seemingly right where the optics meet the lens mount. This made shooting one-handed a breeze, even when holding the camera at arm's length over my head to shoot a street performer over the heads of a large crowd.
I appreciated that the playback and delete buttons are located on the same side of the camera body and immediately adjacent to each other on the back plate. This is a personal preference, of course, but I find this makes quickly making in-the-field quality control decisions quicker, rather than having to work two-handed and hunting for a control on the opposite side of the body to preview and delete obviously blurry shots.
(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)
Another excellent feature that seems unique to Sony cameras is dual-function card slots that fit both SD and CFexpress. As someone with more high-performance SD cards than I’d like to think about, I love this. Although I am gradually filling out my stock of CFexpress, I still like to have the choice, and a camera that supports both, while still allowing dual card functionality with either format is hugely thoughtful.
With a Canon EOS R5 Mark II, for example, you need to take a supply of both card types if you want the benefits of in-the-field backups, while the Canon EOS R6 Mark II requires two SD cards only, delaying investment in CFexpress until a future upgrade (which will no doubt be an expensive ordeal). On Sony cameras, there are no such compromises.
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(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)
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(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)
It’s a shame the A7 V only has one of the two slots capable of accepting CFexpress Type A, but perhaps this is what you pay the extra money for when buying a camera like the Sony A7R V.
Another excellent design flourish is the extra control wheel above the Auto Exposure Lock button, which by default is set up to adjust exposure compensation in P, A or S modes. I enjoy not having to hold down another button to change this, and the additional dial allows you to amend the aperture and image brightness with single controls each. Naturally, each dial can be reassigned a custom function from within the A7 V’s Operation Customize menu, found under Setup.
(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)
The build quality is of an exceptionally high standard. I didn’t have the opportunity to test the camera’s weather resistance – unusual for a British reviewer in November – but nevertheless, there are no obvious compromises in the integrity of the construction. Apart from the hollow battery and memory card bays, no other part of the body reverberates excessively when tapped, giving the sensation of it being milled from a single piece of metal.
All of the dials are beautifully knurled and easy to twist, but with enough resistance that it isn’t too easy to nudge them by accident.
We also can’t talk about the design of the camera without mentioning the versatile dual-hinged main LCD. Sony has gone back and forth with its approach to screen articulation over the years, and as far back as the A99 II DSLR camera, the multi-point design has allowed the user to both tilt and swivel the LCD. Some photographers prefer the vertical tilt format, while others like myself appreciate a full swivel function.
Users of the A7 V don’t have to choose – unlike with the A7 IV which is single-axis vari-angle only – which I found useful when shooting ground-level street photos of graffiti artists under Waterloo Station. It’s a clever strategy also found in recent Lumix cameras, and which I’d like to see more brands adopting.
Design score:4.5/5
Sony A7 V: Performance
New Bionz XR 2 processor
No dedicated AI autofocus processing engine
Long 750-shot battery life
Speaking of LCD screens, the model featured on the A7 V is both larger and more detailed than its predecessor. It measures 3.2 inches, up from 3 inches on the A7 IV, while resolution has doubled the 1,036,800 dots previously available. I found it to be very crisp, and colors look natural. This is a attribute of camera screens that isn’t talked about enough. Monitors might be super contrasty and saturated as standard, but this won’t always give the most useful preview of the images about to be captured.
The touch sensitivity is just right, and I found it to be more responsive than both the Mark IV and the A7R V, demonstrating the difference that three years can make. It’s not that those cameras were particularly unresponsive, but this latest monitor gave me no sense that it was standing between me and the settings I wanted to access.
I especially liked the reaction time for touch focus; with a single tap the camera activates the AF and immediately snaps to the object selected. I don’t always use touch focus features, but combined with the versatile LCD pivot points, I found myself using them frequently during my testing of the A7 V.
Autofocus itself is smooth and super-fast. Built around a new system of 759 Phase Detection AF points that cover 90% of the frame, the A7 V can focus in lighting as low as -4EV. Although the camera did slow down as ambient lighting dropped, with the rate of focus hunting increasing, it still did a sterling job of finding and tracking the subject. It’s also incredibly precise.
Image 1 of 3
Changing the AF subject recognition mode to Animals, the A7 V could easily keep track of this squirrel's eye (Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)
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(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)
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(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)
Interestingly, the A7 V doesn’t feature a dedicated AI processor, as found on the Sony A1 II. This might surprise many industry observers, in an age where AI is king and excluding such features might seem a retrograde step. However, the new Bionz XR 2 moves all AF computations on-chip, instead of dividing the workload between two units.
Sony says the up-specced processor brings the same benefits of a separate AI engine, namely better AF target recognition, but with the added advantage of reduced heat emissions, superior speed, and improved battery life. After all, powering one chip is better than supplying two.
I didn’t have an A1 II body available to test the cameras side-by-side, but rarely did the A7 V struggle to locate my subject. There are plenty of options to customize subject recognition, and the camera coped well with human figures, cars, and airplanes, in the chaos of Central London and at Heathrow Airport.
Also new to the A7 V are the options to change AF responsiveness and to select an extra small or large AF point. While I didn’t find much need to alter these settings during my test, I could see where this might be of huge benefit. Turning down AF responsiveness if it’s likely that other objects will pass between the camera and the subject, like when shooting across a busy road or players on a football field, will help keep the focus sticky on your subject.
I can also vouch for the stated 750-shot battery capacity. After 300 frames, in the relative chill of a winter afternoon, I still had 75% charge, and by 650 shots, this sat around the 40% mark. This excellent, rival-beating performance included shooting both long still exposures and video.
In terms of shooting speed, the A7 V is one quick camera in operation. Startup is near instantaneous, and exposure assessment is now done at twice the number of calculations per second compared to the A7 IV.
Using the electronic shutter, it’s now possible to capture images at up to 30fps, up from 10fps on the previous camera. Pre-capture is also possible up to a user-selectable 30fps, meaning the camera is always ready and able to cover the action in the briefest of moments. Without wanting to sound like an advert for Sony (remember, this review is completely independent), there were times when I felt I was having to keep up with the camera. This isn’t something I encounter often, and it kept me on my toes.
It’s a very minor point, but I found the shutter release to be just a little too sensitive for my liking. There were a few occasions when I was simply trying out a composition and accidentally fired off a burst of shots – a bit of a laborious situation when the camera makes 30 frames every second! I’d definitely recommend re-assigning focussing to the AF-ON button to work around this.
Performance score: 5/5
Sony A7 V: Image quality
Excellent Dynamic Range
Superior high-ISO performance
Ultra-effective IBIS system
One of the headline features of the A7 V that is certain to get people talking is the new semi-stacked sensor. This CMOS design has developed somewhat of a bad rep because of its deployment in other cameras with limited success, such as the Nikon Z6 III. There is a risk of significant trade-offs in dynamic range for the additional readout speed a semi-stacked (or partially-stacked) sensor provides. Sony is confident enough, however, to claim a DR of up to 16-stops with the A7 V – that's an additional stop versus the A7 IV – so I couldn’t wait to see how the camera performed in the real world.
I’m not entirely convinced by the 16EV claim, as there were times when there was less highlight texture than I had anticipated, and clipped shadows where I hadn’t expected. However, the results were still impressive. In the majority of shots, there was recoverable detail across the range. From memory alone (and not having yet taken the A7 V into the lab for testing, that’s all I have to work on), I would place the dynamic range on an even footing with models like the 24MP Canon EOS R6 Mark II and Nikon Z6 III. Clearly, Sony deserves some applause for this, as it’s a clear indicator that the A7 V is a next-gen competitor.
Now let’s talk about color. Traditionally, this hasn’t been my favorite aspect of Sony cameras. I’ve always felt that, compared to Canon and Fujifilm models, Sony color science was a bit sterile. Accurate, maybe, but lacking warmth and ‘flavor’. These traits are present in the A7 V, as is to be expected, but I noticed colors seemed more organic than I’ve seen from its stablemates.
The auto White Balance system hardly ever missed a trick, even when shooting wall art comprising overlapping primary colors in mixed natural and artificial lighting: quite possibly a condition that cameras have nightmares about. The A7 V handled the situation beautifully. I could wax lyrical here for three more paragraphs, but I’ll summarize with this: if the camera could cope this well under these conditions, it could cope anywhere.
Dynamic range might not quite manage 16-stops in every image, but matches lower resolution cameras from competing brands (Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)
I don’t always believe rumors, but in this case the suggestion that Composite RAW capability was to be included on the A7 V has turned out to be true. Previously seen on the Sony A9 III, this mode captures a sequence of RAW files that are then combined to produce a higher-resolution file with reduced noise. It works nicely and does what it says on the tin – if you shoot landscapes or in the studio, this is a great feature for squeezing every oodle of quality out of the sensor.
Of course, it works less well with moving subjects, even when shooting at a high frame rate, so I chose not to use it for street photography. If you can support the camera, it would also be beneficial for capturing poorly-lit interiors at higher sensitivities.
Even without Composite RAW active, the signal-to-noise ratio will put a smile on your face. I spent most of my shoot at ISO 6400 and above, and the camera delivered a commendable balance of sharpness and grain. I wasn’t blown away by the in-camera treatment of JPGs though, and as low as ISO 800, there was smudging of detail through quite aggressive noise reduction. Weirdly, this didn’t seem to get much worse up to ISO 3200.
Image 1 of 2
(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)
Image 2 of 2
(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)
Further proof that the dynamic range is noteworthy is highlight retention at the extended low ISO settings. At ISO 50, which is essentially an overexposed image with the exposure digitally reduced, there was still data present at the right side of the histogram.
One of my favorite features of the A7 V is the IBIS system. Compensating for up to 7.5EV of shake in the center of the frame and 6.5EV at the edges, up from 5.5-stops on the A7 IV, the stabilisation enables hand-held shots at ridiculously slow shutter speeds. I was able to capture usable images at exposures of around one second – unthinkable just a few years ago. This enabled me to capture the movement of objects within the frame while rendering static areas sharp. It’s one of my go-to street and urban photography techniques.
It doesn’t quite match the 8-stop hybrid IBIS-lens-based system seen in the Canon EOS R5 Mark II, Canon EOS R3, and Canon EOS R7 on paper, but it performs exceptionally well.
