The best Sony cameras
Sony offers a diverse portfolio of consumer electronics products and since the acquisition of the photography branch of Konica-Minolta in 2006 has become one of the top brands for digital cameras. Sony provides a broad range of models, including digital single lens reflex cameras (A-mount), mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras (E-mount), and compact cameras that come with a built-in lens. It also uses a variety of imaging sensors in its models, ranging from full-frame, over APS-C and One-inch, to small 1/2.3-inch sensors.
The choice of a particular type of camera depends very much on the intended use. A professional wedding photographer has different requirements than a casual family holiday shooter, and a sports reporter has different needs than a landscape artist. The importance of individual preferences and selection criteria means that the question which camera is best is not easy to answer. That said, general camera rankings can give a useful overview of the overall capabilities of various camera models and thereby provide the basis for more use-specific model comparisons and assessments.
The highest rated Sony cameras
The Camera Elo represents a comprehensive rating that takes the body, sensor and feature characteristics of digital cameras into account. It is based on the outcomes of thousands of pair-wise comparisons undertaken via the CAM-parator app.
The Sony A9 III is currently the top-ranked Sony camera with a Camera Elo of 3159, followed in second place by the Sony A7R V with a rating of 3143. The table below lists the 20 highest ranked Sony cameras in descending order of their Elo. It also reports the cameras' DXO Mark sensor quality score, which can be taken as indicators of pure image quality. For both the Camera Elo and the DXO score, higher values represent better performance.
| Camera Model |
Lens Type |
Camera Elo |
DXO Score |
Camera Type |
Resolution (MP) |
Video Format |
Camera Launch | Launch Price (USD) | Street Price |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Sony A9 III | Sony E | 3159 | 96 | Mirrorless | 24.0 | 4K/120p | Nov 2023 | 5,999 | amazon.com | |
| 2. | Sony A7R V | Sony E | 3143 | 100 | Mirrorless | 60.2 | 8k/24p | Oct 2022 | 3,899 | amazon.com | |
| 3. | Sony A7R IVA | Sony E | 3137 | 99 | Mirrorless | 60.2 | 4K/30p | Apr 2021 | 3,499 | amazon.com | |
| 4. | Sony A1 | Sony E | 3082 | 98 | Mirrorless | 49.8 | 8k/30p | Jan 2021 | 6,499 | amazon.com | |
| 5. | Sony A7 IV | Sony E | 3043 | 97 | Mirrorless | 32.7 | 4K/60p | Oct 2021 | 2,499 | amazon.com | |
| 6. | Sony A7R IIIA | Sony E | 3025 | 100 | Mirrorless | 42.2 | 4K/30p | Apr 2021 | 3,199 | amazon.com | |
| 7. | Sony A6700 | Sony E | 2980 | 86 | Mirrorless | 25.6 | 4K/120p | Jul 2023 | 1,399 | amazon.com | |
| 8. | Sony A7C II | Sony E | 2968 | 96 | Mirrorless | 32.7 | 4K/60p | Aug 2023 | 2,199 | amazon.com | |
| 9. | Sony A7C R | Sony E | 2964 | 96 | Mirrorless | 60.2 | 4K/60p | Aug 2023 | 2,999 | amazon.com | |
| 10. | Sony A7S III | Sony E | 2947 | 86 | Mirrorless | 12.0 | 4K/120p | Jul 2020 | 3,499 | amazon.com | |
| 11. | Sony A7R IV | Sony E | 2944 | 99 | Mirrorless | 60.2 | 4K/30p | Jul 2019 | 3,499 | ebay.com | |
| 12. | Sony A7C | Sony E | 2928 | 95 | Mirrorless | 24.0 | 4K/30p | Sep 2020 | 1,799 | amazon.com | |
| 13. | Sony ZV-E1 | Sony E | 2919 | 96 | Mirrorless | 12.0 | 4K/60p | Mar 2023 | 2,199 | amazon.com | |
| 14. | Sony A9 II | Sony E | 2892 | 93 | Mirrorless | 24.0 | 4K/30p | Oct 2019 | 4,499 | amazon.com | |
| 15. | Sony ZV-E10 | Sony E | 2809 | 85 | Mirrorless | 24.0 | 4K/30p | Jul 2021 | 699 | amazon.com | |
| 16. | Sony A7R III | Sony E | 2796 | 100 | Mirrorless | 42.2 | 4K/30p | Oct 2017 | 3,199 | ebay.com | |
| 17. | Sony A6600 | Sony E | 2754 | 82 | Mirrorless | 24.0 | 4K/30p | Aug 2019 | 1,399 | amazon.com | |
| 18. | Sony A6100 | Sony E | 2738 | 84 | Mirrorless | 24.0 | 4K/30p | Aug 2019 | 749 | ebay.com | |
| 19. | Sony A7 III | Sony E | 2673 | 96 | Mirrorless | 24.0 | 4K/30p | Feb 2018 | 1,999 | amazon.com | |
| 20. | Sony A6400 | Sony E | 2669 | 83 | Mirrorless | 24.0 | 4K/30p | Jan 2019 | 899 | amazon.com | |
| Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age. | |||||||||||
You can access more detail on the listed cameras by clicking on the camera's name. Alternatively, you can compare two Sony cameras using the search boxes below. Just enter two model names into the input fields and you will promptly be taken to a respective comparison.
Further Reading
Additional information on the calculation of the Camera Elo can be found on a respective Elo methodology page. Moreover, there are other rankings of cameras by category that might be of interest:
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