Not all cameras handle low-light conditions equally well; the same applies to night photography. Damien Demolder and the AP team pick out some stand-out models in our guide to the best cameras for low light photography and video.
We’ve identified cameras that are optimised for night photography and other forms of low-light work. Modern digital technology has given cameras the kinds of low-light capabilities photographers could barely have dreamed of even ten years ago. If you’re ready for action, read Art Wolfe’s approach to night photography too… but for now, how to choose the camera?
It’s worth thinking about your entire system when it comes to low-light, not just the camera. Fast-aperture lenses play a vital role in low-light shooting, so familiarise yourself with the lenses available in the system you choose. We have a useful guide to the best low-light lenses too. Here we focus on the cameras. So what are the key features for a low-light camera? Read on to discover the best cameras for low-light and night photography – our guide provides pointers to what to consider.
How to choose the best cameras for low-light photography and video:
Long shutter speeds
The most obvious action to take in a low-light situation is to increase the length of time the shutter remains open; so a camera that allows exceptionally long shutter speeds seems like a good starting point. Long shutters are great if you have a tripod or camera support, but are no good if you need to record a scene or subject that is moving.
Image stabilisation (IS)
Modern image-stabilisation systems are really remarkable, with some shifting the sensor to keep up with the movements of the camera and others using a group of elements in the lens. These systems allow us to handhold the camera at much longer shutter speeds than would usually be the case. As with all long shutter speeds though, moving subjects will be blurred even with the best IS system.
High ISO
To achieve a short enough shutter speed for moving subjects, a high ISO setting might be desirable. Many cameras offer high ISO settings but not all manage the noise produced by dramatic amplification as well as others. However well noise is managed, high ISO speeds will deliver lower overall image quality.
Wide apertures
Using a lens with a wide aperture makes life a whole lot easier when it comes to shooting in low light. A lens that lets in more light makes focusing easier, and we don’t need the high ISO settings and long shutter speeds quite so much. This means we can handhold the camera more often, if need be.
The advanced AF system on the EOS R6 works in very low light.
Best low-light camera overall: Canon EOS R6
At a glance
- $1,999 / £1,400 – £2775 (Used to like new)
- Max ISO 102,400
- 8 stops of IS (upto)
- Full-frame 20MP sensor
- AF down to -6.5EV
Full-frame cameras are, almost by default, better in low-light situations than smaller- sensor cameras at the same ISO and with the same resolution, and when a full-frame sensor is asked to house only 20 million pixels each of those pixels can be large and can gather more light. The sensor of the Canon EOS R6 also has a benefit of using the power of the DIGIC X processor for noise reduction, so the already low-noise pixels get extensively polished before being saved to the card.
This allows exceptional noise performance at ISO settings right up to ISO 12,800, and good performance even beyond that. Noise performance here has the advantage that there is a limit to how far you can enlarge a 20MP image so no one can look too closely, but even so the images this camera produces are remarkably well controlled. Noise doesn’t become overpowering until ISO 102,400, but it can extend to ISO 204,800 in an emergency.
Autofocus system
The camera’s autofocusing system is also remarkably sensitive, and can operate right down to -6.5EV – the dimmest working conditions for any EOS R camera. This makes it ideal for stage performance as well as night-time news. Demands on both noise performance and the IS system are eased somewhat though by the collection of very fast lenses Canon has in the RF line-up. We have standard and portrait lenses in f/1.2 as well as an f/2 28-70mm standard zoom. Those all make life a lot easier for the low-light worker.
In-body stabilisation allows creative use of motion blur when shooting hand-held. Canon EOS R6, EF 24-105mm F4L IS USM at 65mm, 0.3sec at f/8, ISO 3200. Picture credit: Andy Westlake
Star turn: image stabilisation
As we found in our full review, R6’s image stabilisation is the key low-light feature. The camera on its own can use its sensor shift to stabilise any lens that can mount on it, but it comes into its own when coupled with the right RF lens.
The image-stabilisation systems of both camera and lens will work together to produce up to 8EV of stabilisation. In real terms that means we should be able to handhold a 50mm lens for a four-second exposure, or a 500mm lens for a 1/2sec. Much is dependent on the lens in use though, as some RF lenses allow only 6EV – such as the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 IS.
The extended imaging circle of many of the RF lenses is partly responsible for this as they produce a much wider-than-usual area for the camera’s sensor to move around in – and this makes it possible to compensate for more dramatic movements. So, R6 users can really slow down the shutter speed while still staying sharp handheld.
