If you like to get out of the door quickly and shoot with minimal fuss, these fixed lens cameras will be perfect for you.
Sometimes, the thought of having to load up your camera bag with accessories and lenses so that you can go and shoot can put a stop to your photography plans. This is where small fixed lens cameras can be game-changers. The thought of heading out with a tiny camera and just one lens can be exciting. Using fixed lens cameras can save your body from all the weight of your gear. You’ll also find that you’re forced to be more creative, which is a plus. If you’re in the market for a camera that you can grab quickly and take along everywhere you go with minimum fuss, these fixed lens cameras might be for you. We have listed six of our favorite fixed lens cameras after the break.
Small, fixed lens cameras can help make photography fun. Having an interchangeable lens camera is fantastic, and the flexibility they offer is second to none. However, fixed lens cameras, like the six listed below, provide a welcome break from the weight of bigger systems. Perhaps the best thing about fixed lens cameras is that they do not compromise on image quality. The lenses attached to these cameras are excellent, and their sensors are terrific too. Fixed lens cameras can quickly be picked up before leaving the house, and you know that you will be able to capture stunning shots with them. The fixed lens cameras we have listed below are fantastic in every way.
Fujifilm X100V: A Sweetheart Among Fixed Lens Cameras
Here are the pros and cons from our full review:
Pros
- Feels good in the hand
- Focuses quickly but the all wide tracking needs a revamp
- Beautiful overall
- We like the new ISO dial
- So simple to use
- Image quality is nice so far
- Built-in ND filter option
- With the right tweaks, the autofocus can be very good for street
- We’re finding autofocus with the OVF to be faster than with the EVF
- Touchscreen focusing is wonderful in protests
Cons
- Battery life drains too fast
- Could use a leatherette grip and not this plastic fantastic stuff
- The exposure compensation dial needs a lock button
- A Touchscreen menu is needed
- Maybe even a few more Fn buttons
- Viewfinder diopter adjustment doesn’t lock
- When you set the camera to viewfinder only for shooting and LCD for playback, the menu system works only in the viewfinder.
- There are situations where Image Stabilization would really benefit this camera due to the quick “hit and run” style of shooting
- LCD needs to adapt to lighting automatically
- Autofocus suffers in very low lighting and in zone setting
Buy now: $1,399
Ricoh GR III: A Fixed Lens Camera Loved by Street Photographers
Here are the pros and cons from our full review:
Pros
- We’re smitten with the JPEGs and the color profile simulations
- Snap focus is nice
- Sharp image quality
- Small size of the camera
- Good battery life if you leave the screen off
- USB charging
- Touchscreen
- I’m okay with APS-C, it makes shooting street much easier
- Image stabilization is nice
Cons
- We don’t really care for the RAW files
- Autofocus is can be slow
- No weather sealing is a big problem
- This camera desperately needed a faster aperture lens. Otherwise, the sensor should have started at ISO 200.
- Deep menus
- No pop-up flash
- Could have used a viewfinder
Buy now: $896.95
Sony RX1r II: A Rarity Among Fixed Lens Cameras
Here are the pros and cons from our full review:
Pros
- Excellent image quality
- Fast focusing
- Great lens
- Small
- Lightweight
- For most of us, it’s all the camera you’d possibly need
- EVF addition is welcome.
- Fair battery life for a Sony camera
Cons
- Sometimes very hard to hold and shoot when doing street photography
- When used with a radio flash trigger, the EVF can get in the way
Buy now: $3,298
Fujifilm X100F: Don’t Forget About This Fixed Lens Camera
Here are the pros and cons from our full review:
Pros
- Great image quality
- One of the best autofocus cameras when it comes to candid street photography
- Compact
- Nice feel that you’d expect from a camera like this
- Acros video is very welcome
- AF selection point joystick was long overdue
- So light, small, and great that you’ll want to take it with you everywhere
- Much improved battery life
Cons
- At this point, it could use sensor-based image stabilization
- Could use a lens update
- No weather sealing
- Though not necessary, it would be nice to have a headphone and microphone jack for video shooting.
- Doesn’t adhere to Sunny 16 rules of metering, which is REALLY WEIRD
Buy now: $999
Leica Q2: The Absolute Toughest Among Fixed Lens Cameras
Here are the pros and cons from our full review:
Pros
- Good image quality, though arguably better offerings from competitors
- Weather sealed
- Feels nice in the hands
- Beautiful
- The lens is exceptional
Cons
- This is questionable, but the Leica Q2 could have really used a joystick
- High ISO output is a bit under par
- The LCD screen is low resolution
- Autofocus in very low light isn’t great
- Could have used a few more function buttons
Buy now: $6,307.96
Fujifilm XF10: This Fixed Lens Camera Can Print Really Big
Here are the pros and cons from our full review:
Pros
- We printed a photo shot at ISO 6400 at 17×22 and were shocked at how clean the print was
- Beautiful colors
- Three control dials for exposure parameters
- Touchscreen
- Big screen
- Surprisingly good battery life
- Wifi
- Small and pocketable
- Comes with a very handsome wrist strap
- Comfortable
Cons
- Slow autofocus
- No Acros mode–which would have put this over the top
Buy now: $499
