Best camera for professional photography - Canon, Nikon or Sony?

Any professional camera can frighten an unprepared person with its size. But there is nothing wrong with that. On the contrary, it allows manufacturers to place a huge number of all sorts of switches and buttons on the case. And this despite the fact that the cameras we have chosen belong to the mirrorless type, which, it would seem, should contribute to compactness!

Perhaps the largest number of controls is present on the camera from Panasonic. Here it is not difficult to switch to one mode or another pre-programmed by the photographer, not to mention changing the ISO. However, the number of wheels here is still not very large. In this regard, Sony's product will be much more pleased. Here their number is increased to four! It is thanks to them that almost any shooting settings change literally on the fly. A visit to the menu will be needed only in some completely atypical situation. For example, if necessary, format the memory card.

Like it or not, even a professional photographer needs a large and bright display.Even if the camera has a high-quality viewfinder. That is why neither Canon, nor Nikon, nor two other manufacturers began to save on the screen. However, you can still find fault with the Sony A9 II. This mirrorless uses the smallest display. But for the vast majority of our readers, even three inches will be enough. But it must be admitted that the low resolution of this screen is sometimes still felt. When creating such an expensive camera, one could not save on this.

Note that not all models have a rotary display mechanism implemented properly. But we will not find fault with this, since the owners of such cameras will not shoot themselves. As for the viewfinder, in mirrorless models it is electronic. But some people won't even notice. The fact is that it has a very high resolution, so the graininess is completely invisible. And in all cases, the viewfinder has a 100% frame coverage, which is good news. This means that you will see the future image with your own eyes - nothing superfluous will appear on it and nothing will be cropped.

We also note that almost all cameras received a second display located on the top panel.It seemed to us that it is best implemented on a device from Panasonic - it fits a huge number of parameters, and all information is clearly visible even in low light (including when the backlight is off).

Since such devices have been used for a long time not only for photography, they must receive a large number of nests. For example, an operator or photographer may wish to display an image on a monitor. All four cameras allow you to do this. Half of them received higher-speed HDMI 2.1, but it's hard to say whether this is a significant advantage. All cameras also received a microphone connector and a similar 3.5 mm audio output for sound monitoring.

In fact, the list of nests does not end there. A LAN port is suddenly found under one of the Sony plugs! Also, all cameras have at their disposal a USB interface. Importantly, in three cases out of four it meets the high-speed specification! Curiously, the Panasonic camera has a threaded hole. It serves to screw a special bracket that will hold the cables connected to USB and HDMI. This will protect the connectors from distortion.

If we talk about wireless modules, then they are also available in all devices. Now even professional cameras support smartphone control. Under this case, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are sharpened. However, not only! Panasonic and Sony allow you to significantly speed up the synchronization process, as they are endowed with an NFC chip.

The main element of any professional camera is the matrix. In all four cases, it is very large, comparable in size to the frame of the 35 mm film we are used to. For its manufacture, one or another variation of CMOS technology was used. And installed in the Sony A9 II is able to boast more and 14-bit color depth. The result of shooting as a result cannot but please the eye. Especially if the photos are viewed on a very expensive monitor. However, competitors in this regard, if they are inferior, then not too much.

If you are going to actively photograph in the dark, then the Sony option will not suit you. The fact is that this camera has a slightly limited ISO range. At least when you compare this model with competitors. Perhaps the best choice in this case would be the Panasonic DC-S1H. In the daytime, this camera allows you to activate ISO 50. After choosing this value, you will not be able to detect digital noise, even if you wanted to. However, this sensitivity will be much more useful when shooting at slow shutter speeds.

If you're after megapixels, half of the cameras we've reviewed won't work for you. The fact is that the sensors built into Panasonic and Sony have only 24 effective megapixels. Competitors from Nikon and Canon offer almost twice as much! But you need to understand that such permission is not always required, so we do not advise you to pay very close attention to this fact.

Mirrorless cameras are good because they can implement an electronic shutter, which is usually complemented by the usual mechanical one. As a result, the shutter speed can be made arbitrarily short. In our case, cameras allow you to set the parameter at the level of 1/8000 s. This is especially important for Sony, because this device is primarily intended for reportage shooting. Unsurprisingly, here you can switch to an electronic shutter, when using which the 1/32000 s parameter becomes available. But it will be possible to use it only in the presence of expensive high-aperture optics.

Each of the cameras received a powerful graphics processor at its disposal. It is capable of lightning-fast processing of all information coming from the matrix. It is easiest for those chips that are built into Panasonic and Sony, because their sensors have a lower resolution. It is all the more surprising that the first camera in burst mode produces 9 frames every second, and the second - more than twice as much.A mirrorless camera from Canon is also capable of 20 frames / s, but only when using an electronic shutter (mechanical reduces the rate of fire to 12 frames / s).

