LK Samyang, known as Rokinon in the US, has finally announced the release date of the long-awaited 28-135mm f/2.8 Sony FE full-frame standard zoom, which the company says will come to market in February 2027.

The Korean budget lens manufacturer made the announcement on its Instagram on September 30, with a second post finally giving us the technical specs we’ve also been dying for – following the zoom's earlier appearance at CP+ in February.

Honestly, I’m impressed, and I think we’ve got a real contender that could shake up the “do-it-all” focal-length segment of the lens market for the first time in a while.

Swipe to see the Samyang AF 28-135mm f/4 FE specs

The obvious eye-catcher is the versatile 28-135mm focal length combined with the fast f/2.8 aperture.

This is a seriously versatile setup — in fact, it’s the first-ever lens to combine this specific zoom range and maximum aperture — and, on paper, I’m inclined to believe Samyang when it says the forthcoming kit will work for “every moment.”

Although, the maximum wide angle of 28mm does cut you off at a slightly awkward point. My go-to lens is the Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G Master, and I can tell you that those extra 4mm do make a difference.

These often save me having to change to my dedicated wide-angle and I can’t see the Samyang being quite as helpful at the wide-angle end, despite the claims.

The other big deal here is the voice coil motor (VCM), which is another first for Samyang, as none of its previous AF lenses have featured this kind of motor.

VCMs can handle large-aperture glass smoothly and pretty quietly, too. It’s good to see Samyang seemingly paying serious attention to AF performance in a lens that, in theory, could be used to shoot subjects like wildlife.

The weather-sealed zoom will weigh 854g and is constructed with 20 elements in 16 groups.

Going by the announcement, I have to say this lens looks promising, to say the least. Funnily enough, I recently scratched my Sony 24-105mm f/4 and am now getting mad lens flare.

If the build quality is there and Samyang prices the lens in line with how it normally does, maybe the forthcoming 28-135mm f/2.8 could be its replacement. Though, we’ll see if this is all too good to be true in a few months time.

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The Sony A7 V has dominated best-seller charts since its launch late last year – but while the A7 V leads the latest best-seller list from a major Japanese camera retailer, another Sony hogs two spots on the list, despite being three years old: The Sony A7C II.

The insight comes from Yodobashi’s rankings for the second half of August. The first five names on the top ten mirror the same cameras from the first half of the month – so if the age of ranking cameras like the Sony A7C II isn’t enough of an indication, the consistency suggests those top five cameras aren’t short-lived trends.

The Sony A7 V takes the top spot on the list of best-selling mirrorless cameras – the fifth time in a row that the camera has done so, not to mention dominating trends at other retailers as well. The A7 V’s mix of speed, resolution and price has proven highly successful for Sony.

But the next-ranked camera, the A7C II, takes both second and fourth place. The camera ranks second in a kit with the 28-60mm f/4-5.6 lens but also ranks fourth as a body-only option. Introduced in September 2023, the A7C II has remained consistently popular, thanks to a mix of a full-frame sensor with a more compact, rangefinder-inspired design. I wonder, with body-only and kits being treated separately, would the Sony A7C II surpass the A7 V in total sales?

The Fujifilm X-M5 with its XC15-45mm kit lens takes third place. The X-M5 was initially hard to find at launch – and its popularity seems to still be going strong. Part of the X-M5’s draw is that it’s Fujifilm’s most affordable mirrorless body (without buying used), but it’s also the company’s smallest and lightest in the category as well.

The fifth-place camera on the list is a budget favorite: The Canon EOS R50 in a kit paired with two zoom lenses. The R50 is Canon’s second most-affordable mirrorless camera just after the R100, and the R50’s accessible price point makes it a regular name among Japan’s best-selling cameras.

With the first five cameras on the list matching those from the first half of August, the second half of the list hints at what cameras are moving up. The Sony A7 V with its 28-70mm kit lens takes seventh place. With more photographers picking up the number one-ranked body, but the kit still making the list, I suspect some of those buyers are newer photographers or those coming from other brands.

Yoodobashi says the seventh-place Fujifilm X-T30 III with its 13-33mm kit lens hasn’t made the list for the last three months, but the budget retro mirrorless climbed in sales for the second half of August.

The eighth-place camera likely rose in the trends for the same reason that the Sony A7C II is doing so well. The Sony ZV-E10 II uses an APS-C sensor and not full-frame, but the vlogging-focused camera prioritizes a small size and a budget price point. In the rankings, it’s the option with two zoom lenses that is selling well in Japan.

The ninth-place camera bucks the trend for small and affordable cameras for 100MP of luxury: The Hasselblad X2D 100C. Budget cameras like the Canon EOS R50 and Fujifilm X-M5 are far more common to see on best-seller lists than medium-format pro cameras. But the Hasselblad X2D 100C has done unusually well for the medium-format category and was even Yodobashi’s number one for the first half of November 2025.

The top ten list is rounded out with another repeat offender: the Canon EOS R50 is on the list a second time at spot ten, but this time with a single 18-45mm kit lens rather than the dual-lens kit. While the dual-lens kit is a regular name among the best-seller lists, Yodobashi says that this is the first time the single-lens kit has made the top ten.

The best-selling interchangeable lens cameras at Yodobashi for the second half of August 2026

1. Sony A7 V body only
2. Sony A7C II with kit lens
3. Fujifilm X-M5 with kit lens
4. Sony A7C II body only
5. Canon EOS R50 double zoom lens kit
6. Sony A7 V with kit lens
7. Fujifilm X-T30 III with kit lens
8. Sony ZV-E10 II double zoom lens kit
9. Hasselblad X2D II 100C
10. Canon EOS R50 with kit lens

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Six years after the release of the groundbreaking Sony A7S III, it's being reported that the A7S IV is finally on the way.

The Sony A7S IV has been the subject of camera rumors for the best part of half a decade, as its core architecture was used for cameras like the Sony FX3 and Sony ZV-E1.

Indeed, with the launch of subsequent models in both those dedicated video lines, it had been speculated that the A7S series might have been abandoned. After all, the "S" stands for sensitivity; with the dedicated FX and ZV lines, the A7S felt a bit like a camera without an audience.

However, it looks like the tables have been turned. Where the A7S III was the technological basis for the FX3, it's being reported that the Sony FX5 might return the favor and serve as the foundation for the A7S IV.

Sony Alpha Rumors is reporting that a camera recently registered in China, code WW261362, is a "mid- to high-end model". While a number of other bodies might fit the bill, the outlet concludes, "My bet is that this will be the new Sony A7S IV."

ABOVE: Watch a video version of the report

This is based upon Sony's typical four-year update cycle, which would disqualify successors for the other possible candidates – the A9 III (2023), A7C II and A7C R (2023) and A1 II (2024).

The site predicts that the Sony A7S IV will possess the same 16MP sensor as the FX5, with Sony's beloved 9.44 million-dot EVF and the same processor, IBIS and autofocus of the A7R VI. However, the FX5's internal RAW codecs are unlikely to be ported across.

The sting in the tail, if indeed the report is accurate, is that Sony is still struggling to fulfil FX5 orders:

"AI companies are buying all the DRAM they can, which may be why Sony cannot begin shipping the FX5 yet. So, I wonder whether Sony will be forced to delay the launch of the A7S IV until it has fulfilled the FX5 preorders. I fear that, although Sony registered the camera with the intention of announcing it in November, we may see the announcement delayed."

Part of me is highly suspicious of A7S rumors these days, as it feels the line has been too long abandoned to remain relevant. However, with Sony coming out of left field and reviving the RX1R III and RX10 V, I wouldn't be entirely surprised!

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Take a look at the best Sony cameras on the market right now, along with the best cameras for video. And it's a pretty safe bet that the best lenses for the Sony A7S III will also be ideal for the mark IV!

Designed as a true hybrid all-rounder, the Sony A7 V delivers flagship-inspired speed and autofocus (AF) in a more affordable body – and these deals at B&H let you save up to $207.69 on camera and lens bundles!

The Sony A7 V + Basic Bundle is now $2,924 – Save $207.69 off the original $3,131.69 price.

The Sony A7 V + 50mm f/2.5 G + Basic Bundle is now $3,622 – save $157.74 off the original $3,779.74 price.

The Sony A7 V + 24-105mm f/4 G OSS + Basic Bundle is now $4,322 – save $157.74 off the original $4,479.74 price.

Deals

Top choice: Sony A7 V

The Sony A7 V is Sony's latest full-frame all-rounder, combining fast performance with some of the smartest AF technology the brand has produced to date.

It features a new sensor and AI-powered subject detection system, delivering faster burst shooting and more reliable tracking for everything from portraits to wildlife.

In our review, we praised its major AF upgrades, blackout-free 30fps shooting, and refined handling.

While rival cameras offer stronger video specs, the A7 V remains one of the most capable hybrid cameras for photographers who want a single body that can do almost everything.

Browse the best lenses for the Sony A7 V

Thinking about ditching your DSLR, switching camera systems, or upgrading to full-frame? These three mirrorless models deliver excellent price-to-performance value – and right now, you can save up to £700 at Wex or Amazon.

The Panasonic Lumix S5 IIX + 20-60mm and 50mm is now just £1,699 (inc. cashback) at Wex – you save £700 off the bundle's RRP of £2,399. (The body alone is reduced to £1,399 inc. cashback...)

The Sony A7 IV is now just £1,799 at Wex – this new low price lets you save £601 off its original £2,400 price tag.

The Nikon Z5 is now just £633 on Amazon – you save £616 off its £1,249 RRP.

Panasonic Lumix S5 IIX

Ideal for hybrid shooters, DSLR, and system switchers

If you've been shooting on an APS-C or DSLR camera before, the Panasonic Lumix S5 IIX is a fantastic upgrade. It's notably smaller and lighter than many DSLRs.

So while the handling might feel a bit different at first, you'll quickly appreciate the more compact, less bulky design. There are not as many native lenses for the S5 IIX available as is the case within the Sony and Nikon lineups, but there are third-party options like Sigma available.

And if you want to keep using your older glass, Canon EF to L-mount adapters, for example, are available.

Sony A7 IV

Best for DSLR and system switchers, as well as content creators

Switching to Sony means unlocking incredible mirrorless flexibility. The Sony E-mount system is the most mature on the market, with an extensive range of native lenses and strong third-party support from trusted brands like Tamron and Sigma.

The A7 IV shines with its real-time Eye AF detection and tracking options – features that make focusing faster and more accurate than many DSLR systems. So, if you're coming from a DSLR, this camera feels like a serious step up in autofocus and creative control.

Nikon Z5

Budget-conscious DSLR option, best for stills-focused shooters

If you are on a budget, the Nikon Z5 offers one of the most affordable ways into full-frame mirrorless with great image quality.

The body design will feel very familiar if you're upgrading from a Nikon DSLR, and thanks to the FTX adapter, you can continue using your trusted F-mount lenses seamlessly.

