Best Mirrorless Camera 2023: Our five favourites to buy

The Nikon Z9 is a fantastically versatile camera designed to serve professionals in a wide range of applications from wildlife to sports to fashion photography and video. 

At 1340g the large and square camera certainly isn’t lightweight, but it’s still significantly smaller and less heavy than Nikon’s flagship DSLR, the D6. The Z9’s body is weather-sealed and there are also grips and shutter release buttons on two sides to make snapping portraits as comfortable as landscapes. 

The 3000-nit electronic viewfinder has a 120fps refresh rate and there’s a sharp 4-axis monitor with a 170-degree viewing angle. 

The Z9 packs a 45.7-megapixel full-frame stacked CMOS sensor for rich and detailed images, as well as a 493-point autofocus system with 10 AF-area modes to choose from and detection for nine different subject types. There’s also an incredibly fast burst mode capable of capturing 11-megapixel JPEGs at up to 120fps with full AF/AE. 

Finally, there’s support for 8K video at up to 60p or 4K at up to 120p. 

Aside from the camera’s size and weight, the main con here is the high price of the camera and the memory cards needed to store your photos. However, if you can stomach £5000, the Nikon Z9 is an excellent mirrorless camera. 

Reviewer: Hannah Davies

Full review: Nikon Z9

If you’re looking for a high-resolution full frame camera packed with features, you might want to consider the Sony a7R V. 

This mirrorless camera combines a durable build with a functional design, steering away from the retro styles preferred by Fujifilm and OM System. The camera is also surprisingly compact given its full-frame sensor. 

Along with weather sealing, the a7R V includes an ultrasonic actuator that oscillates 70,000 times per second to keep dust off the sensor and offers improved heat management to support 8K video recording for up to 30 minutes. 

There’s a 9.44m-dot EVF and a spacious 3.2-inch touch screen with a flip-out, vari-angle hinge that makes it easy to vlog with the camera. 

When it comes to features, one of Sony’s biggest strengths is autofocus. The a7R V is packed with AF technologies that improve the experience, including 693 phase-detection AF points, Real-Time Recognition to lock onto subjects and track them through the frame, and the ability to use AF in near-dark conditions. 

The camera can shoot up to 10fps, which isn’t the fastest on the market (the Fujifilm X-T5 delivers 15fps for a much lower price) but is very impressive considering these are 61-megapixel images. 

The images themselves are packed with detail and clarity with Sony delivering excellent colour rendition that is free from any green or orange colour casts. The sheer size of the images also means you can crop into images to recompose a scene without worrying about overly compromising on image quality. 

Finally, the Sony a7R V supports 8K video recording at up to 25p, or 4K at up to 60p. The camera includes ports for headphones and an external mic, and there’s the option to attach an external monitor via the full-size HDMI port. 

The Sony a7R isn’t the fastest camera around – and it certainly isn’t the cheapest – but it offers high-resolution stills and video, as well as impressive AF performance for less than the Nikon Z9. 

Reviewer: Matty Graham

Full Review: Sony a7R V

The Panasonic Lumix GH6 is the most impressive mirrorless camera with a Micro Four Thirds sensor we’ve reviewed and a great choice if you’re looking for something that is video-first but still offers great image quality. 

The GH6 offers a familiar shape and controls for anyone used to Panasonic’s GH series, but with the addition of a new cooling system and a new double-hinged touchscreen for greater flexibility than a regular vari-angle screen. 

The camera is capable of shooting 5.7K video at up to 60fps, and there are dedicated headphone and microphone ports, as well as a full-size HDMI output for external monitoring and recording and support for CFexpress Type B cards. There’s also support for Apple ProRes 422 HQ on board. 

The in-body image stabilisation offers up to 7.5 stops of motion compensation for stable video and the high resolution photo mode merges bursts together to capture 100-megapixel images. 

The autofocus is less impressive. We found it had a tendency to lose focus when tracking moving objects. This also isn’t a photography-first camera. While the GH6 can produce fantastic stills, if your main purpose isn’t video then you may be best looking elsewhere. 

Reviewer: Sam Kieldsen

Full review: Panasonic Lumix GH6

Fujifilm X-T4

A mirrorless camera with a retro style

Trusted Score

Pros

• 4K/60p 10-bit internal recording
• Intuitive handling
• Impressive battery life
• Stunning pictures

Cons

• Doesn’t come with external charger

The Fujifilm X-T4’s timeless retro design makes it one of the best looking cameras in the professional market – and its specs are just as impressive. 

The camera benefits from a rugged magnesium alloy frame for weather and dust resistance and there’s a good number of dials and switches without making the rear of the camera cluttered. 

There’s a 3.69 million dot OLED viewfinder that covers 100% of the frame for a clear view to compose and review your images and a 3-inch LCD touch screen that flips out of the camera. 

The X-T4 also features new in-body image stabilisation and the autofocus and battery performance have both seen massive improvements over the X-T3. Face detection and eye AF are particularly impressive and the camera is capable of shooting at up to 15fps in a burst. 

The camera supports F-Log and HLG picture profiles and can capture DCI 4K/60p at 200Mbps with 10bit 4:2:0 colour internally. There’s also the ability to record Full HD video at up to 240fps for an up to 10x slow motion effect.

One con here is that this camera doesn’t come with an external battery charger, meaning you’re forced to charge the battery in camera. There’s also no dedicated headphone input, but you can monitor audio via the USB-C port with the help of an adapter so this isn’t a significant drawback. 

Reviewer: Jon Devo

Full review: Fujifilm X-T4

Fujifilm X-H2

Best for detail

Trusted Score

Pros

• Superb detail from compact APS-C body
• 8K and Apple ProRes video recording

Cons

• Not the best low-light performer
• Pricey CFexpress Type B card required for some functions

The Fujifilm X-H2 is a ground-breaking camera with the highest-resolution APS-C sensor on the market. 

The non-stacked, rear-illuminated X-Trans CMOS sensor is designed with detail in mind rather than the speed offered by a stacked sensor. This is the main area that differentiates the X-H2 from the Fujifilm X-H2S, a near-identical camera that prioritises speed over resolution. 

The 40.2-megapixel sensor is the same one found in the Fujifilm X-T5, delivering the X-H2’s crisp 40-megapixel stills and 8K/30fps video. There’s also the Pixel Shift Multi Shot feature which combines multiple images to create staggering 160-megapixel super hi-res results. 

You can get higher-resolution sensors on full-frame and medium-format mirrorless cameras, but the APS-C format means the X-H2 can use cheaper and lighter lenses than larger rivals. This makes it a smart choice if you’re looking to build a large lens collection going forward. 

We found the image quality to be fantastic with rich detail and a pleasing tonality and dynamic range to the photos. It can shoot stills continuously up to 15fps with its mechanical shutter and up to 20fps with the electronic one, and the autofocus is fast and accurate with AI-assisted subject recognition onboard. 

The build is lightweight but rugged and weather-proof, and there’s an always-on LCD panel on the top plate to let you see your settings at a glance. 

The camera also comes with a crisp 0.5-inch OLED EVF with a 120fps refresh rate and a 3-inch vari-angle LCD monitor with touch support for settings like zoom and focus. 

This camera isn’t our top pick for tackling low-light environments and some functions will require you to spend more on a CFexpress Type B card but the Fujifilm X-H2 is nevertheless a powerful performer for both photo and video. 

Reviewer: Sam Kieldsen
Full Review: Fujifilm X-H2