Mirrorless Camera News

With a design philosophy that less technology means more creative freedom, the eagerly anticipated Leica M–D camera is now a reality. The 24–megapixel camera harkens back to the limited edition M60 we reviewed a couple years ago and is the first full production model in the digital M line without a rear LCD monitor.

Panasonic announced the Lumix DMC-GX85 this morning, a 16-megapixel mirrorless compact system camera with a more affordable pricetag. The Panasonic GX85 is the follow-up to the Panasonic GX8, which was introduced last summer and is the flagship model in the Lumix mirrorless line.

Sony has released new firmware updates for the A7R, A7R II, A7S, A7, A7 II and A6000 cameras.  For the A7R II, A7II, A7R, and A7S cameras, Update 3.10 includes support for new lenses as well as support for phase-detection AF.

Judging by its understated model designation it would be easy to conclude that the Sony Alpha A6300 mirrorless camera is simply an upgraded Alpha A6000 with 4K video capture added to its already impressive feature set. After spending the better part of three days shooting with the A6300 during a press trip last week to Miami, FL, I am confident that the new model is a lot more than that. In short, it’s a real game changer that represents a significant technological breakthrough for Sony, and for the entire mirrorless camera category.

THE GOODS is a new feature in Shutterbug that spotlights the hottest premium photo gear out there. If you have a product you’d like considered for The Goods, e-mail images and info to editorial@shutterbug.com.

Along with this morning’s lens announcement, Sigma just introduced the new compact Sigma sd Quattro and Sigma sd Quattro H mirrorless camera systems with Foveon Quattro sensors. The Sigma sd Quattro features an APS-C sized sensor and the Sigma sd Quattro H has a slightly larger APS-H sized sensor.

We’ve just come back from a press event today to launch the new Sony A6300. This compact mirrorless camera has a lot going for it, including a new 4D Focus system that can lock focus on a subject in as little as 0.05 seconds, which Sony claims is the world’s fastest autofocus (AF) acquisition time.