The 10 Best Mirrorless Cameras of 2023

Gear-obsessed editors choose every product we review. We may earn commission if you buy from a link. Why Trust Us?

Unlock your creative potential with our favorite mirrorless cameras.

In hobbyist and professional photography circles, mirrorless cameras have replaced the mighty Digital Single-Lens Reflex (DSLR) as the go-to for capturing the sharpest images and video. These hobby- and professional-grade cameras offer excellent optics, large image sensors and advanced features, empowering you to produce exceptional photos and videos.

As the name implies, mirrorless cameras remove the mirror-based optical viewfinder found in DSLR cameras, which lets you see through the camera, in favor of a purely digital “Electronic Viewfinder.” Taking the mechanism out allows manufacturers to build a more compact and efficient camera that, in many cases, can produce sharper images.

Mirrorless technology is still relatively new, but major manufacturers like Canon, Sony, and Fujifilm have already invested deeply in making the next wave of camera body design. There are already a wide array of options, from affordable daily carry cameras to top-of-the-line professional gear. If you’ve reached a point with your photography where a smartphone isn’t cutting it, the best mirrorless cameras will elevate the quality of your images and inspire new creative possibilities.

Picking a camera, mirrorless or otherwise, is a big decision. Many accessories, including lenses, are brand-specific, so you’ll very quickly lock yourself into buying equipment from that manufacturer. Every camera system has pros and cons, but there are great options from every major brand that can produce amazing images. Whether you’re getting ready to buy in for the first time or looking to upgrade, here are the things we recommend checking out before buying a new mirrorless camera.

Buying a high-quality camera lens is a critical step on your journey as a photographer. While you can purchase a camera “body” without a lens, cameras generally come with a “kit lens” that offers a standard zoom of 35mm to 100mm. A kit lens is very useful, and an excellent place to start for beginners.

Over time, as your skills progress, you may find yourself looking for a wider range of lenses to optimize for more specific shooting scenarios.

Different lenses are most effective from varying distances based on their focal length, measured in millimeters (mm), which indicates the viewing angle of the lens. Lenses with a small focal length have a wider viewing angle, and high focal-length lenses have a narrow one.

Since most lenses are manufacturer-specific and often work on a specific range of camera models, it’s important to make sure that you can buy any lenses you might want for the photos and videos you plan to shoot.

Here are some of the broader categories of lenses that I would consider essential for most expert photographers to have access to over time:

Standard lenses generally offer a focal length between 35mm and 85mm. Standard lenses are versatile and can be used for portraits, landscapes, and street photography.

Prime lenses have a fixed focal length and can’t zoom in or out. They typically have a simpler optical design than zoom lenses, producing sharper, more detailed images with less distortion. Most photographers invest in prime lenses early because they’re often small, affordable, and perform well in low light.

Zoom lenses cover a range of focal lengths, allowing you to change the angle of view by making it narrower (zoom in) or wider (zoom out).

Wide-angle lenses have a shorter focal length than standard lenses and provide a wider field of view. They are ideal for taking pictures of landscapes, architecture, and interiors.

Telephoto lenses offer a longer focal length than standard lenses and provide a narrower field of view. A telephoto lens is great if you plan to take pictures of distant subjects, such as wildlife or athletes.

Macro lenses generally have a longer focal length, allowing you to focus close to subjects and capture intricate details. They are often used to photograph flowers, insects, and other small objects.

The sensor is the most important component of any camera. It captures light and converts it into an image. In a mirrorless camera, you want the largest possible sensor: Not all sensors are created equal, but a larger sensor can collect more information, which leads to more detailed images.

Professionals look for mirrorless cameras with a “full-frame” sensor (36mm x 24mm), which mimics the standard 35mm format in film-based cameras. In addition to collecting a large amount of detail, a full-frame sensor produces an excellent depth of field and performs well in low-light conditions. Professionals generally favor cameras equipped with a full-frame sensor because they are great for portraits, landscapes, and sports.

Not every camera has to have a full-frame sensor, though: Smaller and less expensive cameras often have smaller format APS-C or “micro four thirds” sensors, often called “crop sensors,” because they crop down to a smaller field of view. Full-frame sensors are generally better for professional or high-end photography. In contrast, crop sensors can be a good choice for hobbyists or those who need a more portable or affordable camera.

