The Buyers guide to...Best cameras for low light photography

Inside the D850 is a full-frame (35.9 x 23.9mm) sensor with 45.7 million effective pixels. As the sensor is backlit and the micro lenses are gapless the photoreceptors (aka pixels) have the maximum opportunity to gather light. This and the Expeed 5 processing engine has enabled Nikon to give the camera a standard sensitivity range of ISO 64-25,600. There are also expansion settings that extend the range to the equivalent of ISO 32-102,400.

Another feature that will have the ears of Nikon lovers pricking up is the inclusion of the same autofocus (AF) system as is in Nikon’s flagship camera, the D5. This has 153 points with the centre point being sensitive down to -4EV and the rest being sensitive down to -3EV. A total of 99 of the points are cross-type. It means that the D850 should be suitable for shooting sport and action in low light conditions.

Like the D5 the D850 has a 180,000-pixel RGB sensor to inform the metering, white balance, autofocusing and scene recognition system. This functions down to -3EV – useful for low light photography.

As it has the D5’s autofocus (AF) system it’s not really a surprise to find that when you’re shooting using the viewfinder the D850 can focus quickly even in low light conditions. It’s very effective.

Images taken at the uppermost native sensitivity setting (ISO 25,600) look good but there’s inevitably some loss of detail. The images taken in the upper expanded range also look pretty decent.

In sum, the Nikon D850 is a well-built camera with a high-level specification that delivers first-rate images in tricky situations.

Read our Nikon D850 review

The Canon R6 inherits similar low-light capability to the EOS-1D X Mark III. Consequently, it has a native sensitivity range of ISO 100-102,400. If that’s not enough, the expansion settings take it to ISO 50-204,800. Meanwhile, if you’re shooting video there’s a native range of ISO 100-6,400, which is expandable to ISO 204,800.

This is matched by the Canon R6’s low-light focusing credentials. While the R5’s AF system is claimed to be sensitive down to -6EV, the R6’s AF system can function at down to -6.5EV. That’s incredibly low light and a new record for a Canon EOS camera.

Shooting in dim conditions can also necessitate slow shutter speeds, but that’s OK because the Canon R6 has 5-axis in-body image stabilisation built-in. This works in harmony with the stabilisation in Canon’s IS lenses (except the RF 600MM F11 IS STM or RF 800MM F11 IS STM) and is claimed to offer up to 8 stops of shutter speed compensation. That’s a new high for the photographic industry.

Some photographers may be a little disappointed that the R6 has a 20Mp chip rather than a 24, 26 or 30Mp sensor, but keeping the pixel count down helps enable better noise control.

We found that the EOS-1D X Mark III controls noise very well up to ISO 51,200. Our tests revealed that the same is true of the Canon R6. That gives plenty of scope for shooting in music venues and at evening sports events.

Push up beyond ISO 51,200 and the results remain impressive with the top native setting of ISO 102,400 producing some of the best images we’ve ever seen at that value.

Read our Canon EOS R6 Review

While it may boast the same 273-point hybrid focusing system as the original Nikon Z6 that uses phase and contrast detection, with points covering 90% of the sensor. However, the tracking and low-light AF performance has been improved. In fact, Nikon claims that the Z6II can focus down to -6EV with an f/2 or faster lens. That’s roughly equivalent to the light cast by a quarter of the moon.

As the all-rounder of the two cameras, the Z6 II has a lower resolution than the Z7 II, which means each pixel gathers more light. As well as benefiting image quality, this plays a part in the autofocus performance.

While some photographers may wish for the 45-million-pixel count of the Z7II, it’s worth remembering that the Z6II images are 6048 x 4024 pixels. That means that at 300ppi they are 51.2 x 34cm or 20.2×13.4inches in size. That’s plenty big enough for most photographers.

The Z6 II also controls noise is very well. Even images shot at ISO 3200 only have a suggestion of noise when they’re viewed at 100% on-screen.

