In 2023, a fair number of new cameras were announced. Lots of them weren’t all that exciting — we’re going to be very honest. But a few stood out from the rest. Last year gave us a whole slew of great cameras. Luckily for you, we’ve reviewed pretty much all of the cameras currently available. And we can say with assurance that these are the best cameras with small sensors of 2023. In this round up, we’re running down the best APS-C cameras, Micro Four Thirds cameras, and more. We think you’re going to love these.
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How We Test and Choose the Best Cameras with Small Sensors of 2023
- The Phoblographer’s various product round-up features are done in-house. Our philosophy is simple: you wouldn’t get a Wagyu beef steak review from a lifelong vegetarian. And you wouldn’t get photography advice from someone who doesn’t touch the product. We only recommend gear we’ve fully reviewed in these roundups.
- If you’re wondering why your favorite product didn’t make the cut, there’s a chance it’s on another list. If we haven’t reviewed it, we won’t recommend it. This method keeps our lists packed with industry-leading knowledge. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. You can read more about our ethics on this on our Disclaimer page.
- When we test products we’ve got various things in mind. First off, we consider who might want to buy the product and what they might do with it. With that in mind, we try to tackle at least three genres of photography with that product in a variety of situations. For example, if a lens has weather resistance, then we’ll test it accordingly with a weather-resistant camera. We also test the autofocus of the lens in continuous mode, single mode, with exposure preview effects, without those effects, and then with all the major image quality parameters. These days, no one really makes a bad lens — but some are far better than others. And that’s what we’re trying to find in our reviews.
- In all of our roundups, we’re basing our findings on the reviews that we’ve done. We’re choosing a favorite, but we’re also giving photographers a bunch of others that they might like, depending on how they shoot.
Our Choice Amongst the Best Cameras with Small Sensors of 2023: Panasonic G9 II
The Panasonic G9 II is made mostly with the photographer in mind. In fact, Panasonic seemed to really put that forward when they spoke to us about this camera. In some ways, it’s the Panasonic S5 II but in Micro Four Thirds format. And there are features specifically designed for photographers, too.
Tech Specs
These key specifications are taken directly from Panasonic’s list of G9 II tech specs, adapted for brevity:
- Sensor: 25.21 megapixel Micro Four Thirds
- Recording file format: JPEG and RAW
- Viewfinder: OLED approx. 3.68 million dots
- Rear monitor: TFT LCD monitor with static touch control, free-angle 3.0-inch
- Focus type: Phase detection AF System / Contrast AF System with DFD
- AF detection range: -4 EV
- ISO sensitivity (still): 100-25600, 50 Extended
- Stabilization: 5 axis, 8-stop; Dual IS 7.5 stop
- Shutter: Focal plane
- Shutter speed (still): 1/8000- 60 seconds, bulb (max 30 minutes); electronic 1/32,000 – 60 seconds, bulb (max 60 seconds)
- Maximum burst speed: 14 fps AF-S, 10 fps AF-C mechanical; 75 fps AF-S, 60 fps AF-C electronic
- Number of recordable images; RAW + JPEG more than 160 images; JPEG more than 200 images
- Flash sync: 1/250
- Photo style: Standard / Vivid / Natural / L. Classic Neo / Flat / Landscape / Portrait / Monochrome / L. Monochrome / L. Monochrome D / L. Monochrome S / LEICA Monochrome / Cinelike D2 / Cinelike V2 / Like709 / V-Log / REAL TIME LUT / Hybrid Log Gamma / My Photo Style 1-4 (5-10)
- Card slots: dual slots compatible with UHS-I ,UHS-II UHS Speed Class 3
- Wireless: Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0
- Battery life: Approx. 370 images, 1300 Power Save mode using an SD card
- Dimensions: Approx. 134.3 x 102.3 x 90.1 mm / 5.29 x 4.03 x 3.55 inch (Body only, excluding protrusions)
- Weight: Approx. 658g / 1.45 lb (Body, Hot Shoe Cover, Battery, SD Memory Card x 1) (excluding body cap)
- Operating temperature: -10oC to 40oC (14oF to 104oF)
What We Think
In our review, we state:
With features designed specifically for stills, the Panasonic G9 II is the best Micro Four Thirds body that Panasonic has made yet. The body boasts both comfort and durability. The stabilization is an impressive eight stops. Speed is a quick 60 fps or 10 fps with the mechanical shutter with pre-burst. RAW images are a bit cleaner than on the GH6. And the best part? Panasonic’s Micro Four Thirds finally has hybrid phase detection autofocus.
There’s a lot to love on the Panasonic G9 II. But, while the autofocus is leaps and bounds ahead of the GH6, the Animal Eye AF falls behind competitors and frustratingly delivers a lot of misses. Action shots, too, aren’t quite as good as other brands. But perhaps the biggest sticking point is that the cost of the body is only $100 less than the Panasonic S5 II, which offers cleaner images and more light-gathering power from a sensor that’s twice as big. The photographers drawn to the G9 II instead of the S5 II are those who really prioritize the telephoto reach.
