Table of contents for Camera Handbook 2025 in Camera

It’s a sure sign that a market is maturing when we start to see designers and engineers thinking outside the square. With mirrorless cameras – a design configuration that’s now 17 years old and so close to adulthood – the first of the dramatic rule-breakers has arrived in the edgy shape of Sigma’s BF which is as notable for what’s been left off the features list as for what it can actually do. It’s the boldest, bravest mirrorless camera design we’ve seen so far, but there are other signs that ‘niche’ models will become more common. Fujifilm’s GFX100RF puts its 102 megapixels medium format sensor in a fixed-lens camera, not all that much bigger than the ‘APS-C’ X100VI. It’s an enticing combination, but not a camera that’s likely to sell…

SIGMA BF $3,995 body only, recommended retail price Type: Enthusiast-level mirrorless digital camera with L bayonet lens mount. Focusing: Automatic hybrid phase/contrast detection via the imaging sensor. Manual switching between one-shot and continuous AF modes. Subject recognition and tracking for humans (with face/eye detection), animals (dogs and cats with eye detection) or humans + animals. Area modes are 1-Point AF and Area AF. AF+MF full-time override. Sensitivity range is EV −5.0 - 18 (ISO 100 and f/1.4). AF and manual focus assistance via distance scale, distance read-out, image magnification (full screen or picture-in-picture, 2x, 4x or 8x) and focus peaking displays (White, Black, Red, Yellow, Cyan, Blue or Magenta). Manual focus collar on supported lenses can be switched between linear and non-linear operation Metering: 256-point multi-zone and spot measurements. Metering…

With its clearly photographic heritage, the OM-3 doesn’t look like an obvious choice as a video camera, but as with its photographic capabilities, it inherits the most of the video feature set from the OM-1 Mark II as well. Again, the practical limitations versus the latter aren’t significant and topped by the single card slot which obviously prohibits proxy recording or back-ups. Both 4K DCI and 4K UHD can be recorded internally at 50 or 60 fps, and Full HD shooting is available up to 200/240 fps for slow-motion clips (in the ‘S&Q’ mode). There’s the option of 10-bit 4:2:0 colour with the H.265 HEVC compression codec which delivers bit rates of up to 152 Mbps. With the standard MPEG-4 AVC H.264 codec and 8-bit 4:2:0 colour, the bit rates…

The ‘partially stacked’ sensor’s speed arguably has more benefits for video-makers than photographers. The fastest frame rates at all resolutions increase compared to previously while the ability to handle more data internally delivers 6K video – using the full width of the sensor – in 12-bit N-RAW or Apple ProRes HQ RAW quality… and at up to 50/60 fps. The bit rate in N-RAW, by the way, is a massive 3730 Mbps with the high quality recording option switched on. The N-RAW options is also available for 4K (at 4032×2268 pixels) up to 50/60 fps and for 4K (at 3984×2240 pixels) with the ‘DX’ format crop (i.e. 1.5x) at up to 120/100 fps. Likewise for Apple ProRes HQ RAW. From here it’s onto the compressed codecs, starting with ProRes 422…

If you’re a video shooter doing more than just desktop work, the X-M5 still makes a lot of sense, and the lack of an EVF is much less of an issue. Plus you can certainly take advantage of its compact size and compatibility with a big system of interchangeable lens. It works well with a gimbal or in a rig with an external recorder. For its primary intended usage, the main mode dial has a ‘Vlog’ setting (as does the X-S20) which brings up a dedicated touch screen display and access to specific modes – namely Portrait Enhancer, Product Priority and Background Defocus – which are designed to make it easier to shoot more professional-looking videos without needing a lot of experience. There’s also a ‘Short Movie’ mode for shooting…

