Mirrorless Camera Reviews

Another year has come and gone, which means it’s time for Shutterbug to once again pick our favorite cameras and lenses of the past 12 months. With so much great photo gear to choose from in 2017, it was a difficult task. The below list though is a good summation of the cameras and lenses Shutterbug’s editors and writers most enjoyed shooting with last year.

So that there’s no confusion, this story is about a camera that was introduced in the fall of 2012. Like many of the cameras that I use, it’s not the latest or greatest—but it’s miles above the “good enough” threshold. And it’s very affordable in today’s secondhand marketplace. The Sony NEX 6 is an outstanding performer and it can be purchased at a true bargain price. Sound interesting?

While some mirrorless cameras might be mistaken for a small APS-C DSLR, albeit minus the pentaprism bulge, Canon’s EOS M6 is more akin to a compact camera that can take interchangeable lenses, either the growing list of dedicated EF-M lenses, or EF and EF-S lenses with an optional adapter. (My tests were with the EF-M 18-55mm IS STM lens, f/3.5-22 at wide and f/5.6-32 at tele, with an equivalent focal length of about 28-88mm.) 

The Leica TL2 is a mirrorless camera with an APS-C size 24-megapixel CMOS sensor, 3.7-inch touchscreen LCD, 49-point contrast-detect autofocus system and 32GB of onboard storage. Features include advanced, integrated Wi-Fi (with potent smartphone app), UHD 4K and Full HD video, and a variety of other attractions.

The Fujifilm X-T20 is a mirrorless system camera with a 24MP sensor that was developed by Fujifilm. This “X-Trans CMOS III” sensor is already used in Fujifilm’s top-of-the-line X-T2 and X-Pro2 mirrorless cameras. To optimize detail reproduction and sharpness the sensor doesn’t use a low-pass filter: it uses the unique “X-Trans” RGB pattern instead of the standard Bayer pattern.

Earlier this year Sony announced its new mirrorless flagship Alpha A9 camera to much fanfare. This successor to the Sony A7 offers a full frame 24MP sensor and a lot of speed, in every sense.

(Editor’s Note: With this Field Review, the Sony A9 has received Shutterbug’s Top Clicks award for exhibiting exceptional quality. Read about our Top Clicks award at this URL: http://bit.ly/2tnl0ny.)