10 best mirrorless cameras in 2016

A mirrorless camera, sometimes referred to as a csc type camera has interchangeable lenses like a dslr, usually as good quality as a dslr but does not have an optical viewfinder, some have electronic viewfinders some rely upon the monitor on the back for composing the pictures. They are gaining in popularity because they are small and light but offer good quality like a dslr camera. This review on Techradar will help you

Once upon a time, keen photographers bought a DSLR – it was the established order of things. But the mirror mechanism of a DSLR is complex and noisy and adds to the weight of the camera, and that’s where the mirrorless camera, or compact system camera comes in. They keep the big sensors and interchangeable lenses of DSLR cameras but ditch the mirror to produce a smaller, lighter and simpler camera.

In fact, there are still pros and cons to both designs. If you want to find out more, read this: Mirrorless vs DSLR cameras: 10 key differences.

Some mirrorless cameras have a compact, rectangular body, some are styled like DSLRs with a ‘pentaprism’ on the top – though this houses an electronic viewfinder rather than the optical viewfinder you get with a DSLR.

Be aware, too, that cheaper mirrorless cameras don’t come with viewfinders at all – instead, you compose the photo on the rear screen, just as you do with a compact camera or a smartphone. (If you’re still not sure what kind of camera you need, read our easy to follow guide: What camera should I buy?)

No two photographers are exactly the same – we’re all looking for slightly different things, so we’ve ranked the 10 best compact system cameras you can buy right now based not just on specs, handling and performance, but size, simplicity and value for money too.

1. Fuji X-T2

A stunning camera perfect for enthusiast photographers

Sensor size: APS-C | Resolution: 24.3MP | Viewfinder: EVF | Monitor: 3.0-inch tilt-angle display, 1,040,000 dots | Maximum continuous shooting rate: 8fps | Movies: 4K | User level: Expert

Polished handling

Fast autofocus

No touchscreen

Not much else

2. Olympus OM-D E-M10 II

The brilliant E-M10 II ticks boxes you probably didn’t even know about

Sensor size: Micro Four Thirds | Resolution: 16.1MP | Viewfinder: EVF | Monitor: 3.0-inch tilt-angle display, 1,037,000 dots | Maximum continuous shooting rate: 8.5fps | Movies: 1080p | User level: Beginner/intermediate

Compact size, lenses too

Excellent viewfinder

Smaller sensor than some

Pricier than original E-M10

3. Sony Alpha A7R II

Sony’s highest resolution full-framer is going down a storm

Sensor size: Full-frame | Resolution: 42.4MP | Viewfinder: EVF | Monitor: 3.0-inch tilt-angle display, 1,228,800 dots | Maximum continuous shooting rate:5fps | Movies: 4K | User level: Expert

Huge, high quality images

Excellent quality viewfinder

Needs a faster AF point settings

Tilting rather than vari-angle screen

4. Fuji X-T10

The X-T10 makes access to Fuji’s terrific X-mount system affordable

Sensor size: APS-C | Resolution: 16.3MP | Viewfinder: EVF | Monitor: 3.0-inch tilt-angle display, 920,800 dots | Maximum continuous shooting rate: 8fps | Movies: 1080p | User level: Beginner/intermediate

Excellent build and design

Value for money

High ISOs are JPEG only

Lacks X-T1’s weatherproofing

5. Fuji X-Pro2

Classic styling houses a stack of features aimed at the enthusiast photographer

Sensor size: APS-C | Resolution: 24.3MP | Viewfinder: EVF & Optical | Monitor:3.0-inch display, 1,620,000 dots | Maximum continuous shooting rate: 8fps | Maximum video resolution: 1080p | User level: Expert

Clever viewfinder

Very good detail and colour

Fixed rear display

EV dial easily knocked

see all the review here on Techradar

Got the camera get a course to learn how to use it, we recommend our Understanding Your DSLR course, ideal for this sort of camera

Sony world photography awards 2015

In April we had the  Sony world photography awards 2015

The Guardian’s gallery of the winning images included these

Untitled, from the series Aerial Views Adria, by Bernhard Lang, GermanyAerial photographs of the Adriatic coastline between Ravenna and Rimini, Italy, photographed in August 2014. The colourful umbrellas create amazing geometric patterns which contrast dramatically with the golden sand