…And In Colour Photographic Film It’s best known for its black-andwhite films, but Ilford actually first began making colour film way back in the early 1930s – a colour reversal stock that was available in rollfilm and sheet film formats. It was sold under the ‘Selo’ brand and named ‘Selochrome’. The company’s first 35mm colour negative film was launched in 1960 and also introduced the name ‘Ilfocolor’. During the mid-1960s – in partnership with the Swiss company Ciba AG – Ilfochrome colour transparency film was developed. As an aside, the famous Cibachrome colour reversal printing paper and chemistry process was also a product of this period. At the end of the 1970s – and with the exception of Cibachrome – Ilford decided to concentrate its business on B&W photography materials.…

If you want an L mount full frame mirrorless camera primarily for video production, you might be tempted to look at one of Panasonic’s hybrid offerings with all their bells and whistles, but the SL3 is still very well-featured and has plenty of appeal, starting with its heavy-duty construction that’s not afraid of the wet (or the cold). The ultra-high res sensor and more powerful processor mean that 8K is on the menu and both 4K and 2K are available at faster frame rates. The 8K recording is available in the DCI and UHD aspect ratios and uses the more efficient HEVC/H.265 codec with LongGOP compression to keep file sizes and data rates manageable The colour sampling is 10-bit 4:2:0, but you can have 4:2:2 with 4K recording – again…

While Nikon implies that the Z5II is more a photographer’s camera than anything else, it actually has an impressive suite of video features and is capable of more than just occasionally grabbing a few clips. The ‘EXPEED 7’ processor’s speed steps it up to 4K UHD using the full sensor width (i.e. oversampled from 6K) at 24/25/30 fps and at 50/60 fps with a 1.5× crop. This can be with 10-bit 4:2:2 colour using the H.265 codec or in H.264 with 8-bit colour. More interestingly, the camera records 12-bit N-RAW footage internally and to V90-speed SDXC memory card which is a first for a Nikon Z mount camera (the Z6III, for example, uses a much faster CFexpress Type B card for this). The N-RAW frame rates with the Z5II aren’t…

FUJINON XF 500mm f/5.6 R LM OIS WR $5399 Format: ‘APS-C’ digital sensors. Effective focal length is equivalent to 762mm. Angle-of-View: 3.3 degrees (diagonal on ‘APS-C’). Construction: 24 elements/14 groups. Seven special elements – five extra-low dispersion (ED) types and two ‘Super ED’ extra-low dispersion types. Minimum Focus: 275 centimetres. Maximum Reproduction Ratio: 1:5. Aperture Range: f/5.6 to f/22. Overall Length: 255 millimetres. Maximum Diameter: 105 millimetres. Filter Diameter: 95 millimetres. Weight: 1335 grams (without lens hood or tripod foot). Lens Mount: Fujifilm X. Features: Weather-sealed external construction including insulation for operation in subzero temperatures down to -10 degrees Celsius, fluorine coating on front element, optical image stabilisation (up to 5.5 stops of correction for camera shake), internal focusing, high-speed linear AF motor, ‘Focus Preset’ button, four ‘Focus Control’ buttons…

NIKKOR Z 35mm f/1.2 S $4,899 Format: Full frame. Angle-of-View: 63 degrees (diagonal on full frame). Construction: 17 elements/15 groups. Seven special elements – three with extra-low dispersion (ED) characteristics, one aspherical type with extra-low dispersion (ED) characteristics, and three aspherical types. Minimum Focus: 30 centimetres. Maximum Reproduction Ratio: 1:5.0. Aperture Range: f/1.2 to f/16. Overall Length: 150 millimetres. Maximum Diameter: 90 millimetres. Filter Diameter: 82 millimetres. Weight: 1060 grams (without the lens hood). Lens Mount(s): Nikkor Z. Features: Weather-sealed external construction; ‘Meso-Amorphous Coat’, ‘Nano Crystal Coat’ and ‘ARNEO Coat’ anti-reflection multi-coatings; two stepping motors (STM) AF drive (with internal focusing using dual focusing groups), 11-blade diaphragm, manual focus collar switchable between linear and non-linear operation, multi-function control ring, AF/ MF switch, two ‘L-Fn’ focus hold/multi-function buttons. Bayonet-fit lens hood…

