Outside of technical stuff like image quality and autofocus, there are some cameras that just make you happy when you hold them. To celebrate great ergonomics, Chris Niccolls runs down his top five handling digital cameras of all time.
I had a couple of those Nikon split body cameras; I loved those back in the day. Getting high or low shots was easy, and they were the best for inconspicuous street photography. Holding it at waist level and shooting nobody knew that you even had a camera.
I can’t argue about cameras I haven’t handled but as for the Pentax K1 I would say the K3III is better handling and more refined camera and controls and deserves to be higher up in he list if the D750 is there too.
Great to see an emphasis on handling/ergonomics/controls/feel.
This is often overlooked when discussing tech specs, and yet with the high competency of all camera models these days, may be the most important to most consumers.
There's that old saying that the best camera is the one you have with you. I'd also say the best camera is the one that you actually use, and are drawn to use over and over again.
For hobbyists, the joy of using the camera matters. Also the camera you enjoy using will be the one that you use the most, and thus will accelerate your development and learning the most.
For everyone, including pro's, the camera that is best operated is the one that will allow you to maximize your results. The best photographers become one with their camera and develop a kind of muscle memory where they can efficiently and rapidly operate it. The pro's I know will value operability over small tech spec differences any day.
It must be remembered that this is a personal choice by Chris, however: we all have our personal choices: number one on list for me is the new Panasonic GH6: Superb ergonomics buttons dials screen menus etc, a definite for me personally, and GH5 MK II IN Second place, and a special mention for G9: all outstanding cameras in their own right etc!!
As a data point (not a disagreement) on how subjective this is: as a left-eyed user I just can't make use of the G9, as much as I love the rest of its ergos. The same for the smaller Olympus bodies with all those controls clustered on top.
As far as I'm aware, the Sony A6000 has the best grip size-to-weight ratio of any digital camera. This makes it extremely comfortable to hold for long periods of time. I've literally walked around a foreign city with the A6000 in my hand all day, without even noticing the weight. Helps you get better shots if your camera is always ready. And photography is more fun when it's comfortable.
"best grip size-to-weight ratio" Oh yes the gap between the grip and the mount is so tiny that it pinches my fingers, with no Fn buttons there.
You either have the hands of a 10 year old, or you don't understand how cameras should be designed. Those A5000/6000 body form factor are ideal only on gimbals for video, while being a total nightmare for photography.
Even a nikon Z6 is on the small side to me. I wish the Z7 mark iii or Z8, whatever it is called, is bigger than the existing models.
The original A-mount camera bodies were pretty decent.
I was at a Sony concept shop recently, they had a bunch of the current gen E-mount bodies ranging from the A7c to the A1. Had a chance to try them all and ultimately the handling is (to me) pretty bad... my last finger having nothing to hold onto.
My L-plate doubles as a grip, and it's useful to have on the camera. I can even take the "L plate" part off and use it as a pure grip if I wanted to for some reason.
There are many different hand sizes and preferences, instead of universal "right" and "flawed" designs. A small body can be augmented to fit larger hands, but a bulky body can never be slimmed down.
Given that grips for the A7 series are $20 on Amazon, it seems like an odd thing to worry about when buying $2K cameras.
Incidentally I am getting a L-plate but that's for use on my tripod. No need for it to be doubled up as a grip since my Nikons and Olys have pretty good handling unlike the Sonys.
Just to add that the Olys have small bodies but holding them has been good so far. Cheers.
So what you're saying is instead of always having an L plate handy, you have to take it on and off due to the oversized Nikon and Oly bodies? Sounds like a design impediment to me... :) Really glad I don't have to carry around a spare L plate to use on tripods, because of a chonk camera.
I am pretty sure that my Oly cameras are smaller than your Sonys. :P
And you still end up using a L-plate to compensate for your flawed system right? While I only need to bring it out for a few specific purposes... seems like you need to carry it around all the time. ;)
Good luck trying to convince a Sony user that there's ANYTHING less than ideal about their cameras. If you happen too, then you may be the very first and it would be worth a small celebration.
"And you still end up using a L-plate to compensate for your flawed system right? While I only need to bring it out for a few specific purposes... seems like you need to carry it around all the time. ;)"
But if my weight and size are still smaller...AND I get an L plate 100% of the time instead of carrying an extra part, that's way better. I also have the option of breaking my kit into a smaller config, instead of always having a large body.
Don't get me wrong I overall prefer the Nikon body design for joystick and EVF placement, but dinging a camera for being too small is silly when it's a $20 part to expand.
