The range of best Sony cameras just keeps getting bigger as Sony expands its camera offerings to more types of photographers, from high-end professional photography and video production to travel photographers, content creators, and vloggers, there is a Sony camera for everyone.
Right at the top end, you've got the mighty but pricey sports-orientated Sony A9 Mark III with its mind-blowing global shutter, or the sixty-megapixel monster in the Sony A7R IV.
Next, Sony's APS-C mirrorless cameras are a favorite of countless travelers, vloggers, and content creators. These are much smaller and cheaper alternatives to the full-frame Sony models, however, as Sony fans will know, that doesn't mean Sony doesn't pack some powerful features into these more compact forms, the current highlight is Sony's compact but powerful Sony a6700.
Lastly, Sony's latest line of cameras is its ZV roster of cameras aimed at vloggers and social content creators. With super compact and simplified designs, these cameras are meant to go anywhere and shoot great instantly usable footage with minimal effort. We've been especially impressed by the clever and affordable little Sony ZV-1F.
We've used, reviewed, and rated them all, and we think these are the best Sony cameras you can get right now.
Gareth is the Reviews Editor at Digital Camera World, and the person in charge of testing and reviewing all of the latest Sony cameras. With several years of experience as a photographer and videographer, shooting for some household names, he has learned a thing or two about cameras and the photography industry. Outside of photography, expect to find him cycling around London, or deep in a Netflix binge.
The Quick List
Best overall
If you asked me for my recommendation for the best all-round camera for the widest group of photographers, then the Sony A7 IV would be my snap answer. Not geared towards any one purpose, it has respectable stats in every department and is perfect for any versatile stills and video shooter.
Best for resolution
If ultimate resolution is your main priority then I don't think you can't do much better in the realm of full frame than the 61-megapixels of the Sony A7R V. Not just a resolution monster for stills, the A7R V can also shoot 8K video making this one of the best options when video quality is a top priority.
Best for sports
The Sony A9 III has just blown the sports and wildlife camera field wide open as the first camera to offer a global shutter, making the readout speed breathtakingly fast. Combined with Sony's amazing AF with advanced tracking and excellent image stabilization, this camera is a dream to use
Best for travel
Sony's a6xxx range has been a go-to system for travel photographers since its debut, and I think that the Sony a6700 is the best one yet. Sony continued the pocket-friendly compact body but filled it with the latest sensor for 4K video, fast shutter speed, and incredible subject-tracking autofocus.
Best budget full frame
I think Sony almost made the A7 III too good, and several years later, it is still hard to beat. While numerically surpassed by the A7 IV, it is still a fantastic full-frame Sony camera, and if you don't want to spend a lot of money – the Sony A7 III is a great budget option for any photographer or filmmaker.
Best for Video
If I was a serious content creator, then the Sony ZV-E1 would be the camera at the top of my list. Sony's ZV range is one of the best vlogging camera systems around with excellent 4K, autofocus, and studio microphones, and the ZV-E1 is the cream of the crop, with a big full-frame sensor for maximum quality.
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Best budget vlogging
Phones take great video, but if you want to take a step up on your content creation game, then the Sony ZV-1F is my favorite budget vlogging camera. I saw a noticeable improvement in the video compared to my phone, and the flip-out screen and built-in mic make the capture process more streamlined.
Best for content creation
I have put a few ZV vlogging cameras on this list, which reflects how good they are, and how big this sector has become to Sony. The ZV-E10 sits as the cheapest interchangeable lens ZV camera, which allows a bit more creative freedom with lens choices, than its fixed lens siblings.
Best full frame compact
The Sony A7C II is what you get when you take the awesome internals of the Sony A7 IV and you stuff them all inside the body of the compact travel-friendly Sony a6700. This compact full-frame camera is my number one choice for anyone who wants maximum features in the most minimal body.
The best Sony cameras in 2024
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Best Sony camera overall
How do you better one of the best cameras of all time? Well, that was the question that Sony had to answer with the A7 IV. The Sony A7 III was a force to be reckoned with, pushing camera technology ahead for the time and leaving everyone else playing catchup – and why the A7 III is still included on this list.
The Sony A7 IV might be Sony's 'vanilla' A7 model, offering an entry point to full-frame mirrorless, but there’s nothing ordinary about the Sony A7 IV. It technically supersedes the A7 III in almost every way, with more resolution, faster speed, better autofocus, and tracking algorithms. Overall it’s just an altogether more advanced camera which, I think, targets a higher-level audience.
