Best cameras for professional photographers

The best cameras for professional photographers will give you the shot you need, every time, giving you the reliability you need to deliver for your clients. Whether you’re down by the pitch capturing sporting action, or in the studio shooting portraits, the cameras on this list will help you achieve what you need to achieve.

What is the best camera for a professional photographer may well vary from photographer to photographer. For example, what is the best camera for professional portrait photographers might be completely different from the best camera for professional landscape photographers.

This list is constructed using the findings of our expert team of camera reviewers – if we haven’t reviewed a camera positively, it doesn’t make it onto this list. That means you won’t find yet-to-be released cameras like the EOS R5 Mark II on here (yet). For more choices in the professional space, see our guides to the best full-frame mirrorless cameras and the best cameras for sports.

The best professional cameras: our quick list

Looking for the best deal on professional cameras? Not only will you find the best professional cameras, but you’ll also find some of the best professional camera deals, as our ‘Buy now’ buttons are setup to automatically take you to the best prices, from trusted retailers, plus you’ll also find a list of other retailers below each camera, so you can find the right deal for you.

• Best camera for professional sports photographers: Nikon Z9 – buy now
• Best camera for professional wildlife photographers: Canon EOS R3 – buy now
• Best camera for professional landscape photographers: Sony A7R V – buy now
• The best all-rounder camera for professionals: Sony A1 – buy now
• Best camera for sports and action: Sony A9 III – buy now
• Best Canon all-rounder camera for professionals: Canon EOS R5 – buy now
• Best Nikon for professional landscape photographers: Nikon Z7 II – buy now
• Best hybrid camera for professionals: Panasonic Lumix GH7 – buy now
• Best medium format camera for professionals: Fujifilm GFX 100S II – buy now

Read on to learn more about each of these brilliant cameras, with key insights and testing data from our expert reviewing team…

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Best camera for professional sports photographers: Nikon Z9

At a glance:

• Professional-level flagship mirrorless
• 30fps shooting (120fps at 11 megapixels)
• 45.7 megapixel full-frame sensor
• 6-stop in-body image stabiliser
• 8K video
• AI subject-detect autofocus
• £5,299 / $5,496 (body only)

The Z9 is an excellent all-rounder for professional photographers, but it’s especially good for sports and action photographers. Being able to record at 20fps in raw format with continuous autofocus means that you’ll be able to capture those split-second moments. And if that isn’t fast enough, you can even opt for 30fps (so long as you’re happy to only shoot in JPEG), or 120fps if you record at 11 megapixels.

In the past, speed has usually come at the expense of resolution, but the latest breed of top flagship cameras manage to excel at both. As such, you get a 45.7-megapixel sensor here with the Z9. Our review of the Z9 described it as “the final nail in the coffin for the pro DSLR”, which speaks volumes.

Further good news comes from Nikon’s decision to eliminate a mechanical shutter entirely, relying instead on an electronic shutter which is enabled by using a stacked CMOS sensor. The upshot here is that the Nikon is available at a cheaper price than its closest rivals from Canon and Sony – pros might want to put that extra saving towards additional glass.

During our time with the camera, we were also impressed by the camera’s handling, particularly the vertical grip, though it is arguably a little unwieldy at times – especially if you’re used to shooting with something smaller.

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Best camera for professional wildlife photographers: Canon EOS R3

At a glance:

• Professional-level flagship mirrorless
• 30fps shooting
• 24.1MP full-frame CMOS back-illuminated imaging sensor
• 8-stop in-body image stabiliser
• Eye-control AF and Subject Tracking
• 4K/6K video
• £5,879 / $5,999 (body only)

If you’re firmly in the Canon camp, rather than the Nikon camp, then the R3 is another fantastic option for professional users. It’s especially well-suited to wildlife photography, where speed is once again of the essence.

With the R3, you can capture subjects at up to 30fps by using the electronic shutter, and you can also shoot at 1/64,000, which is a world-record top shutter speed.

Unlike the Nikon Z9, the Canon R3 is a little more conservative with pixel count, offering 24 megapixels from its full-frame sensor. However, this relatively low pixel count means that it is better suited for delivering all that lovely speed that you need – which is exactly why Canon says it has chosen it.

