Vacations are a great time to take photos. Not only do we visit beautiful places, but we also have time to devote to photography. That makes a vacation a good occasion to look for a new camera. In May 2017, we compiled this list of the most popular cameras at the time.
Changing brand preferences
Canon and Nikon had long been established names in photography. Sales figures showed Sony steadily gaining market share as well. Fujifilm, Panasonic and Olympus were also clearly on the rise. Sales indicated that these brands were especially strong in mirrorless cameras, as reflected in the rankings below.
Top 5 DSLR cameras
DSLR cameras were still seen as photography’s flagship products, although emerging mirrorless cameras were clearly putting pressure on them. These were the five most popular models.
No. 1 – Nikon D5300
This camera was aimed at enthusiasts, with speed, power, and portability as its key attributes.
It naturally included Wi-Fi for fast sharing on social media, as well as GPS.
No. 2 – Canon EOS 80D
This was a very powerful DSLR with extensive features.
Its autofocus was highly accurate thanks to Dual Pixel CMOS AF, and it could record Full HD video at 50 or 60 frames per second.
No. 3 – Canon EOS 700D
The 18-megapixel sensor in this highly affordable DSLR produced attractive photos and Full HD video.
Its 3-inch touchscreen also made operation very easy.
No. 4 – Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Canon’s flagship earned that status for good reason. This professional camera featured a 30.4-megapixel full-frame sensor and a DIGIC 6+ processor. Its ISO sensitivity could be expanded to 102,400.
No. 5 – Canon EOS 750D
If you wanted to make great, sharp photos and Full HD videos quickly and easily, the 750D was a strong choice thanks to its intuitive touchscreen controls and added Wi-Fi and NFC functionality.
Top 5 compact cameras
Compact cameras had long been under pressure from steadily improving smartphone cameras. Their superior zoom range, among other advantages, provided an answer.
No. 1 – Canon PowerShot SX620 HS
Thanks to its powerful 20.2-megapixel CMOS sensor and impressive 25x zoom, this compact beauty stood out from the competition. It included Wi-Fi, of course.
No. 2 – Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ80
Panasonic’s TZ80 offered 30x zoom and was ideal for travel or a day trip. Its touchscreen made it easy to operate, and the camera even included an electronic viewfinder.
No. 3 – Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II
This was a more high-end compact camera from Canon, with a 1-inch CMOS sensor and extensive manual controls for focus, aperture, and shutter speed.
No. 4 – Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX90V
This compact camera featured a Carl Zeiss lens for extremely sharp, clear images throughout its 30x zoom range. ISO could be set from 80 to 12,800.
No. 5 – Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX60V
The Dutch Consumers’ Association had named it a Best Buy for good reason. This compact camera had 30x zoom, a 20.4-megapixel sensor, and a very fast BIONZ X image processor.
Top 5 mirrorless cameras
Again, this was truly a growing market. Mirrorless cameras were becoming faster and more accurate and, especially for enthusiasts, were nearly matching DSLRs. Many photographers even preferred these relatively compact cameras.
No. 1 – Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH5
Panasonic delivered exceptional quality with this impressive mirrorless camera. Highlights included its 6K Photo mode, 4K video at 60 frames per second, and five-axis image stabilization.
No. 2 – Sony Alpha A6000 ICL
A very compact camera with professional capabilities, including ultrafast 179-point autofocus, RAW capture, and 11 frames per second.
No. 3 – Panasonic DMC-GX80
The GX80 had a 16-megapixel Live MOS sensor without an optical low-pass filter, many creative options, and a tilting touchscreen. Wi-Fi and an electronic viewfinder rounded out the package.
No. 4 – Fujifilm X-T2
Not every camera could record Ultra HD 4K video. The X-T2 could, and it also featured an intelligent hybrid autofocus system with 325 points and an OLED viewfinder.
No. 5 – Sony Alpha A7S II (current successor: Sony Alpha a7S III)
One of Sony’s impressive mirrorless cameras, the A7S II combined a full-frame sensor with five-axis image stabilization. It could record Full HD video at up to 120 frames per second.
No. 6?
Another strong contender for sixth place was the Olympus E-M1, which had performed very well in the preceding months. This award-winning camera featured a TruePic VII image processor and Dual Fast AF.
The rankings above presented the cameras that were most popular in each category at the time, based on data from the Netherlands’ largest photo and video retailer.