For Some Photographers, these Might Be The Best Cameras With Small Sensors of 2023
Cameras with small sensors are surely giving you compromises. But for most photographers, those are just fine. Some don’t need the highest-end features. And others really just want to meet a price point and do all the rest on their own. Here are some of the other cameras that readers might consider to be the best cameras with small sensors of 2023.
Camp Snap Photo Camera
In our review, we state:
The photos are something that Gen Z and Gen Alpha will love. In my jaded Millennial eyes, the images look like the not-so-great photos that early digital point-and-shoot cameras shot. For that reason, so many folks will love what it can do. Personally, I preferred all the characteristics of those cameras but with faster lenses.
Fujifilm XS20
In our review we state:
If you’re a vlogger, then the Fujifilm XS20 might give you something you care about with its vlog mode. But even so, I yearn for a Fujifilm video camera with Bolex style ergonomics. A camera with a body primarily designed for stills shouldn’t be used for video and we shouldn’t be having to use a ton of extra additions for them either. Instead, the camera body should be more than good enough for shooting video itself. So, too, should the lenses.
With all this aside, the XS20 does nothing for photographers that they can’t get with another camera. Yes, it has scene recognition for animals and stuff. But Fujifilm makes it so difficult to access that you shouldn’t even bother.
It’s also greatly missing out on the retro ergonomics that make Fujifilm’s cameras so iconic. You might want to call it a baby Fujifilm XH2s. But in reality, it’s just a more difficult version of the camera to use at a more affordable price. The XH2s is a very capable camera and gives you all that control where it counts via buttons and such. But the Fujifilm XS20 doesn’t quite do that at all.
Sony a6700
In our review, we said:
Make no mistake, the Sony a6700 is a good camera — and that’s the problem. It’s only just good. If you’ve used the full-frame cameras that Sony makes, it feels like them in a rangefinder-style camera body. But that’s the problem — I believe that Sony is mistreating the Sony a6700 still by making it live in the shadow of the Sony a7r V and the Sony a1. Instead, I believe that Sony could’ve done much more to make it stand out besides giving it a smaller sensor. Examples of what I’m speaking of cater to the reasons why someone would use a camera like this in the first place. First off, it could use even better high ISO output than what it’s giving us as sports and wildlife photographers really need it. Sure, it’s doing better than the competition in this regard — but it’s still not a quantum leap ahead. They also could’ve made the viewfinder pivot up and down. Sony could’ve also found a way to give this card dual slots — the closest competition from Canon and Fujifilm do that.
Canon EOS R50
In our review, we said:
While the mix of intelligent autofocus and a $680 price point may be more than enough reasons for some to pick up the R50, there are several big sacrifices. It uses an older sensor design that quickly loses detail when lighting isn’t ideal. The card reader is also old tech, which slows the ability to take photos in quick succession. It lacks weather-sealing to prevent dust build-up. It even lacks an actual, physical shutter. The R50 also skips out on in-body stabilization. And once newbies do learn manual modes, the small size limits the number of physical controls.
Using This Guide to the Best Cameras with Small Sensors of 2023
If you’re considering purchasing anything from this list of the best cameras with small sensors of 2023, consider the following:
- All the product images and sample photos in these roundups are shot by our staff. In fact, we don’t talk about products at length in roundups like this unless we’ve done full reviews of them. But you can surely know that we’ve done all the research ourselves.
- Specifically, in 2023, brands didn’t come out with all that much that excited us. Sony surely made the a6700, but there are much better cameras in their lineup for the money. Generally speaking, we tend to throw our weight behind Fujifilm for APS-C cameras. But all their really good stuff came out last year.
- Camp Snap camera is a newcomer. Those cameras are really designed for kids and anyone that wants a nostalgic experience.
- Most of the exciting camera announcements this year were for full-frame cameras.
- While the tech surely matters, so too does the photographer using the camera.
- Only two of the cameras with small sensors in this list have weather resistance: the Panasonic G9 II and the Sony a6700. Even so, I’d rate Panasonic to be much more sturdy.
- Canon’s cameras are bound to be hits when it comes to sales. But trust us, at this level, they’re not all that great.
- We’d never recommend a product to you that we haven’t tested or that we really didn’t like. You can reference our linked reviews, for more information on this.
Picking the Right One For You
If you’re still a bit confused as to the right lens for you, here are some questions to ask yourself
- What’s your budget?
- How will you use the product?
- What lighting situations are you in, and how will that affect what you’re doing? Our reviews hyperlinked in this article can help with that.
- Are you traveling a lot with it?
- Will you be using it in a situation that’s a bit rougher?
- Who else uses this product? How are they using it?
- What’s so appealing about this product that I can’t get from what I have already or something else?
- When will I really have time to use this product?
- Where will I bring this product?
- How will this product help bring me joy and joy in my photography?
These are just a few of the questions that we ask ourselves, but we think that you should ask yourself these for sure.