Our tests revealed that autofocusing was fantastic, with Dual Pixel CMOS AF II technology providing 4779 focus points. Perhaps even more extraordinary is the eye-control AF which gives you the option to simply look at a subject through the viewfinder to choose the focus point you require. Moving subjects are also easily followed with subject tracking, making it the obvious choice for shooting erratic wildlife.

Again, here we have an integrated vertical grip, which is very useful for shooting in portrait format, but it might be a little cumbersome for some.

Canon’s cameras are pretty high-priced, and it’s disappointing to note that only proprietary Canon lenses are available, making it a more expensive proposition than some of the others on the list. It’s also worth noting that the Canon EOS R3’s time at the top of the heap in the Canon world is coming to an end, as Canon has officially taken the wraps off the Canon EOS R1. Currently available for pre-order, this is shaping up to be the speedster camera to beat, built as it is around Canon’s new “Accelerated Capture” technology. When we complete our review, it’s almost certain that the EOS R1 will find its place on this list – for now though, the EOS R3 is still the best Canon pro camera you can buy and use today.

Read our Canon EOS R3 review.

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Best camera for professional landscape photographers: Sony A7R V

At a glance:

• Mirrorless camera
• 61MP full-frame sensor
• 693-point autofocus
• AI subject recognition
• ISO 100-32000 (standard)
• 10fps shooting
• 8K 24fps video
• £3,999 / $3,898 (body only)

Building on the success of the A7R IV, the A7R V employs the same sensor as its predecessor but adds interesting and useful new improvements including enhanced subject detection AF, which is powered by a new AI processing unit.

There’s also a raft of body design and interface improvements making it a better all-round experience to use it compared to the older model.

This is a camera which is well-suited to those who crave high-resolution capabilities, so professional landscape and studio photographers will appreciate it. Although at 10fps it’s not the most amazing camera in our list for sports and action, for pros that only shoot such subjects occasionally it’s not too bad an option.

Read our Sony Alpha A7R V review.

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The best all-rounder camera for professionals: Sony A1

At a glance:

• Professional-level flagship mirrorless camera
• 50.1MP full-frame Exmor RS CMOS sensor
• 30 frames per second shooting
• ISO 50-102,400 (extended)
• 8K 30p video recording
• £5,879 / $6,498 body-only

One of the most advanced cameras ever made, the Sony A1 is a superb all-rounder that can tackle pretty much anything you’d care to throw at it.

Indeed, in our review of the camera, we discovered it to be one of the best cameras ever made. With this model, you don’t need to choose between speed and resolution as you get up to 30 fps shooting, with 50 megapixels for super-fine detail. That makes it adept at all manner of subjects, including landscape and portraits, but also sports and action. A real workhorse of a camera, it’s ideal for pros who want or need to shoot a bit of everything.

Video specifications are also impressive, so if you’re one of the increasing number of pros expected to deliver both still and moving images, it should suit you well there too.

Build and handling is on-the-whole very good, with our review highlighting one small gripe in the shape of the somewhat fiddly buttons can become a bit problematic in cold weather when wearing gloves. The viewfinder and screen are superb however and make viewing your subject and your images a real joy.

Of course, none of this comes cheap, making the A1 a hefty investment, but for Sony shooters, it’s a real winner.

Read our Sony Alpha A1 review.

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Best camera for sports and action: Sony A9 III

Sony Alpha A9 III at a glance:

• Mirrorless camera
• 24.6MP full-frame stacked-CMOS sensor with global shutter
• ISO 250-25,600 (standard), 125-51,200 (expanded)
• 120fps continuous shooting
• 4K 120P video recording
• 9.44m-dot, 0.9x viewfinder
• 3.2in, 2.1m-dot articulated touchscreen
• $6000 / £6100 body-only

If you’re a Sony lover and your main concern is sports and action, it arguably makes more sense to go for the A9 III rather than the A1. The global shutter sensor brings numerous benefits to sports photographers, as it eliminates the phenomenon where parts of LED advertising boards can appear blacked-out, and you can also say goodbye to subject distortion and any flickering or colour banding of artefacts in artificial light. You can also use flash at any shutter speed.

The A9III offers a shutters speed up to 1/80,000sec, making it the fastest shutter speed camera on the market, however this option is limited to single-shot mode. All in all it is ridiculously fast, even when shooting full sized RAW files, and it offers a jaw dropping 120 fps continuous stills and video. With 4K video recording, fantastic autofocus and decent build handling, the A9 III  is a worthy choice for those who make their living from shooting sports, especially if high resolution is not their primary concern.

