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
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.
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.
Do lenses matter more than megapixels?
We assume that megapixels matter more than anything, and that a good lens on a high-resolution full frame camera will still be better than an excellent lens on a lower-resolution camera, right? Well, I thought I’d check.
Why are kit lenses getting worse?
It’s as if the makers of full frame mirrorless cameras have suddenly realized that there’s no point making mirrorless cameras smaller if the lenses are as big as ever. So there’s a trend now to make compact zooms for these cameras to cut down on the overall system size. That’s great. But in making these kit lenses compact, have they also made them next to useless?
The whole camera news cycle is broken: here’s why
Once upon a time (as all the best folk tales begin), camera launches were simple. A maker announced a camera, the secret was out, you could buy it straight away – or at least order it. Now, after years of reporting on camera launches and reviewing cameras, I do think that the whole camera product cycle has slowly but inexorably descended into chaos.
Sony launches a new 256GB V90 SD UHS-II TOUGH memory card
It’s the largest capacity yet in Sony’s SF-G TOUGH series, and joins existing 32GB, 64GB and 128GB versions. But what makes it so tough, and does it matter?