Best low-light camera for enthusiasts: Fujifilm X-H2S
The Fujifilm X-H2S acquits itself well at ISO 12,800.
At a glance
- $2,499/ £1,899+ body only
- Excellent high-ISO JPEGs
- Good 5-axis in-body stabilisation
- Multiple very wide-aperture lenses
- Great noise performance up to ISO 12,800
The Fujifilm X-H2S is the latest flagship camera for Fujifilm’s APS-C mirrorless system. Equipped with an effective stabilisation system, like all Fujifilm X cameras it produces fantastic JPEGs straight out of camera. While it shoots RAW files, and they are excellent, this is a good choice if you’re not so keen on post-processing.
In low-light, the Fujifilm X-H2S ticks a lot of boxes. It has a powerful 5-axis stabilisation system which can provide up to an effective seven stops of exposure compensation. This really opens up your options in low light. Its high-ISO performance is also very good – up to its native limit of 12,800, at least. While the X-H2S does have an expandable ISO range up to 25,600 and 51,200, we found in our review that quality degraded sharply at these settings. You should find the 12,800 setting more than capable for low-light shooting.
Another nice option to have is Fuji’s Film Simulation modes, which imitate the look of classic film stocks. They’re great for producing images with a distinctive look. The only real sticking point with the X-H2S is the price; around $2000 / £2000 body-only, it’s expensive for an APS-C camera. Still, as we argued in our review, you’d have to pay almost double for a full-frame setup with equivalent functionality. There’s a case to be made that it’s cheap for what it provides.
In-body stabilisation allows hand-holding at slow shutter speeds without camera shake. Fujifilm X-H2S, XF16-55mm f/2.8 at 16mm, 0.6sec at f/2.8, ISO 400. Pictured credit: Andy Westlake
Star turn: Fast lenses
X-H2S users can take advantage of the system’s superpower – the enticing brace of fast-aperture lenses for low-light shooting. The leader of the pack is obviously the XF50mm f/1.0 R WR which gives us an angle of view similar to that of a 75mm lens on a full-frame system. This makes it a very happy street lens and is ideal for ambient light portraits.
Read our roundup of the finest Fujifilm X-mount lenses in 2024.
The super-wide maximum aperture means we can work in very dark conditions without having to push the ISO up too high but still maintain a shutter speed short enough to freeze moving people. The company’s Fujifilm XF56mm f/1.2 lenses afford us similar benefits but with a slightly longer focal length, while a collection of six f/1.4 lenses offer us focal lengths between 16mm and 35mm – nicely covering the sweet spots of 24mm, 27mm, 35mm, 50mm and 52mm in full-frame terms. And if you want longer lenses there’s a range of seven lenses with f/2 apertures that includes focal lengths between 18mm and 200mm.
Read our Fujifilm X-H2S review
The weather-sealed Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III also has excellent low-light features. Picture credit: Andy Westlake
Best MFT camera for low-light: Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III
At a glance
- $1,999 / £719 body only (mint used condition)
- First-class image-stabilisation system
- Live Bulb/Time modes
- Live Composition mode
- Starry Sky AF
As a rule, smaller sensors are at a disadvantage for low-light photography, but in the OM-D E-M1 Mark III Olympus has worked hard to make this Micro Four Thirds model compensate for its small pixels with a range of excellent features. The camera’s ISO range might top-out at just 6400 in the standard settings but Olympus does all it can to ensure we don’t have to crank the sensitivity up that high very often.
In fact at ISO 6400 the camera produces images with a well-controlled and not unattractive noise profile, but there is still more noise than you would expect from a modern full-frame model. The Micro Four Thirds system though is well-populated with super-fast lenses from Olympus’s own f/1.2 Pro series as well as those from Panasonic and the f/0.95 primes made by Voigtländer. The Olympus OM-D E-M1 III also has an exceptional image-stabilisation system, offering 5-axis compensation of 7 stops using just the shifting sensor.
Impressive stabilisation
This allows vintage lenses and those without their own stabilisation to be used handheld with very long shutter speeds. When this in-body stabilisation is combined with one of Olympus’ stabilised lenses the compensation creeps up another half stop to 7.5EV. That translates to being able to handhold a standard lens (25mm in this case) for up to three seconds – which is very impressive. Obviously that’s no good for moving subjects, but it will mean you have to use a tripod much less often. Good news for many shooters.
