Mirrorless Camera Reviews

I didn’t realize how much I could appreciate a mirrorless CSC (Compact System Camera) till, after working with the Samsung NX500 for several days, I picked up my Nikon D610 DSLR and realized I was carrying a brick in my hands. Don’t get me wrong, though. I still love my D610 and wouldn’t trade it in for anything (not just yet), but the new NX500 felt like a feather around my neck and in my hands. Even when I added the relatively heavy 50-150mm S-series lens, the combo still left me feeling as if I were working with a lyre, not a harp. Admittedly, like the lyre, it’s not as full-bodied an instrument, but the NX500 still plays a sweet tune.

If you’re looking for a small and portable yet powerful camera that’s a good alternative to heftier digital SLR models, Olympus’ OM-D line of mirrorless compact system cameras are some of the best options out there. These retro-styled shooters recall cameras from the film era, resembling miniaturized SLRs. In short, if you feel all warm and fuzzy at the sight of classic cameras, you just might find Olympus’ OM-D models to be absolutely adorable. But there’s more to them than simple nostalgia.<

The Nikon J5 is the newest in Nikon's 1 series mirrorless camera line and is the first in the series to offer 20MP resolution. (Note: the first Nikon 1 cameras had 10MP, while the most recent, the V3, had 18MP resolution). Compared to APS-C sensors with about 23.5 x 15.6 mm and Micro-Four-Third cameras with 17 x 13 mm, the J5 has a smaller sensor at 13.2 x 8.8 mm, Nikon’s CX format. The crop factor is nearly 1:2.7 which means that the “effective” (defined as the 35mm format equivalent) focal length of the kit lens (1 Nikkor 10-30mm f/3.5-5.6 VR) is about 27-81 mm. The camera has a very slim and compact design, which allows for easy transport and usage, similar to a compact camera.

The Fujifilm X-A2 mirrorless compact system camera, the successor to the X-A1, uses a standard APS-C sized image sensor rather than the X-Trans CMOS II sensor found in other Fujifilm cameras like the X-T1 and X-E1. Nevertheless, the new Fuji X-A2 gets the most out of this sensor technology and showed a very good performance in our tests.

If you’re going to test a new camera, I can think of few places better suited than the Big Island of Hawaii. And that’s precisely what I, and a number of my colleagues in the photo press, had a chance to do recently with the new 28-megapixel Samsung NX500 camera. We put Samsung’s newest mirrorless compact system camera (CSC) through its paces in diverse settings on the island, each designed to challenge the NX500 and ourselves.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4, which is a mirrrorless camera using a Micro Four Thirds (MFT) sensor, has nearly the same body design as the GH3 with only minor differences in overall dimensions. Compared to other Compact System Cameras (CSC), it is actually quite large and comparable to a small digital SLR camera. (Note: The GM1 is Panasonic’s smallest MFT system and seems almost tiny compared to the GH4.)

The Fujifilm X-T1 is a retro-style mirrorless Compact System Camera (CSC) that looks like an SLR of the 1970s and offers numerous setup dials to change nearly all image parameters without using the LCD screen menu. A dial for shutter speed, ISO speed, and EV control (+/- 3 EV steps) sits atop the camera. Below the ISO speed and the shutter speed dial, the camera offers additional setup rings that allow for change of the exposure mode (spot metering, for example), of the drive mode (single shot, continuous shot in two different rates), or to activate the bracketing function.