And if the bundled lens doesn't suit your photography style, there are plenty of alternative lens bundles available on Amazon or Wex – many of which offer great savings too.

Comparison

Personally, I would lean toward the Sony A7 IV. Its autofocus performance is unmatched, as well as its lens options. The flexibility makes it a standout choice, especially if you're open to switching systems entirely.

That said, if you want to stick with your current brand and already own a lot of DSLR lenses, staying within the same ecosystem is a smart and budget-friendly way to jump into mirrorless photography.

Want to browse more mirrorless options? Here are the best mirrorless cameras, along with the best cameras for beginners.

When the original Canon PowerShot SX740 HS launched in 2018, the compact camera market was dominated by straightforward point-and-shoots, while premium compacts like the Leica Q3 43 were far less common.

According to the latest sales data from major retailer Yodobashi, the little PowerShot triumphs again as the No.1 compact camera in Japan right now.

In 2024, Canon introduced the PowerShot SX740 HS Lite, a lightly updated version of the original camera.

Despite changing just one small feature, the model has proven just as popular. Since its original launch 8 years ago, it has become a cult favorite, with second-hand prices higher than its original retail price of $549.99 / £549.99.

Canon's unchanged formula continues to win for buyers looking for a genuinely pocketable camera with a powerful zoom lens.

While the PowerShot SX740 HS comes with a 20.3MP 1/2.3-inch-type CMOS sensor, Yodobashi's Top 10 also features models with significantly larger sensors, with the top model featuring a 60MP full-frame sensor.

Yodobashi's Top 10 best-selling compact cameras, 2nd Half Aug 2026

1. Canon PowerShot SX740 HS / Lite | Silver | Black
2. Sony ZV-1 II | Black | White
3. Fujifilm X100VI | Silver | Black
4. Panasonic Lumix TZ99 / ZS99 | Black | White
5. Kodak Pixpro C1 | Brown | Black
6. Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III | Black | Silver
7. Canon IXY 650 / PowerShot Elph 360 HS A / Ixus 285 HS A | Black | Silver
8. Sony RX10 V
9. OM System Tough TG-7 | Red | Black
10. Leica Q3 43

The two extreme compact camera types in today's market

Yodobashi's latest Top 10 reveals the compact camera market's current state.

There are two extremes: the cheap and cheerful, straightforward models like the Canon PowerShot SX740 HS / Lite (No.1), or even simpler and more affordable models like the Kodak Pixpro C1 (No.5), available for only $99.99 / £94.

On the other side, there are premium compacts like the hugely popular Fujifilm X100VI (No.3) and the high-end Leica Q3 43 (No.10), a full-frame 60.3MP model, with a hefty price tag of $7,950 / £5,890.

Also in demand, and back in Yodobashi's Top 10, is the OM System Tough TG-7 (No.9), a 12MP adventure companion that withstands freezing temperatures of -10°C (14°F) and is waterproof up to 15 meters (50 feet).

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A "remarkably compact yet well-built" zoom lens is the No.1 best-selling lens in Japan right now, according to major retailer Kitamura. Interestingly, the most popular optics are from third-party manufacturers.

The Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN | C for E-mount sits at the top of the chart, followed by another Sigma optic for E-mount: the 28-70mm f/2.8 DG DN | C. Close behind is the Sony FE 100-400mm f/5.6-8 OSS – an affordable telephoto zoom, available for $848 / £799.

Since I started reporting on sales charts in Japan years ago, I have never seen more than three optics sharing the same position. However, in Kitamura's latest August 2026 sales chart, five lenses from Fujifilm, Sony, Canon and Tamron are tied at No.9.

Kitamura's best-selling lenses, August 2026

1. Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN | C (E-mount)
2. Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 DG DN | C (E-mount)
3. Sony FE 100-400mm f/5.6-8 OSS
4. Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4 S
5. Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM
6. Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS | Sports (E-mount)
7. Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM
8. Sigma 20-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DG | C (E-mount)
9=. Fujifilm XC 13-33mm f/3.5-6.3 OIS
9=. Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II
9=. Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II
9=. Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM
9=. Tamron 25-200mm f/2.8-5.6 Di III VXD G2 (E-mount)

No.1 lens: Sigma's "remarkably compact yet well-built" zoom

In our review, we found that the Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN | C is "remarkably compact yet well-built". At just approx. 290g, it punches well above its weight. It delivers impressive image quality, features weather-resistant construction, and comes with a budget-friendly price tag.

5 lenses come ninth – from Fuji to Canon, Sony and Tamron

Five lenses are tied at No.9 in Kitamura's best-selling chart for August 2026. From Fujifilm to Canon and Sony to Tamron, the five optics cover a broad range of focal lengths and uses.

Fujifilm's XC 13-33mm f/3.5-6.3 OIS launched in 2025 as the smallest and lightest zoom lens in the Fujifilm X-mount lineup, adding just 125g to the camera bag.

The Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II is a light workhorse, while Canon's EF 50mm f/1.8 STM remains a compelling value option that delivers impressive image quality. Lastly, the Tamron 25-200mm f/2.8-5.6 Di III VXD G2 is an all-in-one superzoom.

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Thinking about ditching your DSLR, switching camera systems, or upgrading to full-frame? These three mirrorless models deliver excellent price-to-performance value – and right now, you can save up to $500 at Adorama.

The Panasonic Lumix S5 IIX is now just $2097.99 and comes with a FREE 85mm f/1.8 lens (valued at $597.99) – this new low price lets you save $100 from its original $2,197.99 price tag.

The Sony A7 IV Bundle is now just $1,998 – you save $500 off the bundle's RRP of $2,498. (The body alone is reduced to $1,998...)

The Nikon Z5 Bundle is now just $1,296.95 – you save $150 off its previous $1,446.95 price. (The body alone is reduced to $1,296.95...)

Panasonic Lumix S5 IIX

Ideal for hybrid shooters, DSLR, and system switchers

If you've been shooting on an APS-C or DSLR camera before, the Panasonic Lumix S5 IIX is a fantastic upgrade. It's notably smaller and lighter than many DSLRs.

So while the handling might feel a bit different at first, you'll quickly appreciate the more compact, less bulky design. There are not as many native lenses for the S5 IIX as for the Sony and Nikon lineups, but there are plenty of third-party options from the likes of Sigma (a founding member of the L-Mount).

And if you want to keep using your older glass, adapters (such as Canon EF to L-mount) are available.

Sony A7 IV

Best for DSLR and system switchers, as well as content creators

Switching to Sony means unlocking incredible mirrorless flexibility. The Sony E-mount system is the most mature on the market, with an extensive range of native lenses and strong third-party support from trusted brands like Tamron and Sigma.

The A7 IV shines with its real-time Eye AF detection and tracking options – features that make focusing faster and more accurate than many DSLR systems. So, if you're coming from a DSLR, this camera feels like a serious step up in autofocus and creative control.

Nikon Z5

Budget-conscious DSLR option, best for stills-focused shooters

If you are on a budget, the Nikon Z5 offers one of the most affordable ways into full-frame mirrorless with great image quality.

The body design will feel very familiar if you're upgrading from a Nikon DSLR and, thanks to the FTZ adapter, you can continue using your trusted Nikon F-mount lenses seamlessly.

And if the bundled lens doesn't suit your photography style, there are plenty of alternative lens bundles available on Adorama – many of which offer great savings too.

Comparison

Personally, I would lean toward the Sony A7 IV. Its autofocus performance is unmatched, as well as its lens options. The flexibility makes it a standout choice, especially if you're open to switching systems entirely.

That said, if you want to stick with your current brand and already own a lot of DSLR lenses, staying within the same ecosystem is a smart and budget-friendly way to jump into mirrorless photography.

Want to browse more mirrorless options? Here are the best mirrorless cameras, along with the best cameras for beginners.

I’ve been shooting stills on my Sony A7 III for roughly four years now. And when you combine that with the fact that I spend my days researching and writing about cameras, I think it’s fair to say I know a thing or two about them – at least Alpha cameras.

However, sometimes, even photographers in my position need a little help choosing the right gear. This time, I’m not switching to a new brand, like I did when I upgraded from my Nikon D3500 – an excellent beginner’s camera, by the way – to my current A7 III.

I’m sticking with an Alpha model, but, as one of the main reasons for the upgrade is that I’m planning to get into videography, I can’t decide between the Sony A7R IV or A7 IV.

Now I know that, according to Sony, the A7 lineup is the true hybrid series geared toward both shooting stills and filming. And I’ve also taken the time to read my colleague Rod Lawton’s expert opinion on the whole A7 IV vs A7R IV debate.

But despite Sony’s and Rod’s respectable thoughts, I need more to make my decision. So, I’m asking all who read this plea and who have real-world experience with the A7R IV and/or A7 IV to chime in with your thoughts in the comments section below.

To some people, it might seem obvious: if I want to shoot both stills and video, then go with Sony’s own guidance and get an A7 IV. But my predicament is that I don’t want to forgo the A7R IV’s monster 61MP sensor, even more so as the two cameras are now priced fairly equally.

Sensor resolution isn’t everything for me. After all, I’ve happily been making do with my 24MP A7 III for some time now. Plus I shoot with top-tier G Master glass; lens quality arguably being the more important factor in this respect.

But I do want to take advantage of the monster image fidelity on offer, especially as this would enable me to crop images aggressively while retaining the quality, something 61MP would much better enable than the A7 IV’s 33MP.

Although, as I’m planning on getting into video, I also know that I need to consider how a 61MP sensor would affect filming.

I’m aware that higher MP counts degrade video quality, as downsampling can produce visual artifacts and slower sensor readout speeds can introduce harsh rolling shutter distortions. I also know that forcing a 61MP sensor, for example, to compress resolution into a 4K stream 60 times per second can strain camera hardware and cause overheating.

And then there are the LCD screens. Obviously, the A7R IV only boasts tilting, rather than the A7 IV's vari-angle movement. This is something that, at the moment, I don’t think would bother me too much when it comes to recording video, but perhaps I’m being naive.

Hopefully, though, as people with real-life experience of shooting videos with either of these cameras, you can tell me how often the potential issues I’ve mentioned occur and how much they affect your workflow.

Will I really see negative artifacts and degraded performance in all of my videos if I buy the Sony A7R IV? Or am I living in a fantasy land even thinking about risking it? I’d appreciate your first-hand, experience-based thoughts below.

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These three mirrorless models deliver excellent price-to-performance value – and right now, you can save up to $350 at B&H. Two bundles include accessories at no extra cost, since the price matches the camera body alone, making the extras essentially free.

The Canon EOS R8 is now available for just $1,349 at B&H – a $300 discount from its original $1,649 price tag. Included: Corel Paintshop Pro Ultimate Agnostic for Windows, priced at $69.99.