Since this camera’s release, an update has arrived in the form of the OM-System OM-1. The name change is due to the sale of the Olympus imaging business to OM Digital Solutions, and the camera is hugely impressive in low-light and otherwise, as noted in our full OM-System OM-1 review.
We’re sticking with the E-M1 Mark III as our recommendation for now, as its average street price has come down lately (less so in the USA at time of publication). This can amount to a decent saving compared to the newer camera, which is nothing to sneeze at. We have no doubt however that the OM-System OM-1 will make its way onto this list eventually.
Trafalgar Square at night. Olympus EM1 Mark III, OM 20mm f/1.4 lens, 1/125 sec at f/1.4, ISO 200. Picture credit Andy Westlake
Star turn: Live Bulb
Olympus has a number of ‘Live’ shooting modes that really help for judging exposure with long shutter speeds. Live Bulb, Live Time and Live Composite all allow the user to monitor how exposure is being built-up during a long shutter opening, by displaying the progress of the exposure live on the rear screen. A faint image on the display becomes brighter during the exposure; the user can see in real-time how the light is being recorded, so the exposure can be stopped when the image reaches the required brightness.
This takes all the guesswork out of long-exposure work and saves time-wasting experiments. Live Bulb works while the shutter button is being held down, Live Time works between two presses of the shutter button and Live Composite records the build-up of multiple exposures. Olympus is unique too in being able to create low-light situations to shoot in – or at least the impression of low light.
Using Live ND mode the camera can create the effect of shooting through an ND filter of up to 5 stops using a multiple exposure technique, so we can get movement in the clouds and running water even in bright conditions.
Read our Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III review
Prefer a compact for low light work? The Lumix LX100 II is a standout choice. Picture credit: Andy Westlake
Best Budget low-light camera: Panasonic Lumix LX100 II
At a glance
- $1000 / £900
- F/1.7-2.8 24-75mm lens
- Micro Four Thirds sensor
- Stabilised lens
- Max ISO 25,600
Compact cameras are not usually ideal for low-light work, but at the same time are very often the only camera we have with us in low-light social occasions. A trip out to dinner, to the theatre or out for an evening stroll aren’t convenient for taking your full kit, so a compact that can handle low light could be a solution to ensure decent image quality.
The Panasonic Lumix LX100 II makes itself ideal as a carry-around low-light camera with its combination of a fast zoom lens, a larger-than-average image sensor, image stabilisation and a good maximum ISO setting of 25,600. It is less widely available than it used to be, but is a great second-hand buy for anyone looking for a good deal on a low-light camera. Not long ago, we completed a long-term LX100 II review, and found it still holds its own even a few years out from release.
Sensor
As this is the same sensor as used in the Lumix GX9 interchangeable lens camera, we get big-camera performance in a small body – and very usable images from ISO 6400. While the sensor has 20 million pixels the whole sensor isn’t used at the same time, so the best resolution comes in 4:3 aspect ratio with 17MP, but the sensor and pixels are still very much bigger than those found in cameras that use 1in sensors.
Regular shutter speeds can be set for as long as 60 seconds, but a Time mode allows the shutter to be held open for up to 30 minutes, and Low Light and Star Light AF modes mean the camera can focus in the lowest illumination levels.
AF works well in extremely low light and noise is kept well under control. Shot at f/1.7 at 1/50 sec, ISO 1600. Picture credit Andy Westlake
Star turn: Fast lens
There are compact zoom cameras with physically larger sensors than the 20MP Micro Four Thirds sensor in the Lumix LX100 II, but few with an image- stabilised lens that offers a maximum aperture of f/1.7. In this model the lens gives us the views we’d expect from a 24-75mm lens on a full-frame camera, and even with a variable maximum aperture we can open up to f/2.8 at the longest end of the zoom.
With these wide apertures we can handhold the camera much more often; it also means we can avoid the high ISO settings too. Panasonic doesn’t tell us how much stabilisation the OIS system in this lens offers us, but we can assume it is at least three stops, so again the camera can be handheld in dim conditions more often than it could without that in-lens system. All good, but not so good if the lens is a let-down. Fortunately, this lens offers exceptional sharpness and contrast, and performs extremely well at f/1.7 and f/2.8.
