FIVE THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN BUYING A CAMERA

01 LENS RANGE

Take a look at a company’s website to see which optics they offer, especially if you’re after something specialist, such as an ultra-wide angle or macro lens. Newer systems will offer fewer options – of our cameras, that’s most relevant to the Nikon. Adapters are available, but these can case issues with automated lens features.

02 VIEWFINDER

Not all mirrorless cameras are equipped with built-in viewfinders. If you’re jumping from a smartphone, you might not be that bothered, but a viewfinder is the preferred way to compose for many. The vast majority of mirrorless camera viewfinders are electronic (meaning they’re tiny screens), compared to the optical versions found on DSLRs.

03 SCREEN

How the screen operates is worth considering. Some screens are fixed and don’t move, while others tilt or fully articulate. The latter is the most flexible for shooting at all different kinds of angles and still seeing what you’re actually shooting, and is also useful for video work (and selfies).

04 VIDEO

Video specifications are an important selling point for many cameras now. They pretty much all offer 4K video, but if you’re seriously into your videography, you might want to check out frame rates, limitations for length of recording, whether or not the camera offers Cinema 4K (which captures a slightly higher resolution) and so on.

05 BATTERY LIFE

One area where mirrorless cameras haven’t yet caught up with DSLRs is battery life. That said, they’re getting better and better all the time. If you’re someone who likes to shoot lots of frames in any given day, pay attention to the quoted battery life - and think about investing in a second battery or an on-thego charger option.