The Nikon Z6 II is now available in a basic bundle for just $1,396.95 at B&H – a $350 discount from the original $1,746.95 price tag, including a shoulder bag and 128GB memory card.

The Sony A7 III is now available in a basic bundle for just $1,698 at B&H– a $301.70 discount from the original price of $1,999.70. This deal includes a shoulder bag and 128GB memory card.

Canon EOS R8

Budget-friendly option for Canon DSLR users and vloggers

The Canon EOS R8 offers an affordable entry into full-frame territory. It keeps the familiar Canon interface, supports your DSLR lenses via an adapter, and packs modern features into a lightweight, compact body.

The only notable limitation is the lack of IBIS, which might be a deal-breaker if you do a lot of handheld shooting with long lenses or video. In that case, the EOS R6 II is worth considering, though it comes with a much higher price tag.

Nikon Z6 II

Best for Nikon DSLR switchers and hybrid shooters

If you're moving from a Nikon DSLR like the D750 or D780, the Nikon Z6 II is hands-down a smooth upgrade. It features a similar body design, intuitive Nikon menus, and excellent ergonomics.

While Nikon's Z-mount lens selection isn't as extensive as Sony's or Canon's, you can make use of your existing DSLR lenses via an adapter.

Sony A7 III

Ideal for system switchers and DSLR upgraders

The Sony A7 III remains one of the most versatile full-frame cameras in its price range and packs pro-level features.

It gives you maximum mirrorless flexibility as the Sony E-mount ecosystem is the most mature on the market, boasting a huge range of native lenses and third-party support from brands like Tamron and Sigma.

Comparison

If I were to pick a mirrorless full-frame camera today, I'd lean toward the Sony A7 III.

Its unmatched lens options and flexibility make it a standout choice, especially if you're open to switching systems entirely.

That said, if you want to stick with your current brand and already own a lot of DSLR lenses, staying within the same ecosystem is a smart and budget-friendly way to jump into mirrorless photography.

Want to browse more mirrorless options? Here are the best mirrorless cameras, along with the best cameras for beginners.

Known as "probably the best 70-200mm zoom in the world. Ever.", the Nikon Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S is the top-ranked product in the zoom lens category on the Japanese marketplace Minna Camera during the first half of 2026. The telephoto lens is now discontinued following the arrival of its successor, the Nikon Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S II.

In the ranking, Minna Camera classifies lenses by their longest focal length. Zoom lenses reaching 200mm or longer accounted for 51.2% of all zoom-lens transactions, while 200mm was the single most common telephoto-end category, accounting for 17.9% of transactions. In this category, the best-selling model in 2026 so far is Nikon's popular 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S lens. While US stock seems empty, UK retailers still offer the zoom brand-new, with discounts available.

Zoom lenses covering up to 70mm make up 15% of the transactions, with the Sony FE 20-70mm f/4 G being the most purchased option. Close behind are lenses covering up to 400mm, with 12.5%. The top zoom in this category is the Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM.

Top 10 zoom lenses by telephoto end market share at Minna Camera (H1)*

*Source: Minna Camera, based on zoom lens transactions completed January 1 - June 30, 2026.

"Probably the best 70-200mm zoom in the world. Ever."

The Z 70-200mm f/2.8 builds on the legacy of the popular Nikon AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR DSLR lens, a go-to for pro Nikon shooters worldwide. This optic of the mirrorless S-line goes even further: it handles better, delivers sharper images and performs at a consistently high level.

Nikon packed this lens with some serious glass: 21 elements in 18 groups, AF (autofocus) is fast,accurate, smooth and super quiet. Unlike many S-line lenses, this one doesn't rely solely on the camera body for stabilization. It features a built-in optical VR (vibration reduction).

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I’ve been fortunate enough to temporarily rent a luxury telephoto prime that welcomed pixel-peeping while melting backgrounds into oblivion – but the lens cost more than my first two cars combined and felt like carrying around a third leg.

When Sony announced that it had turned two luxury lenses into portable and semi-affordable lenses with the 400mm f/4.5 and 600mm f/5.6 GM OSS lenses, I knew I had to take a hike at one of my favorite spots for wildlife photography – a nearby wildlife refuge.

Hiking with the new Sony 400mm f/4.5 and 600mm f/5.6 felt more like carrying around two 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses rather than two extreme reach telephoto primes. The lenses slide in at just under a kilogram and just over two pounds. That certainly added a little weight to my hands and my backpack, but that’s about three times lighter than Sony’s brighter 400mm f/2.8 and 600mm f/4.

I started out with the 400mm, but immediately spotted a bird that I couldn’t recognize and quietly swapped it out for the 600mm for a closer look. I watched the little fellow sit on a branch and peer into the water for prey for several minutes.

I used the 600mm on the Sony A7 V, not one of the highest-resolution full-frame bodies, but the 600mm lens was still impressively sharp and detailed. Cropping in on my shots, I realized that I had a hard time identifying the bird because it was a juvenile black-crowned night heron with an entirely different feather pattern from the adults.

I was able to photograph several more birds with the Sony 600mm f/5.6 GM OSS. The lens doesn’t melt the background quite like an f/4, and I had to use a slightly higher ISO. But the trade-off is that the lens is still very much hike-friendly rather than sitting and waiting inside a wildlife blind.

The biggest surprise from my shoot with the two new Sony telephotos, however, came after I returned home and blew up the photos on my screen. I had captured this very distant egret, knowing he would be very small in the frame, but liking how his features were backlit anyway.

But when I looked at the photo on my screen, I realized that the same branch also held a perfectly preserved spider web. Even cropping in from the 33MP, there’s still an impressive level of detail in that spider web.

I tend to crave more reach when out photographing wildlife, so I was also surprised when I actually ended up with more photos that I marked from the 400mm f/4.5. With a bit less reach, the 400mm has that brighter aperture and is still very lightweight.

As I made my way back to my car, I had to watch my step as dozens of frogs leapt out of the path. Just before the parking lot, I watched this egret fish, which, with the f/4.5 aperture on the 400mm, I was still able to freeze the water droplets at 1/5,000 and ISO 400.

The launch of the new Sony 400mm and 600mm brings a sort of happy medium to the E-Mount telephoto family. Sony has luxury wildlife lenses like the 600mm f/4 and cheap optics like the Sony 100-400mm f/5.6-8 OSS. The new Sony 400mm f/4.5 and 600mm f/5.6 GM OSS slot in as a Goldilocks, just-right balance between price, weight, and image quality.

Sony FE 400mm f/4.5 GM OSS

Sony FE 600mm f/5.6 GM OSS

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More than half of the zoom lenses traded on the Japanese camera marketplace Minna Camera in the first half of 2026 had a focal length of 200mm or longer, according to new data from the retailer.

Minna Camera's analysis of zoom-lens transactions shows: lenses reaching 200mm or longer accounted for 51% of all zoom-lens transactions, narrowly exceeding the 48.8% share for lenses whose longest focal length was below 200mm.

Importantly, Minna Camera classifies lenses by their longest focal length, rather than their 35mm-equivalent field of view. A 24-200mm and a 70-200mm lens therefore both fall into the 200mm category, while lenses designed for different sensor formats are not converted to a common 35mm equivalent.

Top 10 traded zoom lenses by focal length at Minna Camera (H1)*

*Approx. used prices in USD and GBP added by Digital Camera World.

Canon accounted for the largest brand share

Among the five manufacturers for which Minna Camera supplied brand figures, Canon accounted for 38.1% of zoom-lens transactions, followed by Nikon at 27.2% and Sony at 16.6%.

Sigma accounted for 4.1% and Tamron 3.4%.

Looking instead at the proportion of each brand's zoom transaction that reached 200mm or longer shows a different picture. Tamron had the highest figure at 65.6%, narrowly ahead of Canon at 64.2%. Nikon stood at 49.7%, Sony at 39.7% and Sigma at 37.8%.

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Bright telephoto primes tend to sit at a luxury price point only the most serious wildlife and sports photographers can reach for – but Sony’s new telephoto prime lenses are nearly 4x cheaper than the brand’s brightest. Unveiled on September 15, the Sony FE 400mm f/4.5 GM OSS and FE 600mm f/6.3 GM OSS bring two popular telephoto focal lengths to a more reasonable price point – and a lighter profile.

Sony already has both a 400mm f/2.8 and a 600mm f/4, but the new primes narrow down the aperture by around 1 and ⅓ stops in order to create a more portable – and less pricey – optic.

The 400mm comes in at 994g / 35oz – and the 600mm is only 1g heavier. That’s a major weight loss over the 2895g / 102.2 oz 400mm f/2.8 and the 3040g / 107.3 oz 600mm f/4. Both lenses are also designed with more glass towards the rear of the lens in order to create better balance on the camera body, with the 400mm using 22 elements in 16 groups and the 600mm using 24 elements in 17 groups.

I’ve worked with 600mm f/4 lenses before – and immediately scheduled a chiropractor adjustment afterwards. The new Sony primes don’t quite have the melt-like-butter background of an f/2.8 and an f/4, but it’s far more feasible to hike with.

In fact, I hiked two miles, and I had both the 400mm and the 600mm on me at the same time. Time constraints – and not exhaustion – only prevented me from going farther. Working with the two new prime lenses felt more like carrying around a 70-200mm f/2.8 than a luxury telephoto prime.

While both lenses are lighter and more affordable than Sony’s brightest telephoto primes, the optics are still stabilized – and still a card-carrying member of the more high-end GM series. I found they were still plenty sharp, and still had room to crop even when mounted on the A7 V and not an R-series model.

That sharpness is going to be a key deciding factor on these lenses. After all, the Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS matches the 600mm’s aperture rating and comes in at a lower price than the prime. But, in our lab tests, the 600mm prime won in sharpness, particularly at the corners.

The 400mm is even sharper than the 600mm, even when shooting wide open.

Sony says that both lenses use two linear XD motors and are capable of keeping up with bodies that have 120 fps autofocus calculations. I didn’t find anything to the contrary on my hike – a few birds had too many branches in the way for the autofocus to pick up on, but even birds in flight had relatively few misses.

While the new telephotos are compact, they still carry a set of controls that will feel familiar to photographers who have used other Sony telephotos. There’s a large set of switches including the focus range limiter, four focus hold buttons, and a custom function ring.

As part of the GM series, both lenses are also built with dust and moisture seals, along with a fluorine coating on the front element.

Sony says that both optics are still compatible with Sony’s 2x and 1.4x teleconverters.

The Sony 400mm f/4.5 GM OSS is set to retail for $2,699 / £2,579 / AU$3,999 – while that’s certainly not a cheap lens, that’s nearly a quarter of the cost of Sony’s 400mm f/2.8, which sits at $12,999 / £10,490 / AU$16,999.

The Sony 600mm f/6.3 comes in slightly higher for that added reach at $3,699 / £3,609 / AU$5,599. Again, that’s not cheap unless it’s being directly compared to the 600mm f/4 GM OSS, which goes for $14,099 / £11,999 / AU$19,299.