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Image quality score: 4.5/5
Sony A7 V: testing scorecard
Sony A7 V
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Price
The A7 V is another example of how pro features are becoming increasingly more affordable. It's not cheap, but you get a hell of a lot of camera for the money
4.5/5
Design
There are no surprises from Sony. You might call the similarities with other Alpha cameras unimaginative but why fix what isn't broken?
4.5/5
Performance
The IBIS is superb, allowing hand-held long exposures, while AF is responsive, customizable, and accurate.
5/5
Image quality
Low-light quality is superb, as is auto White Balance. Jpeg processing is heavy-handed, but overall, the camera sets a new standard for enthusiast products.
4.5/5
Should I buy the Sony A7 V?
Buy it if...
You want an affordable full-frame camera
It might not be the cheapest camera with a full-frame sensor on the market, but you get a lot of camera for your buck. The A7 V has everything an enthusiast photographer could hope for or need.View Deal
You shoot both stills and video
Like the A7 IV before it, the new camera delivers exceptional video features too, with 4K resolution, 60fps without a crop, and S-Log available for high-end grading.View Deal
Don't buy it if...
You are a beginner
There is a lot of camera here. Novices are unlikely to get the most from all of the features available, and the mammoth toolset might even be off-putting. View Deal
You just bought an A7 IV
Let's be clear, the A7 V is a significant upgrade to its predecessor, but with a similar resolution, equal sensor size, and advanced features, the A7 IV is a great camera on its own merits. I wouldn't suggest there's enough difference between the two for an upgrade just yet.View Deal
Also consider
Canon EOS R6 Mark II
The EOS R6 Mark III builds on the 24MP Canon EOS R6 Mark II with improved resolution that matches the A7 V, now 33MP. Sony and Canon take different priorities; the A7 V has the partially stacked sensor and video recording up to 4K 60p, while the EOS R6 Mark III's sensor isn't stacked at all, but there's open gate 7K video recording. Both feature incredibly powerful IBIS and autofocus performance. This is a close call. Note, at the time of writing we're still working on our EOS R6 Mark III review.
Nikon Z6 III
Nikon's all-rounder, the Z6 III also features a partially stacked sensor, but with a resolution of just 24MP. That said, video recording is up to 6K 60p, and the Z6 III is blazing fast, also being supported by powerful in-body image stabilization. Launched in July 2024, it has come down in price and can be had for much less than the A7 V.
The A7 V body was accompanied by the FE 20-50mm f/2.8 G and FE 70-200mm f/4 Macro G OSS II
Images were taken in a range of lighting conditions, using each ISO setting so noise levels could be compared throughout the range
I always like to push a camera to the edges of its capabilities and, to that end, I shot using the extremes of the ISO range. In bright light, I set the camera to the extended low ISO of 50, and then explored several low-light locations to test the camera all the way up to the expanded high setting of 204,800. I left the White Balance set to auto throughout the review to see how the camera responded to different lighting conditions. I also shot in RAW+JPG mode, so I had unprocessed files and compressed images for the sake of comparison.
I’ve been testing camcorders for over five years, to which you might respond, "Aren’t camcorders a relic from a former era?" And in some ways you'd be right. But there's still plenty of life in the product category, and filmmakers who like the traditional handling and built-in zoom of a camcorder will find much to enjoy in Panasonic's HC-X1200.
Even for a seasoned reviewer like myself, though, the HC-X1200's appeal isn't immediately clear. This relatively new and lightweight Panasonic model targets the serious creator or event videographer who needs rock-solid reliability and modern specs without jumping into the $2,000 / £1,500 price bracket.
There are few real video 'features', apart from basic face tracking. And without mod cons like Wi-Fi, this isn't the tool for fast-paced content creators. I like a simple workflow, and the HC-X1200 is certainly easy to pick up and use in full auto mode, with the option to work in manual for more advanced users.
A core strength here is, thankfully, image quality. I was fairly impressed that the camcorder offers 4K recording at 60 frames per second (4K/60p) with 10-bit internal recording, especially since similarly-priced models max out at 4K 30p.
This combination smooths out action footage with enough color latitude for grading later on, although it's nothing like as fast as you'll get from a top-tier action camera.
The main draw of camcorders, as I say, is their built-in zoom range. Sure enough, the HC-X1200’s built-in 24x optical zoom is something you won't get from a mirrorless camera without spending a fortune on lenses that are likely very heavy, too.
It's also worth noting that the HC-X1200's rivals max out at 20x zoom. If you’re an event or documentary shooter, or a wildlife enthusiast as I am, this is the best video camera for zooming in exceedingly far with clarity, stability, and speed. In 35mm terms, it's the equivalent of having lenses ranging from a 25mm wide-angle all the way to a 600mm telephoto in your bag.
(Image credit: Future)
The HC-X1200's design also incorporates three steps of built-in ND filter, and the excellent 5-axis Hybrid OIS. is impressive for static handheld shots and walking scenes.
I didn't get the chance to shoot a wedding during my review loan period with the camcorder. Still, I think I’d be happy to use it for long events like weddings or conferences without worrying about the battery dying or the unit overheating, not least since the heat-dissipating design kept it totally cool while shooting long testing clips.
The HC-X1200 is a relatively affordable camcorder, and that’s because it makes some obvious compromises. Without a proper electronic viewfinder (EVF), it’s not always easy to see settings and frame up scenes in bright sunlight, especially since a lot of data on the screen is printed in tiny writing.
Good video requires good audio, but there are no professional XLR audio inputs. Instead, there’s one 3.5mm mic jack, which means relying on external recorders or less high-end microphones if you’re working on projects where audio is critical. If you're shooting primarily for home or family videos, though, the audio is just fine.
The HC-X1200 is a good-value portable camcorder. Whether you’re new to filmmaking and want something with a long zoom, or you like the traditional handling, the HC-X1200 is a reliable option for long-form capture. Just be prepared to manage audio externally, and work primarily in well-lit conditions.
(Image credit: Future)
Panasonic HC-X1200: price and availability
Priced at $1,299.99 / £1,099 / AU$2,399
Lens hood included
Announced in January 2025
The Panasonic HC-X1200 was announced in January 2025 alongside two new 4K camcorders, the HC-X1600 and HC-X2100. It costs around $1,299.99 / £1,099 / AU$2,399.
The HC-X1200 is the entry-level model among these three Panasonic camcorders, without a viewfinder, handle unit, or XLR mic ports. It also lacks Wi-Fi, which feels like a misstep given that this comes as standard on cheaper rival camcorders and creator video cameras.
By my maths, the HC-X1200 is one of the most affordable camcorders for shooting 4K at 60 frames per second. The built-in ND filters also add a lot of flexibility for controlling exposure in bright light. Competing models priced near or below it (the Canon HF G70 or Sony AX43) are typically limited to 4K/30p, and both of those max out at 20x optical zoom power.
Panasonic HC-X1200 specs
Panasonic HC-X1200 specs
Sensor:
1/2.5-type (inch) MOS
Effective pixels:
8.29MP
Optical zoom:
24x
F Value:
f/1.8-f/4
Stabilization:
5-axis hybrid OIS
Memory card:
SDHC/SDXC (Up to 512GB)
Recording formats:
MP4, AVCHD
Maximum recording quality:
100 Mbps for 4K 59.94p/50p
Dimensions:
3.7 x 5.1 x 8.2 inches / 893 x 129 x 209mm (H x W x D)
Weight:
1.76lbs / 800g
Panasonic HC-X1200: Design
Light at just 800g, but not ultra-compact
Heat-dispersing design for continual recording
Two manual control rings
The Panasonic HC-X1200’s form resembles a classic camcorder. Made from matte black plastic, the body is long and barrel-shaped, and there’s an adjustable padded strap to aid stable handheld use (right-handed functionality only, though), with a pull-out, articulating LCD screen on the left of the body.
The HC-X1200 looks and feels similar to the Panasonic HC-X1500, which I’ve also tested, but comes in at a lighter weight of 1.76lbs / 800g. Some of the HC-X1500’s added weight comes from the viewfinder and eyecup, and the HC-X1200 is designed as a compact, body-only model, doing without the XLR-equipped handle unit found on its siblings (the HC-X1600 and X2100).
Panasonic calls it a “lightweight 4K 60p palm-style" camcorder, and while isn’t heavy, it might feel cumbersome to use at first if you’ve come from a vlogging-style camera. You’ll need a long padded bag to carry it, too. But the benefit of a camcorder like this is that everything is in the one unit, so you can forget carrying (and swapping out) extra lenses.
On the top is a chunky raised zoom rocker, which I found responsive, but not as naturally placed as on some camcorders. My index and middle fingers had to curve around slightly to reach it, but your mileage may vary.
The HC-X1200 is aimed at prosumers rather than total beginners, so there’s a good array of physical buttons on the camcorder body. There are no fewer than five customizable user buttons on the top, too, which can be set via the menu for controlling functions like face detection and enabling image stabilization.
Several of these are already preset, making them optional, but it’s a good thing to be able to customize the handling for your own preferences, especially since it’s harder to find these buttons in low light.
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Before you even pull out the LCD screen, there are more buttons underneath on the left-hand side, including for the menu, iris, gain, shutter, and a toggle to switch between auto and manual exposure mode. The Menu button is the one you’ll likely use the most, and I would have liked to have felt it raised more than the others to make it easier to find without looking. Small things, though.
Fold out the LCD and there’s the on/off button (presumably positioned as such to stop you pressing it accidentally when the LCD is stowed away), a playback button, a toggle for displaying more or less info on the screen, and, as with most camcorders around this price point, dual memory card slots covered by a slide across a plastic window. A light illuminates to indicate which of the two SD cards is actively recording, which is a nice touch.
The 3.5-inch touch-sensitive LCD monitor is bright, detailed, and fully articulated, which means you can shoot pieces to camera or at low angles easily. As a more compact model, the Panasonic HC-X1200 notably skips an electronic viewfinder, but for this class of camera the generous touchscreen compensates.
My main complaint is the responsiveness of said screen and the layout of the menus, which at times felt slow, confusing, and outdated to a modern user. It’s a shame Panasonic couldn't spend time coming up with a more user-friendly experience, but it’s not a dealbreaker.
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At the rear of the camcorder is the raised recording button (easy to find without looking), plus a full HDMI port, USB-C power port, and single 3.5mm stereo mini jack for external audio input. In some ways, it’s a shame that professional XLR inputs are reserved for the X1600/X2100 handle. However, for a camcorder of this size, it keeps the profile sleek. Underneath, there’s also a standard tripod thread, and it’s a great bonus to be able to check the battery’s capacity with a quick press of the “check button”.