While most consumer cameras use a full-frame or crop sensor, some manufacturers offer cameras with a “medium-format” sensor that, perhaps confusingly, is actually larger than a full-frame sensor. The larger sensor produces more detailed images at higher resolutions, which makes the cameras especially useful for commercial and fine art photography where you plan to produce large prints.

If you plan to make prints, you should seek a camera with a higher megapixel count. While a higher number of megapixels (MP) doesn't necessarily translate to better image quality, it provides a higher-resolution image. This can be beneficial for making large prints or cropping your images without sacrificing quality.

It’s really frustrating when you take a picture, only to look at the viewfinder and find the final result is blurry because the camera wasn’t perfectly still. Luckily, many of today’s cameras feature In-body image stabilization (IBIS), which compensates for how a camera may move in less steady hands to minimize blurring. That extra stability usually leads to sharper, clearer images, especially when using slow shutter speeds in low-light situations.

In addition to IBIS features, some lenses provide stabilization, but it’s a costly luxury feature that you shouldn’t expect to find on every lens. It’s helpful for image stabilization in larger glass, like telephoto lenses, which may add additional sway or shaking in unsteady hands.

If you plan to take pictures of fast-moving action like sports (or your small child), you’ll want a camera that supports continuous shooting, which allows you to capture photos in rapid succession.

Camera-makers measure continuous shooting rates in frames per second, similar to video framerate. An entry-level camera may offer 5fps, which means the camera takes five photos per second. More advanced cameras may be able to shoot at 30fps or higher.

There are limitations to faster continuous shooting modes, though. Some cameras with high continuous speeds can only sustain their top rate for a short time. And, as you take more photos, you have to be careful not to fill up your memory card with dozens of large RAW files. (Memory card read/write speeds can also impact continuous shooting.)

Your camera’s autofocus system, which finds the subject of a photo in the frame and adjusts your settings to emphasize it in the photo, is also vital. Autofocus allows you to snap photos without adjusting your settings between each shot.

Many of the options on our list use a phase detection autofocus system, similar to what you’d find in a smartphone. With that kind of system, pay attention to the number of autofocus points your camera can handle, which indicates how many points your camera can focus on. The more autofocus points in the system, the more likely your image will look crisp everywhere, including the edges of the frame.

Today’s best cameras, DSLR or Mirrorless, are frequently used for both still photography and recording video. The best mirrorless cameras for video should be able to record in 4K resolution, which is the highest resolution currently available on YouTube and other online video platforms.

We also recommend checking to see whether the camera supports advanced color depth, which indicates how well your camera can reproduce the subtle distinctions between colors in very bright and dim lighting. We usually look for a camera that supports 10-bit color, which indicates the amount of data used to produce color in each pixel. (Currently, you will likely see 8-bit or 10-bit color, though 12-bit is on the way.)

On a less technical level, it’s also useful to have a fully articulating LCD screen on the back, which you can pop out and flip around so you can set up your camera and watch yourself recording while standing in front of it. (This is especially helpful for single-person productions where you plan to record yourself, like vlogging for YouTube and streaming on Twitch.)

Lastly, consider how you plan to record sound when shooting on your camera. Though some cameras can record audio with extra gear, we recommend simply making sure your camera features a microphone input, which will allow you to attach an on-camera microphone.

Increasingly, new mirrorless cameras like the Sony ZV-E10 feature a high-quality in-camera microphone and fully articulating LCD to specifically cater to aspiring YouTubers and streamers.

To select the best mirrorless cameras, I relied on my prior photography testing experience, market research, and insights from Popular Mechanics’ test team, based on its previous coverage. When evaluating each pick, I considered all the essential features I listed above, as well as secondary features like battery life and memory card slots.

The Sony Alpha 7 IV stands out among mirrorless cameras because of its excellent low-light performance, intelligent subject recognition, and advanced autofocus. It features a powerful 33MP sensor and a Real-Time Tracking feature that recognizes when you’re taking pictures of people and animals, so your subjects are always in focus. For action photographers, it supports 10fps continuous shooting with compressed JPGs, or 6fps in RAW.

There’s a lot to like about the Sony a7 IV, but it has its flaws. Specifically, the battery life is a bit disappointing. You can get about 580 shots using only the rear screen, and the battery drains quickly when you shoot video. Every photographer should invest in an extra battery for their camera, but a7 IV users may want to go ahead and buy two. That said, it is an excellent do-it-all camera that will suit any kind of photo or video project.

