The best cameras of 2023 - Our editors' choice
Every year, you could only name the latest cameras as the best cameras of the year. But we all know that the best camera for you should also be within your budget - and that's not always the latest camera. That's why we've put together the best and most interesting cameras of 2023 for you here.
Table of contents
Which functions will be important when choosing a camera in 2023?
First and foremost, camera sensors are now at a very good, uniform level. Therefore, there is almost no need to worry at this point. Essentially, a lot has changed here recently in terms of autofocus technology (AI support and coverage of the autofocus fields). Especially the development around the lenses. Another important technical detail for users of mirrorless system cameras is the resolution of the display and viewfinder. Battery life is more of an aspect to consider in these systems. This is because the batteries have to power considerably more electronic components. Last but not least, there are two features that may not affect everyone: Video resolution and frames per second.
How many megapixels do I need?
How many megapixels the camera should have depends entirely on the area of application. For example, if you like photographing animals, you can crop the image a little more afterwards with more megapixels. One of the disadvantages of many megapixels is the file size, as images with 50 megapixels also take up around 50 MB+/- per RAW image on the memory card. This means that completely different problems arise with megapixel sensors, such as memory management, which should not be neglected as a cost factor in retrospect.
Which sensor size is relevant for me?
We say that the sensors are technically at a uniform level. But the size of the sensor, whether full-frame, APS-C or MFT - that is a question that depends on your budget and the areas of application of your photography. There is no reason to demonize one or the other sensor format from the ground up.
The best full-frame cameras 2023 in the budget up to €2,500
The following recommendations are primarily aimed at beginners or photographers who are about to upgrade on a budget but want to maximize their potential. All of the system cameras presented have an IBIS (image stabilizer on the sensor) and AI-supported autofocus, which helps to detect a wide variety of objects.
Sony Alpha 7 III
The Alpha 7III is perhaps one of the treasures of recent years, because its autofocus is not only very good, but the camera also offers a well-rounded package in terms of price-performance! If you're looking to get into full-frame format, this is one of the cheapest cameras around. Another advantage is the large range of Sony FE compatible lenses, including those from third-party manufacturers.
Canon EOS R6
The Canon EOS R6 offers a full-frame sensor and good autofocus performance - even in low light situations. It also offers a high continuous shooting rate, which makes it ideal for occasional use in sports photography.
Nikon Z5
The Nikon Z5 offers a very affordable entry into the full-frame format and two memory slots for SD cards, which can be equipped with inexpensive SD cards. The Z5 has good autofocus and, like the R6, can also be used with the old F lenses with an adapter.
Sony Alpha 7 IV
33 megapixels offer enough scope for super hybrid use. This camera is suitable for portraits, fine art, animal photography, sports photography and much more. The big difference to the Sony Alpha 7 III is the even better autofocus; the camera can also take more continuous shots until the buffer is full than the 7III. It also has very powerful video functions, such as 4K with 60 fps and S-Cinetone.
Nikon Z6 II
The Nikon Z6II is an interesting full-frame camera for anyone looking for a solid continuous shooting speed of 14 fps and two memory card slots. This camera also offers solid autofocus for 4K 60p video. Thanks to the two built-in processors, the autofocus is also much more powerful than the autofocus of the Z5. It is also particularly robust when it comes to weather conditions, as long as you use compatible lenses, of course.
Lumix S5 II
The Lumix S5II is a very modern and strong full-frame package in terms of price-performance. It offers powerful autofocus and up to 5.9K video quality - with a built-in fan, this camera never overheats! Thanks to the continuous shooting speed of 30B/s, it is also suitable for a wide range of applications where a high continuous shooting speed is required. With the L-Alliance, this camera is strongly positioned, because not only Leica supports this mount, but other brands such as Sigma also offer lenses for this lens mount. The camera can also be operated with 2 UHS-II SD memory cards.
Canon EOS R6 II
The successor to the R6 offers improved autofocus performance and a new sensor that's perfect for sports and wildlife photography, supporting up to 40fps with a pre-capture function that means you'll never miss a moment.
The powerful autofocus helps you to get a sharp subject in virtually every shot. It also has powerful video functions.
The best APS-C cameras up to €1,800
Compact APS-C cameras offer various advantages for many applications. We would like to introduce you to some of them for a budget of up to €1,800:
Canon EOS R7
The Canon EOS R7 is a little powerhouse. It has sensor stabilization, two memory card slots and 32.5 megapixels with a very high continuous shooting speed of up to 30 fps. On top of this comes the strong autofocus performance with scene recognition and tracking, which is paired with a pre-capture function and a tiltable display.
