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What are the best professional mirrorless cameras under $3000?

12

Options
Considered

39

User
Recs.

Sep 20, 2023

Last
Updated

Here’s the Deal

12 Options Considered

Best professional mirrorless cameras under $3000	Price	Max resolution	Weight
-- Sony Alpha a7R III	$2498	7952x5304	657g
-- Olympus OM-D E-M1	$668	4608x3456	497g
-- Nikon Zf	$1999.95	6048 x 4032	-
-- Fujifilm X-S20	$1,299	6240 x 4160	491 g
-- Panasonic Lumix S5 IIX	$2,197.99	6000 x 4000	740 g

Sony Alpha a7R III

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Specs

Max resolution:7952x5304

Olympus OM-D E-M1

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Top Pro

Can preview HDR images in viewfinder

HDR images can be composited in-camera and the output seen using the viewfinder. See More

Top Con

The depth of interface options can be overwhelming at first

Specs

Max resolution:4608x3456

Video resolution:1080p@30; 720p@30; 480p@30

Top Pro

Good electric viewfinder

The viewfinder is bright and sharp. See More

Top Con

Limited framerate options

Shooting in 1080p the camera is limited to 30fps, there are no slow-mo options or 24fps options. See More

Top Pro

Supports standard Four Thirds lenses

Built-in phase detection allows you to use standard Four Thirds lenses via an adaptor. See More

Top Con

Continuous autofocus is spotty at close range

Continuous autofocus is sometimes seen hunting with wide angle lenses at short range. See More

Top Pro

Amazing image stabilization

Top Con

Video quality could be better

The video is limited to 24MBit max bitrate. See More

Top Pro

In-body stabilization saves money on lenses

Since stabilization can be applied to any lens, you can save money by not having to spend it on stabilized lenses which are generally more expensive than non-stabilized lenses. See More

Top Pro

MFT lens mount allows for a wide variety of lenses to choose from

Micro Four Thirds system is a standard used by Panasonic, Olympus, Sigma and many others so you're not locked into a having to buy lenses from one manufacturer. See More

Top Pro

Convenient in-camera RAW conversion

Top Pro

Continuous autofocus works well at a distance

Continuous autofocus is reasonably reliable using long lenses at a distance. It works slightly better with the subject coming closer/moving away from the camera than it does when the subject is moving from side to side. See More

Top Pro

Great focusing system

The focusing system is quick, it rarely if ever resorts to focus hunting and it's consistently accurate. See More

Top Pro

Great image quality

E-M1 takes sharp 16MP images with tonal colors. There's little noise up until 1250 ISO and there's little smudging up until 6400 ISO. See More

Top Pro

Quick access to settings

The camera takes a "buttons and dials for everything" approach. It's also possible to change what some of the buttons do. See More

Nikon Zf

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Specs

Max resolution:6048 x 4032

Sensor:25 MP full-frame CMOS

ISO Range:50 - 204800

Nikon Z6 II

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Canon EOS R6 Mark II

Specs

Max resolution:6000 x 4000

Video resolution:4K @60p, 1080p @120p

Lens mount:Canon RF

Nikon Z6

Top Pro

High-ISO quality

Superb for low light conditions. See More

Top Con

Not all reviews are positive

Here is a critical review: BEST MIRRORLESS CAMERAS OF 2019. See More

RickZeeland's Experience

Superb build quality, magnesium alloy body, and excellent weather sealing. Older Nikon lenses can be used with the FTZ mount adaptor, but this must be bought separately. Also note that this camera has an XQD card slot. See More

Specs

Max resolution:6048x4024

Video resolution:4K @30p, 1080p @120p

Top Pro

XQD card slot

supports XQD 2.0 and 1.0 cards, see Nikon Z6 XQD Card Comparison. See More

Top Con

Display tilt

The display can not be tilted 180 degrees for selfies. See More

Top Pro

Full frame 4K video

Top Con

Buffer capacity

Average buffer capacity which slows down performance especially when using older and slower XQD cards. See More

Top Pro

In-body image stabilization

Fujifilm X-Pro2

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Top Pro

Dual SD card slots

Top Con

ISO dial is somewhat impractical

Specs

Max resolution:6000x4000

Top Pro

Great high ISO performance

Noise reduction on the camera works amazingly well. Up until ISO 3200 noise is minimal even with 100% crops with it becoming noticeable at ISO 6400 and up. See More

Top Con

Continuous autofocus while shooting video is not safe

AF can decide to refocus in the middle of capturing footage. See More

Top Pro

Offers a simple way to access commonly used menu options

You can put your most often used menu options in a separate menu tab called My Menu for quick access. See More

Top Con

Auto ISO can't be set up based on focal-length

Top Pro

Excellent image quality

Great JPEG output. The camera offers useful processing options for JPEGs. Great RAW performance. Moire is virtually nonexistent. See More

Top Con

AF tracking in continuous shooting is highly lens dependent

With some lenses the tracking is fast and the hit-rate is high while others give highly inconsistent results. Additionally, while overall the faster the lens the better the results, there are exceptions. And while such behaviour is expected with all cameras, the degree to which X-Pro 2 is affected by this is noticeably greater than comparable cameras. See More

Top Pro

Reasonable video quality

While minor moire and oversharpening issues can be noticed, the video quality is comparable to most other cameras in this class. The camera can shoot at up to 1080p at 60fps. See More

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