2015 Roundup: Interchangeable Lens Cameras $1200-2000

I'm not happy with the conclusion of this roundup, as the recommendations split between full-frame, and sub-full-frame thus sensor size.
Do consumers start decision making with sensor size?
Isn't it more useful to split the recommendations between different use cases such as sports, landscape, ...?

"Also consider" NX1?

Are you serious? Yes, its a great camera. But with Samsung stopping sales of all cameras and all related accessories in various European countries....

Would you still recommend it? Buy a pro level camera with no new lenses available in the near future? Even if you invest in some glass now, there probably won't be a successor for the body in the future.

Christian

I shot 3 portrait sessions with my a7s yesterday. 750 photos, 1 battery used up in a time span of 5 hours. This is a typical day for me. I dont see why people say thats awful battery life.

It was also semi cold outside.

I don't understand why the Canon 6D is always underestimated. Maybe it's not feature rich like the Sony but it's sensor is still one of the best.

The comments have dwindled into a trickle for this category.

A clear indicator that general consumers will only be willing to pay for the features that they need and have smarter budgets.

Unless one is a professional, it really is such an uncool thing, these days, to be strapped with heavy DSLRs as huge necklaces.

It makes the common enthusiast tourist like a wallet endowed wannabee or pretend pro.

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I thought about buying an A7II many times...
But then I read that
-it has a crappy AF in low light - uncomparable with the one on the EM-1
-The battery life is awful (I can get more than 1000 shots with 1 charge on my Pana G3)
-The sensor is really not as good as the X-T1
-camera is actually as heavy as a normal DSLR and lenses are too expensive and big
So what are the pros for this camera vs the competition...?

Even if we allow for changes in technology, I do not understand how the Sony with an 82 score from DPR was rated best, while the Nikon D610 with a 87 score wasn't even rated in the top 3. Actually I do understand. The top three are mirrorless. I am guessing that DPR (amazon) sees more potential in selling that type of camera, as opposed to the "old and tired" DSLR.

Choosing a camera without a system consideration is meaningless.

perhaps a better question would be "which camera should I buy if already chose XXX system". For example if I already pickup Canon, which shall I buy for 1200-2000? The problem is that for this kind questions, there are often only one choice. They don't usually sell multiple models within the same price range, except for the low end.

So if one already picked up a system and has a target budget, he doesn't not really need to ask the above question. The next best question would be "which system should I choice?" But I believe anyone in their right mind at DPR would not get into this sort of flame war.

In short, it is very unlikely that those sorts of "Roundup" will help people to do informed decisions. They at most are meaningless and at worst misleading.

When I bought my first DSLR, what I really wanted to see was a detailed comparison between the Nikon and Canon systems, show me the difference, and so I can decide which is better for me. The same feature difference can be an advantage for some and a disadvantage for others and doesn't matter to the rest. We cannot objectively say which is better. But at least we can objectively show the readers what's unique to each system. I belive they will be much more useful.

Best for video selection should have gone to NX1 also. NX1's unmatched 4K details and superior AF capability in video mode put it in a class of its own in my opinion.

Thanks for the info

Sensor of A7 ii sucks!!!
I thought it is the same as the one in D610, however, it has around 1 stop less performance. I rented one a month back and was disappointed with IQ.
At below 2000 one can easily get D750.

Hi Richard,
Perhaps it would make better comparison if the reviews are based on sensor size rather than MSRP.

I would think it makes sense to have FF, APS-C, M 4/3, 1", etc., categories.
The FF (and other categories) can also be split to sub-categories (the $2,000 or less range, the $2,000-$3,000 range, and the >$3,000 range for FF, for example).
Then the comparison would be apples to apples.

The top 3 to 5 winners of a sub-category could be arranged in a matrix.
Left column would have the most important features (sensor, frame rate, sealing, dual disk, AF, etc.).
Top raw would have the cameras.
The body of the matrix would have feature ratings on a scale of 1-10, because no single camera in a category is the best in ALL the features.

Price should be current Amazon price (fairly competitive), or B&H, etc., rather than the MSRP.

Such matrix would be far more helpful because different photographer have different needs for different features.

"DPR's Gold" doesn't translate into what one should buy imo...it's about the system when buying a camera that will last more than a fleeting moment in time

The camera you should buy at this price point is not the camera you have to put away when the going gets tough. It is the camera you pick up when the going gets tough.
It should be able to go out in the Arctic if it has to. It should be able to photograph your daughters high school soccer game, or your son's college football game. It should be able to do birds, wildlife, any event with action. It should be able to do a birthday party or any other aspect of life. Life is not always static.

It should have the choice of lenses to do anything you want. Be it macro of mushrooms or of deadly snakes. It should be able to do astrophotography or landscapes.

Dpreviews view of photography is too limited. Which seems to explain the fascination with specifications instead of a camera's overall usability. It makes for some really sad choices in each of the groups.

The title for the last page is: "Which camera should I buy?"

Regardless of how good a camera is, how can you with clear conscience recommend putting money into a system that the manufacturer has abandoned, without even mentioning the fact? Yes, Samsung NX1, It's you I'm talking about!

