This list might surprise you. It surprised me, anyway. It includes a whole bunch of cameras I still think of as being like, well, new(ish) but when you check the dates it turns out they’ve been around longer than we think.
Nikon
Nikon is one of the best-know brands in photography. Its Coolpix compact cameras are still going but in a declining market, while its DSLRs have been largely superseded by Nikon's latest Nikon Z mirrorless cameras. For a while some thought Nikon's continued prosperity was in some doubt, but the success of the Z series and in particular the flagship Z9 say otherwise.
DSLR autofocus issues and AF fine tuning
A comment in one of my recent articles about DSLRs made me realise that this was a topic I hadn’t covered. I am a DSLR fan (you may have noticed) but it’s true that DSLR phase-detect autofocus, while fast and efficient, is not always as accurate as a modern mirrorless system. I’m not talking about AF tracking or AF point coverage across the frame, I’m talking about precision, and the more complex way that DSLR autofocus works.
Sony has just won two EISA awards. one for the A7 V and one for the A7R VI, but is this really significant?
EISA stands for Expert Imaging and Sound Association, and it hands out camera awards every year. It’s not the only organisation to do this as there is also TIPA (Technical Image Press Association), which announces its own awards earlier in the year. Both organisations license out their award logos for camera makers to use in their marketing. If that sounds a little cosy, well, kind of.
Used DSLR bargains in 2026. What can you get for £500/$500? You’ll be amazed!
Used digital SLRs are just insane value for money right now – if you know which models to look out for. Some brands and some types are more sought after than others (I don’t why), so the trick is do dodge these and look for the real bargains that are just as good but way, way cheaper. Here’s my list.
Never used a DSLR before? Here’s what to expect
It’s easy to forget that a whole new generation of photographers has probably never used a DSLR. If you grew up in the mirrorless era, or you got into photography when mirrorless cameras were the norm, a DSLR will feel like a very strange beast… at first. Why even bring this up? Because a very strange thing is happening. As new camera sales dwindle, the used camera market is booming, and DSLRs are among the most popular retro purchase, because for now at least they are cheap, practical and powerful, and compatible with a lot of equally cheap lenses.
When we turned our back on DSLRs we gave up a lot of things we shouldn’t have
One of these is the optical viewfinder. When mirrorless cameras first came out, almost all of my tech journo colleagues embraced electronic viewfinders for showing what the camera will actually capture, and for the mechanical simplicity of the mirrorless design. I wasn’t so sure, but I couldn’t really explain why. Now I think I can.
The IBIS hall of shame – mirrorless cameras that don’t have in-body stabilization in 2026
Is in-body stabilization essential? Maybe not for stills photography, though it has some definite advantages. Video is a different matter, especially in cameras designed for video beginners, YouTubers and novice content creators. This is an audience that doesn’t have time for tripods, doesn’t want to mess with gimbals and doesn’t understand why their new camera is worse than their phone. So which mirrorless cameras don’t have IBIS in 2026 and is it a problem?
It’s not photo-graphy any more, it’s fomo-graphy – the fear of missing out on the latest camera tech
I little while ago I was seriously considering the Nikon Z7 – this was when it first came out in 2018. Then the Z7 II and its superior features made think I was wise to wait and then the Z8 arrived to make the Z7 look weak by comparison. But do you want to know the stupidest thing of all? If I had bought the Z7 right at the start, I’d still be perfectly happy with it today.
Forget the Nikon Z fc and Zf. The Nikon Df was the original
I reviewed the Nikon Df when it first came out in 2013, never imagining that it would be another 13 years before I finally owned one. Some people think the Df is a kind of Frankenstein camera, some people think it’s a work of art. It has more quirks, flaws and odd decisions than practically any other camera, but I don’t actually care. I mean, just look at it.
Nikon AF‑S DX 18‑105mm f/3.5‑5.6G ED VR review
Verdict: 4.5 stars Let’s get this straight from the start. The Nikon AF‑S DX 18‑105mm f/3.5‑5.6G ED VR is a low-cost kit lens with average but acceptable optical performance and plastic build – it even has a plastic lens mount. So why do I rate it so highly? This is where performance and specfications meet real-world handling. This a very ordinary lens, technically, but it’s light, really nice to use and has a great focal range. I can’t help but like it.