Self portraits are all the rage right now, and with the right camera, they are easier than ever to make.
Quarantine and social distancing have put us in a position that we have little experience with, but not being able to go outside has not stopped us as creators. If you look at any photo-sharing app or even YouTube, you’re going to see self portraits and tutorials on how to take compelling self-portraits, but neither of those talk about the gear that will make taking self-portraits that much easier. After the break, we share some cameras that feature great flippy screens that will make creating your self-portraits much easier.
Before the last few weeks, it seems as though self-portraits were seldom talked about, but they are a fantastic way for us to show the world who we really are. The great thing with them is you can be as creative as you want to show people who you are. You could shoot environmental self-portraits, traditional self portraits, glamour, boudoir, or conceptual self-portraits; the only thing holding you back is you.
There are several cameras on the market right now that can help make self-portraits much easier thanks to their screens that either flip or are fully articulating. With screens that you can flip up, down, or out to the side, you never have to worry whether your shot is framed correctly, as you will be able to see what your image will look like without having to be behind the camera. If you fancy giving self-portraits a go while you’re stuck inside, consider grabbing one of these cameras as they will make your life so much easier.
Sony a6100
Here are the pros and cons from our full review:
Pros
- Small and very light
- Beyond fast autofocus system
- 11 frames per second burst mode and 425 AF points
- Real-time Eye AF and Animal Eye AF
- Great tracking capabilities
- Very good overall image quality
- Decent battery life
- Flip-up screen for selfies
- The splash screens that tell new photographers what each mode does is a nice touch
Cons
- The EVF and LCD are low quality
- No weather sealing
- The layout of the controls should be simplified
- The menu system is still convoluted. Simplify, Sony! Simplify
- You still cannot use the touchscreen to navigate the menus
- Only 1/4000s max shutter speed
- The camera desperately needs a shutter speed dial on the grip
- Just one UHS-1 card slot
- The camera slows down a lot when writing files to the SD card after a burst
- A USB 2.0 port. What year is this? Come on Sony
- No included dedicated charger
- No image stabilization, but it cannot be expected at this price point (not really a con, just pointing out it’s not there)
Buy now: $728
Olympus EPL9
Here are the pros and cons from our full review:
Pros
- The instant film simulation isn’t exacting, but it’s still cool to play with
- Small
- Nice feel in the hand
- Fast autofocus in most situations, though with varying accuracy
- Colors can really pop when editing in Capture One
Cons
- It deserves a viewfinder
- Olympus should have bundled a nice wrist strap with the camera
Buy now: $549
Canon EOS M50
Here are the pros and cons from our full review:
Pros
- Nice feeling in the hand
- Absolutely fantastic battery life
- Canon’s colors are really nice
- Autofocus is pretty good
- We finally got 4K video
- There’s a silent shutter mode, finally
- Big LCD screen
- Canon’s menus continue to be the easiest to go through
- Canon’s monochrome images are really nice
Cons
- This camera deserves to be bundled with a nice wrist strap
- Image quality basically breaks up as soon as you edit
- Who the hell thought of putting the silent shutter mode in its own dedicated camera mode and robbing the photographer of all traditional exposure control?
- High ISO is barely usable above ISO 3200
Buy now: $599
Pro Tip: Don’t be afraid to experiment while making your self-portraits, especially when it comes to lighting. You can easily incorporate remotely triggered speedlights or monolights to really make self-portraits pop, and you can even throw color gels over them to give the images more character. If you want to do this, we recommend you take a look at the Godox TT685 Speedlight. This flash is inexpensive, can be fired remotely, and it comes with colored gels. We loved it when we reviewed it.
Olympus OMD EM5 Mark III
Here are the pros and cons from our full review:
Pros
- Beautiful retro styling
- Excellent image quality
- Robust weather sealing
- Reliable image stabilization
- Accurate autofocus
- Compact form factor
- Built-in Live Composite and 50 MP High Resolution shooting modes are highly effective
Cons
- Form factor can be too compact for some, particularly for photographers with larger hands or when mated with larger lenses
- Plasticky build quality
- Single UHS-II SD Card slot
- Lacks dedicated joystick
- Poor battery life
- Convoluted menu systems
- No major innovations after over four years
Buy now: $999
Canon EOS RP
Here are the pros and cons from our full review:
Pros
- This isn’t Canon innovating on the inside, but instead on the outside
- This is the smallest and lightest ILC full-frame camera on the market
- Goes well with a wrist strap and a light prime lens
- Weather sealing
- The autofocus isn’t bad, and it’s quite usable in a number of working conditions
- Pretty good image quality
Cons
- This camera is begging to be paired with a nice 50mm f1.8 lens
- Could have done better with a joystick
Buy now: $899
Canon EOS M6 Mk II
Here are the pros and cons from our full review:
Pros
- Beautiful colors
- The sound of the shutter will appeal to long-time photographers
- It feels like a solid, impressive camera
- Canon’s implementation of the Touch and Drag AF system is the best it’s ever been with the Canon EOS M6 Mk II
- Pretty stellar battery life
- You’ve got more megapickles than you need. U DONT NEED MOAR MEGAPICKLES!!!!
Cons
- We really wish it was weather sealed
- An integrated viewfinder would have put this over the top
Buy now: $849