Both lenses are expected to begin shipping in October.

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Like countless others of my generation, I was glued to the first ever series of Star Trek on TV. An iconic quote that’s stood the test of time (fittingly from an episode called ‘The Naked Time’ comes from Scotty in the engine room of the USS Enterprise… “I can’t change the laws of physics.” Well, it seems Sony has just got one over on Scotty with its new 600mm super-telephoto prime lens.

Compared with Sony’s FE 600mm f/4 lens, the new FE 600mm f/6.3 is only about half as big and less than a third of the weight. That’s a major achievement, considering that the older lens was renowned for being ‘the lightest in its class’. Yet the new one is a whole 2kg lighter, weighing in at just 995g / 2.19lb, making it ‘the lightest of its type in the world’.

Another plus side is that the new lens is certainly no lightweight in terms of its aspirations to top-end performance, aiming to be one of the best Sony telephoto lenses, best lenses for sports, best lenses for bird photography and wildlife, and best lenses for safari. And just wait until you see what they’ve done with the price. It’s only a fraction of the cost of its 600mm f/4 sibling.

Sony FE 600mm f/6.3 GM OSS: Specifications

Sony FE 600mm f/6.3 GM OSS: Price

What is the price of a top-class 600mm prime lens? We’re talking ‘family car’ money here, with the Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS costing a monstrous $14,099 / £11,999. That puts it well beyond the reach of most of us. It’s remarkable that this new 600mm f/6.3 lens is only 1.33 f/stops slower but massively more affordable, costing a ‘mere’ $3,699 / £3,299 / CA$4999. That’s only about a quarter of the asking price.

But before we get too carried away, consider that the very capable Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS matches the new prime for aperture rating at the long end of its zoom range, while also adding the flexibility and versatility of a zoom lens, for a relatively ‘cheap’ $2,099 / £1,599. That said, the zoom lens lacks G Master credentials. Getting back to prime time, there’s the Sigma 500mm f/5.6 DG DN OS Sports in both Sony E and L-mount options, which also undercuts the FE 600mm at $2,999 / £2,779, while having a faster aperture rating and nearly as much telephoto reach.

Then there’s Sony’s own new Sony FE 400mm f/4.5 GM OSS, which looks and feels almost identical to the 600mm lens, again has some seriously strong telephoto reach and a faster f/4.5 aperture. This lens is significantly less expensive to buy at $2699 / £2,399 /CA$3579. Overall, you might feel that the FE 600mm f/6.3 is a bargain, or not, depending on which way you look at it. Let’s see what you actually get for your money.

Sony FE 600mm f/6.3 GM OSS: Design & Handling

Life can be a strain with a lens like the overarching (overwhelming?) Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS. It’s big and burdensome, with vital statistics of 164x449mm / 6.5x17.7in. That’s almost half a yard long and it tips the scales at a back-bending 3,040g / 6.7lb. Handheld shooting for any length of time is pretty impractical. With the new lightweight FE 600mm f/6.3 long periods of handheld shooting turn from being a non-starter into a no-brainer.

The new contender is much shorter and slimmer, at just 108x265mm / 4.3x10.4in, and weighs a mere 995g / 2.19lb. That’s less than the weight of some 24-70mm standard zoom lenses that I’ve owned in the past, and more than 2kg / 4.4lb lighter than the FE 600mm f/4. Indeed, the new lens is less than a third of the weight of its chunky sibling. The relatively skinny design also enables the inclusion of a regular 95mm front filter attachment, instead of the need for a rear drop-in filter holder.

As I’d hope for in any lens that’s geared to action, sports and wildlife photography, this one is extensively weather-sealed and has a fluorine coating on its front element. Beneath the skin, there are dual XD (eXtreme Dynamic) linear motors that power the fully internal focusing mechanism, just like in Sony’s top-dollar 600mm prime. Autofocus speed and tracking is designed to keep pace with 120fps shooting and 240p video capture. And if you still feel the need to focus manually, there’s a switchable full-time DMF (Direct Manual Focus) mode.

Just in front of the focus ring there’s another control ring, again also featured in Sony’s recent top-flight telephoto primes. The secondary customizable ‘function ring’ can be assigned to various functions but one of my favorites is ‘Power Focus’. It’s great for ensuring smooth manual focus transitions when shooting video, thanks to its motorized nature.

The middle section along the length of the lens barrel is colored black and plays host to the main shooting controls. As well as the focus ring and function ring, there’s a rank of four function buttons. Maintaining the theme, these buttons are customizable but I’d generally use them for AF/L (Autofocus Lock). I like that there’s a full set of four of them, placed at 90-degree intervals around the barrel, so one of them naturally falls under the thumb in any shooting orientation.

It would be unreasonable to expect every single feature that you get on the top-dollar 600mm lens to be replicated here and sure enough, there are no Preset or Beep on/off switches. Oh well, never mind. There are still plenty of positives though, including a bank of five switches for AF/MF focus modes, full-time DMF on/off, an autofocus range limiter, OSS (Optical SteadyShot) on/off and three selectable OSS modes. The stabilization modes in question include both of the regular static and panning modes, plus a third mode that stabilizes the viewfinder image in a way that it that makes it easier to track erratically moving subjects.

Should you feel the need to photograph something in the next county without driving there, the lens is compatible with Sony’s FE teleconverters. The 2.0x version naturally bumps up the focal length to a mammoth 1200mm, but with the usual catch of a 2 f/stop narrowing of the aperture, which shrinks to a disappointingly small f/13. The 1.4x teleconverter will likely prove more practical, equating to an 840mm focal length with a widest available aperture of f/9.

To gain extra telephoto reach, it’s also perfectly viable to switch to APS-C crop mode, especially with one of Sony’s ultra-high-res full-frame cameras, which would still give you a healthy megapixel count. And given the relative lightweight build of the lens, you could even mount it on an APS-C format Sony camera body. In both of these cases, you’d get an ‘effective’ 900mm focal length without the aperture reduction of using a teleconverter.

Long telephoto lenses can be particularly susceptible to ghosting and flare, which can degrade image quality. This one offers two-fold resistance with Nano AR Coating II, along with a very effective hood. First up, the high-tech, nano-structured coating is designed specifically for lens elements that have a large diameter or are strongly curved. The hood has a circular profile and is sufficiently long to do an efficient job, as well as being well made and featuring a lock/release button.

Building on its lightweight design, the combination of optical and in-camera stabilization makes handheld shooting entirely viable, but a tripod or monopod can still come in handy to keep things steady. True to type, the lens features a tripod mounting ring that ensures an equally good balance for both landscape and portrait orientation shooting. It also enables quick and easy swapping to any desired orientation, having a simple locking knob and smooth action.

As with a fair few other telephoto lenses, the tripod ring isn’t completely removable and only the foot can be detached. The foot itself features both standard sizes of 1/4in and 3/8in mounting threads. With the foot removed, there’s only a very small stub that protrudes from the lens. It doesn’t really add to the size of the lens and doesn’t impair handheld shooting.

The mounting plate of the relatively huge and heavyweight FE 600 f/4 features additional fixing screws to enhance strength and rigidity. That’s unnecessary for this relatively lightweight lens, so it has Sony’s more regular mounting plate which still includes a weather-seal gasket.

Despite its downsized design and build, the lens takes up most of the length (height?) of my camera backpack, leaving relatively limited space for all my other paraphernalia. I’m pleased therefore that Sony includes a nicely tailored and stylish looking bag with the lens.

Sony FE 600mm f/6.3 GM OSS: Performance

Throughout my time testing the FE 600mm, I paired it with a Sony A7R V camera body. This camera places big demands on the resolving power and autofocus speed of lenses, with its 61MP image sensor and tenacious AI-powered autofocus system. The lens definitely proved up to the task. I spent some time shooting lakeside birds that were very skittish and moved very erratically, but the lens took full advantage of the A7R V’s advanced recognition and tracking abilities. Autofocus speed proved a match for birds that were rapidly moving their heads around, or darting along the banks.

As a performance factor, I couldn’t help but be impressed by the lens’s generous super-telephoto reach. It covers a whole lot of distance for action, sports and wildlife photography, especially when you’re limited to a spectator’s area or a birding/wildlife hide. That oversized reach can make all the difference between getting the shot and missing it. As a case in point, I was shooting at a heritage railway site, and was able to get the shot below from a long way down the tracks. It would have taken quite a few minutes to walk up the line for a closer shot with a lens that had less telephoto reach, during which time the photo opportunity would have passed.

In terms of sharpness, the lens is able to do justice to Sony’s highest-resolution cameras like the A7R V, with their abundance of megapixels. It can capture plenty of fine detail and texture, along with superb clarity and contrast, although the simultaneously launched FE 400mm f/4.5 proved a little sharper in our lab tests. True to its claims, resistance to ghosting and flare is very good. And although the aperture rating of f/6.3 certainly isn’t ‘fast’, its combination with a 600mm focal length enables a tight depth of field, along with pleasantly smooth bokeh.

The lens also exhibits very good control over unwanted aberrations, with color fringing and distortion being of a very low order. Again, our lab test results weren’t quite as excellent as from the FE 400mm f/4.5, but were very impressive nonetheless. The image below serves as a graphic demonstration, the regular geometric shapes and high-contrast transitions of the window and door frames revealing minimal distortion and fringing.

Sony FE 600mm f/6.3 GM OSS: Sample Images

When taking the sample shots for the following gallery, I started off at the East Somerset Railway in the South West of England. It’s a delightful historic railway that’s run as a charity by a friendly bunch of volunteers, and is well worth a visit. Next, I moved on to the Chew Valley Lake, also in Somerset, to test the lenses by shooting some lakeside birds. Finally, I took them on a stroll around the picturesque town of Stockbridge in Hampshire. I took all of the sample shots at the widest available aperture of f/6.3, which is the sternest test of the lens but often needed to enable sufficiently fast shutter speeds.

Sony FE 600mm f/6.3 GM OSS: Lab Results

We run a range of lab tests under controlled conditions, using the Imatest Master testing suite. Photos of test charts are taken across the range of apertures and zooms (where available), then analyzed for sharpness, distortion and chromatic aberrations.

We use Imatest SFR (spatial frequency response) charts and analysis software to plot lens resolution at the center of the image frame, corners and mid-point distances, across the range of aperture settings and, with zoom lenses, at four different focal lengths. The tests also measure distortion and color fringing (chromatic aberration).

Sharpness:

Sharpness is very good even when shooting wide-open at f/6.3, and holds up well right out to the edges and corners. That’s an important point to me, as I often tend to want shutter speeds that are as fast as possible to freeze motion when shooting action, sports and wildlife with this type of lens. However, the sibling FE 400mm f/4.5 proved a little sharper in our lab tests, across the whole image frame.