OM SYSTEM M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 150600mm f/5.0-6.3 IS $4499 recommended retail price Format: Micro Four Thirds. Focal Length Multiplier: 1.97x. Effective Focal Length: 300-1200mm. Angle-of-View: 8.2-2.1 degrees (diagonal). Construction: 25 elements in 15 groups. Thirteen special elements – four Super ED (Super Extra-Low Dispersion) type, six HR (High Refractive Index) type, two ED (Extra-Low Dispersion) types, one HD (High Definition) type. Minimum Focus: 56 centimetres at 150mm, 2.8 metres at 600mm. Maximum Reproduction Ratio: 1:2.8 at 150 mm, 1:5 at 600mm (35mm equivalent). Aperture Range: f/5.0-6.3 to f/22-29. Length: 264.4 millimetres at 150/300mm. Maximum Diameter: 109.4 millimetres. Filter Diameter: 95 millimetres. Weight: 2065 grams. Features: Weather-sealed construction to IPX1 standard (dust, moisture and subzero temperatures down to -10 degrees Celsius), fluorine moisture repellent coating on the exposed surface of the…

I n photography necessity has always been the mother of invention and a number of very pressing needs gave rise to the Rolleiflex twin lens reflex camera, a design that survived for 70 years. The story begins in 1905 when a young German engineer, Reinhold Heidecke, joined Voigtländer – then a manufacturer of telescopes and binoculars – to start a new camera design department. In 1909, an 18-year-old called Paul Franke also started working at Voigtländer, as an unpaid apprentice, and this was to be the start of a long-term working relationship. Franke only stayed at Voigtländer for two years and he eventually ended up running a photography shop in Berlin where many of his customers were soldiers fighting in World War I. They continually requested a portable and easyto-use…

If you were thinking that Sigma’s next move in mirrorless cameras would be a full frame version of the fp, then think again. If you were thinking that Sigma’s next mirrorless camera might finally showcase a full frame Foveon sensor, then you’d be wrong again. In fact, it’s almost certain that absolutely nobody outside Sigma saw the BF coming. It’s like nothing we’ve ever seen before and it demands you completely reset the way you think about a contemporary mirrorless camera. Accepted conventions have to be tossed out of the window, similarly long-held traditions and, indeed, the very essence of what you think you might need or want. Presumably, just like Sigma when the idea of the BF was originally floated, you need to start with an open mind and…

The ‘single digit’ Olympus OM 35mm SLRs are film camera royalty and while the original OM-1 and the OM-2 tend to get all the accolades, the OM-4 (introduced in 1983) was arguably the most successful model, especially in terms of attracting professional users and appealing to enthusiast-level shooters when Canon and Nikon were starting to sweep all before them. For a while, the OM-4 was standard issue at National Geographic magazine, no doubt partially because of its compact size, but also the truly excellent system of Zuiko lenses. The Ti version’s titanium body-shell – which arrived in 1986 – added extra durability to the mix, although all OM-4s were weather-sealed. However, for the purists there was the OM-3, also launched in 1983 and also available later on with a titanium…

NIKON Z 6III $4199 body only, recommended retail price Type: Enthusiast-level or semi-professional digital mirrorless camera with Nikon Z bayonet lens mount Focusing: Automatic via 299 points using hybrid phase/contrast detection (273 points available for manual selection). Area modes are Pinpoint, Single-Point, Dynamic Area – Small, Dynamic Area – Medium, Dynamic Area - Large, Wide Area AF – Small, Wide Area AF – Large, Wide Area AF – Custom 1 and 2 (with 77 shape/size options from 1×1 to 21×13 points), Auto Area, 3D Tracking, Subject Tracking. Manual switching between one-shot and continuous modes for photography with auto switching in AF-F mode for video. Subject recognition for humans (body/head/face/eye), animals (body/head/eye, and which includes dogs, cats and birds), cars, motorcycles, bicycles, trains and aircraft. Auto subject detection. 3D Tracking. Adjustable…