Winner, travel

Mt Kenya, 1963, by Simon Norfolk, UKThese fire lines I have drawn with a pyrograph indicate where the front of the rapidly disappearing Lewis Glacier on Mt Kenya was at various times in the recent past. In the distance, a harvest moon lights the doomed glacier remnant; the gap between the fire and ice represents the relentless melting. Relying on old maps and modern GPS I have made a stratified history of the glacier’s retreat. This flame line shows the glacier’s location in 1963

Winner, landscape

Untitled, from the series Solar Portraits in Myanmar, by Ruben Salgado Escudero, Spain
Mg Ko, 20 years old, a Shan farmer with his cow in Lui Pan Sone village, Kayah state, Myanmar. Just 26% of the country’s population, at least half of whom live in cities, have access to the electrical grid. Small, inexpensive photovoltaic power systems provide households with 12 hours of light overnight. These portraits depict the lives of inhabitants of remote areas of Myanmar who, for the first time, have access to electricity through solar power

Winner, portraiture

Intimate Room in Targsor Penitentiary, Romania, 2011, by Cosmin Bumbutz, RomaniaOnce Romania joined the EU in 2007, the whole prison system went through a major revamp. The biggest reform was to introduce the right to private visits. A prisoner who is married or in a relationship has the right to receive, every three months, a two-hour private visit which takes place in a separate room inside the prison compound. I started photographing the private rooms in 2008 and I have now photographed the private rooms inside all 35 Romanian penitentiaries

Winner, architecture

You can see the winners on The Guardian site

here is the Sony World Photography site

Where’s My Professional Mirrorless Camera?

I always enjoy reading articles on Peta Pixel, they know when to talk turkey, I think that is the phrase although I might be wrong, anyway they tell it as it is. This article about mirrorless cameras is so right

Let’s take a moment to reflect on mirrors. Mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras, like the Olympus Pen E-P5 or Samsung NX300, have enjoyed increasing popularity over the past few years, and it’s become clear that they are more than a passing fad.

This motley collection of high-tech cameras filled the gap that existed between bulky DSLRs and compact cameras, but manufacturers are now starting to expand their mirrorless lineups in hopes of attracting a wider cross-section of photographers, including professionals.

However, efforts to court the professional buyer thus far have been misdirected, and they’ve focused on building luxury cameras rather than professional cameras. Mirrorless platforms have the potential to compete with, and outshine, even the most formidable of professional DSLRs, and camera manufacturers need to take note.

Manufacturers’ faith in a broad demand for mirrorless cameras is visible in their expanding lineups. While most of the current players — pretty much all of the big names in consumer photography — entered the mirrorless market offering just one or two models, there has been rapid expansion since then. For example, Sony’s NEX brand now includes four different lines, while Panasonic is actively selling more than ten different models of mirrorless camera bodies.

Part of this branching out includes a reach for amateur and casual photographers. While demand for conventional compact cameras is performing a spectacular dive, in large part due to the proliferation of smart phones, it’s not hard to imagine many amateur snappers being drawn to these middle ground offerings.

Meanwhile, some manufacturers have taken steps to court the professional market. These sorts of efforts may soon prove to be far more profitable than focusing on amateurs as demand for cameras with changeable lens systems, like mirrorless cameras and DSLRs, is picking up. These early efforts have produced some beautiful cameras, but their focus on style over substance may be missing the point.

If you want to read more of this, and I would, then go here

here is there take on the Hasselblad version of this less than useful camera type

The Hasselblad Lunar is the most egregious offender. For decades, Hassleblad defined the high water mark in professional studio cameras, but the Lunar, their first mirrorless offering, doesn’t come close to upholding that legacy.

To be fair, it’s a beautiful little work of art, featuring grips made of Tuscan leather and mahogany, but all the extra bells and whistles don’t hide the fact that it’s just a reworked Sony NEX-7. A reworked NEX-7 that costs more than $6000. For cameras like the Lunar, the primary goal isn’t to build a reliable professional tool, but rather to create a phenomenal user-experience.