The highlight for me when using the HC-X1200 were the dual manual rings on the lens barrel, which are both smooth and very tactile to use, thanks to the notched markings all the way around them. The ring closest to the lens controls focus, and the other zooms, meaning you can precisely pull focus through a shot, or just get up-close subjects really sharp.
I found it easy to make smooth and on-the-fly adjustments without taking my eye off the action, and the manual rings are also in a more natural place for your hands than the zoom rocker. Just behind the closest ring is a dedicated three-stage ND filter switch (Clear, 1/4, 1/16, 1/64) placed right where my fingers expected it, and I found this essential for managing exposure in bright outdoor settings, even though I’ve not really used this function on other camcorders.
(Image credit: Future)
A big lens hood is supplied with the camcorder, both to protect the lens and shelter it from bright, direct sunlight. There’s a physical toggle to open and close the lens hood, which mirrorless users might take a while to get used to. I do wonder if modern mirrorless users will, like I did a few times, even with years of testing, forget to close the opening once you’ve finished shooting.
The HC-X1200’s design doesn’t try anything new, but that’s okay. It took me a few days to really get to grips with everything – both metaphorically and literally, since the strap needs tightening often – but it balances portability with some core manual controls. It’s an effective, comfortable choice for filmmakers who don’t want to carry around a colossal camcorder.
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Panasonic HC-X1200: Performance
Mediocre low-light performance from the small sensor
Impressively shake-free footage even at the full 24x zoom
Versatile f/1.8-f/4 iris opening allows some bokeh
The XC-H1200 is a good video all-rounder, without any of the fancy AI features or autofocus options often marketed at content creators to make filming 'easy'. If you’re looking for a fully automatic workflow, though, the XC-H1200 delivers generally well-exposed and balanced 4K footage.
The 24x zoom range is quite incredible, and you can see in the sample clips how close I was able to get to a grey heron from the other side of a large pond. The zoom action is very smooth, and I like that it can be fine-tuned using the lens rings – great for up-close scenes, or if you want some creative pull-focus shots.
There aren’t any metering modes to choose from, though, and I often found that the exposure, while good overall, would overexpose very bright areas, such as the white feathers of a bird, at the mid-to-far end of the zoom. However, the camcorder’s built-in ND filters became exceptionally helpful on sunny days, as well as a creative tool if I wanted a darker look.
I found white balance to be very accurate on frosty mornings and sunny days, but in artificial light I ended up setting the tone manually. This is Panasonic's prosumer camcorder, so the fact that it lacks color grading isn’t a surprise, and there aren’t options to match colors with other cameras – a feature I’ve previously used with the Canon lineup.
Colors are well rendered, if a little on the dull side, but I found some leeway to boost the vibrancy in post-production without scenes looking artificial or losing detail. With 10-bit color depth set I didn’t notice any banding in bright skies either, as I have with cheaper camcorders and action cameras.
There are several video options to choose from, but only once you’ve stumbled upon the right place in the confusing, unintuitive menu. You can shoot in either UHD 4K or 1080p resolution, and two frequency modes (59.94 Hz for NTSC regions and 50.00 Hz for PAL regions) dictate the available frame rates, all at a maximum bitrate of 200Mbps.
Various encoding options will help those with more experience balance file size and quality, but if you’re new to moviemaking Panasonic doesn’t helpfully explain any of the options, so a bit of research might be needed in order to get the most from them.
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Although it isn’t obvious, the HC-X1200 has the option for smooth slow-motion capture at up to 120fps, but only in HD (1920 x 1080). The idea is to help keep fast-moving subjects in focus, but while the results are definitely usable, the autofocus is the more limiting factor for ultra-fast and erratic subjects. In short, don’t buy this camera expecting to shoot a lot of crisp action.
The HC-X1200’s autofocus isn’t mind-blowing, and Panasonic doesn’t give a lot of detail regarding the mechanics of how it works. There’s nothing like the eye-detection precision of my Canon EOS R6 Mark II, but that’s to be expected at this price point.
Face tracking is easily turned on or off with a button on the body. It’s great for keeping you sharp during vlogging pieces to camera or documentary work, since the camcorder also adjusts the exposure automatically to keep the main face balanced in changing light. If you’re in shifting lighting conditions, this process takes a few seconds to recalibrate, but for interviews in a continuous or evenly lit room, it will cope well.
I was worried about low-light performance, due to the size of the camcorder’s sensor (1/2.5-inch) – usually a recipe for grainy, muddy footage. Out of the camera, the footage I shot at night was a little noisy, but far more usable than other camcorders I’ve tested with the same sensor size. The best results come from shooting at the camcorder’s highest bit rate, and then eking out the mileage with some creative grading.
If you work with dark footage rather than trying to brighten the shadows, the low-light footage is surprisingly usable. Setting the f/1.8 maximum aperture manually also helps. The HC-X1200 is also capable of capturing the invisible infrared spectrum for nighttime footage, but you need to buy an external infrared light source for this, so I didn’t test it.
With the dual SD card slots, you can set up two cards for relay recording (using one as an overflow when the first fills up), or simultaneous recording, so you have a backup. I only used one fast SD card when testing, but I often found the camera would be writing and processing footage for a long time after hitting the button to end recording. On a few random occasions, the camcorder froze, and I had to leave it alone for five minutes or so before, which isn’t ideal if you’ve got limited time with a subject or need to capture a particular moment.
On the plus side, it’s fully possible to record footage for as long as either your memory card(s) or the battery allows, since the heat-dissipating design genuinely delivers unlimited recording times, as Panasonic promises. I accidentally left the camcorder recording in my bag one day, and found I had several hours before the battery had run out.
Panasonic says you’ll get five hours of battery when recording 4K at 30p, and I got at least four and a half hours from one full charge, making this an excellent all-day companion if you have a few spare batteries in your arsenal.
Obviously, image quality is only half of the equation with video, and the HC-X1200’s audio quality falls somewhat short. If you’re a few steps from the camcorder, and ideally facing towards it in a wind or traffic-free zone, your voice is picked up clearly. Outside this ideal scenario – for example, if you’re walking and talking, or near a road – the built-in mic is less capable at picking out individual audio sources.
There are no clever AI algorithms working in the background to help suppress wind noise, as found on action cameras like the DJI Osmo Nano. So the onus is on you as the user to carefully choose the shooting location – in a sheltered spot away from the wind – or add an external mic with a furry wind shield using the 3.5mm jack input.
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Should you buy the Panasonic HC-X1200?
Buy it if...
You mostly shoot in controlled or good lighting
The HC-X1200 isn't great at adapting to changing light in auto mode, and tends to get grainy in low light.
You don't need XLR inputs
There's a standard 3.5mm stereo mic input. You may need an external audio recorder for pro-grade quality.
Don't buy it if...
You want the flexibility of Wi-Fi
Without built-in Wi-Fi, you can't use a phone or tablet for remote control or livestreaming.
You like using an electronic viewfinder (EVF)
You've only got the LCD for changing settings and framing scenes. The screen is generous, but it can be hard to view in bright sunlight.
Also consider
Canon EOS R10
Keen for a hybrid camera you can shoot stills on, too? Our favourite entry-level mirrorless also offers 4K/60p video, but it's heavily cropped. Low-light performance is better than the HC-X1200 thanks to a bigger sensor, and with the standard kit lens it's about the same price, but of course you don't get that mega camcorder zoom.
I've tested the Canon XA65 for our sister title Digital Camera World, and think it's a great filmmaking camcorder if you're willing to pay a little more. The 20x optical is smaller than the HC-X1200, but it's incredibly versatile. Prosumers should get good use of the detachable handle, which helps with low angles and lets you add two external microphones via the XLR ports.
(Image credit: Future)
How I tested the Panasonic HC-X1200
I tested it for two weeks
I shot in full Manual and Auto mode
I used it for video, day and night
Panasonic loaned me the HC-X1200 for two weeks, and although it was raining almost the whole time (welcome to winter in the UK), I did take it with me on a few outdoor adventures, dog walks, and day trips, and I used it as an everyday companion for mainly handheld shooting.
I made direct comparisons with many other camcorders I've tested, as well as video on my now similarly-priced Canon EOS R6 DSLR and iPhone 15 Pro.
I shot videos using different iris settings and zoom lengths, in both fully automatic and manual modes, to compare the ease of use and quality of results from both.
This article is part of TechRadar's AI Week 2025. Covering the basics of artificial intelligence, we'll show you how to get the most from the likes of ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude, alongside in-depth features, news, and the main talking points in the world of AI.
The Caira snaps onto your iPhone using MagSafe, turns your phone into the control hub, and sets out to merge mirrorless camera-quality with smartphone ease.
The hardware is the real deal: a Micro Four Thirds mount and (Sony) sensor, a CNC’d aluminium chassis. It accepts proper lenses from Panasonic, Olympus, Sigma, and Leica - so this isn’t a toy pretending to be a camera. Its in a similar mold to the open source Alice Camera – a previous project from the makers of Caira.
Inside, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chip and Google’s Edge TPU AI processor run three flagship tricks: voice control, smart styles and generative editing.
With voice control you can say “take a photo” and Caira actually does. Smart Styles are six tasteful AI-trained color profiles that make your footage look deliberate. Generative Editing – the headline feature – uses natural language prompts to restyle photos instantly, no laptop required.
(Image credit: Rashid Ahmad)
Yes, the real party trick is Google’s ‘Nano Banana’ generative AI – which sounds like a smoothie but is actually a powerful on-device editor. You can tell the camera to “turn this daylight shot into night” or “make my blazer burgundy,” and it’ll do it in seconds. It’s astonishing. It’s the first time I’ve seen Lightroom sulk because it’s now redundant.
The result is a camera designed to skip the “import - edit - export - scream” routine. Some will say that skipping that part also skips the soul of photography. I’m not one of them. I’m in favor of anything that lets you spend more time shooting and less time staring at a progress bar – I’ll leave the hand-wringing to other creators.
But before you start packing your MacBook away forever, that magical AI is only available if you pay $7 a month for the ‘Caira Pro’ plan (about £6 / AU$11). Because nothing screams modern camera like a monthly sub.
However, for every tinfoil hat wearing critic out there screaming for the days of old and terrified of AI, go back to shooting on film and paying $35 a month for every roll you develop. My Lightroom subscription costs a lot more than Caira Pro, and I will use it a lot less.