The Sony A7 IV doesn't have any one particular focus, instead offering a jack-of-all-trades camera, leaving Sony's 'R' models to add resolution and the 'S' models to add speed/sensitivity. However, this means that the A7 IV is the perfect camera for a huge variety of creators who don't specialize in one area and instead want a camera that is just at home shooting a landscape as a portrait, or hybrid shooters who value high-resolution stills as much as quality 4K video.
Read more: Sony A7 IV review
Best Sony camera for resolution
Technically overwhelming, physically underwhelming – that’s how the A7R V feels. The camera body feels too small – or not tall enough in the body – for the big pro lenses you’ll be using with it, and the controls follow a generic layout rather than being adapted to this camera’s strengths. You can customize the buttons endlessly to suit the way you work, but that takes time and also a good memory for which button you’ve customized to do what.
Technically, the A7R V is stunning. With 61 megapixels paired with new AI subject recognition AF is remarkable, both for its rapid identification and acquisition and its very sticky ‘tracking’.
The image quality is every bit as good as that of the A7R IV before it (Sony says it’s better), and the bigger buffer makes the A7R V much more effective for prolonged burst shooting.
Read our full Sony A7R V review
Best Sony camera for sports
To quote from our review, "I am nothing short of gobsmacked, blown away, bowled over, and wowed by the Sony A9 III". This camera's blistering speed and autofocus performance are impressive and matched only by its phenomenal connectivity, which promises to be a game-changer for pro shooters with the first-ever global shutter put in a consumer camera. This enables a top shutter speed of a mind-blowing 1/80,000 and up to 120 buffer speed for RAW+JPEGS.
This camera is only for those that need the very best in speeds, the professional sports photographers of the world where every millisecond can mean missing the action or getting that back page shot. For everyone else, this camera is overkill to a huge degree, as most photographers will never tap into the speed this camera can accomplish.
However, if our most damning criticism is that the A9 II is too fast for us to keep up with, surely that's nothing but a mission accomplished for Sony! For professionals who need more than speed, however, the Sony A1, which edges ahead of the A9 III for sports photography, throws in 8K video and 50MP stills.
In our initial testing, there were a few autofocus wobbles, although we are waiting to get the A9 III back in for our full review to see if Sony has ironed out these teething problems.
Read our full Sony A9 III review
Best Sony camera for travel
The Sony a6700 represents a logical progression from its predecessor, the a6600, but I wasn't blown away by the improvements when I reviewed it.
The a6700 maintains the compact rangefinder-style APS-C camera design from prior models but incorporates some notable and welcome improvements in button layout, however, I still found the camera was still a little cramped and hard to hold with larger lenses. Although, if you are happy to settle for Sony's smaller but slower lenses, then they are a much better balance for the a6700.
But for hybrid stills and video shooters seeking a compact camera with a viewfinder, the a6700 stands out as my preferred choice among Sony's APS-C lineup – and a much better choice over Sony's similar ZV range of cameras. The a6700 delivers an exceptional stills experience with an improved resolution, better tracking, and faster speeds. While its advancements in 4K video recording and integration of AI autofocus technology from Sony's more powerful and pricey cameras further position the a6700 as a compelling option.
Despite a higher starting price compared to the previous generation, positioning it as relatively more expensive than some competitors, the a6700 offers a lot for the money and emerges as one of the top choices for travel photographers and content creators who prioritize professional features within a compact form factor.
Read more: Sony a6700 review
Best Sony full frame camera on a budget
It might not have the blinding speed of Sony’s top-flight A9 II or the ultra-high-resolution of the A7R IV, but the Sony A7 III grabs many of the best bits from these pricier models and delivers them in a more affordable package. Headline features include a highly effective 696-point AF system and a 5-axis image stabilization system that promises 5EV of compensation.
There’s a 24.2MP back-illuminated image sensor, coupled with the latest generation of the image processor, and the two deliver excellent tonal range and make super-high ISO settings possible.
Handling is good, though some may find the body a little small when paired with pro lenses, which applies across the Alpha range. For the top performance at a sensible price, we think it’s the best-priced Sony camera out there – though for stills photographers the older Sony A7 II is also very tempting, and cheaper!
Read our full Sony A7 III review
The best Sony camera for video
The ZV-E1 is an excellent vlogging camera, it is small, compact, and lightweight while packing in some incredible features like an image-stabilized full frame sensor, and subject recognition and auto tracking straight out of the Sony A7R V. The camera is also incredibly simple and intuitive to use, so is perfect for anyone wanting professional looking footage without knowing a lot about cameras.
Video footage is excellent, sharp, clear, and with good color direct from the camera, stills are also fantastic quality, although are limited by the 12MP sensor. The latest autofocus tracking from Sony is a sight to behold, especially for human subjects, it is incredibly fast and accurate, with its AI powers meaning you don’t have to worry about focus and can think about other aspects of filming.