More here

Related articles

• Sony’s New Mirrorless Cameras Are the First to Get Full-Frame Sensors (wired.com)
• Mirrorless Lens Cameras & Nature Photography (naturalhistorywanderings.com)
• Headless mirrorless crazyness buzz mess (pessoist.wordpress.com)
• What’s the different between a bridge camera and a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera? (viralvideosecret.com)

Best Bridge Camera 2013

A bridge camera is a bit like a dslr but without interchangeable lenses and smaller so more portable

Tech Radar up first

Sometimes you don’t want to lug around a DSLR and an assortment of lenses – you want one camera and one lens that does it all.
This means a feature set that cherry picks the best that a typical DSLR has to offer, including manual control and preferably the ability to shoot in raw format as well as JPEG, along with a lens that offers a very broad focal range, so it won’t matter that it can’t be swapped.
Enter the superzoom camera, also known as an ultra zoom or bridge camera – so called because it bridges the gap between a point and shoot compact and an all bells and whistles DSLR, in terms of handling and feature set, at least.

Buying Guide

For this reason, superzooms tend to closely resemble DSLRs in terms of look, build and – to an extent – handling, but feature smaller image sensors and, partly because of this, afford physically smaller lenses.
While not a replacement for a DSLR then, the advantage here is that the cameras can offer a very broad focal range; one that, if you were to try and achieve similar with a DSLR, would make for a prohibitively expensive and awkwardly unwieldy combo.
The larger physical size of a bridge camera or superzoom when compared with a snapshot camera may deter some, but there’s a lot more creative versatility here in terms of framing choices. A case in point: many models also offer tilt and swivel LCD screens as well as optical or electronic viewfinders. Again, with a bridge camera there is more choice and more options for the photo enthusiast.
So if you are after one jack-of-all-trades digital camera – either instead of a DSLR, or perhaps as a less expensive back up – and you value convenience and flexibility as much as image quality and pixel count, then a bridge or superzoom camera could be your ideal companion. So here we’re shining the spotlight on the best of some recent releases.
Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-HX300

Price: £325/US$430/AU$550
Specs: 20.4MP 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor, 50x zoom with 24-1200mm (equivalent) focal length, 1080p video
Best compact camera 2013It’s very nearly brilliant
There’s a lot to love about the Sony. It has a class-leading 20.4Mp image resolution, a fast 10fps burst rate, generous 30-1/4000th-of-a-second shutter-speed range and a big 50x zoom range (24-1200mm equivalent).
It has clever tricks too. For example, as well as a two-speed powered zoom lever by the shutter button, you can also adjust the zoom and focus settings via a control ring on the lens barrel. This alternative zoom method is still motor-controlled but enables greater precision in adjustments.
Further highlights include a high-res 921k pixel LCD that also boasts a tilt facility.
It’s good for shooting from very high or low perspectives, either holding the camera above your head or for shooting from ground level without getting muddy knees. However, unlike some Sony tilt screens, it doesn’t flip over completely to help with self-portraits.
In other areas, the Sony comes up a bit short. It does have an electronic viewfinder but the unspecified resolution seems pretty poor, on a par with the Canon and Panasonic cameras.
A more surprising shortcoming, given the otherwise advanced collection of creative shooting modes and high-end features, is that ‘stills capture’ is a JPEG-only affair, without the ability to shoot in raw. There’s also no hot shoe, so you’re stuck with the fairly minimal power of the pop-up flash.
Back on the plus side, handling is very good overall, with a high-quality build and quick access to plentiful shooting parameters.
Performance
Impressive in most areas, performance benefits from effective autofocus and metering even in tricky conditions.
The optical stabilizer matches those of other cameras in the group, giving consistently sharp handheld images under decent lighting, even at very long zoom settings.
The only real upset is that image noise can be very noticeable in low-light shots, even at the lower end of the ISO range.