Caira camera: price and availability
Priced at $995 (£760 / AU$1,500 approx)
Available to early crowdfunding backers for $695 (£529 / AU$1,070 approx)
First deliveries expected from January 2026
(Image credit: Rashid Ahmad)
Caira is available through Camera Intelligence's Kickstarter campaign, which runs from November 4 to November 30. As always, back crowdfunding campaigns at your own risk!
The campaign lists the camera (body only) price for $995 (around £760 / AU$1,500), while optimistic Super Early Bird backers can bag one for $695 (about £529 / AU$1,070).
According to its makers, the Caira delivery window is January to February 2026, (assuming no global crises intervene).
To get the most out of Caira's AI skills, you'll want the Caira pro subscription, which costs $7 per month. Backers get six months free, nine if funding hits its goals.
Caira camera specs
Caira camera specs
Sensor:
11MP Micro Four Thirds, quad-bayer HDR and dual ISO
Mount:
Micro Four Thirds
Processor:
Qualcomm Snapdragon with 8 - core CPU, GPU, DSP
AI Chip:
Google Edge TPU
Video:
4K 30fps & 1080p 60fps
Battery:
5,000 mAh
Storage:
Internal 64GB + SSD External storage via USB-C, straight onto Apple photos
Connectivity:
iPhone MagSafe connector, WiFi
Dimensions:
112.5mm (W) x 85mm (H) x 21.5mm (D). Handle depth is 42.5mm
Weight:
10.2oz / 290g (w/out lens)
Caira camera: Design
No screen – you MagSafe your iPhone instead
Premium CNC-milled aluminum body
64GB internal memory
Caira alongside the Alice Camera, designed by the same makers (Image credit: Rashid Ahmad)
Imagine if Leica built a GoPro after a long lunch - that’s the Caira. There's Sigma BF vibes, too. A sleek, screen-less slab of CNC-milled metal that looks premium and feels it too.
The design strips away almost all buttons, because the company says creators are “overwhelmed by controls.” Fair. Now you’ll be overwhelmed by menus instead.
The MFT mount opens a vast lens ecosystem, from affordable pancakes to glass that costs more than your phone. And the 5,000 mAh battery means you can actually use it all day.
Best of all, there are no memory cards. You shoot, and the files appear in your iPhone’s Photos app almost instantly. It’s dangerously convenient.
Cair camera: Performance
11MP Four Thirds sensor with dual base ISO
Basic video specs – 4K video up to 30fps
Really effective Nano Banana voice control and generative edits
The Caira behaves like two products; a legitimate camera, and an unashamed AI experiment.
The camera hardware delivers – the 11MP Sony sensor combined with proper MFT glass (I used several of my Lumix lenses, including the 12-60mm f/2.8-4 lens) is an obvious leap from a smartphone, particularly in low light. Depth, sharpness, and texture all feel natural. The AI-tuned colour profile leans a little toward “Instagram - ready,” but never offensively so.
Caira's Smart Styles are surprisingly tasteful presets, that make you look more competent than you are. You can get a feel in the examples in the gallery below.
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An original photo taken with Caira (Image credit: Future / Rashid Ahmad)
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Turn the dress black (Image credit: Future / Rashid Ahmad)
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About 20 seconds later, the new image appears. (Image credit: Future / Rashid Ahmad)
The Caira's show piece is its AI features. Voice Control is genuinely handy when both hands are busy, or sticky with espresso, but Generative Editing is the main event.
Prompts like “make it nighttime” or “change his navy blazer to burgundy” return results in seconds – clean, convincing, a bit spooky.
Generative Editing is the feature that flattens the learning curve and streamlines the creative workflow. It’s powerful, fast, and feels like magic.
To its credit, the company has guardrails in place: no altering skin tone or facial features. I tried. It refused, nicely.
The Caira is a bold step. It’s a bet that the next generation of creators values AI-powered speed and flexibility as much as – or perhaps more than – traditional photographic purity. And based on what I’ve seen, it’s a bet they just might win.
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The original photo, using one of the more vibrant color profiles Caira has (Image credit: Future / Rashid Ahmad)
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Now with the generative prompt 'turn the dress black', which returned results way quicker than an outfit change. (Image credit: Future / Rashid Ahmad)
The Caira feels like a product born out of collective exhaustion. Someone, somewhere, finally admitted that no one actually enjoys editing - they just enjoy pretending they do. It’s bold, a little absurd, and far more capable than it has any right to be.
It won’t replace your main camera, and it won’t replace your phone either - but it might just replace your willpower to open Lightroom ever again.
It’s the perfect tool for those of us who still like the idea of photography - the ritual, the gear, the illusion of artistry - but who secretly just want the photo to look brilliant the moment we take it.
And truthfully? That’s probably the entire modern photographer.
Should you buy the Caira camera?
Buy it if...
You want a seamless shoot and edit experience, through your smartphone
Other cameras add way too many steps to the shoot - upload - edit - share process. Caira simplifies the whole process.
You want powerful edits in seconds, without the need for expensive editing software
Caira churns out the sorts of edits that used to take way more time with pricey software, and it does so directly on your phone.
Don't buy it if...
You want high-resolution photos
Just 11MP is pretty low by today's standards.
You're unsure about crowdfunding campaigns
To be fair, Caira's makers delivered with a previous project, the Alice Camera, but back at your own risk (or wait).
Caira accepts Micro Four Thirds lenses, like these two Lumix ones (Image credit: Rashid Ahmad)
How I tested the Caira camera
I tested Caira for two weeks
I paired it with Lumix lenses, including the 12–60mm f/2.8-4 lens
I connected my iPhone and made use of the various Nano Banana features
Camera Intelligence sent me one of just 50 pre-production units for a two week trial. I used it mostly to photograph things that didn’t deserve this much computing power.
It locks to the iPhone via MagSafe and connects over Wi-Fi through the Caira iOS app. Setup takes seconds, and then you’re in. I paired it with a Lumix 12–60mm f/2.8-4 – a brilliant lens that I immediately wasted on photographing coffee cups, pool balls, and other cameras.
This article is part of TechRadar's AI Week 2025. Covering the basics of artificial intelligence, we'll show you how to get the most from the likes of ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude, alongside in-depth features, news, and the main talking points in the world of AI.
The Caira snaps onto your iPhone using MagSafe, turns your phone into the control hub, and sets out to merge mirrorless camera-quality with smartphone ease.
The hardware is the real deal: a Micro Four Thirds mount and (Sony) sensor, a CNC’d aluminium chassis. It accepts proper lenses from Panasonic, Olympus, Sigma, and Leica - so this isn’t a toy pretending to be a camera. Its in a similar mold to the open source Alice Camera – a previous project from the makers of Caira.
Inside, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chip and Google’s Edge TPU AI processor run three flagship tricks: voice control, smart styles and generative editing.
With voice control you can say “take a photo” and Caira actually does. Smart Styles are six tasteful AI-trained color profiles that make your footage look deliberate. Generative Editing – the headline feature – uses natural language prompts to restyle photos instantly, no laptop required.
(Image credit: Rashid Ahmad)
Yes, the real party trick is Google’s ‘Nano Banana’ generative AI – which sounds like a smoothie but is actually a powerful on-device editor. You can tell the camera to “turn this daylight shot into night” or “make my blazer burgundy,” and it’ll do it in seconds. It’s astonishing. It’s the first time I’ve seen Lightroom sulk because it’s now redundant.
The result is a camera designed to skip the “import - edit - export - scream” routine. Some will say that skipping that part also skips the soul of photography. I’m not one of them. I’m in favor of anything that lets you spend more time shooting and less time staring at a progress bar – I’ll leave the hand-wringing to other creators.
But before you start packing your MacBook away forever, that magical AI is only available if you pay $7 a month for the ‘Caira Pro’ plan (about £6 / AU$11). Because nothing screams modern camera like a monthly sub.
However, for every tinfoil hat wearing critic out there screaming for the days of old and terrified of AI, go back to shooting on film and paying $35 a month for every roll you develop. My Lightroom subscription costs a lot more than Caira Pro, and I will use it a lot less.
Caira camera: price and availability
Priced at $995 (£760 / AU$1,500 approx)
Available to early crowdfunding backers for $695 (£529 / AU$1,070 approx)
First deliveries expected from January 2026
(Image credit: Rashid Ahmad)
Caira is available through Camera Intelligence's Kickstarter campaign, which runs from November 4 to November 30. As always, back crowdfunding campaigns at your own risk!
The campaign lists the camera (body only) price for $995 (around £760 / AU$1,500), while optimistic Super Early Bird backers can bag one for $695 (about £529 / AU$1,070).
According to its makers, the Caira delivery window is January to February 2026, (assuming no global crises intervene).
To get the most out of Caira's AI skills, you'll want the Caira pro subscription, which costs $7 per month. Backers get six months free, nine if funding hits its goals.
Caira camera specs
Caira camera specs
Sensor:
11MP Micro Four Thirds, quad-bayer HDR and dual ISO
Mount:
Micro Four Thirds
Processor:
Qualcomm Snapdragon with 8 - core CPU, GPU, DSP
AI Chip:
Google Edge TPU
Video:
4K 30fps & 1080p 60fps
Battery:
5,000 mAh
Storage:
Internal 64GB + SSD External storage via USB-C, straight onto Apple photos
Connectivity:
iPhone MagSafe connector, WiFi
Dimensions:
112.5mm (W) x 85mm (H) x 21.5mm (D). Handle depth is 42.5mm
Weight:
10.2oz / 290g (w/out lens)
Caira camera: Design
No screen – you MagSafe your iPhone instead
Premium CNC-milled aluminum body
64GB internal memory
Caira alongside the Alice Camera, designed by the same makers (Image credit: Rashid Ahmad)
Imagine if Leica built a GoPro after a long lunch - that’s the Caira. There's Sigma BF vibes, too. A sleek, screen-less slab of CNC-milled metal that looks premium and feels it too.
The design strips away almost all buttons, because the company says creators are “overwhelmed by controls.” Fair. Now you’ll be overwhelmed by menus instead.
The MFT mount opens a vast lens ecosystem, from affordable pancakes to glass that costs more than your phone. And the 5,000 mAh battery means you can actually use it all day.
Best of all, there are no memory cards. You shoot, and the files appear in your iPhone’s Photos app almost instantly. It’s dangerously convenient.