FUJIFILM X-M5 $1449 body only, recommended retail price Type: Compact digital mirrorless camera with Fujifilm X bayonet lens mount. Focusing: TTL automatic hybrid system using phase-difference detection and contrast-detection measurements. 425 measuring points (in 25×17 or 13×9 patterns). Single-point (six sizes), zone (7×7, 5×5 or 3×3 point clusters selected from 117 points), custom zone (three user-defined shapes) and wide/tracking modes. Five ‘AF-C Custom’ settings for optimising tracking plus a user-definable setting for Tracking Sensitivity, Speed Tracking Sensitivity and Zone Area Switching. Face/eye detection with left/right priority. Subject detection for animals, birds and insects, cars, motorcycles and bikes, aircraft and drones, and trains. Auto subject detection when the camera is in full auto mode. Focus range limiter. Face/eye detection with left/right priority. Manual switching between one-shot and continuous AF modes. AF+MF…

PENTAX 17 $899 Maximum recommended retail price Type: 35mm half frame compact camera with fixed prime lens. Image size is 17×24 mm. Lens: Pentax HD 25mm f/3.5 (equivalent to 37mm in full frame 35mm format) with triplet optical construction and 61 degrees angle-of-view. Filter fitting is 40.5 millimetres. Focusing: Manual via focus zone settings at 0.25 metres, 0.5 metres, 1.2 metres, 1.7 metres, 3.0 metres and infinity. Metering: Partial area measurement using multi zones. Sensitivity range is EV 2.5 to 16.5 at ISO 100. ISO Range: 50-3200 in one-third stop increments (manual setting only). Exposure Modes: Full Auto, Program (with or without flash), Slow-Speed Shutter, Maximum Aperture Priority, Bulb, Daylight Sync and Slow-Speed Sync. Shutter Type/Speeds: Electronic, behind-the-lens leaf. 4-1/350 second plus ‘B’. Exposure Compensation: Up to +/- 2.0 EV…

LEICA SL3 $11,790 body only, recommended retail price Type: Enthusiast/professional mirrorless digital camera with L bayonet lens mount. Focusing: Hybrid phase/contrast-detection measurement with 315 focusing points. Contrast detection via Depth-From-Defocus (DFD) calculations. Manual and automatic (‘Intelligent AF’) switching between one-shot and continuous AF modes, the latter with auto tracking. Area modes for Spot, Zone (nine points), Multi-Field, Field, Tracking, Eye/Face/Body Detection for humans and Eye/Face/Body Detection for animals. AF Profiles for Children/Pets, Team Sports, Runner and Wildlife. Touchpad AF point/zone selection available via touch screen monitor. Focus assist via magnified image (three settings) and focus peaking displays (Red, Green, Blue and White; and two levels of intensity). Sensitivity range is EV -6.0 - 18 (ISO 100, f/1.4). Low light/contrast assist provided by built-in LED illuminator. Metering: Multi-zone, centre-weighted average, highlight-weighted…

NIKON Z5II $2,699 body only, recommended retail price Type: Enthusiast-level digital mirrorless camera with Nikon Z bayonet lens mount Focusing: Automatic via 299 points (89 percent vertical/96 percent horizontal frame coverage) using hybrid phase/contrast detection. Area modes are Pinpoint, Single-Point, Dynamic Area AF – Small, Dynamic Area AF – Medium, Dynamic Area AF – Large, Wide Area AF Small, Wide Area AF Large, Wide Area AF – Custom 1 and 2 (with 77 shape/size options from 1×1 to 21×13 points), Auto Area, 3D Tracking and Subject Tracking. Manual or auto (AFA) switching between one-shot and continuous modes. Body/head/face/eye detection for humans, body/head/eye detection for animals (dogs, cats and birds), subject recognition for cars, motorcycles, bicycles, trains and aircraft. Auto subject detection. Adjustable tracking sensitivity. Sensitivity range is EV -10 -…

