The 6 Best Camera Brands - Spring 2024 Reviews

If you know anything about cameras, you've probably heard of Canon. Canon has been around since the 1930s, often pitted against its long-time rival Nikon, and still largely dominates today's camera market. With exceptional professional services, Canon has long been a favorite among professional photographers, and their cameras typically feature accessible controls and intuitive menu systems, with a wide range of models to suit photographers of all experience levels. Whether it's beginner models like the Canon EOS R50 or more high-end wildlife photography cameras like the Canon EOS R7, there's something here for everyone.

The best Canon camera we've tested is the Canon EOS R6 Mark II. Improving upon the already excellent Canon EOS R6, this enthusiast model can do it all. Its image quality is fantastic, and it performs incredibly well in low light. It also has an excellent autofocus system, borrowed from the pro-level Canon EOS R3, which can reliably track moving subjects, along with burst shooting at up to 40 fps in its electronic shutter mode. All in all, it's a very well-rounded hybrid camera for enthusiasts.

Widely known for its TVs, soundbars, and headphones, Sony has also been making cameras since the 1990s, quickly growing into one of the best camera brands in the world. It's also one of the world's largest manufacturers of image sensors—in fact, you're likely to find Sony-built sensors inside cameras from other brands on this list. Sony cameras tend to have snappy, highly effective autofocus systems and portable bodies. Since they've been making mirrorless cameras for longer than most brands, Sony's E-mount also has a very well-established lens ecosystem with plenty of excellent third-party options.

The Sony α7 IV is the best Sony camera we've tested. This hybrid model improves upon the highly popular Sony α7 III by updating its video specs to meet the demands of today's hybrid photo and video shooters. It also has a higher-resolution sensor, making it an excellent choice for high-level photography. With in-body image stabilization (IBIS), 10-bit 4:2:2 internal recording, excellent autofocus, and many lens options, this is one of the best enthusiast cameras you can get.

Nikon is another camera brand with a long history of producing optical devices, cameras, and lenses. One of the pioneering manufacturers of digital cameras throughout the 1990s, Nikon continues to hold its own among the top camera brands. Though it was slow to get on board the mirrorless train, Nikon has proven adaptable and continues to expand its lineup of mirrorless cameras and lenses, and its premium 'S Line' of lenses offers some of the best glass on the market. As in its heyday, the brand is known for pushing boundaries—from being the first brand to completely ditch a mechanical shutter with the Nikon Z 9 to making the longest fixed zoom lens on the market with the Nikon COOLPIX P1000.

If you're interested in Nikon, the Nikon Z 6 II is an excellent hybrid model and one of the best Nikon cameras we've tested. Nikon cameras have some of the best ergonomics and build quality around, and the Z 6 II is no exception, with incredible handling and intuitive controls. With a fast max burst rate, built-in stabilization, and some solid video specs, it's a camera that checks many boxes for both photography and video, especially if you're already in the Nikon lens ecosystem. The vintage-styled Nikon Z f is another great full-frame choice for those who prefer a retro look, though its ergonomics can take some getting used to.

As its name suggests, Fujifilm started manufacturing film in the early twentieth century until it eventually began producing cameras in the late 1940s under the 'Fujica' moniker. It was also one of the most successful camera companies to transition from film to digital, and it's now one of the leading producers of APS-C and medium format mirrorless cameras. Fujifilm is unique in that it has stayed out of the full-frame market, giving the APS-C format its due. What unites most of the brand's models is an old-school and fun approach to design, with retro styling and physical control dials, as well as highly regarded JPEG colors and in-camera processing.

The Fujifilm X-H2S is one of the brand's two flagship APS-C models, along with the Fujifilm X-H2. These are among the best Fujifilm cameras we've tested, with performance that, in some ways, rivals full-frame competitors. The X-H2S is built around a 26 MP stacked-design sensor with a very fast readout speed for quicker burst shooting and fewer rolling shutter artifacts. The X-H2, meanwhile, uses an incredibly high-resolution 40 MP sensor. Both are hybrid beasts with advanced video capabilities and excellent IBIS systems. If you're looking for portability and the dedicated exposure dials that Fuji is known for, look to X-T series cameras like the Fujifilm X-T5, which shares the same high-res sensor as the X-H2.

Panasonic makes everything from TVs, appliances, and projectors to professional and consumer cameras under the LUMIX brand name. For a long time, Panasonic mainly produced cameras within the Micro Four Thirds system, which the company standardized in collaboration with Olympus. More recently, Panasonic has branched out into producing full-frame cameras thanks to the L-mount Alliance with Leica and Sigma, which all produce L-mount compatible cameras. Panasonic is also a market leader in bringing more advanced video features to consumer models.

The Panasonic LUMIX S5 II is the best Panasonic camera we've tested. While the original Panasonic LUMIX S5 offers a ton of value for its price, the S5 II improves upon the formula in a few key ways, namely being the first LUMIX camera to feature phase-detection autofocus. This enthusiast model is a great choice for hybrid and video shooters, with advanced video features like 6k video, internal 10-bit recording, and plenty of codec/format support. It's no slouch for still photography, either, especially when it comes to image quality, though it still falls short of brands like Sony or Canon when it comes to burst shooting and AF implementation.

OM SYSTEM, formerly known as Olympus, has been around in some form or another since the 1930s. Olympus was a major player in the days of film, achieving worldwide popularity in the 1970s and 1980s with its innovative 'OM System' line of SLRs. In the digital age, Olympus helped develop the Micro Four Thirds system in collaboration with Panasonic, offering a smaller, more affordable alternative to full-frame and APS-C cameras. These are the quintessential travel and hiking cameras, with rugged portable bodies, great stabilization, and computational photography modes. In 2021, OM Digital Solutions acquired Olympus's imaging division and began releasing cameras under the name OM SYSTEM in a callback to the company's heyday.

The OM SYSTEM OM-1 is the first camera released since the company's rebranding and the last to physically bear the Olympus name. It's also the best camera we've tested from the brand, doing some justice to the Olympus legacy. It's the ultimate sports and wildlife camera for those who want something rugged and portable. It's got a weather-sealed body with fantastic ergonomics and best-in-class image stabilization. On top of that, it has a remarkably fast max burst rate and plenty of neat computational photography features, including a high-resolution composite mode. All in all, it's a very well-rounded camera for fans of the Micro Four Thirds system.