Read our full Sony ZV-E1 review
Best budget Sony vlogging camera
During our review, It was hard to look at the Sony ZV-1F in isolation and not immediately compare it to the latest camera phone sitting next to me. After using it for a week, it is hard not to think that I already own a device that does a lot of what this camera does. However, there is still a lot to be said for having a dedicated camera, especially with an articulating screen, an edge on the quality of 4K footage, and it being this easy to use.
If you are a keen amateur vlogger, and you want a dedicated camera to record on, a run-and-gun camera that you can set up quickly and get shooting, and something you can toss in a bag or pass around among friends. This is the camera for you.
This is a no-frills vlogging camera that will give you just what you need, a 4K video that is ready for social media, all contained in a tiny compact package, and at a hard-to-beat price.
Read our full Sony ZV-1F review
Best Sony camera for content creation
The Sony ZV-E10 is not going to win any awards on the photography front, where its specs are good but completely mainstream – but it is a great option for content creators cutting their teeth in vlogging and videography. While Sony hasn't moved its APS-C 4K video tech along much in recent years, the ZV-E10 is the manufacturer's first APS-C body to feature an articulating touchscreen (which is vital for vlogging).
It packs a large and well-performing internal microphone (with clip-on muffler), Sony's excellent autofocus, and an appealing price tag. It's a shame that there is no in-body image stabilization, and the menus can't be touch-controlled (a rather glaring omission for a vlogging camera), but for a very specific YouTube-era audience, this camera hits the nail on the head.
Read our full Sony ZV-E10 review
Best compact full frame Sony camera
The Sony A7C II is a sum of parts we have already seen in other Sony cameras, and while it is an incremental upgrade over the original version, it packs in some very welcome big improvements to autofocus and a bump in resolution to 33MP. The camera still is one of the best options for content creators looking for the smallest and most compact camera, while still getting pro-level features.
As with Sony’s other recent cameras, Sony has offered up the very best of its video capabilities, but the A7C II is also the body for hybrid creators who care just as much about stills photography, with its rangefinder-style EVF.
Despite some improvement in the camera ergonomics, it is still a difficult camera to handhold with larger Sony lenses, which the inclusion of a full frame sensor suggests it is designed for.
Read our full Sony A7C II review
How to choose the best Sony camera
First, you need to ask yourself what you are going to use your camera for. If you want to shoot video to use on social media or to live stream on the internet, then Sony makes an excellent range of compact vlogging cameras like the Sony ZV-1F and Sony ZV-E10 that cover a range of price points and image quality
If you are looking for something a bit more serious, then Sony's Alpha series is the way to go, these cameras are more specialized for higher quality images and video in different situations. The Sony A7R V is a megapixel monster for massive images, the Sony A9 II is for serious sports shooters, and the Sony a6700 packs the best of Sony's tech into a travelable body. Sony's Alpha series is also compatible with the best Sony lenses to up your photography game even further.
If you want to produce high-end video then we have a guide for that, check out our guide to the best camera for filmmaking for some high-end Sony video options.
What is the best Sony vlogging camera?
This depends on your budget. The best entry-level vlogging camera from Sony is the ZV-1F which is small and compact and shoots good 4K. If you want something a little more advanced then the Sony ZV-E10 is the best in Sony's range, with its interchangeable lenses it gives you more freedom to create.
Are Sony cameras better than Nikon and Canon?
Well, no. All camera brands make great cameras – how good these cameras are depends on your skill as a photographer. Sony cameras excel in various aspects including excellent subject recognition and tracking, solid image stabilization, as well as its long history of producing professional-level video. Switching to a Sony camera from another brand will not improve your photography – without you also working on your technique. Whatever camera system you use, you can be sure with practice you can create equally exceptional images.
How we test Sony cameras
We test Sony cameras both in real-world shooting scenarios and in carefully controlled lab conditions. We test Sony cameras with their intended purpose in mind – for example, we test powerful sports cameras like the A9 II with high-speed subjects, while we test Sony's ZV vlogging range with a focus on video quality over any stills prowess.
Our real-world testing assesses how Sony cameras perform in everyday shooting situations. This is based on our reviewer's own experiences using the camera, how the camera feels and works, any issues they encountered, and their subjective opinion on the camera performance separate from the lab results.
Our lab tests measure resolution, dynamic range, and signal-to-noise ratio. Resolution is measured using ISO resolution charts, dynamic range is measured using DxO Analyzer test equipment and DxO Analyzer is also used for noise analysis across the camera's ISO range.
The real-world experience and lab results are combined to inform exactly what we select for inclusion in our buying guides.
You can find out more about how we test and review at Digital Camera World.