Fringing:

There’s fairly little in the way of color fringing, which will generally go unnoticed in real-world shots, even with automatic in-camera correction disabled. Optically, fringing isn’t quite as minimal as with the FE 400mm f/4.5 lens but in-camera correction completely eliminates it.

Distortion: 0.96

As with color fringing, there’s only minor pincushion distortion. Again, you’ll rarely notice it even with automatic in-camera correction disabled, and if you enable the auto fix, the Sony effectively becomes a zero-distortion lens.

Sony FE 600mm f/6.3 GM OSS: Verdict

The Sony FE 600mm f/6.3 GM OSS has a lot going for it. I love the incredibly compact, lightweight design and build of the lens, making it a painless pleasure even for long periods of handheld shooting. Moreover, the speed and accuracy of the autofocus system coupled with the highly effective optical image stabilization ensure an epic hit rate, where practically every shot is a keeper. Handling is sublime, not only because of the manageable weight but also because of the plethora of buttons and switches for its advanced focusing and stabilization modes. Meanwhile, the weather-sealed build quality is reassuringly robust.

My only caveats are that while the f/6.3 aperture rating certainly isn’t slow for modern super-telephoto lenses, it’s definitely not fast either. It’s merely modest. You can generally enable sufficiently fast shutter speeds for freezing the action in sports and wildlife photography, to which the lens is tailor-made, but often this is at the expense of needing to push your camera’s ISO setting further than you might wish. And while the lens seems epic value for money compared with the top-flight Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS, it looks comparatively expensive up against its sibling Sony FE 400mm f/4.5 GM OSS and the Sigma 500mm f/5.6 DG DN OS Sports, both of which are also relatively compact and lightweight for their type.

Alternatives

Rock up to any major sporting event and you’re likely to see massed ranks of pro photographers with their ‘great white’ super-telephoto lenses. The lenses on parade have several things in common, beyond their white paint jobs that are applied to minimize the build-up of heat when you’re shooting for long periods under a glaring sun. Equally common traits are that these lenses are very big, hugely heavy and massively expensive, sometimes costing as much as most of us would expect to pay for a decent family car.

All of this makes the new Sony FE 400mm an absolute trend-bucker. Pick one up and it just doesn’t seem to make sense. Sure, it’s physically long and finished in white, but this lens is so relatively lightweight that it almost feels like Sony has built some kind of anti-gravity device into the design, or at least stripped out most of the glass. For comparison, the FE 400mm f/2.8 is considerably longer, has about 50 per cent more girth and is almost 2kg heavier at approximately three times the weight. Bearing in mind that the f/2.8 lens is marketed as ‘the lightest in its class’, it goes to show just how much weight loss we’re talking about in the new lens, which is advertised as being ‘the lightest of its type in the world’.

There’s a similar slashing in terms of purchase price, making the new FE 400mm f/4.5 much more affordable as well as being highly desirable. All in all, it aims to be one of the best Sony telephoto lenses, best lenses for sports, best lenses for bird photography and wildlife, and best lenses for safari, while also being outstanding value for money.

Sony FE 400mm f/4.5 GM OSS: Specifications

Sony FE 400mm f/4.5 GM OSS: Price

Feel the need for speed? It’s going to cost you, with the Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS selling for an eye-watering $12,999 / £10,490. The new FE 400mm f/4.5 is only 1.33 f/stops slower but still looks and feels a properly pro-grade lens with most of the same handling luxuries. And yet this lens is massively more affordable at just $2,699 / £2,399 / CA$3579, little more than the veteran Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS zoom at $2,799 / £2,149. Skip the G Master credentials, and there’s also the Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS at a less expensive $2,099 / £1,599.

A tempting alternative prime is the Sigma 500mm f/5.6 DG DN OS Sports, available in L-mount as well as Sony E-mount options, selling for $2,999 / £2,779. The Sigma is also a relatively compact and lightweight option at a very keen selling price, but it’s still nearly 40 per cent heavier than the Sony lens, trading a longer focal length for a slower f/5.6 aperture.

Sony FE 400mm f/4.5 GM OSS: Design & Handling

You need strong arms and a fat wallet for a top-end lens like the Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS, which weighs in at 2,895g / 6.38lb and carries a price tag detailed above. Set your sights a little lower and this new f/4.5 lens still boasts a reasonably fast aperture (at least in super-telephoto terms) but in a much more manageable and affordable package. It sneaks in at just under a kilogram, with an official weight of 995g / 2.19lb, making it suitable for even lengthy periods of handheld shooting, rather than relying on a monopod or tripod to take the strain.

And for when size matters, or rather the lack of it, the lens measures 108x265mm / 4.3x10.4in, compared with the much larger dimensions of the f/2.8 lens at 158x359mm 6.2x14.1in. With a girth of only about two-thirds, the f/4.5 lens has a regular 95mm front filter attachment thread, rather than a 40.5mm drop-in filter arrangement near the rear.

The front element shown in the picture above has a fluorine coating to repel moisture and grease, and to aid easy cleaning. Move further back along the extensively weather-sealed barrel and there’s no shortage of handling exotica, which I’ll come to in a moment. Dip inside and you’ll find not one but two XD (eXtreme Dynamic) linear motors that power the fully internal focusing mechanism. Autofocus speed and tracking is designed to cope with 120fps shooting and 240p video capture. The lens shares its top-ranking autofocus system with the much pricier f/2.8 lens, along with switchable full-time DMF (Direct Manual Focus).

Another feature shared with Sony’s top-dollar telephoto primes is an additional, customizable control ring, or ‘function ring’ positioned just in front of the main focus ring. You can assign the secondary ring to various functions but a favorite is Power Focus, which delivers smooth, motorized manual focus transitions when shooting video. One thing that’s featured in the pricier lenses but is lacking in this one is that you don’t get a Preset focus facility with optional confirmation beep.

Moving to the forward end of the black section in the lens barrel, just in front of the focus ring and function ring, there’s a rank of four function buttons. Again, these are customizable but the most popular assignment is AF/L (Autofocus Lock). You can therefore easily lock the focus position and the fact that there are four buttons at 90-degree intervals around the whole barrel means that one of them will naturally fall under the thumb in any shooting orientation.

The further you get into the design of the lens, the more it looks and feels like Sony’s top-end super-telephoto primes, just with a drop in size and radical weight loss. As I’ve mentioned, Preset and Beep switches are absent but you do get a bank of five switches for AF/MF focus modes, full-time DMF on/off, an autofocus range limiter, OSS (Optical SteadyShot) on/off and three selectable OSS modes. These include regular static and panning modes, while Mode 3 delivers adapted stabilization in the viewfinder that makes it easier to acquire and track erratically moving subjects in shooting scenarios like sports, action and wildlife.

If you happen to need even more powerful telephoto reach, the lens is compatible with Sony’s 1.4x and 2.0x teleconverters. The 2.0x version might cramp your style with its 2-stop impact on aperture rating, but the 1.4x will extend your focal length to a mighty 560mm while giving you a still entirely workable aperture rating of f/6.3. Intriguingly, that’s the same as the aperture rating of Sony’s simultaneously launched and extremely similar Sony FE 600mm f/6.3 GM OSS prime, which is physically only marginally longer than this 400mm lens and has a virtually identical weight.

Another viable alternative for gaining extra reach is to switch your Sony full-frame camera body to APS-C crop mode. And with the most high-res ‘R’ models, you’ll still get plenty of megapixels to play with. The lens’s lightweight build also makes it feel relatively at home on one of Sony’s APS-C format camera bodies. Both of these approaches will give you an ‘effective’ 600mm focal length but without the narrowing of aperture from using a teleconverter.

Ghosting and flare can impact the image quality of long telephoto lenses but the Sony has a couple of things in its arsenal to put up a good fight. The first is Nano AR Coating II, which is a high-tech, nano-structured coating designed specifically for lens elements that have a large diameter or are strongly curved. The other is a highly efficient hood, which is very well made and features a release button so that it stays locked in place until you want to remove it.

Even with the combination of optical and in-camera stabilization, a tripod or monopod can help to keep everything steady, as well as bearing the (albeit lightened) load. As I’d expect, the lens comes complete with a tripod mounting ring, that ensures an equally good balance for both landscape and portrait orientation shooting, as well as easy swapping between the two. A simple locking knob enables smooth and easy rotation, and firmly fixes the lens at any position.

Unlike with many lenses that feature tripod mounting rings, the collar is not completely removable. Instead, only the foot detaches, as shown in the image below. The foot itself has both sizes of standard 1/4in and 3/8in mounting threads and once removed, there’s only a small stub that remains. Unlike the stub featured in some other lenses of its type, this one takes up very little additional space and doesn’t impinge on handheld shooting.

The hefty FE 400 f/2.8 has additional attachment screws in its mounting plate, to ensure sufficient strength, rigidity and durability. Those aren’t necessary in this lens, because it’s so much more lightweight. Even so, the metal mounting plate is very durable and features a weather-seal gasket and gold-plated electronic contacts.

The lens is very slim for its type but still necessarily quite long. I’m glad that Sony has seen fit to include a high-quality carrying bag as part of the package. And as a further bonus, the carrying bag has a smart, space-saving design.

Sony FE 400mm f/4.5 GM OSS: Performance

I tested the FE 400mm with a Sony A7R V camera body, which puts great demands on the autofocus speed and resolving power of any lens, with its revamped AI-powered autofocus system and 61MP image sensor. I found that when shooting lakeside birds that were darting around and moving their heads quickly and erratically, the lens was able to take full advantage of the A7R V’s advanced recognition and tracking abilities, with sufficient speed to ensure a really high hit rate of sharply focused images.

The focal length itself is a serious performance factor in that it gives sufficient telephoto reach to cover an awful lot of distance. Naturally, it’s a major bonus when shooting action sports, where you’re confined to a spectator’s area or (if you’re really fortunate) a designated photographer’s spot. It’s equally advantageous for shooting birds and wildlife, where you can’t physically get as close as you might like without invading their personal space, scaring them away, or being attacked by some of the more ferocious examples. As well as shooting birds with the lens, I used it at a heritage railway site, and was pleased that I was able to get the shot below from a long way down the line.

Moving onto resolving power, I was again impressed that the lens is able to capture immensely fine detail and texture. There’s also excellent clarity and contrast, with powerful resistance against ghosting and flare. Color rendition is very natural and the lens is capable of a tight depth of field, along with a smooth and dreamy quality of bokeh. Suffice it to say that all of the essential ‘image quality’ boxes are well and truly ticked.

Unwanted aberrations are kept to negligible levels, with very good control over distortion and color fringing. These attributes are demonstrated in the image below, which shows a lack of distortion and no visible color fringing around the high-contrast transitions of the window and door frames.