Yup, the G9 is an ergonomic win. Apart from the peeling rubber grip on mine that is. It's not dissimilar to the R6 which is another winner. The Q2 I didn't get on with when I got a loan of a friend's, but it was probably just nervousness that I was going to drop it. Lovely looking thing though.
G9 is awesome. It's not just the grip (which is REALLY good), that camera has the right amount of buttons; plenty, but not overwhelming. Plus every button and fitting just feels quality.
Panasonic in general is really underrated for ergo, the G85 is the best "tiny DSLR" I've ever held.
Yup, the G9 is an ergonomic win. Apart from the peeling rubber grip on mine that is. It's not dissimilar to the R6 which is another winner. The Q2 I didn't get on with when I got a loan of a friend's, but it was probably just nervousness that I was going to drop it. Lovely looking thing though.
I have a Z6 and require a addon Honglai base plate /L grip to get my little finger on it. A lot better but it's still not as comfortable as a D500 which is similar to a D750. But I find the E-M1X the best of them all.
I'm curious as to what defines a large/big hand. Is it the width across the palm at the knuckles? Is it the distance from the tip of the longest finger to the base of the hand where it joins the wrist? Do the size of a person's fingers, slender or thick, factor in? Is it a combination or mixture of all three?
Coming from manual focus film cameras I never found my pinky finger hooking under the camera to be unusual. It's how things fit my hands when using 35mm film. When I found the same fit with mirrorless cameras it didn't feel odd or uncomfortable to me. It's one reason I never understood the 'big hands' argument being made. I can accept some people don't like it. I can believe different cameras fit better for different people for different reasons. I think hand size is actually only one part of how a camera feels in any one individual’s hand.
Do a web search you will find what different dimensions there are for hands you will see that the difference between small and large hands is very big. I came from manual film cameras and found the little finger hooking under the camera to be a problem and would fit a power drive to a camera body to fix that. I need to have my index finger resting on the shutter button, don't we all. Having long slim fingers means the ball of my thumb is under the body of a camera such as a Olympus OM10 with a resulting two fingers floating free. Small means uncomfortable to me especially with longer lenses.
G9 is also good for the third wheel dial, which is superior IMO for adjusting exposure comp quickly compared to other types of dials that can't use continuous motion. It's hard to overstate how cool that is, especially in movie mode.
G9 is most probably the best camera money can buy (budget) out of a ergonomic / Human Factors / Man-Machine aspects. A clear winner. Have one even if I am a Sony guy. The Rx1rm2 is the camera I like the most!
It is just amazing how there can not exist a piece in DPR where Canon comes on top without "contextualization" or relativization.
Here, one of the elements of the most professional duo in photographic equipment reviews I know of, Chris, elects Canon on top in a particular area and the other one, Jordan, immediately felt the need to intervene (...in a comment to their own piece!...) to "set the record straight" in what pertains to a specific subjective sub-set. Then, there's an editorial decision to make his comment an "Editors' Pick".
Well, I, for one, have really large hands and I love how the Canon R5 feels and works.
...it's like there's some editorial shame in acknowledging Canon is great at anything...so sad...
The Exposure Triangle comprises aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Any camera that doesn't make that readily available to me in an tactile way without ever diving into some menu will never qualify to me as some great handling camera. It should be there by default, not some after the fact custom job by the camera owner. Allow changes if one wants, but just make it the default design. IMO.
Then on the same note, I want to be able to do the same with AF/MF. Same if I wanted to use the Clear Image Zoom function. Hopefully all Camera Brands will make such functions primary to how they build their cameras. But like Chris stated, everyone will have their own personal choices.
For those who don't get the joke, from the-digital-picture's a7r4 review:
"I've often complained about Sony's larger lenses uncomfortably impacting my first two fingers' first (non-cushioned) knuckles (I have medium/large hands) and with the grip not being moved outward away from the lens, this camera still has that issue. "
Very enjoyable video. Based on own experience, from using and visits to Vistek organised Fusion show: Pentax both DSLRs, and 645Z which feels very much right in hand despite the bulk, Nikon both DSLRs and Z(still waiting to hold a Z9) and GFX, which again despite the bulk, is very comfortable in hand, obtained a nice handheld shot with the 120mm Macro Lens attached on the 50S. The main grip I have with camera manufacturers except Leica, is that they do not mark the Zero Point of the Diopter Adjustment Button, and the Hasselblad X1D both generations did nicely disappoint, being unable to achieve clear focus after several attempts.
For me, handling begins with how it feels in the hand, and I’ve never held a camera that felt better than the Olympus OM-D series, with each successive version being an improvement. I have not held the new OM-1, but it looks like it continues the tradition.
Personal preference obviously but it was fun to see the pick. My experience differ from Niccolls as there was no overlap. Happily none of us are wrong!
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