A number of our readers have been asking our team about our recommendations on different mirrorless cameras. With so many different options on the market today, choosing a mirrorless system can get very confusing. In this particular article, I would like to start off by comparing mirrorless camera systems that are available today from different manufacturers. This below charts will be updated periodically with new / updated information. Please note that the below comparisons are only for mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. Discontinued systems such as Pentax K-01, Ricoh GXR, Pentax Q and Samsung NX have been removed. The list is sorted alphabetically and had to be split into two parts to fit. Also, please keep in mind that some of the benchmarks presented in this article are very subjective, based on our and our readers’ prior experience using the cameras. I have also published an article comparing mirrorless systems, where I go into a lot more detail about lenses and other important considerations.
| Mirrorless Systems #1 | Canon EOS M | Fujifilm X | Leica M | Leica SL | Nikon 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| * Denotes PL Subjective Rating | |||||
| Lens Mount | Canon EF-M | Fuji X | Leica M | Leica L | Nikon 1 |
| Announcement Date | Oct 2012 | Jan 2012 | Mar 2004 | Oct 2015 | Oct 2011 |
| Mount Diameter | 58mm | 42mm | 44mm | 51mm | 40mm |
| Sensor Size (Diagonal) | 26.8mm | 28.3mm | 43.0mm | 43.0mm | 15.9mm |
| Flange Distance | 18mm | 17.7mm | 27.80mm | 19mm | 17mm |
| Image Stabilization | Lens | Lens | N/A | Lens | Lens |
| Autofocus | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Autofocus System | Hybrid | Hybrid | N/A | Contrast | Hybrid |
| AF Performance * | 4 | 5 | N/A | 5 | 5 |
| Native Lenses Available | 6 | 21 | 26 | 3 | 11 |
| Third Party Lenses | 13 | 38 | 39 | 5 | 0 |
| Total Lenses Available | 19 | 59 | 65 | 8 | 11 |
| System Compactness * | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 |
| Image Quality * | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 2 |
| Top Model (Manuf. Link) | Canon EOS M5 | Fuji X-Pro2 | Leica M 10 | Leica SL (Typ 601) | Nikon 1 V3 |
| Top Model Price (B&H) | $979 | $1,699 | $6,599 | $7,450 | $1,199 |
| Mirrorless Systems #2 | Olympus M43 | Panasonic M43 | Sigma sd | Sony α (E) | Sony α (FE) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| * Denotes PL Subjective Rating ** Since both Olympus and Panasonic lenses are interchangeable, the total number of lenses is the total for the mount | |||||
| Lens Mount | Micro 4/3 | Micro 4/3 | Sigma SA | Sony E | Sony FE |
| Announcement Date | Jun 2009 | Oct 2008 | Dec 2016 | Jun 2010 | Oct 2013 |
| Mount Diameter | 38mm | 38mm | ? | 46.1mm | 46.1mm |
| Sensor Size (Diagonal) | 21.7mm | 21.7mm | 32.1mm | 28.1mm | 43.0mm |
| Flange Distance | 20mm | 20mm | 44mm | 18mm | 18mm |
| Image Stabilization | Lens/Body | Lens/Body | Lens | Lens/Body | Lens/Body |
| Autofocus | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Autofocus System | Hybrid | Contrast | Hybrid | Hybrid | Hybrid |
| AF Performance * | 5 | 5 | ? | 5 | 5 |
| Native Lenses Available | 25 | 32 | 28 | 13 | 22 |
| Third Party Lenses | 42 | 42 | 0 | 27 | 42 |
| Total Lenses Available | 99** | 99** | 28 | 40 | 64 |
| System Compactness * | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| Image Quality * | 3 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| Top Model (Manuf. Link) | OM-D E-M1 Mark II | Panasonic GH5 | Sigma sd Quattro H | Sony A6500 | Sony A7R II |
| Top Model Price (B&H) | $1,999 | $1,999 | $1,199 | $1,399 | $2,899 |
I am not going to pick a winner from the above chart, as there are some important criteria to consider such as autofocus speed, image quality, lens selection, compactness and price. So if you are shopping for a mirrorless system, I hope you will use the above chart as a reference point.