Having zero consideration of a manufacturer's commitment to the camera system and lens selection they sell is doing a great disservice to Canon and Nikon, who have built camera systems and wonderful lenses for decades, and who will be there long after the little charlatans of the 2010's have disappeared.

Hi,

the Nikon D750 should be in this group.
Not in the bottemline of the next group!

Just announce the A7rII as the winner of the remaining group.

The NX1 may be a fine camera...BUT, how can it be "recommended" for someone when it's being discontinued in Europe (http://www.dpreview.com/articles/8930601010/samsung-nx1-discontinued-in-europe-rumors-say-yes) and it's likely going to spread that way to the Americas and Asia as well. Recommending someone buy into a NEW system that was just getting its feet wet, but now is looking to be going away, doesn't make any sense to me at all.

I drove a Saab for many years (9-5 sedan) and loved it. When I needed a new car, Saab had just announced it was going to sell off the car division. Did I buy another, even though I would have loved to? Nope! I'd steer clear of the NX the same way...great camera, good luck with parts and service down the road.

I would like an explanation as to why original MSRP was used. What meaning does that have to anyone? I get that it shows the aspirations of manufacturers at the release, but is that what this is about? How does that mean anything to a buyer?

"Gee, this camera would be GREAT, but, sadly, 2 years ago the manufacturer set their MSRP equal to a camera just now released, failing to see into the future and set the price lower to compete with non-existent technology".

Really, DPR?

Just keep in mind that this roundup has it's reference to the thickness of your wallet and not the bag of sweet goodies that come with the camera.

Take two micro SD cards and read the review again in the morning...

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For 4 full frame roundups:
A7 80% silver
A7II 82% silver
6D 83% Silver
D610 87% gold
and the best overall full frame winner is 82% silver A7II, what's wrong?
Obviously, the score % system not match with the 2015 round-up result.
What else criteria are used in the round-up?

Apparently the system does not mean much or anything in these comparisons. How can the system camera Sony A7 II be considered a better choice than the system cameras Nikon D610 or Canon 6D?
And "best overall" when DPReviews user report showed how much the Sony EVF/AF system lags traditional DSLRs in the field for action shooting?

Dpreview needs to rewrite the Samsung NX1 portion with the HUGE caveat that Samsung has abandoned their camera program and there is no future lenses or suipport.

Owned a D600 and now have two 6D's and also use a 5D mkiii. The 6D is quite uderrated. In my experience it focuses far better than Nik's D600 particularily in low light. My point is more focus points does not equal a better focusing system. I recently took a frame of a luminous flashlight in a dark room using autofocus and exposure and the 6D did quite well. Yesterday took pics of a friend and her foster 9 month old hyper energy pointer. Not a single frame was out of focus on the 6D. Now, had I taken the 5D mkiii with me that would have been my go to. But Canon's under rated ff can be had refurbed for under a thousand bucks and will probably be cheaper if they replace it next Spring. It is an image taking machine which adds wifi and gps (use the latter often for travel and events). All my glass is L glass so that helps overall performance. 24-70L, 70-200 f/4 L and also use 100-400 mkii L..

Some cameras left out, others stuffed into this price range when they are clearly below it...

The last round-up included cameras above that range when accounting for a lens. This one includes cameras whose body only price is WELL below the range. And where the heck is the D750?

These things lose their meaningfulness if they are not using an accurate and fair means of sorting. It seems very much like you have "bumped" some cameras up in weight class, just to make your article more interesting.

Really surprised to not see Nikon D610 included in the winners!!! The best affordable FF at the price of an APS-C!!!! Simply the best IQ which beats canon/Fuji etc high end FF/APS-C cams!! Amazing low light performance excellent lens selection. Wonder how Samsung has even featured here?:)

The 7DII (which I own) is perhaps the most versatile of the bunch. You get the best AF performance, weather sealing, and frame rate while giving up a tad in the IQ dept and high ISO performance. For me it was a no brainer as I don't pixel peep and it is mainly used for club photography with flash so fast low light AF was key. It will also come in handy for my sports shoots! ;)

The Nikon d750 is in this price zone , wonder why t hey did not include it...

I've owned about half of these cameras on the list and couldn't keep them all so I settled on the 7dm2 purely on ergonomics build quality and lense selection...yes I know there a bit better iq in some others but what good is iq if it's not a great camera in bad weather and focus in extreme situation...I also tested lots of these cameras with average people looking at there photo and most chose the pics I took with fuji and canon....

And why would one buy NX1 if Samsung is going to be out of camera business? Personally, I would't!

Let me guess who wins the next round up of $2000+ high end cameras, Canon 5Ds/R?

Why is the A7 on this list?

I really liked the Fujifilm system. But I haven't looked back since I got the A7II. Sony & Zeiss released a lot of very good glass in a somewhat short period of time to make up for the lackluster selection, imo.

My camera didn't win...

*hides in the corner and cries*

The D750 has been $2000 or less for months now, and is currently available for $1899 in the US.

HAHA! Nikon got Shut Out!

Do not understand why DPreview would recommend the Samsung considering the very real possibility that they are exiting the market?
There is no question that it is a fine camera, but given the recent news on availability and their exiting certain markets, I think this recommendation is a dis-service to the readers of DPreview.

I think ti's not a good idea to recommend buying the NX1.