Fuji FinePix HS50 EXR

Price: £350/US$450/AU$510
Specs: 16MP 1/2-inch EXR CMOS II sensor, 42x optical zoom with 24-1000mm (equivalent) focal length, 1080p video
Best compact camera 2013It’s a bit of a whopper
Compared with some competitors in the group, the Fujifilm is a real hunk of a camera. It’s got a big, beefy body and, unlike some, the lens doesn’t retract when the camera is switched off.
Big isn’t necessarily bad, however, and the camera feels wonderfully natural with superb handling. It can’t quite match the leaders in the group for outright zoom range, but the 42x lens still gives the equivalent of a mighty 24-1000mm span of focal lengths.
Not only does the Fujifilm have an electronic viewfinder, but it’s of considerably better quality than any of the other cameras on test, with a super-sharp 920k pixel display. Composition and manual focusing are all the easier for it.
Along with a plethora of basic and advanced shooting modes, both raw and JPEG quality options are available.
Battery life is similarly impressive, with 500 shots available from a full charge, where most competing cameras only last for about 300 shots.
There’s no power zoom facility but, in practice, the smooth and precise manual zoom and focus rings on the lens enable greater precision, without the constant danger of overshooting the mark and having to yo-yo back and forth. Like only the Canon in this group, the LCD is fully articulated so gives a complete range of pivot functions.
Performance
Autofocus is a bit special; the hybrid phase/contrast system doing better than the contrast-detection systems of competing cameras to track moving targets.
Continuing the speed theme, there’s a fast 11fps drive rate available, which increases to 16fps if you limit yourself to medium-sized JPEG capture.
In the standard sensitivity range of ISO 100-3200, noise is well controlled and there’s excellent retention of fine detail, even at very high ISO settings. Ultra-high sensitivities of up to ISO 12800 are available in expanded mode, if needed.
Nikon Coolpix L820

Price: £190/US$200/AU$300
Specs: 16.79MP 1/2.3-inch back illuminated CMOS sensor, 30x zoom with 22.5-675mm (equivalent) focal length, 1080p video
Best compact camera 2013It’s more of a point-and-shoot bridge camera
Photographers who use Nikon SLRs are usually rewarded with a wealth of shooting options and customisable functions, available through almost-endless scrolling menus.
The L820 is an entirely different proposition and really quite basic in operation.
You don’t have to be eagle-eyed to spot the lack of a shooting mode dial and, indeed, there are no aperture-priority, shutter-priority or metered manual modes.
Instead, you’re limited to ‘auto’, ‘easy auto’, ‘smart portrait’, and a number of scene modes and filter options. If you like being in control, it can feel a bit limiting. For example, the only way to get a shutter speed slower than one second is to switch to the ‘fireworks’ scene mode. At the other end of the scale, shutter speed tops out at just 1/1500th of a second.
Sensitivity only reaches ISO 1600 in the standard range, and ISO 3200 in expanded mode.
Other areas which might be disappointing for accomplished photographers are the lack of a viewfinder or hot shoe and the absence of raw capture.
On the plus side, the Nikon is very compact, helped by the retracting lens which tucks away when the camera is switched off. Then again, the 30x zoom range is the smallest in the group.
With an effective 22.5-675mm focal length range, it’s quite generous at the wide-angle end, but loses out for long telephoto shooting. Zooming itself can be a bit hit and miss. Unlike the Canon, Panasonic and Sony cameras, there’s just a single-speed (and reasonably fast) power-zoom mechanism which can make precise adjustments a real frustration.
Performance
The Nikon redeems itself somewhat when it comes to image quality, which is generally very good even under dull lighting conditions.
Autofocus isn’t particularly rapid but it copes better in tricky conditions than Nikon’s high-end Coolpix P7700 compact camera, which we reviewed back in issue 139.

Canon PowerShot SX50 HS

Price: £350/US$430/AU$475
Specs: 12.1MP 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor, 50x zoom with 24-1200mm (equivalent) focal length, 1080p video
Best compact camera 2013Small but powerful and feature-packed
Slightly smaller and lighter than competing cameras that also feature an electronic viewfinder, the Canon nevertheless boasts a 50x zoom lens, equivalent to 24-1200mm in range.
As one of Canon’s ‘HS’ series cameras, it’s intended to give good performance in low lighting conditions, which is why its image resolution is relatively modest. As such, the camera is fitted with a 12.1MP image sensor, whereas most others in the group are between 16MP and 20.4MP.
The shooting mode dial is packed with wide-ranging scene modes, a full complement of PASM shooting modes, special effects aplenty and two user-defined custom settings. Further direct access controls around the back make it quick and easy to get to important shooting parameters.
Further attractions include a fully articulated LCD screen and a hot shoe for mounting an optional flashgun.
Ultimately, it really does feel like a ‘proper’ camera. By contrast, the low-resolution electronic viewfinder is a bit lacking in clarity.
With the immense telephoto reach on offer, one nice touch is the pair of buttons on the side of the lens barrel. These enable you to instantly zoom out if you lose a target at extremely long focal lengths, reacquire it, then zoom back in again to take the shot.
For normal operation of zoom, there’s a two-stage lever which enables both slow and fast action. The ability to shoot in raw mode as well as JPEG is another plus point for the Canon.
Performance
True to its low-light claims, image noise is well controlled and the longest available shutter speed is better than most, at 15 seconds.
Maximum burst rate is a bit pedestrian at 4.1fps (frames per second) but you can boost this to 13fps if you don’t need autofocus after the first shot in a sequence.
Sharpness is good throughout the zoom range and the optical image stabilizer works well.