Please let me know if you have any questions!
Hi! Thanks for the great text comparing mirrorless cameras. I would like an opinion for 2 cameras. I am not sure which one is the best choice! Canon EOS M3 or Sony A6000? Thank you for your help!
Nasim, would you please review Sigma SD Quattro H camera with 12-24mm and 85mm Sigma Art lenses? It’s capable of saving in DNG format.
Thanks!
Max, hopefully later this year!
Can’t wait! Thanks, Nasim.
Hello, I was wondering if the Fujifilm X-T1 is still worth considering to get ? As it’s in my price range used I was also debating the Nikon D7200, but I love the color rendering, indiscreet style and compactness of the Fuji more. I’m sure the D7200 mops the floor possibly with the Fujifilm X-T1 but to me Nikon isn’t doing anything innovative and I’m getting tired of the lack of DX lenses to use beside 3rd party. Is it a wise choice to move from DSLR to Mirrorless and have people regretted it ?
The Fuji X-T1 is a great camera, the AF isn’t the fastest put the lenses are great, it has a lot of helpfull features and the used prices are very reasonable imo. A friend of mine uses one and I agree about the jpg-colours – while not that accurate they are just beautiful! I considered getting one myself but I wasn’t able to hold it really comfortable, it just isn’t made for my hands.
In my optinion both, todays DSLRs and DSLMs, are able to cover a wide field of photography. Appart from the different viewfinder DSLMs can be kept quite small (just switched from a Sony a7II to a Nikon D750 and it makes a difference) but a complete setup is quite a bit more expensive with DSLMs if you want to use native lenses – even more if you are buying used (one of the reasons why I got the Nikon).
Most important is not the brand etc. but that a camera feels good in your hands, who cares if the AF is a tiny bit slower or faster if your handling is slowed down by the cameras button layout etc in general?
Thanks for a reply back I really appreciate it. Maybe I’ll just end up getting a Nikon D7200 instead. I’ve used older Nikkor lenses on a APS-C sized sensor before and I didn’t see much better quality to be honest, maybe I got not that good of glass to begin with. I had a 24mm f/2.8 AF D Nikkor and a 50mm f/1.4 AIS. Sold them both and kept the 40mm f/2.8 AF Macro G lens instead. Someday I’ll get FF body but even used is more expensive then I can afford
I still have and use my D7200, even though I’ve mostly switched to the Z7. My lens is the Tamron 70-200/f4 and I still get beautiful images.
CJ, although the X-T2 is out, I still own the X-T1 and I love it. Many of our readers who I recommended the Fuji system have been extremely happy, so I am sure your journey will be very enjoyable as well. The D7200 will not mop the floor with the X-T1 – I would choose the X-T1 over the D7200 any time. In fact, as I have said before, unless it is something like the D500, I personally would not invest in Nikon’s DX system. Nikon is letting DX die for all other types of photography by not making any DX lenses, which is sad.
Thank You for replying back Nasim Nansurov ! I understand what you mean about Nikon DX lenses and they seem like there’s nothing good to choose from unless you get Sigma or Tamron high end ! Coming from a Fujifilm S5 Pro DSLR I think I’m staying with the Fujifilm company and investing in them despite what people say and quite frankly I don’t care if the battery life isn’t good or EVF isn’t as accurate, because there’s way to work around them. :) Keep up the great photos, reviews and info on your site, I’ve been a fan for a couple years now ! If you would like to check out my work please feel free to do so as I need more constructive criticism. –
~ Thanks again ! CJM IMAGING – Chris Markrush – Warwick, RI
Thanks for the excellent post Nasim!
We are eagerly waiting for your follow-up article and review of the mirrorless camera performances.
Could you please consider including Nikon 1 vs Fuji X Pro1 vs Panasonic GH3 vs Panasonic Gx7?
Regards
Hi Nasim
Thanks for your wonderful and concise blog-post.
You’ve mentioned that you “have the OM-D E-M1 right now”.
There seems to be one issue reported by some E-M1 users. Here is what those E-M1 fellows (including me) have noticed.
E-M1 gives a way higher fixed-pattern noise in low-light situations vs E-M5 when both cameras’ dark-frame subtraction is not applied (“NR OFF” in Olympus’ terms).
