How to choose a mirrorless camera

When choosing a mirrorless camera, first look at the sensor size, then the continuous shooting speed, the focus system, anti-shake is also an important reference, and finally look at the size, weight and protection.

1. Let’s look at the sensor size first

Currently, the sensor sizes of mirrorless cameras are roughly divided into four categories: medium format, full frame, APS-C, and M4/3. The larger the sensor size, the higher the image quality. This is generally recognized. At the same time, the larger the sensor, the easier it is to obtain a very shallow depth of field effect, which is the so-called background blur effect, especially when taking portraits and macro shots. It helps, so this is one of the reasons why many people are obsessed with full-frame and larger-frame sensors.

2. Let’s look at the continuous shooting speed

Continuous shooting speed is also an important parameter that distinguishes high-end and low-end mirrorless cameras, although most entry-level mirrorless cameras now provide 8-10 shots. A continuous shooting speed of about /second (electronic shutter) is enough for amateur photography and those who like to capture children or pets running around and playing. However, if you are shooting sports subjects or wild animals, then an entry-level mirrorless camera will be enough. It cannot meet your needs, so you can only consider mid-range or higher-end models.

Mid-range models can generally achieve a continuous shooting speed of about 16-20 frames/second, and if you have enough budget, then some top-performance cameras may be your best choice. For example, the full-frame mirrorless Sony A1 and Nikon Z9 have achieved continuous shooting of 30 frames per second, and the APS-C frame Fujifilm X-H2S has reached an unprecedented maximum of 40 frames per second of continuous AF autofocus shooting.

3. Look at the focus system

Since the sensor of a mirrorless camera integrates focus points, and most of them are hybrid autofocus systems with phase + detection, not only do they have more and denser focus points , most of them have hundreds of focus points, some models even have thousands of focus points, and the focus coverage is basically close to 100% of the picture horizontally and vertically. No matter where the subject is located anywhere in the picture, the camera's focusing system can be fast and accurate. lock target.

At the same time, today’s mirrorless cameras mainly combine the intelligent object detection function based on AI technology in terms of autofocus and tracking. High-end mirrorless cameras can not only recognize the faces of common people and animals. / Outside the eyes, such as cars, motorcycles, airplanes, etc., can also be quickly identified when shooting. For friends who like such subjects, they can be more comfortable during the shooting process.

4. Anti-shake is also an important reference

When shooting with a handheld or mobile camera, if the exposure time is long, it will easily cause the picture to blur. At the same time, in a low-light environment or at the telephoto end, It is also easy to find that the pictures taken are not clear enough and there are always ghost images. Then the camera's anti-shake system can effectively reduce or eliminate this phenomenon. In the past, camera anti-shake mainly relied on the optical anti-shake of the lens to minimize image instability caused by shake during use of the camera, such as Nikon's VR anti-shake, Canon IS anti-shake, etc.

In addition to using the optical image stabilization of the lens, the mirrorless camera also has a 5-axis image stabilization function on its own sensor, which can effectively compensate for camera roll that cannot be corrected by the lens image stabilization, as well as the camera roll that easily occurs during macro photography. Horizontal/vertical displacement. Under the synergy of lens + body anti-shake, some mirrorless cameras have now achieved an anti-shake effect of about 8 stops.

5. Look at the size, weight and protection.

If you like to travel lightly, don’t want to hang a particularly eye-catching big camera around your neck, and just take simple photos every day, then it is light and compact. Entry-level mirrorless cameras are most suitable because they have smaller heads and weight. But this is mainly due to the size of the sensor, so most of the mirrorless cameras with this type of small body are APS-C format and M4/3 systems, such as Nikon Z30 and Panasonic GX9, and among full-frame models, Sony’s A7C is also It can be considered very compact.

If you often shoot in humid environments, or extreme environments such as wind and sand, then you need a more durable mirrorless camera with waterproof sealing measures and a solid magnesium alloy body material, and the best. It is best to have a built-in dust removal system to keep the sensor clean. But what is certain is that these mirrorless cameras are not cheap, and are mostly available in mid-range and above models.