This is from What Digital Camera

The Best Bridge Camera of 2013 – our pick of the very best bridge cameras currently on the market
Bridge cameras – P520
The bridge camera remains one of the most popular types of digital camera, owing to their huge zoom lenses, DSLR-esque handling and relatively compact proportions.
There are several factors to consider before buying a bridge camera, including whether in fact a bridge is right choice for your needs. If you’re uncertain we highly recommend you read our in-depth Guide to Bridge Cameras first, just be sure.
But if you’ve done that, or you’re already confident that a bridge camera is for you, then read our round up of the best bridge cameras of 2013…

Best bridge camera 2013 – Canon PowerShot SX50HS
Canon PowerShot SX50 HS
Street price: £360
Even though it’s by no means the biggest bridge camera on the market the Canon PowerShot SX50 HS it was the world’s first bridge camera to feature a 50x optical zoom, extending from 24mm to an impressive 1200mm.
Paired with Canon’s latest DIGIC 5 processor, the 12MP HS sensor is renowned for its high speed and good high ISO performance. The SX50 HS also offers a full tilt and swivel LCD screen, raw capture and a selection of 58 scene modes, while the hot-shoe allows for Canon EX Speedlite flash guns to be attached.
Best Bridge Camera for: Canon Compatibility
Read more on the Canon PowerShot SX50 HS
Find the best deals for the Canon PowerShot SX50 HS

Best bridge camera 2013 – Fujifilm HS50 EXR

Fujifilm FinePix HS50 EXR
Street price: £400
The Fujifilm HS50 EXR features the highly regarded EXR sensor technology, which can be optimised to provide High Resolution, Wide Dynamic Range or Low Noise, depending on the conditions. In this case it’s a 16MP chip that also incorporates an array of phase detect pixels to provide what Fujifilm claims is the fastest AF of any bridge camera in the world.
The manually operated 42x zoom lens goes from 24mm to 1000mm with a twist of the lens barrel. Additional features include a high resolution articulated LCD screen, a 1.44 million dot EVF, an impressive 11fps burst rate, full 1080p HD video, raw capture and a range of creative filters and film simulation modes.
Best Bridge Camera for: DSLR styling and operation
Read our full review of the Fujifilm HS50 EXR
Find the best deals for the Fujifilm FinePix HS50 EXR

Best bridge camera 2013 – Nikon Coolpix P520
Nikon Coolpix P520
Street price: £350
The Nikon Coolpix P520 is one of the smaller bridge cameras of the group. Its 42x lens extends from 24mm to 1000mm, and uses lens-shift VR to minimize camera shake.
Image capture comes courtesy of an 18MP backlit CMOS sensor, while images are viewed on an impressive 3.2in 920k dot vari-angle screen. The P520 also boasts a GPS function through which images can be placed on a map using the supplied ViewNX software.
Although the P520 is a little more plasticky than some rivals this also helps make it quite a bit cheaper.
Best Bridge Camera for: Those with a premium on size
Read our full review of the Nikon Coolpix P520
Find the best deals for the Nikon Coolpix P520

Best bridge camera 2013 – Panasonic Lumix FZ200
Panasonic Lumix FZ200
Street price: £400
The Panasonic Lumix FZ200 is the world’s first, and so far only, bridge camera to offer a constant f/2.8 aperture throughout its zoom range.
This is a huge benefit, enabling lower ISOs and/or faster shutter speeds to be used that other bridge cameras in the same conditions, and also affording potentially narrower depth of field. It’s a Leica lens too.
The only downside is that its zoom range is a relatively modest 24x, extending from 24mm to 600mm. The FZ200 also features Lightspeed AF for superfast focusing, 12fps burst shooting, a vari-angle LCD screen and high speed video shooting at 100fps.
Best Bridge Camera for: Wildlife and nature photography

Read more

 

Best DSLR Cameras 2013

There is always a bit of subjectivity involved with such lists, we can’t help it we all have preferences based on little objective observation, having said that opinions in the major magazines and websites are based on something more than just personality.