Olympus’ representatives have not given any definitive answers whether that is an irrevocable engineering fault, or there is still something that can be done to, at least, make E-M1 sensor performance on a par to its predecessor – E-M5’s one?
Have you, Nasim, noticed anything “suspicious” about E-M1’s sensor performance in low-light situations with NR OFF?
Cheers!
Sorry for a late response! Testing this now, will let you know as soon as I find out.
No problem, Nasim!
Thanks for your response. Would be interesting to know about your findings.
Serge/Nasim,
With astronomical CCD’s, if one takes a relatively short (eg. 1 sec) exposure (for instance, to avoid saturating a bright object in the field), one does get this pattern if there’s no or little background (read moonlight).
This is called ‘bias’ by astronomers and it’s taken care in the data reduction very easily. It’s due to the way the detector is electronically readout and it’s additive. One simply takes say a few tens of frames with the shortest exposure possible, averages them out, and subtracts from the frame of interest.
In short, I don’t believe there’s anything wrong with such cameras and it totally makes sense then that the effect shows up when NR is off.
Hopefully this made sense.
Thank you, Antonio!
The main point when comparing E-M5 with E-M1 is that in “low-light-long-exposure” situations (particularly in Live Mode) with NR OFF, the E-M5 (GH3, GH1) is way better than E-M1. Olympus, though, claimed E-M1 as having better sensor performance compared to any of its predecessors.
I was hoping that my E-M1 body was faulty. However, it wasn’t the case, as many M43 fellows, including me, reported the same problem:
www.mu-43.com/threads/53621/
www.flickr.com/group…548153684/
I am just wondering if this is a faulty sensor, or a trade-off of a new Dual-Fast AF sensor implementation, that can never be fixed, and we will have to live with it.
Olympus has not given any definitive answer yet.
I’ve pretty much ditched my D600 for my EM5 for almost every subject (except wildlife). Really like it, takes great images, good dynamic range, and the LIVE TIME function is particularly great for long exposures.
Very sharp primes from Panasonic and Olympus too. Last dozen or so posts from my blog are from the OMD EM-5.
alphawhiskey.slickpic.com/photoblog/
Beautiful pictures as always, thanks for sharing!
I might be visiting London soon – perhaps we should meet and share a drink or two when I am there :)
Sure no worries. Can be an unofficial guide to all the good photo spots :)
Cheers,
AW
Why do you have to share a drink? Wouldnt that be gross? I think each of you should buy your own drinks.
Nasim,
Thank you for your input on your experience with the GX-7 above.
If possible, may I ask you to briefly comment (or, what would you choose), for birding, between the following two options:
– GX-7 + m43 100-300mm lens (200-600mm equiv.)
vs
– Nikon V2 + FT1 + 70-300mm lens (190-810mm) ,
if one used only the central part of the detector (you can only do AF-S @ center with the V2+FT1 I think).
Thanks.
For birding, I would go with the Nikon 1 V2 – it has better AF system for birding in my opinion compared to the M43. Plus, you can use some excellent Nikkor glass with the adapter!
Your Samsung NX total lenses count seems to be off too.
Are you including manual focus lenses as part of “total lenses” count?
Yes, all lenses – manual or AF are included.
Ok, if the manual lenses are included too, then you should add a few more for micro four thirds too, to be fair.
hazeghi.org/mft-lenses.html
Are you sure Sony NEX has 21 third-party lenses? You’re not confusing NEX (which is E mount) with Sony alpha (which is A mount)? Yes, Sony is causing a lot of confusion with their announcement that NEX will be part of their “alpha” product line. I stopped following NEX a while ago, but I’ll be surprised if there are 21 NEX-compatible third-party lenses out there. Paucity of glasses was their biggest weakness.
Rick, please take a look here: photographylife.com/lense…unt/sony-e
There are plenty of third party options for the NEX now…
Hello Nasim, thank you for another great article comparing technologies.
Interoperability in the m4/3 “universe” as really improved since the mount launch and Panasonic as recently launched a camera with in body stabilization: the DMC-GX7.
Sorry, “has” not “as”…