The Sony a1 is a technological marvel. It boasts a 50MP stacked CMOS sensor that produces high-resolution images with bold colors and sharp details. It supports a powerful autofocus system that features eye detection for people and animals, and can shoot up to 30fps at full resolution with full autofocus and auto-exposure capabilities. These features make Sony’s camera a powerful tool for capturing sports and nature photography.

On the video side, the camera can also record 8K 30p video and 4K 120p video, giving you plenty of creative flexibility. As much as we love the a1, though, its multi-thousand-dollar price tag makes it a hard sell for anyone who doesn’t need the very best gear to enhance their work.

The Fujifilm X-H2S is our favorite hybrid option for creators who plan to use their camera for both still photography and video regularly. The X-H2S features a mode dial to switch between photos and videos on the fly, which is great for content creators who need to switch between the two mid-session.

It’s also a powerful camera, with double the processing capability of its predecessor and a fast 40fps continuous shooting with full autofocus capabilities. It also includes a 26MP stacked CMOS sensor and supports 425-point hybrid autofocus with AI subject detection.

It offers 7-stop, in-body image stabilization, and the ability to track many types of subjects, including people, vehicles, and animals. Like other Fujifilm cameras, the X-H2S provides a selection of film simulations, giving you a vintage look straight out of the camera.

The Fujifilm X-T5 is the pinnacle of the APS-C market, offering a lightweight package that's stylish and powerful. Compared to the beloved X-T4, Fujifilm has bumped up the resolution of the X-T5 from 26MP to 40MP, giving you the flexibility to crop when editing your images.

The X-T5 features the same sensor and processor as the X-H2S, but it stands apart with its analog design, offering old-school ISO, shutter speed, and exposure compensation dials. The camera also offers 5-axis in-body image stabilization and various film simulation modes, so you can reduce editing time and quickly share your photos.

If you enjoy an SLR-style design and powerful autofocus features, the X-T5 is worth checking out.

One of the most powerful mirrorless cameras on the market, the Fujifilm GFX100S is for photographers who want to explore the world beyond full-frame. It features a 102MP medium-format sensor, which can capture images in an extra-large format that will stay sharp in huge prints and provides editing flexibility for advanced editing.

Using multi-shot mode, which will capture 16 images in succession and then combine them, you can get 400MP images output. It also offers 5-axis in-body image stabilization, 10-bit 4K video, and a weather-resistant design. The GFX100S is a specialty camera that comes at a high price, but its utility and flexibility will be an incredible asset to fine-art photographers.

The Fujifilm X100V is old compared to many of our picks, but it’s here because it remains one of the most sought-after cameras by hobbyists and pros. It features a travel-friendly design reminiscent of Leica’s legendary M series, with vintage dials and a wide range of film simulations for classicists who want to recreate the analog experience.

The X100V has a 26MP APS-C sensor and a 23mm prime lens (35mm equivalent), an excellent focal length for various situations. The lens also features an f/2 aperture, which makes it easier to capture photos in challenging light.

It’s as functional as it is stylish, too, with dust and splash protection, support for 4K video, and 11fps burst. Don’t get too attached, though: the X100V frequently goes out of stock, and resellers usually charge a pretty penny on second-hand platforms.

The Canon EOS R6 Mark II offers class-leading autofocus performance, with 1,053 selectable focusing points to provide 100-percent coverage of its 24.2MP CMOS sensor. The camera will find your subject, no matter where it is in the frame. It can also recognize different types of subjects, including animals, people, and vehicles.

The powerful autofocus experience pairs perfectly with the Canon EOS R6 Mark II’s ability to shoot up to 40fps and the shake-reducing 5-axis stabilization system. The camera can also record 10-bit video at 4K 60p, making this an excellent choice for hybrid creators.

Another autofocus powerhouse, the Canon EOS R7 is a fantastic camera for sports and wildlife photography. It offers 15fps of continuous shooting with its mechanical shutter or 30fps with its electronic shutter, and can recognize various subjects like people, vehicles, and animals.

The 32.5MP sensor produces fantastic images that show nice detail and color with low grain, and its 5-axis stabilization system will ensure your pictures and videos come out sharp and blur-free.