What Digital Camera has these as the best of 2013

Canon EOS 1100D

Street price: £300 body only

The Canon EOS 1100D (also known as the Rebel T3 in some territories) is equipped with a 12.4MP CMOS sensor and a nine-point AF system as well as being compatible with Canon’s huge range of EF-mount lenses.

Better still, the body-only price has fallen from around £500 at launch to around £300, making it excellent value for money and rightfully one of the best entry-level DSLRs on the market.

Best DSLR for: Those on a budget

Read our full Canon EOS 1100D review

Find the best deals for the Canon EOS 1100D

 

Nikon D3200

Street price: £450 body only

The Nikon D3200 is one of the strongest entry-level DSLRs on the market. As well as a helpful Guide Mode to assist newcomers, its new 14.2MP CMOS sensor and EXPEED 2 imagine engine make for detailed stills.

Although it’s not the cheapest entry-level DSLR available, it offers an impressive level of performance and the chance to expand in to Nikon’s DSLR system.

Best DSLR for: Entry-level photographers wanting a bit more 

Read our full Nikon D3200 review

Find the best deals for the Nikon D3200

Pentax K-5 II

Street price: £700 body only

The Pentax K5-II is a relatively minor upgrate on the Pentax K-5, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing as the model as the K-5 was a fantastic mid-range DSLR. The model offers a great level of performance and great build quality, including a weather-resistant body.

Best DSLR for: A rugged build

Read our full Pentax K-5 II review

Find the best deals for the Pentax K-5 II

Sony Alpha A58

Street price: £399 with kit lens

The Sony A58 is the latest in Sony’s growning range of SLT cameras. It represents great value for money – currently generally available with a kit lens for under £400 – and features a specification well suited to those looking for a dependable shooter.

Highlights of the specification include an all-new 20.1MP Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor which, when paired with Sony’s BIONZ image processor, offers a reliable standard of image quality. The benefits of the SLT technology include an eye-catching burst rate of 8fps, as well as good AF performance and an ample EVF, should that be to your liking.

Best DSLR for: Advanced AF performance at an affordable price

Read our full Sony Alpha A58 review

Find the best deals for the Sony Alpha A58

Canon EOS 650D

Street price: £500 body only    

The EOS 650D offers touch screen control via the camera’s 3in, 1040k-dot vari-angle LCD monitor, along with an improved 18MP CMOS sensor and 1080p Full HD movie capture at 30fps. In addition, the 650D also sees a noticeable boost in autofocus performance over its predecessor along with a rise in continuous shooting speed from 3.5fps to 5fps. Overall image quality is very good too, with consistent metering and pleasing colour and tonality. A bit of an all-rounder is the 650D.

Best DSLR for: All-round performance and value

Read more 

If you want a list by brand and price you cannot beat the 7 pages from Tech Radar

Always my first port of call when considering new cameras is DP Review their Ten Best DSLR can be found here

Pocket Lint have an easier written style and come up with similar recommendations as the other sites, if you need a bit of hand holding go here

So based on a round up of the various sites this seems to be the main recommendations. If you are planning to buy anything more expensive than those listed here you really do need to do your own research. I have only included Nikon or Canon in my abbreviated list because although Pentax and Sony might make good cameras in class I find people have far more problems navigating these than the two main manufacturers.

Entry level

Canon EOS 1100D: Nikon D3200 here is a comparison article

Best mid range

Nikon 5200D (5300D just released); Canon D100 here is a comparison article

Best pro/am

Nikon D7100; Canon 7D  here is a comparison article

Andrea Gjestvang wins L’Iris d’Or at Sony world photography awards

Norwegian photographer, 32, holds off competition with poignant portraits of Anders Behring Breivik massacre survivors we read in The Guardian by Sean O’Hagen

Andrea Gjestvang has won the L’Iris d’Or at the 2013 Sony world photography awards.

The 32-year-old Norwegian photographer beat over 62,000 competitors from 170 countries in the professional competition with One Day in History, her poignant series of portraits of the young survivors of the massacre on the Norwegian island of Utøya on 22 July 2011.