Cair camera: Performance
11MP Four Thirds sensor with dual base ISO
Basic video specs – 4K video up to 30fps
Really effective Nano Banana voice control and generative edits
The Caira behaves like two products; a legitimate camera, and an unashamed AI experiment.
The camera hardware delivers – the 11MP Sony sensor combined with proper MFT glass (I used several of my Lumix lenses, including the 12-60mm f/2.8-4 lens) is an obvious leap from a smartphone, particularly in low light. Depth, sharpness, and texture all feel natural. The AI-tuned colour profile leans a little toward “Instagram - ready,” but never offensively so.
Caira's Smart Styles are surprisingly tasteful presets, that make you look more competent than you are. You can get a feel in the examples in the gallery below.
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An original photo taken with Caira (Image credit: Future / Rashid Ahmad)
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Turn the dress black (Image credit: Future / Rashid Ahmad)
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About 20 seconds later, the new image appears. (Image credit: Future / Rashid Ahmad)
The Caira's show piece is its AI features. Voice Control is genuinely handy when both hands are busy, or sticky with espresso, but Generative Editing is the main event.
Prompts like “make it nighttime” or “change his navy blazer to burgundy” return results in seconds – clean, convincing, a bit spooky.
Generative Editing is the feature that flattens the learning curve and streamlines the creative workflow. It’s powerful, fast, and feels like magic.
To its credit, the company has guardrails in place: no altering skin tone or facial features. I tried. It refused, nicely.
The Caira is a bold step. It’s a bet that the next generation of creators values AI-powered speed and flexibility as much as – or perhaps more than – traditional photographic purity. And based on what I’ve seen, it’s a bet they just might win.
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The original photo, using one of the more vibrant color profiles Caira has (Image credit: Future / Rashid Ahmad)
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Now with the generative prompt 'turn the dress black', which returned results way quicker than an outfit change. (Image credit: Future / Rashid Ahmad)
The Caira feels like a product born out of collective exhaustion. Someone, somewhere, finally admitted that no one actually enjoys editing - they just enjoy pretending they do. It’s bold, a little absurd, and far more capable than it has any right to be.
It won’t replace your main camera, and it won’t replace your phone either - but it might just replace your willpower to open Lightroom ever again.
It’s the perfect tool for those of us who still like the idea of photography - the ritual, the gear, the illusion of artistry - but who secretly just want the photo to look brilliant the moment we take it.
And truthfully? That’s probably the entire modern photographer.
Should you buy the Caira camera?
Buy it if...
You want a seamless shoot and edit experience, through your smartphone
Other cameras add way too many steps to the shoot - upload - edit - share process. Caira simplifies the whole process.
You want powerful edits in seconds, without the need for expensive editing software
Caira churns out the sorts of edits that used to take way more time with pricey software, and it does so directly on your phone.
Don't buy it if...
You want high-resolution photos
Just 11MP is pretty low by today's standards.
You're unsure about crowdfunding campaigns
To be fair, Caira's makers delivered with a previous project, the Alice Camera, but back at your own risk (or wait).
Caira accepts Micro Four Thirds lenses, like these two Lumix ones (Image credit: Rashid Ahmad)
How I tested the Caira camera
I tested Caira for two weeks
I paired it with Lumix lenses, including the 12–60mm f/2.8-4 lens
I connected my iPhone and made use of the various Nano Banana features
Camera Intelligence sent me one of just 50 pre-production units for a two week trial. I used it mostly to photograph things that didn’t deserve this much computing power.
It locks to the iPhone via MagSafe and connects over Wi-Fi through the Caira iOS app. Setup takes seconds, and then you’re in. I paired it with a Lumix 12–60mm f/2.8-4 – a brilliant lens that I immediately wasted on photographing coffee cups, pool balls, and other cameras.
When you think of action cameras, GoPro will likely spring to mind before DJI. While it wasn’t a complete surprise that the latter company, best known for its drones, made the move into the action cam market, it's had to do a lot of work over the past few years to catch up, and offer something that stands out from the competition.
The GoPro Hero 13 Black is arguably the action camera all others will currently be judged against, so DJI’s latest model in the Osmo series, the Osmo Action 6, has a lot to prove. That said, the quality of its predecessors, most notably the Osmo Action 5 Pro, has been hard to ignore, and based on my experience with that camera I had great expectations going into this review.
Fresh from reviewing the entry-level GoPro Lit Hero and Insta360 X4 Air, I was immediately impressed by the Osmo Action 6’s user-friendliness; the menus are easy to navigate, and the screens are a breeze to work with. Images and video also look amazing on these high-quality monitors, so reviewing the fruits of my shooting sessions was a pleasure.
Image quality is superb, benefiting from a larger 1/1.1-inch sensor, which produces excellent detail and color rendition in good lighting and stand-out noise performance as ambient light levels fall. I’d happily use the Osmo Action 6 as my main carry-everywhere camera, or as a backup to a mirrorless system for capturing unique perspectives from places those larger cameras simply can’t go.
The DJI Osmo Action 6 is a similar size to earlier models, despite featuring a larger sensor inside (Image credit: Future/Peter Fenech)
I thoroughly enjoyed using the additional accessories, such as the Macro Lens, ND Filter Set, and FOV Boost Lens, which make the whole system feel pro-grade and versatile. If you're a fan of the GoPro mods, you’ll be happy to see DJI making efforts to expand the modular compatibility of its action cameras. Once you add in the streamlined compatibility with the wireless DJI microphones, I see the Osmo Action 6 as an indicator of great things to come.
DJI Osmo Action 6 specs
DJI Osmo Action 6 Specs:
Type:
Action camera
Sensor:
1/1.1-inch CMOS
LCDs:
OLED, Front: 1.46-inch/ Rear: 2.5-inch
Memory:
50GB internal/ MicroSD
Lens:
155-degree FOV, f/2 - f/4
Video:
Up to 4K/120p, FHD/240p
Photo:
38MP
Dimensions:
72.8 x 47.2 x 33.1mm
Weight:
5.3oz / 149g
(Image credit: Future/Peter Fenech)
DJI Osmo Action 6: Price and availability
Released November 18; not available in US at launch
Osmo Action 6 Standard Combo costs £329 / AU$669
Osmo Action 6 Adventure Combo costs for £415 / AU$839
DJI's Osmo Action 6 is available now, priced at £329 / AU$669 for the Standard Combo, while the prices rises to £415 / AU$839 for the Adventure Combo which adds two batteries, an extra quick-release mount and locking screw, battery case and 1.5m extension rod to the standard bundle.
Like recent DJI products, it's not available in the US at launch. A DJI spokesperson gave us the following statement:
"The DJI Osmo Action 6 will not be officially available in the US market through official websites following the global launch on 18th November. DJI remains committed to the U.S. market and is optimizing our strategy to best serve our customers amidst evolving local conditions."
Price score: 4.5/5
DJI Osmo Action 6: Design
Larger 2.5-inch rear LCD
IP68-rated weather and waterproofing
Waterproof to 20m
If you’ve used the Osmo Action 6’s predecessors, such as the DJI Osmo Action 3DJI Osmo Action 4, or DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro, there aren’t any drastic surprises in store for you design-wise. The body is a little bit larger, most notably in its width, measuring 72.8 x 47.2 x 33.1mm to the Osmo Action 5 Pro’s 70.5 x 44.2 x 32.8mm. It might be noticeable if you hold both cameras side-by-side, but in real-world terms it won’t make a huge difference to the handling experience.
The Osmo Action 6 remains super portable and lightweight, despite the inclusion of a larger sensor, which is impressive. As you’d expect from an action camera, it can be fitted into a coat pocket for easy transport or use on the move. However, fresh from testing the tiny GoPro Lit Hero, the Osmo Action 6 did feel quite chunky by comparison. This is a much higher-end product, however, featuring a larger CMOS unit, a lens aperture that's both adjustable and brighter, and a front LCD, all of which are missing from the entry-level GoPro.
I was immediately drawn to the 2.5-inch main LCD screen, which feels much bigger in use than the rival GoPro Hero 13 Black’s 2.27-inch monitor. Although this is still too small to get a truely precise idea of sharpness, it’s much nicer to look at than the screens on earlier models, and matches those on cameras like theInsta360 Ace Pro 2, which we ranked as the best premium action camera.
The Osmo Action 6 features a new variable-aperture lens for low light shooting, an industry first (Image credit: Future/Peter Fenech)
The screen itself was highly responsive in my tests, and I found it easy to access settings and navigate menus, even when the camera was wet or covered in a dusting of ground coffee (see the sample video below for context). I reckon I’d find it more practical to work with the Osmo Action 6 in cold weather than the native-portrait-orientation Insta360 X5 or Insta360 X4 Air.
Both the front and rear LCDs are crisp and easy to read in brighter light too. While smaller and lower-resolution, the front screen (1.46-inch, 342 x 342 pixels) is still useful, and doesn’t feel like an extra gimmicky feature that DJI threw in but which is ultimately pointless. I remember feeling that the front LCD on the GoPro Hero 9 Black was so laggy that there were times it was barely worth being there, for example.
The large shutter release is easy to locate without looking, speeding up operation. Also, I like DJI’s choice to place the microSD card slot in the battery bay, rather than alongside the USB-C port, something which proved fiddly and frustrating on the GoPro Lit Hero. I always appreciate integrated storage in a camera too, of which the Osmo Action 6 provides plenty at 50GB.
Design score:4.5/5
DJI Osmo Action 6: Performance
Impressive four-hour battery life
Effective RockSteady 3 and 3+ stabilization with reduced cropping
Excellent connectivity with external DJI mics
DJI claims a battery life of 240 minutes for the Osmo Action 6, similar to the Action 5 Pro. Shooting inside and out, I found that a single charge lasted about four hours using a mix of 1080p and 4K resolutions, across the various modes. This is impressive, although as the temperature dropped, so too did the battery life, so if you plan to work away from a power source for any length of time I’d still advise taking a few extra batteries.
The RockSteady image stabilization system also has an impact on battery longevity, although in my tests, this wasn’t anything major. The system itself is effective. While not a replacement for a gimbal, I found I could create commendable tracking shots free from micro vibrations. The same was true with POV walking shots.
The Osmo Action 6 continued to perform well after being submerged in water, with the screen remaining responsive. Once it was removed from the water the lens quickly repelled remaining droplets, as did the body, making the camera easy to dry off.
