Edited by George Schaub

The Pentax K-S2 offers a more classical handling and design concept than its predecessor with a standard mode dial on the top and two setup dials for exposure parameters (one near the shutter release button, the second on the back of the camera). For menu navigation, it offers a standard control field, which uses four buttons to navigate or to select functions such as white balance, ISO speed, and shooting mode.

The new Canon EOS 5DS DSLR offers the first full-frame sensor camera with image resolution higher than 50MP. The camera is the successor of the Canon EOS 5D Mark III, which uses a 22MP sensor and was introduced in 2012. Canon offers the new EOS 5D series in two versions: the 5DS uses a standard low-pass filter to prevent moiré effects while the 5DS R uses a “low-pass filter cancellation” system, which means it doesn’t remove the filter from in front of the sensor but uses a filter system without a low-pass effect. We tested the “standard” EOS 5DS version.

The new Sony A7 II is a mirrorless system camera with a 24MP full-frame sensor. It is the follow-up to the A7, Sony’s successful and first full-frame CSC (Compact System Camera), which debuted in 2013. The new A7 II has a somewhat different body design: the grip on the right-hand side became a little larger and now fits better into the photographer’s hand. The body overall became 100 grams heavier. The larger grip and the heavier body allow the photographer to hold the camera in a very stable and steady fashion. Handling is even better with the optional Sony handgrip: VGC2EM.

Panasonic’s LX100 is the top-of-the-line camera in the company’s compact LX series. Compared to other LX models, it is the first camera with an MFT (Micro Four Thirds) sensor. However, the camera doesn’t use the whole image sensor area of 17.3x13mm, so its crop factor is 2.2x instead of the 2.0x of standard MFT cameras.