Sony FE 400mm f/4.5 GM OSS: Sample Images

When taking the sample shots for the following gallery, I started off at the East Somerset Railway in the South West of England. It’s a delightful historic railway that’s run as a charity by a friendly bunch of volunteers, and is well worth a visit. Next, I moved on to the Chew Valley Lake, also in Somerset, to test the lenses by shooting some lakeside birds. Finally, I took them on a stroll around the picturesque town of Stockbridge in Hampshire. I took all of the sample shots at the widest available aperture of f/6.3, which is the sternest test of the lens but often needed to enable sufficiently fast shutter speeds.

Sony FE 400mm f/4.5 GM OSS: Lab Results

We run a range of lab tests under controlled conditions, using the Imatest Master testing suite. Photos of test charts are taken across the range of apertures and zooms (where available), then analyzed for sharpness, distortion and chromatic aberrations.

We use Imatest SFR (spatial frequency response) charts and analysis software to plot lens resolution at the center of the image frame, corners and mid-point distances, across the range of aperture settings and, with zoom lenses, at four different focal lengths. The tests also measure distortion and color fringing (chromatic aberration).

Sharpness:

You’ll often need fast shutter speeds to freeze action in sports and wildlife photography with this type of lens, so I feel that wide-open sharpness is an important performance factor. The Sony really delivers, with stellar sharpness even at its widest aperture, not just at the center of the frame but right out to the edges and corners.

Fringing:

Color fringing is entirely negligible, again not just at the center of the frame but deep into the corners. Performance is excellent in this respect, throughout the entire aperture range.

Distortion: 0.67

Technically, there’s just a hint of pincushion distortion but it’s of a very low order and will generally go unnoticed in ‘real-world’ shooting. And that’s without any input from automatic in-camera correction.

Sony FE 400mm f/4.5 GM OSS: Verdict

The Sony FE 400mm f/4.5 GM OSS is a dream come true as far as I’m concerned. Some photographers say that if you can’t shoot at 200mm, you’re just not close enough. I’m not one of them. I love shooting action, sports, wildlife, birds, aircraft and plenty of other subjects where it’s simply not possible to get as close as I might like to. I love that this Sony lens really covers the distance, without weighing me down. It’s very compact for its type and I can comfortably shoot handheld for long periods of time without feeling any strain.

The pricing of the lens also makes it massively more affordable than most top-flight super-telephoto primes. Couple that with epic performance in terms of super-fast and consistently accurate autofocus, along with stellar sharpness, clarity and color rendition, and you have a real winner of a lens. The quality of bokeh is very appealing as well, and the lens keeps all unwanted aberrations to an absolute minimum. I feel that Sony has pulled off something a masterstroke with this lens. It’s absolutely fabulous.

Alternatives

If you're searching for a lightweight, compact travel camera to capture every moment of your adventures, check out these four deals from Wex at Amazon – each features or comes bundled with a versatile lens.

The Sony A6700 with 18-135mm lens is now just £1,699 at Wex – you save £100 from the original price of £1,799.

The OM System Tough TG-7 in black is now just £416.59 at Amazon – you save £83.40 off its £499.99 RRP.

The Pentax WG-8 in green is now just £343.90 at Amazon – you save £136.09 off the original price of £479.99.

Sony A6700

Most versatile

The Sony A6700 compact mirrorless camera packs serious power. It features a 26.1MP APS-C sensor, fast 11fps burst shooting, in-body image stabilization, and 4K60p video.

Whether you're snapping cityscapes or wildlife on safari, it's ready to deliver stunning photos and smooth video.

Sony improved the autofocus and button layout, making it easier to use on the go – even if the body is still pretty compact. You can pair it with a huge range of Sony E-mount lenses – or third-party options – to suit whatever trip you're on.

OM System Tough TG-7

Best waterproof

With the OM System Tough TG-7, you never have to worry about weather or terrain. It's built to be a companion on any adventure: waterproof, shockproof, and dustproof.

Its 12MP sensor can actually capture more light where it's often dim. Plus, it shoots RAW and bursts up to 20fps – perfect for catching fast moments. The TG-7 has a 4x zoom (approx. 25-100mm in 35mm terms) with a standout macro mode that lets you snap amazing close-ups and 4K video.

It's simple, durable, and versatile – the perfect when you need a reliable camera that won't quit.

Pentax WG-8

Most budget-friendly

The Pentax WG-8 is built tough to survive water, dust, drops, freezing temps – you name it. It's perfect if you want a camera that's truly adventure-proof, without spending big.

With a 20MP sensor and 5x optical zoom (approx. 28-140mm in 35mm terms). It shoots decent photos and 4k video at 30fps.

It also shines in ultra-close-up shots, and it performs well underwater and in extreme conditions where other cameras might fail. It's a solid budget-friendly choice for anyone needing a tough, reliable camera for travel.

Discover more and browse the best travel cameras, best compact cameras and best point and shoot cameras

Japan's camera market is an important one to watch for photography industry trends. Now, major retailer Map Camera has published its latest camera popularity ranking for August 2026, and four compact cameras feature in Japan's Top 10 alongside the latest mirrorless models.

Sony's A7 V takes the No.1 spot, continuing its strong run since launching in December 2025. But just behind is the Ricoh GR IV – a cult compact available in three versions tailored to different photographic styles: the standard GR IV, GR IV HDF and GR IV Monochrome. Another variant, the Ricoh GR IVx, is currently under development.

The Fujifilm X100VI is also near the top despite ongoing supply constraints. Meanwhile, Canon's PowerShot SX749 HS / Lite and PowerShot G7X Mark III make the Top 10 – compacts that have been around for years but are still proving popular with buyers, offering a genuinely straightforward shooting experience. Interestingly, a twin-lens pocket gimbal camera also made the chart.

Map Camera's Top 10 cameras, August 2026

1. Sony A7 V | Mirrorless camera
2. Ricoh GR IV | Compact camera
3. Fujifilm X100VI | Compact camera
4. Canon PowerShot SX740 HS / Lite | Compact camera
5. Sony a6700 | Mirrorless camera
6. Fujifilm X-M5 | Mirrorless camera
7. DJI Osmo Pocket 4P | Pocket gimbal camera
8. Fujifilm X-T30 III | Mirrorless camera
9. Canon PowerShot G7X Mark III | Compact camera
10. Canon EOS R6 Mark II | Mirrorless camera

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Browse the best full-frame cameras, the best mirrorless cameras, and the best compact cameras.

As a portrait photographer, I tend to avoid ultra-wide lenses like I avoid crowds in flu season. But when Sony introduced the first native E-mount fisheye, I felt strangely inspired to combine my favorite photography genre – portraits – with the wild world of a lens that can see in 180°.

The Sony FE 8-14mm f/3.5 Fisheye G captures an unusually wide 180° view, creating the classic circular "fisheye lens look" at 8mm but filling the frame and still getting that classic fisheye distortion at 14mm.

Portraits are perhaps an unusual genre – though certainly not unheard of – for a fisheye. But, inspired by the wacky perspective, I wanted to shoot in an equally wild location.

Grabbing the new 8-14mm f/3.5 Fisheye G and the Sony A7 V, I drove to the most colorful location I could think of and headed to a brightly-colored mural painted across a set of silos.

The mural, Shine Bright Saginaw, is actually the second-largest in the US, painted by Okuda San Miguel along with a team of local artists.

I was drawn to the location by both its size and wild colors – after all, why shoot with a 180° lens without an oversized scene?

Fisheye lenses embrace the barrel distortion of an ultra-wide view, rather than trying to correct that “imperfection.” Straight lines warp into a curve and, when angled just right, the lens creates almost what looks like the reverse of a 360 camera’s “tiny planet” effect.

Along with embracing barrel distortion, the 180° view succumbs to a lot of perspective distortion – but when used appropriately, that distortion can create kooky images that feel more fun than warped.

Anything up close to the lens will look far larger than anything even just slightly farther away. The 8-14mm f/3.5 Fisheye G can shoot as close as 150mm / 5.91 inches, so there’s plenty of room for exaggerating that fisheye look by getting in close.

Fitting a 180° view into one frame is a challenge in that there’s very little ability to crop any distractions out of the scene.

I had to be careful posing and angling the camera to embrace the distortion where I wanted but not where I didn’t. I also had to be careful not to get my own feet in the frame, as 8mm is so wide that even the lens hood will show in the shot.

Aside from resisting the itch to clone out background litter, I didn’t even feel like I had to edit the photos – the images here are all JPEGs. (The header image has a black border added, as a 16:9 will crop into the circle – something for videographers to take note of.)

I’m a portrait photographer whose 50mm – which has a 75mm equivalent look on my APS-C camera – rarely ever leaves my mirrorless body. But shooting with Sony’s first E-mount fisheye was a lot more fun than I expected.

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Sony has been making cameras and lenses for over 40 years, and its gear has found a place in the bags of beginners, enthusiasts and professional photographers alike.

Now, B&H Photo is offering savings of up to 23% or free bundle accessories on some of the brand's most popular kits, from capable mirrorless cameras to a range of lenses starting with a nifty fifty, to a professional standard zoom, macro optics and more.

Mirrorless cameras

Lenses

Bundles

Browse the best Sony cameras, the best Sony lenses, the best Sony wide-angle lenses and the best Sony telephoto lenses.

Sony has made just about every conventional lens you could ask for at this point, so perhaps it was inevitable that things were going to get a little more niche.

The Sony FE 8-14mm F3.5 Fisheye G is Sony’s first fisheye lens for its full-frame E-mount system, and rather than starting with a straightforward prime, Sony has gone straight for a zoom capable of switching between circular and diagonal fisheye perspectives.

At 8mm, the lens offers a 180-degree field of view with the familiar circular fisheye image, and zoom up to 14mm, and the image gradually expands until it fills the whole frame. It's definitely more flexible than the typical fisheye prime, but it's still a unique perspective and is going to complement rather than replace any of the best Sony lenses already in your bag.

Specifications

Price

The Sony FE 8-14mm F3.5 Fisheye G is set to cost $1,599 / £1,499 / €1,700 at launch.

Calling $1,599 cheap would clearly be stretching things, but I actually think Sony pitching this as part of the G series is a smart move, rather than being transformed into a G Master lens with a corresponding price tag. Fisheyes are maybe a lens that comes out more occasionally for most photographers, so perhaps not worth dedicating a large portion of a lens budget to.

If you do only want to dip a toe in extreme wide-angle, there are plenty of much, much cheaper fisheyes from third-party manufacturers. The Laowa 8-15mm f/2.8 FF Zoom Fisheye lens offers a nearly like-for-like focal length (albeit without autofocus) for around $700, or 7Artisans will sell you a fixed 7.5mm f/2 Fisheye lens for about $150.

Sony’s advantage is that this is considerably more sophisticated than most of those alternatives, particularly thanks to its autofocus, internal zoom, and flexible focal range, but you'll pay for those advancements.