With OM Digital Solution’s shift in emphasis to consider itself more of an outdoor equipment company that specialises in imaging equipment, the M.Zuiko Digital ED 150-600mm f/5.06.3 IS clearly fits with the new strategy. Effectively a 300-1200mm thanks to the crop factor of the M43 sensor, it’s very much suited to ‘outdoorsy’ applications and subjects - wildlife, birds, sports, adventure activities, aircraft and sailing. To further strengthen its outdoors credentials, the 150-600mm is weather sealed to the IPX1 standard for handling moisture and dust. Additionally, the exposed surface of the front element has a fluorine coating to help better repel water and grease, but also make it easier to clean. The IPX1 standard isn’t as exacting as the IP53 tests that the top-end OM System camera bodies have to pass,…

For all the reasons outlined in the main text, the Sigma BF isn’t going to be anybody’s first choice as a video camera because it lacks a bunch of features that are on the ‘must have’ list. For some of them, there are work-arounds, but why do this when there are plenty of full frame mirrorless cameras with video-making capabilities as a priority? Sigma itself says that the BF is primarily targeted at photographers, but that said, it’s still well enough equipped for you to make good-looking video clips The headline act is 6K res (6016x3384 pixels) at 24, 25 or 30 fps with 10-bit 4:2:2 colour using the HEVC/H.265 codec and LongGOP compression, or with 8-bit 4:2:0 colour with the AVC/H.264 codec. Both the codec options are also available…

What do you first notice about the OM System OM-3? It takes a little while to take in that you’re looking at the clean and uncluttered lines that were once a staple of 35mm SLR design before ever-bulkier handgrips became a thing. Yup, the OM-3 doesn’t have one at all… not even a little bump like on the Nikon Zf. There’s a thumbgrip at the back, but from the front it’s all about the balanced, elegant proportions that made the original OM-1 - and its OM-2 semi-auto exposure sibling - such a hit back in the 1970s. Of course, there was also an OM-3 in the original dynasty (see the breakout panel), so OM Digital Solutions is going the full classical OM camera experience with this new model… although the…

OM SYSTEM OM-3 $3,199 body only, recommended retail price Type: Enth usiast-level interchangeable lens digital mirrorless camera with Micro Four Thirds System bayonet lens mount. Focusing: Automatic ‘Cross Quad Pixel AF’ hybrid system using contrast-detection and phase-difference detection measurements via the imaging sensor with 1053 X-type focusing points for each. Sampling at 120 fps with 100 percent scene coverage vertically and horizontally. Focus points may be selected manually or automatically by the camera. Area modes are Single, Small (3×3), Medium (9×7), Large (15×11), Cross (9 points horizontally, 7 vertically), or Custom shape/size (up to four). ‘Intelligent Subject Detection AF’ tracking modes for humans, animals, birds, motorsport (cars and motorcycles), aircraft (including helicopters) and trains. Eye/face/head/body detection for humans and animals. Up to eight targets can be tracked simultaneously. ‘Starry Sky’…

Sigma’s compact I series premium primes lenses are designed to complement the more compact and lightweight full frame mirror-less camera bodies. As with all Sigma optical products, the I series lenses are designed and manufactured in Japan at the company’s Aizu state-of-the-art factory. With the launch of the BF mirrorless camera, the I series lenses are now available in a silver finish and all models have revised cosmetics. There are currently nine I series models, starting with a 17mm f/4.0 ultra-wide prime. The rest of the line-up comprises a 20mm f/2.0 a 24mm f/2.0, a 24mm f/3.5, a 35mm f/2.0, a 45mm f/2.8, a 50mm f/2.0 a 65mm f/2.0 and a 90mm f/2.8. All are designated ‘Contemporary’ in Sigma’s organisation of its lens lines. The Contemporary line lenses feature compact…