The hot autumn of mirrorless cameras: the news for enthusiasts and professionals

After a decade of continuous market contractions and a negative start to the year, the digital camera market returned to growth in the latter part of 2022, with a 109.6% increase in units sold globally in the month of September.

A positive sign for a market that over the last twelve months has confirmed the maturity of mirrorless cameras, with their definitive customs clearance in the professional field thanks to late 2021 models such as the Canon EOS R3 or Nikon Z9 and the reconquest of the entry level range with models accessible and affordable, geared towards creators.

Over the last two months, the mirrorless market has been particularly lively, with transversal innovations aimed at all types of photographers.
In the professional field, in particular, the new mirrorless cameras are strengthened by very fast and precise autofocus and subject tracking systems based on artificial intelligence, and new high-resolution video recording capabilities. In the entry level range, they give a new hard time to the most advanced smartphones, which now cost more than a good quality camera. Here is a brief overview of the major photographic news of the last two months, with a list of the main models to know.

Sony a7R V

The Sony a7R V is the fifth incarnation of Sony’s high-resolution mirrorless camera. It mounts the same 61MP full-frame sensor as the previous model, which however is exploited in a much more advanced way thanks to a new chip. It has good video capabilities, with the ability to shoot movies up to 8K/24p, but is primarily suited to photography professionals. The optical stabilization is excellent and the new autofocus is excellent, which includes a more precise subject recognition and tracking system enhanced by a new processing unit based on artificial intelligence. It is available from Sony retailers this month. The starting price is 4500 euros for the machine body alone.

Fuji X-H2

A few months after the launch of the 26.1 MP X-H2S, Fujifilm presented the X-H2 model, with a 40MP APS-C X-Trans sensor. The two cameras are both a great hybrid option, for those who need to both take pictures and shoot video. The S model favors speed and high bursts, necessary for sports photography. The recently released X-H2 model is the higher resolution option. In fact, it can record movies in 8K, 6K or 4K oversampled 2:1, up to 30p. It also boasts up to 7.0 stabilization and features a full-size HDMI port, which is sure to appeal to filmmakers.
It’s available now, and prices start at €2,299.99 for the body alone, or as a kit with the XF16-80mm lens at €2,799.

Fuji X-T5

Fujifilm has brought the same 40MP APS-C sensor from the X-H2 to the new X-T5, which was unveiled at the end of October. More compact and lighter, the X-T5 leaves advanced video features aside and focuses solely on photo quality and portability. With the X-T5, Fuji incorporates some of the construction, ergonomics and design features of the X-T2, one of the most popular cameras in the T series.
A fundamental difference from the X-T4, the previous model, is the return of the rear screen with partial joint (not particularly suitable for video), while the tracking and subject tracking capabilities of the autofocus improve as on the X-H2.
Like the other cameras of the XT series, the X-T5 is also particularly suitable for those approaching semi-professional photography for the first time. It starts from 2040 euros for the camera body alone, but there are also two options in kit with XF-18-55 (2450) lens or with XF16.80mm (2549) lens.

Canon EOS R6 Mark II

2022 hasn’t been a year of particular news for the high-end of Canon cameras. However, the Japanese manufacturer has brought the EOS-R experience to two excellent semi-professional models for the first time, the EOS-R7 and EOS-R10, reserving an update to his Canon R6 for the fall.
Canon EOS R6 Mark II keeps the design of the previous model unchanged, but brings the resolution to 24.2 MP, increases the burst with electronic shutter to 40 fps and can shoot video in 4K 60P without any crop on the sensor.
Canon has also managed to solve the problems of overheating of the machine during video shooting, the only flaw that could be ascribed to the already excellent EOS R6.
Available from November, prices start at €2,989.99 for the body only.

Hasselblad X2D 100C

Hasselblad launched a new version of its medium format compact camera in early September. The new mirrorless X2D 100C, as the name suggests, mounts a new 100 megapixel BSI sensor, with 15 stops of dynamic range and 16-bit color depth. Despite the very high resolution of the medium-format sensor (ie larger than “full frame” sensors) it remains compact and easy to handle, like the previous X1D and X1D II models which revolutionized the medium format camera market in recent years.
Autofocus capabilities are also enhanced thanks to a 294-area phase-detection system. Finally, the presence of 1TB of internal SSD memory should be noted, essential for quickly saving the heavy images that this machine is capable of taking.
As befits the Hasselblad brand, the X2D remains a niche camera for the few professionals working with this type of format. The price confirms it: it starts from 8699 euros for the camera body alone, to which must be added the expensive lenses of the X system.

OM System OM-5

OM Digital Solution is the new name of the photographic division of the historic Olympus brand, and the OM-5 is the first model to bear the new name on the camera body.
The camera features a 20MP micro 4/3 sensor and is very similar in design and features to the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III, i.e. the model it replaces.
The most important novelty is the new TruePic IX processor, which is responsible for new tracking, autofocus and computational application of photographic filters.
The OM-5 has no particular professional ambitions, as demonstrated by the presence of only one slot for an SD card and the now antiquated micro-USB port for connection and (very slow) battery recharging.

However, two features distinguish it from other entry-level competitors such as the Fuji X-S10 or the Canon R-10: the tropicalization of the camera body and the possibility of using it as a webcam by connecting it to the computer.

OM-5 will be available from the end of November with a starting price of 1330 euros.