Read our full Sony A9 III review.

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Best Canon all-rounder camera for professionals: Canon EOS R5

At a glance:

• Mirrorless camera
• 45 megapixel full-frame sensor
• Up to 20fps shooting
• 4K/8K video
• 8-stop in-body image stabiliser
• Subject tracking
• £4,299 / $3,899 (body only)

Canon’s R5 is another great all-rounder, capable of delivering well across a variety of genres.

Once again, you get a good blend of resolution and speed, with a 45-megapixel sensor delivering plenty of detail, but 20fps meaning you can capture fast-moving subjects with ease. Excellent subject tracking also helps with that, too, as we discovered during our testing of the camera.

In our Canon EOS R5 review we also found that the camera benefits from excellent handling, and we were particularly impressed by the high-resolution viewfinder and vari-angle screen. If anybody has any worries about electronic viewfinders, it’s safe to say that the current crop of pro-spec cameras delivers excellently.

Image quality is fantastic, with plenty of detail and impressively attractive colours. Video specifications are also good, with up to 8K video being available. Though it’s held back here by its much-publicised overheating issues, which restrict the length of clips you can shoot.

If you’re in the Canon camp and are looking for an impressive all-rounder but don’t quite have the budget for the R3, then the R5 is still a superb option. You might also find that you prefer the smaller body shape, too.

We have seen and tried out this camera’s successor – the EOS R5 Mark II, which was unveiled in 2024 alongside the EOS R1. Loaded with next-generation, AI-powered features like in-camera upscaling to produce ultra-high-res images, the EOS R5 Mark II is looking like the camera of the future. We’ll know more once we’ve completed our full review. Though we can confirm right now that yes, you can attach a cooling fan.

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Best Nikon for professional landscape and portrait photographers: Nikon Z7 II

At a glance:

• Mirrorless camera
• 45.7 megapixel full-frame sensor
• Up to 10fps shooting
• 4K video
• 5-stop in-body image stabiliser
• £2,599 / $2996 (body only)

Although Nikon’s Z7 II camera is capable of producing excellent stills and video, it’s best for those who primarily seek to capture subjects such as landscapes or portraits, rather than fast-moving subjects.

You get a very high-resolution 45.7-megapixel sensor which is capable of delivering beautiful detail, but with only 10fps shooting and far less impressive AF tracking than the Z9, it’s much less of an ‘all-rounder’ than some of the other models mentioned in the round-up. However, this also means that it costs a lot less than the Nikon Z9, or even than the slightly stripped-down Nikon Z8. So, if you like the idea of having all those pixels but don’t need the blistering burst speeds because you’re primarily working on landscapes or studio portraits, then the Nikon Z7 II is going to be a much more cost-effective buy.

Our Nikon Z7 II review found the Z7 II to handle excellently, though the lack of a fully-articulating screen is potentially an issue for those who want to shoot in portrait format, or record pieces to camera for video. On the plus side, the chunky handgrip and well-placed buttons impressed us when we used it. A vertical grip can be picked up as an optional extra, too.

There’s now a good selection of lenses available for Nikon Z mount, and, unlike Canon, you can also pick up third-party optics if you want to save a bit of cash.

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Panasonic Lumix GH7: best hybrid camera for professionals

At a glance:

• Micro Four Thirds flagship mirrorless camera
• 25.2MP CMOS sensor
• 5.8K 30p; 5.7K 60p; 4K 120fps; FullHD 240fps
• Internal Apple ProRes Raw recording
• Enhanced in-body image stabilisation
• Subject recognition for humans, animals, and vehicles
• Phase detection autofocus
• $2199 / £1999 body-only

This is the only camera on our list for professionals to feature a smaller than full-frame sensor. Although Micro Four Thirds has dropped in popularity in recent years, for video-centric users, the Panasonic Lumix GH7 is an enormously impressive hybrid model that other rivals struggle to match. By opting for a small sensor, you get a range of impressive specs in a small, portable and flexible body that doesn’t cost the earth.

The reason for being such a fantastic option? It’s the sheer flexibility it offers to pro video shooters. It gives video creators pretty much every conceivable codec that they might crave, including 240fps Full HD and 5.7K 60fps. There’s also a slew of other useful video functions including V-Log and the ability to record in the Apple ProRes format.