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(Image credit: Future/Peter Fenech)
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(Image credit: Future/Peter Fenech)
The camera features voice control, which is either ideal or an irritation depending on the environment. When it worked, being able to give the Osmo Action 6 a voice command such as “start recording” helped free up my hands, while reducing the amount of footage I had to trim as I positioned the camera for my shots. On several occasions, it didn’t respond, or I didn’t realise it hadn’t stopped recording after a command at the end of the shot. If the microphone is obscured in any way, it produces mixed results.
Speaking of sound, I was surprised by the quality of the internal microphone. While an external mic like the DJI Mic Mini gives you more versatility, as well as depth of audio, the built-in mic didn’t have the thin sound common to similar mics on other small cameras.
If you own the Mic Mini or DJI Mic 2, connecting them to the Osmo Action 6 couldn’t be easier. Simply pressing and holding the link button on the mics themselves until the indicator light flashes blue is all it takes to get audio recording off-camera, giving video that extra professional edge.
Performance score: 4.5/5
DJI Osmo Action 6: Image quality
Larger sensor enables better low-light performance than Osmo Action 5 Pro
Along with smartphones, I think that action cameras best demonstrate how far sensor and processor technology have come over the past decade or so. By mirrorless camera standards, the 1/1.1-type sensor housed in the Osmo Action 6 is small, at around 14mm on the diagonal, yet in my testing it produced better results than a high-end compact camera from circa 2014.
The Osmo Action 6 sees a big jump in sensor size from the 1/1.3-type CMOS of the Action 5 Pro, but uses a similar resolution of 38MP for still images.. This allows for greater pixel pitch (the distance from the center of one pixel to its neighbors), which benefits light-gathering capacity; the pixel size is 2.4 micrometers. An image measuring 7168 x 5376 is still quite a lot of pixels for this sensor format, but while I wasn’t amazed by the camera’s low-light performance, nor did I find it especially problematic.
Detail in stills becomes a little smudged from around ISO 800 and above, shooting in gloomy indoor lighting, but outdoors, or in direct artificial light, noise levels are kept at respectable levels for an action camera. Colors are also still quite punchy.
Video footage, meanwhile, is excellent in moderate low light. There is noise visible, but the grain size looks very fine, meaning it’s easier to ignore in areas of the image containing flat tones. I thought in-camera processing coped well, minimizing noise without obliterating texture.
The auto White Balance system is fairly accurate, even when faced with strong fall colors (Image credit: Future)
I did notice that some quite excessive sharpening is applied in some circumstances, no doubt to counteract any noise-reduction related degradation. It isn’t a deal-breaker, but you might want to turn down the default sharpening (known as Texture in the Image Adjustment menu) for a more organic look.
The SuperNight mode is designed to produce a brighter image in low-light conditions by increasing the exposure digitally, then applying AI noise-reduction processes to minimize grain. This produces footage with significantly less texture, so I wouldn’t recommend it if your video is likely to be viewed on a larger screen, where this effect will be far more noticeable. In everyday shooting scenarios, or for social media, however, it captures brighter shadows, so it's useful for shooting around cities. There's a lot less distracting noise, too.
I enjoyed using the Slow Motion mode as a means of capturing share-ready footage in-camera; however, for professional uses, I’d recommend switching to a higher frame rate, shooting your footage, and manually applying the Slow Mo effect in editing.
I really appreciated the Color Recovery feature when shooting in D-Log M, which allows you to preview how the footage would look with a profile applied. This doesn’t bake in any edit settings, but merely gives you an idea of the final image after grading.
All of the shooting conditions mentioned above would be challenging for any camera, and once you take the DJI Osmo Action 6 out into bright daylight, the quality is superb. Combined with the flexibility of the Log mode, it’s possible to capture excellent levels of detail and natural colors.
GoPro Hero 13 Black users might bemoan the ‘limited’ 4K resolution here, in favor of the 5.3K available on that model, but 4K is fine in all but the most specific of situations. I still shoot in Full HD as standard when creating content for social platforms, unless I know that for some reason I’ll need to crop or recompose my frame in DaVinci Resolve. The workflow is faster, and viewers are unlikely to perceive a difference in Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts, for instance.
Image quality score: 4.5/5
DJI Osmo Action 6: testing scorecard
Insta360 X4 Air
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Price
Considering it's technically an upgrade to the X4, the X4 Air is significantly cheaper, which is welcome. There is the matter of the DJI Osmo 360, though.
4.5/5
Design
Everything is logically placed and the controls are easy to access. It's a proven design that continues to work well for DJI.
4.5/5
Performance
The LCDs are responsive and attractive, while the RockSteady stabilization system is highly effective.
4.5/5
Image quality
Yes, there may be no 8K, but 4K and FHD footage is sharp, clean, and punchy. The larger sensor is doing its job, and the Osmo Action 6 is a great competitor to the GoPro Hero 13 Black.
4.5/5
Should I buy the DJI Osmo Action 6?
Buy it if...
You aren't married to GoPro
While it makes sense to stick to GoPro if you already own plenty of mods, the Osmo Action 6 represents the direction DJI is heading with its action cameras, and there's plenty to like. View Deal
You want high-end imagery
There are a lot of features and functions to play with, so a pro user will find something for every shooting occasion. Make the most of the low-light performance and slo-mo functions for advanced projects.View Deal
Don't buy it if...
You want a simple camera
The camera is designed for experienced videographers, so all of those features and functions might prove to be intimidating if you haven't used them before. There might be too much here if you want a point-and-shoot model.View Deal
You have lots of GoPro accessories
DJI is hoping to build its own follower base, so it you already own and frequently use GoPro mods, across an advanced system, you might not want to start from scratch with an incompatible camera. There are currently fewer accessories in the DJI ecosystem too, which is worth bearing in mind if you need something specific.View Deal
Also consider
Insta360 X5
The top-of-the-range model in the Insta360 family, the X5 is larger but more powerful. It enables recording up to 5.7K at 60fps, and features dual 1/1.28-inch sensors with larger pixels and greater light-gathering capacity. It also features the newer PureVideo mode that's missing on the X4 and X4 Air, providing superior performance under poor lighting. The build quality and control layout are familiar, but with the added benefit of a larger LCD. If you want to shoot 360-degree video as well as shooting in extreme conditions, this is the best option.
While it may have only been an iterative upgrade to its predecessor, the Hero 13 Black is built on an expansive system of accessories. You'll find a mod for every occasion, plus there's a higher-resolution 5.3K video option, while the Osmo Action 6 is limited to 4K. This is the enthusiast's go-to action camera.
I tested a full production model running release firmware over several days
I mounted the camera on the bundled 1.5-meter extension Rod or Dual-Direction Battery Handle
I recorded videos in varying lighting conditions, both indoors and outside
To ensure I was able to get a true sense of the Osmo Action 6's capabilities, I shot in a range of lighting conditions. My indoor tests involved a vlog-style shoot, testing the sensor's high-ISO performance and the camera's temperature and water resistance (I placed the camera in a freezer and poured cold water over it for a unique POV). I then took the camera out into the countryside, where I filmed close to and underwater. These shoots also gave me the opportunity to use the optional macro lens and FOV Boost lens. All audio was captured using the in-camera mic. Footage was edited in DaVinci Resolve 20.
The DJI Neo was a cheap beginner drone that represented a push in a new direction for the brand: it was designed primarily for shooting very short clips and photos for social media, and its size and simplicity (it could be flown without a controller) made it a carry-anywhere device.
A year on, the DJI Neo 2 is here, and I'm happy to report that it retains the core appeal of the original model – affordable, simple and small – while also packing some meaningful improvements.
(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)
For me, the headline upgrade is the addition of an omnidirectional obstacle avoidance system. One of the Neo's weaknesses was a tendency to crash, particularly when you were using one of its automated flight modes, but the new setup, with combined vision and LiDAR sensors, makes collisions a lot less likely.
The camera has also been improved, with better image stabilization thanks to a new two-axis gimbal, higher frame-rate options for 4K video, and slightly improved sensitivity. And there's now almost 50GB of onboard storage, up from 22GB on the original model.
For automated flight modes I liked the new onboard screen, which is much more informative and useful than the icon-based indicators on the Neo.
Aside from these tweaks, things are much the same as on the Neo, for better or worse. Flight time is still a little on the short side, so investing in multiple batteries is recommended, while on the control front, the option to supplement autonomous flight with manual control from a smartphone running the DJI Fly app or a full-blooded twin-stick controller makes the Neo 2 far more than a simple selfie drone.
DJI Neo 2: release date and price
Released November 13 2025
Base kit costs £209 / AU$409, Fly More Bundle costs £349 / AU$709
Not officially available in US
DJI announced the Neo 2 on November 13 2025, a little over a year after the launch of the original Neo. It's available to order immediately in most of the world, in the following options:
DJI Neo 2 (drone only) from £209 / AU$409; DJI Neo 2 Fly More Combo, which includes the drone plus three batteries and a charging hub, from £289 / AU$549; DJI Neo 2 Fly More Combo, which includes the above plus an RC-N3 controller, from £349 / AU$709; and DJI Neo 2 Motion Fly More Combo, which includes the batteries and hub plus a motion controller and FPV headset.
When the original Neo arrived last year, it was priced from £169 / AU$299, so the Neo 2 is a slightly pricier prospect. However, given its extra features and functionality, I think the extra cost is justified, and it's still one of the cheapest non-toy drones on the market.
As with all recent DJI products, the Neo 2 is not coming to the US market. DJI has released the following statement: "The DJI Neo 2 will not be officially available in the US market through official websites following the global launch on November 13. DJI remains committed to the U.S. market and is optimizing our strategy to best serve our customers amidst evolving local conditions."
160g weight with Digital Transceiver fitted (151g without)
49GB of built-in storage
The overall look of the Neo 2 is similar to last year's original – this is a small, non-folding 'whoop'-style quadcopter with integrated propeller guards and a nose-mounted camera. But on closer inspection there are some key differences.
One major departure is an extra pod on the back, complete with rabbit-ear antennas. This is a Digital Transceiver, which comes pre-installed on certain versions of the drone and allows it to connect to DJI accessories like controllers and headsets. Without it, the Neo 2 can only be flown with a smartphone or completely controller-free.