On that day, 69 young people who were attending a summer camp organised by the ruling Norwegian Labour party were killed by a lone gunman, Anders Behring Breivik, a 32-year-old rightwing extremist. Around 500 young people survived the massacre.

The series was commended by the judges for its “dignity and beauty” and described as “a quiet, thoughtful and ultimately powerful voice for the children and survivors of the massacre in Norway

A picture from Andrea Gjestvang’s One Day in History, L’Iris d’Or winner at the Sony world photography awards 2013. Click to enlarge. Photo: Andrea Gjestvang/Momen

Adam Pretty, Australia
Category: Professional/Sport
Melissa Wu of Australia practices during a diving training session ahead of the London Olympic Games on 25 July 2012

Alice Caputo, Italy
Category: Professional/Lifestyle
Series: Summer Family
The images show the photographer’s family on a seaside holiday in Liguria in the summer of 2012

Klaus Thymann, Denmark
Category: Professional/Fashion and Beauty
Series: i-D Iceland
This shot was taken on the slowly moving edges of a glacier

See more images and read the Guardian article here

155 Cameras Tested and Reviewed 2012

Techradar are very good at what they do, testing, reviewing and recommending cameras, if you are thinking about getting a camera make sure you have a look here first

In-depth reviews from TechRadar’s team of experts. To find out how we review products and calculate our scores

Best compact system camera 2012

Techradar has done a good job of pulling together a list of the best cameras in each sector, no mean feat considering the array of different camera types that now exist. The popularity of compact system cameras (CSCs), the sort of small mirrorless camera with interchangeable lenses, has exploded over the last year, due to the quality images and flexibility of use they deliver. If you like to keep up with the latest advances in camera technology, you will have had your hands full for the past year, since the popularity of compact system cameras has resulted in even more new models being released and more manufacturers jumping on the bandwagon, including Nikon and Fuji. Although choice is generally a good thing, the vast array of CSCs on the market today can make choosing the right one a daunting prospect. See their full report here

Panasonic are pretty heavily into this type of camera and there are a number of Panasonic Lumix CSC typr cameras, have a look here to see the range and read reviews

This is the Amateur Photographer take on the best CSC cameras of 2012

and What Digital camera choose their best 5 here

 

Best compact camera 2012

There are hundreds of digital compact cameras out there, with advanced, superzoom and rugged camera options all being available.The right choice, of course, depends on what you want from your digital camera. Maybe you’re looking for a high-end compact camera or perhaps you want something more basic to help someone else get started in photography. The term compact camera covers such a wide range of camera types, Tech Radar have done a good job here in bringing together 33 recommended camera

I think it is always a good idea to cross reference reviews and here is a list of the cameras What Digital Camera recommend, as they say

Given that all the cameras we’ve listed here scored over 90% they earned a WhatDigitalCamera.com ‘Gold’ award – our equivalent of an Oscar award. Put simply they’re the best compact cameras on the market today. Go here for the full review

Another trusted source is Amateur Photographer, I think I first read this magazine when I was about 15, so decades ago follow this link to find their views

Finally Digital Cameras Top Ten Reviews have an easy to understand chart with links to fuller reviews, go here for their wisdom

Photokina 2012: Hasselblad to launch mirrorless compact camera and full-frame digital SLR

From the BJP we learn:

Hasselblad has announced it is developing a mirrorless, interchangeable lens camera to be released in early 2013.

Hasselblad plans to use a partnership with Sony to enter each photographic segment with new digital SLRs and compact cameras, as well as tripods and mirrorless cameras.

“For us, the plan is to move very quickly over the next few months,” says Hasselblad’s chairman and CEO, Larry Hansen. “Our expectation is to show and launch cameras in every sector of the photographic market, while offering the best image quality available in each segment, relying on our collaboration with Sony.”

He adds: “We want to go back to our customers. Fifteen years ago, 65 percent of our customers were not professional photographers. Today almost 100 percent are professional. My goal is to make Hasselblad cameras accessible to all serious customers.”

As a result, Hasselblad will release, within the next year, a full-frame DSLR, a range of digital compact cameras, tripods and luxury accessories, as well as an interchangeable lens camera – the Lunar. “It’s a rather aggressive plan,” says Hansen.

Read more: http://www.bjp-online.com/british-journal-of-photography/news/2206278/photokina-2012-hasselblad-to-launch-mirrorless-compact-camera#ixzz27afrukGj
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