All of that comes at a price that won’t dent the budget anywhere near as much as most of the other models in this roundup, making it ideal for videographers who likely need the cash for a host of other video-related accessories.

In our full review, we happily noted that Panasonic has moved away from “DFD” Panasonic (Depth From Defocus) autofocusing technology used in the previous GH6 model and implemented Phase-detection autofocus in the GH7 which results in faster and more accurate autofocusing. This more than anything makes it into a true hybrid powerhouse, and cements its status as very possibly the best camera you can buy if you want to shoot both photos and videos to a professional standard.

Read our full Panasonic Lumix GH7 review

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Fujifilm GFX 100S II: best medium format camera for professionals

At a glance:

• 102MP Medium-format CMOS II sensor
• ISO 80-12,800, expandable to ISO 40-102,400
• 7fps continuous shooting
• 5.76M-dot electronic viewfinder, 0.84x magnification
• 3.2inch 2.36M-dot 3-way tilting touch-screen
• 4K 30p video recording (4:2:2 10-bit)
• £4999 / $4999 (body only)

The final model in our round-up is something special indeed, being the only medium-format camera to feature here. It certainly answers the question as to whether professionals use Fujifilm cameras, as this medium-format camera is aimed directly at professionals!

The GFX100S II features the same pixel count as the firm’s other medium format flagship, the pricier GFX100S, meaning you get 102 megapixels of goodness in a larger than full-frame sensor for the ultimate detail and gorgeous image quality. Of course there are some sacrifices to be made – this really isn’t a camera for speed freaks, but if that’s not something you need to shoot then it’s worth considering. Even though pixel count remained the same the sensor lost its HS credentials compared to the GFX100 II, this means you can expect the same image quality, but at slower continuous shooting speed, and somewhat slower autofocusing. Nonetheless Fujifilm compenstaes for this by making the ISO expandable to ISO 40-102,400 and adding 5-axis in-body image stabilisation system (IBIS) providing 8 stops of compensation.

In the past, medium format cameras were huge and unwieldy, and the idea of carrying one around to use handheld was pretty much unheard of. Fujifilm changed everything with the GFX 50S and has built on that ever since. The 102MP GFX 100S II brings ultra-high resolution medium format shooting at a not-too ridiculous price – its cost is roughly in line with plenty of other models in our list.

If you want the best possible image quality and aren’t too worried about having something for action, the Fujifilm GFX100S II is most certainly worthy of consideration.

Check out some wildlife photos taken with the Fujifilm GFX100S II and the 500mm F5.6 telephoto lens.

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How to choose the best professional camera

When choosing a camera to use for professional purposes, there’s quite a few things to think about.

If you’ve already invested in a camera system before, the chances are that you’ll want to stick with the brand you’re already familiar with – especially if you have lenses already. However, if you’re fairly new to photography, or perhaps are upgrading to mirrorless after using DSLRs, then the choice is a little bit more open. That said, if you already have Canon or Nikon DSLR lenses, you can continue to use them with each company’s mirrorless options via an adapter.

Next up, you might want to think about choosing the best sensor size for you. Most of the cameras in our list use a full-frame sensor, which is a pretty common choice for professional photographers. You can go smaller and still be a professional, of course, and there are some advantages to doing that – mostly to do with portability and so on. However, for the highest possible image quality, full-frame tends to be a good choice. Bigger than full-frame, in the shape of medium format, is also an excellent choice.

Every professional is different, but taking a look at a camera’s key specifications will help you decide if it’s the right choice for you. Say, for example, you’re a sports photographer, you might need something with fast burst shooting. Sophisticated autofocus systems also come in handy for tracking objects around the frame. A high resolution might be most favoured by landscape and portrait photographers.

Another important aspect to think about – especially for modern working professionals – is video specifications. Although this list is mainly aimed at stills shooters, we’ll still give plenty of information about how good each camera is for video.

Lastly, you might want to consider how a camera handles. Does it have lots of direct access controls, or is it customisable to exactly how you want to work for example. Does it have a built-in vertical grip, or the option to add one for portrait-format shooting.

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Related articles:

• Best cameras for photojournalism and documentary
• Best camera for wedding photography
• Best cameras for wildlife photography

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