The Best Cameras for Photographers
For the 2019 year, we tested a lot of cameras. By and large, no one is making a bad camera. They’re all good. And so to shift with the market, we changed a lot of our standards. That translates into a very carefully curated list of our best cameras for photographers. Cameras need to be truly something spectacular, innovative, and also need to be something that will make other manufacturers really pay attention to. After going through our reviews index, we really didn’t give out a lot of five-star awards. And even if we did, we didn’t always deem a camera worthy of an Editor’s Choice award. But three cameras that came to market this year really stood out from all the rest. We’d also argue that they caused the most stir.
--- Chris Gampat
The Best Medium Format Camera: Fujifilm GFX 50R
Where I got the most from the Fujifilm GFX 50R is when using it with the Profoto B10 and high speed sync. This allowed me to get the most detailed images possible and it’s a combination that I honestly think is perfect for one another. Combine this with the Fujifilm Film simulations and you’re bound to get colors and a look that is not only unique to the company’s offerings, but also gorgeous overall.
The Best Full Frame Camera: Sony a7r IV
The combination of 61 megapixels with 15 stops of dynamic range means that the RAW files produced by the Sony A7R IV will give you a lot of information to work with during post- processing. Obviously, these files are quite large, with uncompressed RAW files averaging 120 MB in size.
The Best APS-C Camera: Fujifilm X Pro 3
One of the best things about the Fujifilm X Pro 3 is the fact that at ISO levels 3200 and above, you'll get the look of grain. And to be honest, this is the single best camera on the market right now to embrace it. Ever seen the look of film scans? This is what it looks like.
The Best Lenses for Photographers
While we do a great job of reviewing as many of the best cameras for photographers as we can, we’d argue that our lens game is world class. In 2019 there were a ton of lenses released that are fantastic. By and large, the Phoblographer has reviewed the most lenses of any photo publication in the industry and we’re proud to say this. Of course, there were also many more lenses released this year than before. Like cameras, they’re all good. To that end, we gave Editor’s Choice awards for true innovation, weather sealing, and overall image quality.
This Lens Survived Being Thrown in the Snow: Sigma 28mm f1.4 DG HSM Art
The Sigma 28mm f1.4 DG HSM Art has some beautiful image quality to it. A little bit wider than the 35mm focal length, it’s going to be perfect for a lot of photographers who tend to look to a scene and want to capture the world just as how they saw it.
2019’s Best Wide Angle Zoom Lens: Sigma 14-24mm f2.8 DG DN Art
Event photographers, photojournalists, and landscape photographers will really enjoy this lens mated to their camera. Couple this with the autofocus speed and you’ve got something that’s bound to stay in your bag.
2019’s Best 24-70mm Lens: Nikon Z 24-70mm f2.8 S
Most modern lenses being released are very straightforward and easy to operate, and the Nikon NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f2.8 S is no exception. …For Z mount shooters who prefer zoom lenses, this is likely the lens that you’ll keep mounted to your camera most often.
2019’s Best 35mm Lens: Sony 35mm f1.8 FE
Photographers both professional and hobbyist will thoroughly enjoy the image quality the Sony 35mm f1.8 FE lens produces. With a flash it’s incredibly sharp when shooting wide open. Stopped down to f4, it’s also noticeably sharp. What photographers will really like is the creamy bokeh that they get combined with the fact that the colors are cinematic.
2019’s Best 50mm Lens: Tokina Opera 50mm f1.4
The biggest reason that you will want to consider adding the Tokina Opera 50mm f1.4 into your arsenal is the gorgeous image quality this lens is capable of rendering. As far as 50mm lenses go, this is one of the best I’ve had the pleasure of using.
2019’s Best 85mm Lens: Canon RF 85mm f1.2 L USM
The Canon RF 85mm f1.2 L USM produces truly beautiful bokeh, excellent sharpness, plenty of micro-contrast, and overall exceptional image quality. Its performance is quite snappy as well and it’s capable of focusing and tracking fast- moving subjects quickly and accurately.
2019’s Best 135mm Lens: Sony 135mm f1.8 G Master FE
In addition to acquiring and maintaining focus quickly and reliably, the Sony 135mm f1.8 G Master creates images that marry corner to corner sharpness with lifelike colors, minimal distortion, and little to no chromatic aberrations. In focus areas appear tack sharp and defocus into velvety smooth bokeh, helping your subjects stand out from the rest of the frame.
2019’s Best Macro Lens: IRIX 150mm f2.8 Dragonfly Macro
When using the IRIX 150mm f2.8 Dragonfly Macro Lens, you’ll need to manually focus it. The focus throw is long and the focusing ring isn’t as rigid as some offerings from Zeiss.
The Best Lights for Photographers
The photo industry has taken an interesting move when it came to lighting. To us, it feels like manufacturers themselves are conceding and giving up on it. Instead, they’re letting folks like Godox, Flashpoint, and Profoto dominate the field. But in addition to that, LED constant lights
are becoming more popular due to an influx of folks not knowing what they’re doing when it comes to lighting. Still, constant lights can’t touch what flashes are capable of.
The Best Affordable Strobe: Flashpoint XPLOR 400 Pro TTL Rechargeable Monolight
The Flashpoint XPLOR 400 Pro TTL has honestly impressed me to no end. During my tests, I was able to get exactly what I wanted with ease. The light that the XPLOR 400 Pro TTL emits is consistent, which is great because you’ll know precisely what you’ll get every time you use it. I haven’t seen any significant swings in color temperature either. During this shoot, I set my white balance to 5600K and just went on with the shoot. Here are some more image samples. All images were captured with a Fujifilm X-T3, the Fujifilm 56mm f1.2, the XPLOR 400 Pro TTL, and a 30-inch octa box.
The Most Versatile Light We’ve Tested: Profoto B10
I’d much rather not have a light fail on set than have to deal with it later by replacing a product altogether. When shooting with the Profoto B10 while getting hit by waves, I was shown firsthand proof that the Profoto B10 is the choice for me.