For me, the most welcome change is the inclusion of a small display on the front, which indicates which flight mode the drone is in. It's a big improvement on the Neo's light-up icons, which I always found confusing. This display, along with the three buttons arranged along one side of the drone, makes controller-free flight much simpler this time around, and meant I didn't feel the need to pull out my phone and connect to the DJI Fly app so often.
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The Neo 2's tiny screen is a major upgrade over the original's icon indicators (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)
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These buttons are used to choose the flight mode and begin an automated flight. (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)
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The transceiver allows you to fly the Neo 2 with a controller. (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)
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(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)
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The battery charging hub makes topping up multiple batteries a much easier process. (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)
These changes haven't greatly affected the shape or weight of the drone compared to the original, and at around 160g with the transceiver or 151g without, it falls well under the key 250g threshold. In the EU, it's a Class 0 model, and with these classifications coming to the UK soon it means the Neo 2 can be flown in most locations, closer than 50m to uninvolved people and over people (but not over crowds).
The build quality is what you'd expect from a DJI drone: despite the lightweight plastic, it feels solid and well built. An included plastic cover fits on to protect the camera when it's not in use, and extra prop guards come pre-installed to protect both the propellers and the fingers of users from harm. These can be removed, should you need to replace the propellers.
I had no fears about tossing the Neo 2 into my backpack when travelling, although I was a little surprised that the Fly More Combo DJI sent me to review didn't come with some kind of carrying bag or case.
The Neo 2's batteries pop in and out easily, and can be charged either inside the drone or using the optional three-battery hub. The drone has its own USB-C port for both charging and data transfer, and like the original model there's no microSD card slot for storage expansion. The built-in storage has been upgraded though, from the Neo's 22GB to 49GB. That's enough for about 105 minutes of 4K 60fps footage or 175 minutes of 4K 30fps footage.
DJI Neo 2: features and performance
Range of built-in flight modes and QuickShots
Also compatible with DJI controllers
49GB of built-in storage space
The Neo 2 is first and foremost a selfie drone, designed for capturing quick shots of you and yours for your holiday album or social media. To that end, it comes with a range of built-in automated flight modes, plus QuickShots, which is designed to record a video or take a photo while flying in a preset and predictable manner. To see some of these in action, check out the video embedded in the next section of this review.
The Neo 2 also features pretty impressive tracking capabilities, allowing it to follow the user using just its camera, filming as it does so. It can do this while you're on foot, on a bike or even skiing, and having tested the first two methods I can say it's very adept at doing this.
You can set it to follow you at various angles and distances, and I found it easiest to set these using the DJI Fly app, connected to the Neo 2 via Wi-Fi. The drone's own screen and buttons can be used for this too, but it's just simpler and more reliable to do it using your phone in my experience.
The Fly More Combo comes with a DJI RC-N3 controller, which allows you to fly the Neo 2 like a 'standard' DJI camera drone (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)
I also flew the Neo 2 using touchscreen controls and the DJI Fly app on a smartphone, and the RC-N3 controller. The app flight controls are quite rudimentary, but the drone responded well to them, and I think they're fine for getting it into a particular position for a photo or video.
With the controller, the flight experience becomes much more like a traditional DJI camera drone, and the drone flies nimbly and responsively here – albeit with less wind resistance and speed than a fully-fledged Mini, Air or Mavic drone.
As with the Neo, the Neo 2 is also suitable for FPV flying, if you have a set of compatible DJI Goggles and RC Motion Controller. I wasn't able to test this out personally, unfortunately.
The Neo 2 can stay airborne for around 18 minutes in ideal conditions, but in real-world use, this tends to be closer to 10 minutes (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)
Perhaps the biggest flight upgrade on the Neo 2 is the addition of omnidirectional object sensing, which prevents the drone from crashing into trees, fences and the like during its automated flights. It even uses LiDAR for the forward-facing sensor.
Given that the original had essentially no object avoidance at all, it's a game-changer, and in my tests it worked well. For example, rather than flying into tree branches behind it, I noticed it dropped in altitude to get underneath them – impressive stuff from such a small, affordable drone.
Battery life is about the same as the original Neo: 18 or so minutes in ideal conditions. In real-world use, I found it to be closer to 10 minutes, so if you're planning on flying for extended periods then the Fly More Combo, with its extra batteries and charging cradle, feels like a sensible option.
DJI Neo 2: image and video quality
1/2-inch image sensor
4K video capture up to 100fps
12MP JPEG photography
The camera is mounted on a two-axis gimbal and includes electronic image stabilization. (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)
The Neo 2 offers a modest image quality upgrade, but uses what appears to be the same 12MP 1/2-inch sensor as its predecessor. The camera is now mounted on a new two-axis gimbal which, partnered with the RockSteady electronic image stabilization brought over from the original Neo, manages to keep the horizon level while shooting.
In higher winds, there's a little less stability to the camera than I'd expect from a full-blooded DJI camera drone – but then this isn't one of those, and it performs excellently for a drone in this price bracket.
The camera provides a 119.8-degree field of view, with a full-frame equivalent focal length of 16.5mm, which is wide without adding too much corner distortion. The aperture is fixed at f/2.2, making the camera slightly faster than the Neo's f/2.8 lens. ISO range has been improved too, and now runs from 100 to 12800 in most shooting modes.
The Neo 2 isn't a "serious" camera drone in the same way as many of its DJI stablemates, but can still manage 4K capture at up to 60fps (or 100fps when using a controller). I think the footage and 12MP photos look more than acceptable straight from the camera, but if you're expecting pro-level quality you're going to be disappointed. There are no options to shoot in anything other than the Standard color profile for video, and no RAW option for photos. There's no way to fit ND filters on the camera either.
If you can live with these limitations and take the Neo 2 for what it is, you should be more than happy with its camera performance. I know I was – for such a small and simple drone, it delivers results that are ideal for social media sharing.
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(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)
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(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)
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DJI Neo 2: testing scorecard
DJI Neo 2
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Price
Not quite as cheap as its predecessor, but still superb value
5/5
Design
Small, lightweight and well constructed
4/5
Performance
Lots of control options, now with obstacle avoidance
5/5
Image and video quality
Simple stuff, but gets the job done
4/5
Should I buy the DJI Neo 2?
(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)
Buy it if...
You want a simple, small drone With the option to fly controller-free, the Neo 2 keeps things beautifully simple – and its obstacle avoidance makes crashing much less likely than was the case with the original Neo.
You’re on a limited budget The Neo 2 is affordable compared with some of DJI's more advanced drones, especially if you buy the base kit. It's a great way to get into drone flying.
You already own DJI FPV accessories If you already own a DJI FPV controller (Motion 3 or FPV 3) and DJI Goggles N3 or 3, the Neo 2 gives you a lightweight, restriction-free alternative to the Avata.
Don't buy it if...
You want advanced photo and video capabilities The Neo 2 is designed with capturing quick shots and clips in mind. Despite its 4K resolution it's not a 'serious' camera drone – you'll need to move further up DJI's range for those.
You want a 'real' FPV drone While FPV flight is possible by adding a headset and controller, the prohibitive combined cost means you're better off buying a DJI Avata 2 instead. It's better suited to the job too.View Deal
DJI Neo 2: also consider
DJI Mini 5 Pro
If you're more interested in image quality than simplicity and affordability, but still want something small, I don't think there's a better 250g-ish drone than the DJI Mini 5 Pro. Its 1-inch sensor delivers incredible videos and photos, and it's a brilliantly easy drone to fly thanks to a raft of safety features.
The HoverAir X1 Pro is perhaps a better overall selfie drone than the DJI Neo 2, thanks to its incredible tracking capabilities and clever folding (and highly pocketable) design. However, it's a lot pricier, and in my opinion that makes it a bit less appealing than the cheap and cheerful Neo 2.
Flown with the DJI RC-N3 Controller, direct app control and without app
Flown outside in dry but breezy conditions
I tested the DJI Neo 2 outdoors during the autumn of 2025 in the UK, in dry but fairly blustery weather conditions. The aim was to test all the functions, features and flight modes of the drone in real-world situations, in order to properly assess its capabilities and limitations.
Of the control options available on the drone I tested voice control, palm take-off without the use of the DJI Fly app, app control, and the DJI RC-N3 Controller. I was not able to test its FPV abilities, lacking the necessary gear to do so.
Half-frame cameras have garnered a bit of a cult following – enough for Pentax to make the Pentax 17 half-frame film camera (which we love) and for Fujifilm to make the X half, which is more of a digital ‘tribute’ to half-frame cameras than a faithful replica.
Film cameras have become a big thing among photographers trying to recapture the feel and mood of analog media, and the camera designs that went with it. Check out our guide to the best film cameras to see a long list of all the new film cameras on the market, and some classic oldies that are definitely worth seeking out on the used market. If you're new to all this, we also have a guide to camera film sizes and types.
The basic principle of a half-frame analog camera is that it uses regular 35mm film, but instead of capturing images horizontally using the 24mm height of the film and a horizontal width of 36mm, it captures images vertically, so they're 24mm high and 18mm wide (or 17mm if you allow for the extra gap between the half frames).
You get twice as many shots on the roll as they're roughly half the size – and the camera takes vertical rather than horizontal photos (of course, you can rotate the camera to swap from vertical to horizontal if you need to).
Looks like a regular 35mm film camera inside, right? Not quite – usual horizontal 35mm film gate is replaced with a vertical 'half-frame' format. (Image credit: Rod Lawton)
You do get twice as many exposures on a roll of film, which sounds like a cost saving, but then you have to find a lab that will do half -frame prints, and printing will cost more because there are more prints.
But by a strange twist of fate, half-frame cameras are particularly well suited to social sharing because they match the vertical orientation of mobile devices in a way that camera makers of old could never have anticipated.
Back, then, to the Kodak Ektar H35N. This is an improved version of the Ektar H35 we reviewed in 2024, replacing that camera's plastic lens with a glass one. We weren't over-impressed with the Ektar H35 at the time, but since then we've been swept along by a huge surge of interest in analog photography, so maybe this improved point and shoot Kodak deserves a second look.
Where half-frame cameras have so far been a somewhat expensive hipster fad, the Kodak is about as cheap as it’s possible for a camera to get. It’s also extremely crude, and is essentially no more sophisticated then a disposable single-use film camera.
The Kodak H35N takes a single AAA battery, but this is solely to power the flash – the camera doesn't need it to operate. (Image credit: Rod Lawton)
The difference is that you can open the back to load and unload film, and you can swap out the single AAA battery for the flash. If you don’t use the flash, you don’t need the battery.