Read our Panasonic Lumix LX100 II review
The Leica Q2 is one of the most well-engineered compacts ever made. Picture credit: Andy Westlake
Best premium low-light camera: Leica Q2
At a glance:
- From $5,795 / from £2,900 (used condition)
- f/1.7 28mm lens
- 47MP full-frame sensor
- Stabilised lens
- Max ISO 50,000
It is an unfortunate fact that many good things cost a lot of money – sometimes so much that we have to content ourselves with admiring them from afar rather than own them. One of those things is the full-frame Leica Q2 – well, all Leica cameras come into this bracket actually. The Q2 however is an excellent choice for low-light workers because it offers a number of attractive features.
The stand-out one is that it uses a full-frame sensor; which houses over 47 million pixels. The general rule is that more densely packed sensors don’t have the noise performance of those with fewer and bigger pixels, but the Q2 is still able to offer a maximum ISO setting of 50,000 – and very good noise performance all the way up to 6400.
With so many pixels of course we don’t always need to use the images at full size, and smaller prints will offer even better noise appearance. For tripod work the Q2 offers a longest shutter speed of 60 seconds with the mechanical shutter, which will be enough for most urban night scenes and which allows low ISO and small-aperture shooting. Even in moderate lighting conditions a tripod might be a good idea as using the middle apertures offers the best from the lens, but also the base ISO setting provides exceptional dynamic range.
And although this is a relatively small camera it is also solidly built and consequently quite heavy. At 734g the body provides the ballast needed to help users to keep it still during handheld work.
Leica Q2, 1/25sec at f/11, ISO 6,400. Picture credit Andy Westlake
Star turn: F1.7 aperture lens
As this is a compact camera, and Leica has tried to keep it relatively small, squeezing in a lens with an aperture as wide as this is quite an achievement. The lens is also very sharp, and while resolution does decrease as the aperture is stopped down, the maximum f/1.7 is more than usable.
There are three aspherical elements in this lens to ensure it is sharp edge-to-edge as well as when it is used at anything other than the middle aperture settings. Shooting wide open offers more than enough sharpness, as well as the chance to avoid the highest ISO settings.
This lens also features an optical image-stabilisation system that helps to minimise camera shake in long exposures so we can use the camera handheld in a wider range of situations. As the lens is a 28mm wideangle, it makes it easier to hold without the effects of camera shake showing as much as they would if you were using a longer focal length.
The Sony A7S III is an incredible low-light machine, though it’s tailored towards videographers.
Best low-light camera for video: Sony A7s III
At a glance:
- $3,500 / £3,389 body-only
- Extended ISO 40-409,600
- 5-Axis SteadyShot Image Stabilisation
- 12MP Full-Frame Exmor R BSI CMOS Sensor
- 759-Point Fast Hybrid AF
The Sony A7S III is the best low-light camera you can buy – but there’s a catch. This incredible mirrorless machine is the third generation of a series of full-frame low-light specialist cameras that began back in 2013 with the original Sony A7S. With an extended incredible ISO ceiling of 409,600, this camera is capable of quite literally turning night into day, and its 5-axis stabilisation system opens up possibilities for slow shutter speeds to be used hand-held.
However, the A7S camera have always been oriented more towards video than stills, and this has never been more true than it is in the A7S III. The resolution of 12MP won’t get you very far in photographic terms, especially for printing and cropping. However, it is ideal for shooting high-quality video, which the A7S III can do in UHD 4K at 120p. With advanced codecs and internal 10-bit 4:2:2 sampling in all recording modes, it’s an absolute beast for professional video.
It still shoots stills, and does so very well, but at a price point of £3,799, it simply is not worth it unless video is your main focus. Stills shooters can get much more functionality for that kind of money elsewhere.
Star turn: Back-illuminated sensor
At the heart of the Sony A7S III is a redesigned, Exmor-R sensor with a back-illuminated structure. This is what allows the camera to deliver the kinds of faster-than-ever readout speeds that make its high-quality video options possible.
It also enables the A7S III to capture images of exceptionally high quality at high ISO settings, expanding its utility in low light. Noise control is greatly improved, as is image clarity across the board.
According to Sony, the sensor in combination with the new BIONZ XR processor enables the A7S III to achieve a wide dynamic range – approximately 14 stops for stills, up to 15 stops for video. This makes it much more possible to retain shadow detail in poorly lit scenes.
Now you know about the best cameras for low light, why not read:
- How to photograph low-light urban landscapes
- Low-light photography tips
- Best lenses for low-light from £129
- Night photography: how to photograph the night sky, moon and stars
- Find the best cameras for video, vlogging and videography
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