Perhaps, here we will evaluate image stabilization. Previously, only amateur cameras had it, but for some time now manufacturers have decided to make life easier for professionals. Probably the best stabilizer built into the camera from Canon. It responds to both the gyro sensor and the torque sensor. As a result, the photographer can safely make the shutter speed longer, as well as close the aperture heavily. As for the rest of the cameras, they also use five-axis stabilization, albeit a little less advanced.

A true professional requires a camera that uses two memory card slots. Someone uses this opportunity to duplicate material so that it does not disappear if one of the drives fails. Other photographers insert two cards just to avoid wasting time swapping them during the shoot.

Canon excelled. Two of its slots are designed for drives of different formats. At the same time, the second one supports SDXC UHS-II cards, which have incredible read and write speeds. This allows you not to worry at the moment when the video is being shot in very high resolution. However, the camera from Nikon uses a similar design, so it was not possible to break away from the competitor.

As for Panasonic and Sony, they also found room for two slots. However, some photographers will question the inability to use a CFexpress card. Apparently, these two companies rightly considered that now such drives are used by fewer and fewer professionals. Indeed, it has become much easier to purchase a high-speed SD card.

Are you still satisfied with 4K video shooting? Professional cameras offer to upgrade to 8K resolution! Yes, you may not have a matching TV. But there is nothing to worry about, the increased resolution can be used for subsequent cropping without loss of quality.

Unfortunately, not all cameras discussed in this article can boast of 8K support. This resolution suggests choosing only the Canon EOS R5. The frequency in this case will be only 30 frames / s or less. The bitrate will reach unthinkable 470-1300 Mbps. Now you understand why the device needs a high-speed drive? As for the competitor from Nikon, video shooting with this camera is limited to 4K resolution. But on the other hand, this process is carried out at a frequency of 60 frames / s (bit rate - 180 Mbps).Interestingly, in theory, the owner of this camera can save in ProRes RAW format with 10-bit color coding, but this feature is paid.

The Panasonic is the best for video recording. Yes, he does this “only” in 6K resolution (the frequency with this parameter will not exceed 24 frames / s). But on the other hand, the device copes with this task perfectly even in low light conditions. The maximum bit rate is 400 Mbps. The good news is that 10-bit color depth is available at no extra charge. Worst of all, the device from Sony copes with shooting video. The resolution is limited to 4K, there is no S-log profile here. In a word, a professional for such money will definitely want more.

The hardest thing to estimate is how long the device will last on a fully charged battery. The fact is that this parameter greatly depends on the purpose for which the camera will be used. It's one thing to take regular pictures, another thing is to shoot a video. You also need to understand that the viewfinder helps save energy. If the photographer will regularly use the LCD, then the operating time will be greatly reduced.

If various tests do not lie, then the Sony A9 II lasts the longest from a full charge. In this regard, this model is at least a little closer to SLR cameras.Nikon and Canon also boast good battery life. And only Panasonic makes you immediately attend to the purchase of additional batteries. In the case of the rest, one cannot do without them either, but at first their absence can still be experienced.

Alas, the devices we have chosen are expensive. Many of our readers will not understand at all how such equipment can be spent so much money. The cheapest is the Nikon Z7 II. But even this mirrorless camera will cost you almost 300 thousand rubles!

What is the reason for such a high cost? Firstly, equipping a relatively small camera with a full-frame sensor is a real challenge. And the production of the sensor itself is also not cheap. And the devices received an extremely powerful processor. In part, it was with his help that we managed to realize video shooting in high resolution. And the camera from Panasonic also received an active cooling system - similar to the one used in computers. That's how complex its design is! However, you should not be afraid - the fan rotates so quietly that it is not audible at all on the final video.

Usually in such materials there is a clear leader. This time all cameras are approximately equal in their capabilities. No, if you disassemble them thoroughly, it becomes clear that some devices cope better than others with certain tasks, but lose in solving others. For example, Sony's mirrorless camera features tenacious autofocus, thanks to which the camera performs perfectly even when shooting sports. Panasonic, on the other hand, will please video lovers the most. Unlike the above-named competitor, which can only disappoint.

And in favor of which model to choose? Even an expert with many years of experience cannot answer this question. The easiest way is to focus on the fleet of optics you have. If you have a large number of Canon lenses, then it is foolish to switch to another brand of camera. You also need to understand whether you will actively engage in reportage shooting - as you have already noticed, not every camera is ready to take more than ten shots every second.