You also get 4K video at up to 60 frames per second (60p), a weather-resistant design, and the same powerful Digic X image processor from the much more expensive full-frame Canon EOS R3.

The Nikon Z5 is a solid entry-level mirrorless camera with a full-frame sensor. It’s relatively affordable, but still produces clean, detailed images and videos with excellent color accuracy. Like many of its peers, it includes 5-axis in-body image stabilization and the ability to record video in 4K, although the framerate is capped at 30fps.

The camera is also weather-sealed, which is rare among entry-level cameras, and is not often included at this price, making it perfect for shooting outdoors.

As an entry-level camera, it has a couple of flaws, of course: Its continuous shooting feature is slow at 4.5fps, so it isn’t well-suited to photographing sports or wildlife in action. Overall, though, it’s a great option for novice photographers just starting out.

Coveted by professional photographers everywhere, the Leica M11 is the latest in a long line of extremely well-made and outrageously expensive cameras from the historic brand. Taking cues from classic 35mm film cameras, it features a classic rangefinder design and manual focus, so it’s really just for photographers who really want the digital version of an analog camera. In fact, it doesn’t even record video.

It’s a digital powerhouse, though, with a 60MP sensor. It also features an ultra-quiet mechanical shutter. The Leica M11 is the camera-equivalent of a Rolex or a Rolls Royce: It’s an incredibly proficient camera that’s made in an uncompromising classic style, and capable of making a powerful statement in the right circles.

PM: Which camera brand should I choose?

BR: Finding the best camera ecosystem with all the lenses and features you want is a personal choice. All popular camera manufacturers, including Sony, Nikon, Canon, and Fujifilm, offer a range of options with different specs, features, and lenses.

Consider sensor size, lens support, shooting speed, and video capabilities when choosing a camera brand. Once you understand those details, look at the design and controls of the camera you want to buy. Do you like how the camera feels in your hands? Does the process of setting up and taking a photo feel natural? You can learn a lot from a spreadsheet, but the best place to find your favorite camera is in a store. As you learn more about what you like to photograph, take stock of what brand makes the most sense for you.

PM: Which mirrorless camera brand has the best lenses?

BR: Pinning down the brand with the highest quality lenses is difficult because quality can be subjective and depend on individual preference and shooting style. All of today’s most popular camera manufacturers, including Sony, Nikon, Canon, and Fujifilm, offer a range of lenses that produce sharp, detailed images. If you’re considering one of the cameras on our list, pay attention to the “lens mount” spec, which will tell you if the lens you want supports your camera.

The main thing when buying a lens is to consider the type of pictures you plan to take. For portraits, a prime lens with a 50mm focal length is a good option, while a standard zoom lens (24mm - 70mm) is an excellent choice if you plan to shoot a bit of everything. Specs like size, build quality, and price also play a significant role. Many of today’s top brands offer lenses with comparable focal lengths, aperture ranges, and features, so picking a winner comes down to your specific needs.

PM: Should I switch to a mirrorless camera if I own a DSLR?

BR: If you’re happy with the DSLR you own, I wouldn’t ever recommend getting rid of it. The differences between a DSLR and a mirrorless camera are technical and both designs can produce amazing photos. Plus, your new mirrorless may not be compatible with your DSLR lenses, so it may cost a lot to replace them.

That said, all of today’s major camera manufacturers have switched focus to mirrorless cameras, where you’ll find the newest and most exciting advancements. If you’re buying a new camera or have your heart set on switching systems, a mirrorless camera is a smart investment.

Brandon Russell is a freelance writer covering gear and technology. He started his journey as a news writer at a small newspaper and later began reviewing smartphones, movies, and video games. In his free time, he enjoys the slower, more intentional experience of using a 35mm film camera and making short videos about movies he grew up watching.

The Best Cable Modems to Buy Now

The Best Mechanical Keyboards

The Best VR Headsets of 2023

8 Best Waterproof Bluetooth Speakers

8 Great Laptops for College

The Best Metal Detectors of 2023

30 Thoughtful Gifts for Dads He’s Sure to Love

15 Last-Minute Father's Day Gifts From Amazon

The Best M.2 SSDs for Speedy Storage

The 8 Best Gaming Chairs of 2023

The Best Electric Scooters for Kids

The Best Cheap TVs for Upgrading Your Home