Canon may have started the f/2 full zoom trend with the monster-sized RF 28-70mm f/2 L USM, but it didn’t take Sony too long to hit back with its own Sony FE 28-70mm f/2 G Master lens, and now it’s gone a whole step further with the amazing FE 50-150mm f/2 G Master.
Sony
Sony started out in digital imaging some years back with a raft of low-cost, compact 'snapshot' cameras and some more advanced models for enthusiasts. After a couple of false starts in the interchangeable lens camera market, it's now found a winning formula – and how – with its full frame Sony A7 series and A9 mirrorless cameras. These have made it a major force in the pro photography and video market.
How does this keep happening – manufacturers launching cameras they can’t supply?
The culprit this time is the Fujifilm X-M5. Launched back in October 2024, the X-M5 looks a solid little vlogging camera at a very affordable price. It doesn’t have an electronic viewfinder or in-body stabilization, but it does offer open gate 6K video and 4K 60p with only a modest 1.18x crop. It’s also a very nicely made little camera. But, in April 2025, SIX MONTHS after its launch, where can you actually buy one?
The Sony FE 400-800mm f/6.3-8 G OSS fills a gap, but is it enough?
Sony is trying to make a name for itself in the world of professional sports photography, and on the camera front it’s done a great job with the Sony A9, the A9 II and then the A9 III with its astounding full frame global shutter for zero shutter distortion at any shutter speed. But you’ve also got to count in the excellent-but-expensive Sony A1 and A1 II, offering 50MP resolution and incredible burst speeds at the same time. So what’s happening with the lenses?
Are used digital cameras any good for photography today?
I don’t just shoot with older cameras. I also use a Fujifilm X-T5 for travel and a Canon EOS R8 for video and product photography. I also review many of the latest cameras, so I have plenty of context for comparing the performance of older used models. For regular everyday stills photography, I think so little has changed or advanced over the past ten years that most beginners and enthusiasts, even many professionals, will be perfectly happy with most of the mid-high-end cameras from the past decade.
My top 10 best used cameras to buy today: and I’ve owned all of them
This is not an exhaustive list! There are still lots of older cameras I will try to get hold of when good ones become available and funds permit. This list is of cameras I own right now or have owned, and which I think are particularly interesting buys. I happen to think that some of the best cameras have already been made, and that the new cameras now being released are not necessarily better than the ones we already had and which have now passed into history.
Sony A7 II review in 2024
Verdict: 4.5 stars The Sony A7 II was launched back in November 2014, which is a long time ago in the fast-moving world of digital camera technology. Yet for everyday stills photography, not that much has changed. Its 24MP sensor is on a par with modern rivals, its hybrid AF system lacks AI subject recognition but is still fast and responsive, and while its burst speed is a modest 5fps and it doesn’t shoot 4K video, these are not things that everyone needs. As a general purpose stills camera, the A7 II still feels fresh and modern – and it’s so cheap it’s hard to believe Sony can afford to keep selling it.
Sony wants $149 to add gridlines to your viewfinder
The announcement came via Alphauniverse, the official community site for Alpha users. It’s a paid for software upgrade key that will only apply to the A7 IV at first and won’t be available until March 2024.
I think the Sony A9 III is a one-in-a-thousand camera, and not in a good way
My argument is that the Sony A9 III fixes problems only one photographer in a thousand has – if that. It is, perhaps, a ‘halo’ camera that will impress a thousand times more armchair experts than actual photographers.
The Sony A9 III launches with stunning specs… and a wait of MONTHS
The New York launch of the Sony A9 III was met with the kind of whooping and hollering US audiences love, but also a few gasps and astonished mutterings from people not quite prepared for Sony’s technological tour de force.
Sony celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Alpha 7
It is indeed ten years since Sony launched the original Alpha 7 and Alpha 7R, and since then we’ve seen an avalanche of new A7 models and spin-offs. From being a pioneer in mirrorless camera development, Sony has gone on to dominate the full frame mirrorless camera market – though Canon, Nikon and Panasonic might have something to say about that.