Sony Alpha 6400
The Alpha 6400 is clearly our price-performance winner, because this APS-C camera is not only light and compact, but also offers good autofocus coverage. The 6400 has a newly developed sensor with 24.2 megapixels and a powerful image processor. What it does not have is sensor stabilization, which was only introduced with the Alpha 6600. However, we would say that there is little missing from the camera that new cameras offer, as it already has many important functions integrated.
Sony Alpha 6700
The a 6700 is the latest APS-C camera from Sony. It offers image stabilization of the 26 megapixel sensor and a very good video quality of 4K/120p. This camera also offers you top autofocus performance in darker situations as well as the latest Sony generation viewfinder and display.
Fujifilm X-S20
If you know the Fujifilm brand, you probably also love the vintage look of the cameras, which makes their operation a little unique. The X-S20 is particularly compact and offers up to 6.2K video quality at 30fps. It has the autofocus processor that is also built into the larger models such as the X-T5 or X-H2 / X-H2S. Even in the smallest camera, Fujifilm has not dispensed with the IBIS in the sensor. This means that shots in dark situations can be taken almost without hesitation. But what's really special is the film simulation, which allows you to recreate the look of Fuji's old analog films. So you can create unique vacation moments.
Fujifilm X-T5
It is the big sister of the X-S20 and has a more modern sensor with 40 megapixels. It also offers a very special retro charm with very good autofocus performance. The retro film simulations can also be found in this camera. The X-T5 has 2 UHS-II SD memory card slots, so no data is lost and the possibility to photograph an entire vacation and co. with 2 cards. It has sensor image stabilization and thus also offers images with little blurring in darker situations.
Nikon Z fc
Nikon has also jumped on the vintage look bandwagon and with the Z fc offers an APS-C camera that is based on the old analog models. For example, it is operated via the wheel on the top. It lacks the IBIS, but it offers solid autofocus and an excellent app connection that allows you to quickly send compressed smaller copies of the images to your phone. It can be charged via USB-C, which, in addition to the design, essentially sets it apart from the Z50.
The best professional cameras 2023 or rather specialized cameras
Everyone defines professional cameras differently. We assume that these will exceed a price of €2,500 and offer more specific functions, which often go in the direction of sports photography / event photography. The requirements in these areas are particularly high and specific. Many of the cameras mentioned above are used by a wide variety of professionals; we are limiting ourselves here to just one model per brand.
Sony Alpha 9 III
This innovation has really shaken up the world of photography this year, as the sensor is no longer read out line by line, but simply every pixel. This offers many advantages for sports photography in particular, such as no distortion in the background and no blackout in the viewfinder. In portrait photography, however, this shutter revolutionizes much more, because it allows a flash to be used with a super short exposure time. This means that the power of a clip-on flash can be compared with that of a studio flash. Now to the other technical data: 120B/s RAW, super reliable autofocus, IPTC metadata.
Canon EOS R5
A 45-megapixel bolide that delivers a continuous shooting performance of 20 fps and powerful video functions such as 4K at 120p and also 8K at 30. The camera is aimed at anyone who takes sports, nature, fashion or reportage photography, as its onboard functions offer everything you need. Sports photographers, for example, will find an FTP upload.
Nikon Z8
The little sister of the Nikon Z9. It offers everything that the larger Nikon Z9 can do - at a lower price. 45.7 megapixels, 8.3K at up to 60 fps and functions such as autocapture make everyday work easier for many professional photographers. For example, the Z8 can automatically photograph lightning in a thunderstorm or a mountain biker riding down a mountain.
Fujifilm GFX100 II
In addition to all the "normal" sensor sizes, the GFX follows the medium format. With the MK2, it offers an autofocus performance that is on a par with the common full-frame format. It offers 100 megapixels and analog film simulation. But that's not all: it also has a wide range of video formats with 8K 30p and can be expanded with a battery grip or another viewfinder.
Our conclusion
Today, there are many camera models that exist in parallel, but we should all be clear: The future of photography no longer includes a mirror. We therefore need to compare other data. In this article, we have mainly mentioned the models that we have already been able to test extensively in the past or on which the relevant tech Youtubers have also provided detailed feedback and hope that this article has given you an initial overview of the various cameras. Of course, the best thing to do is to form your own opinion and simply try out the cameras in our store.
Sony Alpha 6700 (ILCE-6700) Body