Design & Handling

The first thing that struck me when the Sony 8-14mm arrived was just how impressively small it is. I knew the dimensions beforehand (314g and 82.8mm long), but I was still shocked when I actually pulled it out of the box. Mounted on the Sony A7 V, it looks petite.

Fortunately, Sony hasn't achieved that by stripping everything useful from the barrel. This has the usual reassuring G-series build quality with dust and moisture resistance. Alongside the zoom ring, there is an aperture ring that can be de-clicked for video, a manual focus ring, a zoom lock switch, a customizable button and a focus-mode switch.

The lens also uses an internal zoom, which is particularly welcome for videographers, as nothing changes externally as you move between 8mm and 14mm, which makes balancing the lens on a gimbal considerably easier.

My only irritation with the design is the lens hood. At 8mm (up until around 11mm), it has to be removed entirely because otherwise it would encroach on the circular image. That is understandable because, well, physics, but repeatedly taking the hood on and off becomes a little frustrating. You could leave it off permanently, but I would be reluctant to, as that large curved front element looks extremely vulnerable without anything protecting it.

That bulbous front element also rules out conventional screw-in filters, so Sony has included a rear filter holder instead. I’m glad it is there, although anyone already invested heavily in conventional circular filters may find themselves having to buy a few more accessories.

Performance

A fisheye lens is always a unique one to review, as it really comes down a lot to how much you like the fisheye look. Fisheyes also can't really be so easily judged by the same metrics as other lenses – distortion is basically the entire point.

At 8mm, the Sony produces the full circular fisheye effect, surrounded by the characteristic black border around the image area. As you zoom through the range, the image circle expands until it fills the frame, hitting the corners at around 13-14mm. Basically, there is still an obvious fisheye look through most of the zoom range, although the effect becomes progressively less dramatic toward the long end.

Optically, I was pleasantly surprised. Sharpness in the center is very good, but what impressed me most was how well detail holds together toward the edges. Given how aggressively the lens is bending the scene, I expected considerably more of a drop-off.

At 8mm, zooming right into images reveals slightly less crisp detail than I saw at 14mm around the edges, especially wide open, but in real-world viewing I don't think most people would notice. Fringing and chromatic aberration are also remarkably well controlled for something this wide, although there is a telltale blue ring around the outside of the circle, but this can be tackled in post if you don't like the look.

One thing to note: at 14mm, the lens is a diagonal fisheye by design. This lens does not have the flat rendering of a conventional rectilinear 14mm prime. So there is still noticeable distortion toward the corners. Lightroom can pull some of this back, although not completely.

Autofocus is excellent. It feels every bit as quick and reliable as any other recent Sony G lens I have used, and it had no issue tracking human subjects in my testing. Sony also says it can keep up with 120fps stills shooting and 240p video autofocus on compatible cameras.

The 0.15m minimum focusing distance also lets you get extremely close. Whether you actually want an extreme fisheye close-up is another question entirely, but if it works for you creatively, then it's possible.

My only minor disappointment is when it comes to video. While I can't fault the autofocus speed or the image quality, video cropping does spoil the perfect circular fisheye look.

Slow to embrace open gate, most Sony cameras use a 16:9 crop for video, which cuts off the edges of the image circle at 8mm – and that's without any electronic image stabilization on.

If you do need Sony's Active or Dynamic Active stabilization – for example, shooting sports like skateboarding, which this lens is perfect for – then it cuts into the circular image much further. You still get a unique look, but I wish I could preserve that perfect circular image.

Note: If you are looking for our usual lab testing results, unfortunately, we are unable to test fisheye lenses, as it's impossible to frame our testing chart with a 180º field of view!

Verdict

Sony's first-party full-frame lineup has been sorely missing a fisheye, but it has finally delivered one, and I think it was worth the wait. The Sony FE 8-14mm f/3.5 Fisheye G is surprisingly small, reassuringly well built, quick to focus, and optically much better than I expected from such an extreme design.

The real advantage, though, is the zoom. Being able to move from a circular fisheye at 8mm to a full-frame perspective at 14mm gives it considerably more creative flexibility than a fixed fisheye prime. I found that made it much easier to experiment with different compositions, and it was just a lot of fun to shoot with.

Although there is no getting around the fact that this remains a niche optic. At $1,599, it is a significant investment for something many photographers may only pull out occasionally, and there are far cheaper ways to experiment with fisheye photography. But I am glad Sony resisted the temptation to turn this into an even more expensive G Master.

For photographers, filmmakers, and content creators who genuinely want/need these extreme perspectives, the FE 8-14mm f/3.5 Fisheye G is a compact and impressively polished addition to Sony's lineup.

Alternatives

Sony’s early push into full-frame mirrorless means the E-Mount lens family has a wealth of different options, but one category has remained suspiciously absent until now: A fisheye. The Sony FE 8-14mm f/3.5 Fisheye G is the first Sony-branded fisheye for the mirrorless E-Mount system.

Announced on September 8, the Sony 8-14mm brings the ultra-wide distortion the lens type is known for into the E-Mount system with a bit of control. At 8mm, the lens shoots the classic round fisheye image on a black border, but at 14mm, the zoom becomes a rectilinear fisheye that fills the frame yet still has that extreme curved barrel distortion.

The lens can also shoot two different looks – equidistant or equisolid. Under the default distortion compensation-off settings, the lens is more “equidistant,” with a more even image distribution and less enlargement at the center. The lens creates an ”equisolid” look where the center looks larger, and the edges look more compressed with distortion compensation set to auto. (Shooting in RAW, the distortion settings can be adjusted after the shot with Sony Imaging Edge Desktop.)

The E-Mount system has a small handful of third-party fisheye options, but the lenses that mix a circular and rectilinear look in one using zoom are manual-focus-only options like the Laowa 8-15mm f/2.8 FF Zoom Fisheye.

That’s not the case with Sony’s first mirrorless fisheye, which uses two autofocus motors that Sony says are capable of keeping up with cameras with 120fps autofocus readouts.

The lens can focus as close as .15m / 5.91 inches from the front of the lens, creating some .22x closeup opportunities mixed with unusual fisheye distortion.

The Sony 8-14mm Fisheye is unusually narrow and compact, considering the optics needed for an ultra-wide view tend to create bulky lenses. But Sony’s streamlined design for the new fisheye is very much on purpose.

Besides the 314g weight making the lens easier to carry around – and smaller and lighter than the Laowa fisheye zoom – the lens is unusually narrow. That’s in part because Sony built the lens to also work with the Venus extension system to create a 3D VR setup with two lenses side-by-side.

For video, a 16:9 aspect ratio will crop the top and bottom of circular images, but cameras with 3:2 Open Gate can preserve the full circle.

The lens’ design also includes a focus lock switch for shooting astrophotography, as well as a zoom lock switch and seals for dust and moisture resistance.

I was able to shoot a few photos on the new Sony 8-14mm Fisheye mounted on the A7 V. Fisheye lenses create a bit of a quirky look that doesn’t work for every genre, but I found shooting with Sony’s fisheye to be far more fun than I expected.

Images are sharp and colorful, but mixed with the highly exaggerated perspectives of a fisheye. The only problem that I ran into is that the hood does need to be removed for shooting at 8mm – that and, as someone who doesn’t normally shoot with a fisheye, I had to constantly check the edges and make sure I didn’t accidentally get my own feet inside the ultra-wide 180-degree perspective.

The Sony FE 8-14mm f/3.5 Fisheye G will begin shipping in early October, with an expected list price of about $1,599 / £1,499 / CA$1,999.

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Designed as a true hybrid all-rounder, the Sony A7 V delivers flagship-inspired speed and autofocus (AF) in a more affordable body – and these deals at Park Cameras let you save up to £1,448.90.

The Sony A7 V + 24-105mm f/4 G OSS is now £3,399 – save £329 off the original £3,728 price.

The Sony A7 V + 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II is now £3,999 – save £699 off the original £4,698 price.

The Sony A7 V + 70-200mm f/2.8 GM II is now £4,399 – save £799 off the original £5,198 price.

The Sony A7 V + 50-150mm f/2 GM is now £5,699 – save £519 off the original £6,218 price.

Deals

Offers

• Eligible for £200 Trade in Bonus : Trade in any Interchangeable Lens Camera and get a £200 bonus. Click here to get your quote
• Free 2 year warranty: 1 year extended warranty + standard 12 months warranty when you register with Sony

Top choice: Sony A7 V

The Sony A7 V is Sony's latest full-frame all-rounder, combining fast performance with some of the smartest AF technology the brand has produced to date.

It features a new sensor and AI-powered subject detection system, delivering faster burst shooting and more reliable tracking for everything from portraits to wildlife.

In our review, we praised its major AF upgrades, blackout-free 30fps shooting, and refined handling.

While rival cameras offer stronger video specs, the A7 V remains one of the most capable hybrid cameras for photographers who want a single body that can do almost everything.

Browse the best lenses for the Sony A7 V

The big three camera market leaders are Canon, Nikon, and Sony. Now, fresh sales numbers from major Japanese retailer Kitamura are in, and one global player accounts for 50% of the Top 10 best-selling cameras in August 2026, while one brand is nowhere to be found.

According to Kitamura, Sony takes 5 out of the Top 10 spots. Nikon didn't make the ranking with a single camera.

At No.1 sits the Sony A7C II, "recommended for users who want to carry a full-frame camera with them at all times and don't want to compromise on performance," as Kitamura explains. Right behind is Sony's A6700 in No.2, followed by the A7 IV. Sony's latest full-frame release, the A7 V, takes No.6 and the ZV-E10 II comes ninth.

Canon has two models: the Canon EOS R6 Mark II and Canon EOS R6 Mark III, placed fourth and tenth.

OM System and Fujifilm fill the remaining three spots in the sales ranking. The OM System OM-5 Mark II 12-45mm f/4 Pro Lens Kit comes fifth; the OM System OM-1 Mark II is seventh, and the Fujifilm X-M5 XC15-45mm Lens Kit is eighth.

Kitamura's 10 best-selling cameras, August 2026

1. Sony A7C II
2. Sony A6700 High-Magnification Zoom Lens Kit
3. Sony A7 IV Zoom Lens Kit
4. Canon EOS R6 Mark II
5. OM System OM-5 Mark II 12-45mm f/4 Pro Lens Kit
6. Sony A7 V
7. OM System OM-1 Mark II
8. Fujifilm X-M5 XC15-45mm Lens Kit
9. Sony ZV-E10 II Power Zoom Lens Kit
10. Canon EOS R6 Mark III

Sony's chart-topping cameras

No.1 Sony A7C II
Kitamura says, "The successor to the A7C, which debuted as the world's smallest and lightest full-frame mirrorless camera. Packed with the latest features into a compact body, it delivers performance that exceeds its appearance."

No.2 Sony A6700
"This kit includes the A6700 camera and the high-magnification zoom lens "E 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 OSS".