And in case you’re wondering what kind of exposure system it has and how the focusing works, it doesn’t really have either. It relies on the huge latitude of analog negative films to capture images in daylight ranging from bright sun to heavy overcast, and indoors you simply have to use the flash and stick to close-range subjects. The harsh flash look is really trending right now for its retro vibes, and this little Kodak does it brilliantly.
The focus is fixed. The lens has an aperture of f/11, so it has enough depth of field for distance of 1m and beyond, depending on how much sharpness you expect. This camera is all about the look, not technical precision.
The lens has a fixed aperture of f/11 and there are no exposure or focus controls. The ring around the lens is just to switch the flash on and off (if you can budge it). (Image credit: Rod Lawton)
This may not sound like the kind of camera you could be even remotely interested in, but hold on. You do have to shoot in the right kind of light (daylight or with flash), and you do have to trust your film to deal with degrees of overexposure and underexposure which would send a digital sensor into a tailspin. But you adapt surprisingly quickly. It’s a simple camera designed to do a simple job, and it does it brilliantly. If you could even contemplate using an Instax, this is cheaper and gives you much bigger and better prints with all the same character and more.
Bottom line? I started out in film photography and I know the limitations of analog film and its particular charm. The Kodak H35N took me straight back to simpler times and simpler cameras. I thought I would hate it, but I loved it.
Kodak Ektar H35N: price
$64.99 / £67 (around AU$98)
Factor in the cost of developing and printing – half-frame is more specialized and expensive
The Kodak Ektar H35N is a cheap camera! Its price is a million miles from the (expensive) sophistication of the Pentax 17 half-frame camera. The Kodak is also very basic. In fact, you can think of it as a bit like a disposable camera that you can re-use. It's available in a variety of colors and styles, and at a typical price of $64.99 / £67 (around AU$100), it’s a cute, inexpensive buy.
It’s crude, but at this price you probably won’t care. Do factor in the cost of developing and printing, though. You’ll need to find a lab that will process film from half-frame cameras, and the cost of prints will double – after all, there are twice as many per roll of film!
Kodak Ektar H35N: specs
Format:
35mm half-frame
Lens:
22mm f/11 (approx. 30mm effective)
ISO:
ISO 200 or 400 film recommended
Focus:
Fixed at approx. 1m-infinity
Flash:
Built in
Exposure:
Auto plus bulb
Battery:
1x AAA (for flash)
Viewfinder:
Optical, direct vision
Size:
110mm x 62mm x 39mm, 110g
Kodak Ektar H35N: design
Plastic build but looks smart
Simple controls (well, no controls really)
No issues with film loading, shooting and rewinding
Small but effective optical viewfinder
The metal-look front panel gives the H35N a touch of class, but it really is a very basic camera. (Image credit: Rod Lawton)
There's a catch on the side for opening the film back, but it's not easy to move by accident, thankfully. (Image credit: Rod Lawton)
The film leader slides into a slit in the take-up spool. I usually pull a bit more out to make sure it's gripped properly (Image credit: Rod Lawton)
There's a tiny frame counter on the top which shows you how many frames you've taken (Image credit: Rod Lawton)
The film is finished when you can't wind on any more. You then hold down the transport release button, fold out the rewind crank and rewind the whole film back into the canister (Image credit: Rod Lawton)
The Ektar H35N might be lightweight plastic, but the front panel has an attractive metallic finish that looks rather smart. Kodak has a knack for making cheap cameras look rather better than they are.
The lens is surrounded by a switch to activate the flash mode. This was extremely stiff on my review sample, so not exactly as convenient as it should be. To one side of the lens there’s another switch for the built in ‘star filter’. Is this useful? Possibly.
On the top, there’s not much to see at all. There’s a big shutter release, a cable release socket for bulb exposures – so you can actually do night shots if you don’t mind estimating how long you need to hold the shutter open for – and there’s also a frame counter to let you know how many shots you’ve taken.
Round the back it’s all semi-matte black plastic. There’s a somewhat stiff and vague switch at the side for opening the back to load and unload film, but you do not want to open the back accidentally, so it’s no bad thing if it is a little fiddly.
Once the film is loaded you use a thumbwheel at the bottom left to advance the film. In standard film camera style, you can’t take a shot until the film is wound on and the shutter is cocked – and once you’ve taken the shot, you have to wind on again to re-cock the shutter. It’s foolproof. And, plastic or not, the film advance and shutter release worked perfectly.
A second little switch alongside the lens activates the Star Filter. Useful? Hmm, maybe (Image credit: Rod Lawton)
Even film loading is straightforward. I had to pull out just a little more of the film leader to engage properly with the take-up spool, and then I did my usual thing after the back was closed, which is to take up the tension on the rewind crank and check it’s turning as I advance to the first frame. It worked fine.
You know when the film is at the end because you can’t wind on any further, so you press a button in the base to disengage the film transport mechanism, and wind it all back into the film canister with the crank handle.
The Ektar H35N might be cheap, but mine worked fine, with no film jams, no accidental double exposures, and no dramas at all.
Kodak Ektar H35N: performance
Good picture quality
Surprisingly tolerant to changing light
Nice vintage flash look
Good colors and contrast (I used a good lab)
If you fancy Lomography style images without Lomography prices, this is your camera! (Image credit: Rod Lawton)
The in-built flash gives a harsh, short-range light, but this look is really on-trend right now (Image credit: Rod Lawton)
This trip to a pumpkin patch in late-October gloom worked out really well, despite me using ISO 200 film (ISO 400 would have been better) (Image credit: Rod Lawton)
The resolution is limited so the fixed-focus lens isn't much of a disadvantage, and you can shoot objects quite close up (Image credit: Rod Lawton)
I started out in film photography before switching to digital right when digital cameras first came in – and there are a few things I'd forgotten about shooting with film.
First, there's nothing quite like opening a pack of prints from the photo lab and looking through them. It doesn’t matter what kind of monitor you have on your desktop – I have a 27-inch 4K BenQ – or what kind of phone or tablet; a digital display is simply not the same as holding a stack of prints in your hand and going through them one by one. Maybe you don’t care – that’s fine – but for me it was a reminder of just how much value simple physical objects can have.
Of course, you can get your digital camera or smartphone images printed too. But they don’t look like this. Digitally-captured images are so technically superior that there’s almost no comparison. By contrast, my images from the Ektar H35N were softer, with crushed shadows and a faint ethereal glow characteristic of analog color negative films. I review photo-editing software as well as cameras, and I haven't yet found a film simulation or plug-in that can give quite the same look.
In good light the colors are very good and details look crisp in 6 x 4-inch prints – though you wouldn't want to blow these pictures up any larger (Image credit: Rod Lawton)
This was shot with the Star Filter engaged. It does seem a bit of a gimmick, to be honest (Image credit: Rod Lawton)
And here’s the thing. Imperfect and murky as they sometimes are, the photographs from this camera are just like the ones in the photo albums of your mum and dad, your aunts and uncles. The Kodak's images have a kind of connection with these old photos.
Have you noticed that we’ve all got pictures separated by a great digital divide, when digital cameras took over from film? Your digital photos have a clinical ’now-ness’ that separates them from these older analog photos. Does that make sense? The Kodak H35N, for all is cheapness, crudeness and its limitations, shoots in that older style, and fits right in with your analog family archives.
No, I’m not going to shoot with it every day. My photography is digital now. But that doesn’t stop me from appreciating just what this cheap little Kodak does, and what it brings back that perhaps we'd forgotten.
Should you buy the Kodak Ektar H35N?
(Image credit: Rod Lawton)
Buy it if…
You want to get a taste of the analog look
The Kodak Ektar H35N is so cheap there’s nothing to lose. Film, developing and printing can be expensive, but you can still just try it once to see if it’s your thing.
You want a break from digital overload
Once you’ve got the film loaded, the Ektar H35N is incredibly simple to use. There are literally no controls – you wind it on, look through the viewfinder, press the shutter button.
You want album- or frame-ready prints
This is the beauty of analog negative film – prints come as standard. There's nothing like the anticipation and satisfaction of opening a packet of prints fresh from the photo lab.
Don’t buy it if…
You’re expecting high-quality art
The Ektar is a snapshot camera, pure and simple. The prints you’ll get back have that classic lo-fi snapshot look. You could scan the negatives, but you won’t be printing them big.
You want to learn about analog photography
You won’t learn anything from this camera. It’s as basic as a camera can get, with no shutter speed, aperture or focus control. You might, however, learn how amazingly tolerant film can be.
You’re looking for a classy classic camera
The Ektar H35N looks cute enough, but this is not a camera you’ll want to show guests at a dinner party or flash around at photo meets (unless you like winding people up).
Also consider
The Pentax 17 is a ‘proper’ half-frame camera; in other words it has a good lens, proper focusing and exposure controls, and is built to last. If the Ektar H35N inspires you, the Pentax is the obvious step up.
If you like your photography truly hands-on, get the Lomography Konstruktor F (best film cameras), a plastic 35mm camera you have to make yourself. It’s cheap to buy, though a little challenging to make (yes, I’ve made one).
The Olympus Trip 35 (in our best film cameras round-up) is an all-time classic 35mm compact with auto exposure, zone focusing and a selenium metering cell around the lens that requires no batteries. A good used one won’t cost the earth and will give you great results.
How I tested the Kodak Ektar H35N
I tested it in different lighting conditions, inside and out
I checked the flash illumination in low light
I assessed how well it coped with subjects near the camera
I also checked that the film transport/rewind worked properly
I took the Kodak H35N on a series of days out and family outings, as well as testing it out in different lighting conditions at home. I used it on bright sunny days, overcast days, the gloom of late afternoon in October and even at dusk with flash.
It’s not like a digital camera where you can check to see what’s worked straight away. Instead, you have to trust in the inherent latitude of color negative film, and a big part of this test was to find out just how many prints I would lose, which makes a difference when you’re paying for developing and printing.
I tested how easy it was to load and unload films – a key point for novice analog users – and the reliability of the film advance/shutter release mechanism. I also tested the in-built flash and even the ‘star filter’, choosing shots with the sun in the frame or showing through trees.
I chose typical ‘snapshot’ subjects that families might shoot, but also the kind of compositions made popular by Lomography and its legions of analog fans. Could you really use a cheap camera like this for this kind of anti-mainstream retro-graphy?