"Despite its compact size, this lens can zoom up to the equivalent of 202.5mm, allowing you to shoot a wide range of subjects, including landscapes, snapshots, flowers, animals, and sports, all with just this one lens," explains Kitamura.

No. 3 Sony A7 IV
Kitamura says, "This camera is Sony's most standard full-frame mirrorless camera. With high-precision real-time tracking, it keeps track of your subject, ensuring you never miss a moment for both still images and videos."

No.6 Sony A7 V
"The A7 series has finally reached its 5th generation.

"By adopting a newly integrated partial-stacked sensor and the next-generation image processing engine "BIONZ XR2," it achieves highly accurate AI subject recognition and blackout-free continuous shooting at up to approximately 30 frames per second.

"It is a high-performance camera that is hard to believe is a basic model," explains Kitamura"

No.9 Sony ZV-E10 II
Kitamura says, "This is the successor to the ZV-E10, which has gained popularity as a video camera for shooting vlogs and YouTube videos.

"It features the same BIONZ XR image processing engine as higher-end models, resulting in improved video capabilities and autofocus performance. It's a recommended camera for anyone who wants to shoot cinematic videos."

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The latest mirrorless cameras often come with anything but an affordable price tag, which is one reason buying used gear remains so popular. New data from Japanese camera marketplace Minna Camera shows that one DSLR in particular has risen in popularity over the last month, skipping 31 positions in just 4 weeks, to landing at number 1.

This camera is the Canon EOS 7D Mark II, launched back in November 2014, making it nearly 12 years old. Part of Canon's high-end APS-C DSLR line, it performs well in harsh conditions and its AF (autofocus) system gets moving subjects sharp quickly, making it a favorite among sports and action photographers.

Another notable success was achieved by a mirrorless camera, as the Sony ZV-E10 lands at number 9 after previously ranking at 65. Released in 2021, the very likeable little APS-C camera is not discontinued – which is a rarity in the top 10, as 70% of the models on the list are no longer in production.

Top 10 traded cameras at Minna Cameras (Aug 2026)*

*Release year, discontinued status and approx. used prices in USD and GBP added by Digital Camera World.

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Browse the best DSLR cameras, the best mirrorless cameras, and the best compact cameras.

As a tech reporter and photographer, I find some of the top trending camera lists easy to predict – but I never would have predicted the unusual mashup leading the top trending cameras in the US right now. Newly launched cameras like the Sony RX10 V bridge camera and popular mirrorless Canon EOS R6 Mark III are sitting mixed in with the strange Godox C100 compact viewfinder camera and even an eight-year-old DSLR, the Canon EOS Rebel T7.

The insight comes from US retailer B&H, who recently shared the list of top trending cameras for August 2026 with Digital Camera World.

The Sony RX10 V leads the top trending list for the second month in a row. The newly launched bridge camera revives the popular one-inch sensor paired with a 25x zoom lens. The bridge camera feels like the opposite of the compact camera trend with its beefy bridge-style design, but the camera is built to replace multiple lenses with its 24-600mm equivalent lens.

The RX10 V is followed by what reviewer James Artaius says is the “weirdest camera ever,” the Godox C100. The camera is 50 percent screen and doubles as a light meter, but the 2MP resolution, $45 / £39 price point, and the slim design also feel reminiscent of the trend behind the Kodak Charmera. The unusual design for the C100 is proving to be quite popular, with the C100 also appearing on the trends list for July.

The list isn’t without high-end mirrorless cameras, however. The Canon EOS R6 Mark III ranks high on the list of August trends. Launched late in 2025, the R6 Mark III was dubbed the “new yardstick by which other hybrids will be measured,” thanks to its mix of 32.5MP 40fps stills and 7K 60p open gate.

Perhaps the most unusual camera to hit the trends list, however, isn’t a fresh launch but an aging DSLR: the Canon EOS Rebel T7 (EOS 2000D). DSLRs have been steadily declining in popularity in recent years, so it’s unusual to find one hitting the trends list. The T7, however, still has a key feature going for it – it only costs $500 with a kit lens right now.

Still, while the T7 has an excellent price, Canon isn’t without similarly priced mirrorless kits like the EOS R100 – which has the same resolution in a smaller design with a more advanced autofocus system.

The DSLR is followed by another Canon mirrorless, this one even more pro-level: The Canon EOS R5 Mark II. The R5 Mark II, launched in 2024, brings a 45MP resolution with 8K 60 video, and yet still manages a speedy 30 fps burst mode.

The Sony mirrorless that has been hitting top trends lists in Japan since its launch continues to make an appearance on trend lists in the US. The Sony A7 V brings 33MP and 30 fps capabilities to Sony’s more affordable member in the full-frame Alpha series, along with upgraded subject recognition autofocus and stabilization up to 7.5 stops.

Several viral compact cameras also continue to impact camera trends in the US. The Fujifilm X100VI – which is still currently out of stock at B&H – makes the list with its compact retro design and 40.2MP sensor.

Canon’s pocketable zoom camera, the PowerShot SX740 HS, is also trending. Leica’s luxury Micro Four Thirds compact camera, the D-Lux 8, is also trending, but it's the new Metal Gray colorway that made the trends list. The more pocketable sibling to the RX10 V, the Sony RX100 VII, also makes the list of August trends.

Finally, the top performer from Sony’s crop sensor still camera series, the Sony A6700, also hit the trends list for August.

Top trending cameras at B&H for August 2026

• Sony RX10 V
• Godox C100 Mini Camera
• Canon EOS R6 Mark III
• Canon EOS Rebel T7 / EOS 2000D with 18-55mm lens
• Canon EOS R5 Mark II
• Sony A7 V
• Fujifilm X100VI
• Canon PowerShot SX740 HS
• Leica D-Lux 8
• Sony RX100 VII
• Sony A6700

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Take a look at the best mirrorless cameras, the best bridge cameras, or the best compact cameras.

As a tech reporter and photographer, I find some of the top trending camera lists easy to predict – but I never would have predicted the unusual mashup leading the top trending cameras in the US right now. Newly launched cameras like the Sony RX10 V bridge camera and popular mirrorless Canon EOS R6 Mark III are sitting mixed in with the strange Godox C100 compact viewfinder camera and even an eight-year-old DSLR, the Canon EOS Rebel T7.

The insight comes from US retailer B&H, who recently shared the list of top trending cameras for August 2026 with Digital Camera World.

The Sony RX10 V leads the top trending list for the second month in a row. The newly launched bridge camera revives the popular one-inch sensor paired with a 25x zoom lens. The bridge camera feels like the opposite of the compact camera trend with its beefy bridge-style design, but the camera is built to replace multiple lenses with its 24-600mm equivalent lens.

The RX10 V is followed by what reviewer James Artaius says is the “weirdest camera ever,” the Godox C100. The camera is 50 percent screen and doubles as a light meter, but the 2MP resolution, $45 / £39 price point, and the slim design also feel reminiscent of the trend behind the Kodak Charmera. The unusual design for the C100 is proving to be quite popular, with the C100 also appearing on the trends list for July.

The list isn’t without high-end mirrorless cameras, however. The Canon EOS R6 Mark III ranks high on the list of August trends. Launched late in 2025, the R6 Mark III was dubbed the “new yardstick by which other hybrids will be measured,” thanks to its mix of 32.5MP 40fps stills and 7K 60p open gate.

Perhaps the most unusual camera to hit the trends list, however, isn’t a fresh launch but an aging DSLR: the Canon EOS Rebel T7 (EOS 2000D). DSLRs have been steadily declining in popularity in recent years, so it’s unusual to find one hitting the trends list. The T7, however, still has a key feature going for it – it only costs $500 with a kit lens right now.

Still, while the T7 has an excellent price, Canon isn’t without similarly priced mirrorless kits like the EOS R100 – which has the same resolution in a smaller design with a more advanced autofocus system.

The DSLR is followed by another Canon mirrorless, this one even more pro-level: The Canon EOS R5 Mark II. The R5 Mark II, launched in 2024, brings a 45MP resolution with 8K 60 video, and yet still manages a speedy 30 fps burst mode.

The Sony mirrorless that has been hitting top trends lists in Japan since its launch continues to make an appearance on trend lists in the US. The Sony A7 V brings 33MP and 30 fps capabilities to Sony’s more affordable member in the full-frame Alpha series, along with upgraded subject recognition autofocus and stabilization up to 7.5 stops.

Several viral compact cameras also continue to impact camera trends in the US. The Fujifilm X100VI – which is still currently out of stock at B&H – makes the list with its compact retro design and 40.2MP sensor.

Canon’s pocketable zoom camera, the PowerShot SX740 HS, is also trending. Leica’s luxury Micro Four Thirds compact camera, the D-Lux 8, is also trending, but it's the new Metal Gray colorway that made the trends list. The more pocketable sibling to the RX10 V, the Sony RX100 VII, also makes the list of August trends.

Finally, the top performer from Sony’s crop sensor still camera series, the Sony A6700, also hit the trends list for August.

Top trending cameras at B&H for August 2026

• Sony RX10 V
• Godox C100 Mini Camera
• Canon EOS R6 Mark III
• Canon EOS Rebel T7 with 18-55mm lens
• Canon EOS R5 Mark II
• Sony A7 V
• Fujifilm X100VI
• Canon PowerShot SX740 HS
• Leica D-Lux 8
• Sony RX100 VII
• Sony A6700

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If you've been thinking about getting into full-frame photography or becoming a Sony shooter, this is the deal I wish I'd found some time ago.

The Sony A7 III is now available for $1,698 at Adorama – you save $300 off its original price of $1,998 AND get three free accessories worth $409.90!

I've used the Sony A7 III for years now, and honestly, it's a great camera.

When I wanted to get into full-frame photography, the Sony A7 III covered all my needs and still does. Coming from Nikon, I wasn't sure how I'd vibe with Sony, but the A7 III quickly won me over.

What also sold me on switching systems was getting access to Sony's full-frame E-mount system – one of the most diverse lens ecosystems out there. Whether it's native Sony glass or third-party options like Sigma and Tamron, the variety is massive, both in function and price.

Specs-wise, the A7 II still holds its own: 24.2MP back-illuminated sensor, excellent high ISO performance for low-light shots, built-in 5-axis stabilization, and sharp 4K video. It also boasts a solid 696-point autofocus system with face and eye detection – not the newest algorithm, but definitely still dependable when snapping subjects on the move.

Sure, newer models, like the Sony A7 IV and now the Sony A7 V, offer some upgrades, but come with a hefty price tag – often nearly double what the A7 III costs.

I've dragged this camera through multiple countries, traveled with it, explored bustling cities, and even captured sharp action shots at the Isle of Man TT – and if you know anything about these motorbike riders, you know they're insanely fast. So the A7 III's AF system, portability, and overall reliability have been put to the test!

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