Read our Nikon Z6 II Review

With the A7 III Sony stuck with the 24-megapixel sensor. Although the sensor is backside-illuminated (BSI), it’s not the same sensor as is in the A9. However, there is a front-end LSI which Sony says doubles the readout speed from the A7 III’s sensor.

According to Sony, this results in the focusing in low light being almost twice the speed of the A7 II’s. What’s more, the focus tracking is twice as fast.

The sensor and processing engine enable an overall sensitivity range of ISO 50-204,800. This helps the A7 III perform extremely well in low light. In fact, Sony is claiming a 1.5EV improvement in image quality overall vs the A7 II.

Sony’s 5-axis optical in-body image stabilisation is also on hand. It’s claimed to give a 5EV extension in the hand-holdable shutter speed.

In our tests, we found its low light autofocusing wasn’t quite as good as the Nikon D850, but it’s still exceptionally good (and half the price). Angela, who reviewed the A7 III, was able to photograph a pair of dancers in a dimly lit room filled with smoke and the low contrast didn’t cause much at all in the way of problems.

As for noise, even images captured at ISO 51,200 look good. The jpegs have a slight texture visible at 100% and show some signs of noise reduction, but they’re not objectionable. The raw files give you the option to avoid this noise reduction so you can have slightly more textured images with more detail.

The Sony A7 III also has an impressively wide dynamic range that enables it to capture images that look natural. It also means its raw files have excellent latitude. You won’t find the highlights burning out quickly and the shadows can be brightened post-capture if necessary. In some instances, it’s possible to brighten the 14-bit raw files by as much as 5EV.

Read our Sony A7 III Review

The OM-D E-M1 II has a very good autofocus (AF) system, but Olympus has redeveloped it for the OM-D E-M1X. As before, the imaging sensor has 121 cross-type phase detection AF points but the AF algorithm has been re-worked to boost performance. This also enables the E-M1X to use AF information from recorded images to aid tracking subjects that move unpredictably.

In addition, there’s a selection of new AF settings on the OM-D E-M1X. These include a 25-point target mode and custom AF area settings. Most exciting, however, is the new intelligent subject detection mode. This allows you to set the camera to detect specific subjects automatically.

Further good news is that the AF point can be selected using a mini-joystick multi-selector control on the back of the camera. There are two of these controls so there’s one in easy reach whether you’re using the horizontal or vertical grip.

Olympus has also boosted the AF system’s sensitivity and it’s claimed to operate at -6EV.

In our tests, we found that the E-M1X provides incredibly good AF in low light, with superb image quality.

Read our Olympus OM-D E-M1X Review

Olympus’s image stabilisation (IS) is excellent and it’s been upgraded for the E-M1 Mark III to enable up to 7.5Ev of shutter speed compensation across 5 axis with a stabilised lens. Even without a stabilised lens it’s said to enable up to 7Ev compensation. This has been achieved by using the same gyro as is in the E-M1X.

It’s the sensor-shifting power of the in-body image stabilisation system (IBIS) that enables the OM-D E-M1 III’s High Res Shot mode. The good news here is that in addition to the 80Mp Tripod High Res Shot mode, there’s also a 50Mp HandHeld version.

Thanks to Olympus’s Image Stabilisation system it’s possible to capture sharp handheld images with the E-M1 III at shutter speeds measured in whole seconds. That means you can shoot in very low light without needing to put the camera on a tripod.

Read our Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III Review

Some videographers were probably hoping for a big jump in resolution from the 12Mp Sony A7S II. However, Sony already has the 61Mp A7R IV and the 24Mp A7 III, so sticking with 12Mp means that the A7S III has even better low-light capability than its predecessor but with a much better autofocus system, a vari-angle screen and the highest-resolution viewfinder around.

The A7S III is about more than grabbing the headlines for its resolution; it promises to make capturing 4K video easier than before and for that video quality to be the best 4K footage you can get from a Sony camera. It doesn’t disappoint as the quality of the footage is superb.

Although Sony has stuck with the same resolution as the A7S II, the 12.1Mp full-frame CMOS sensor inside the Sony A7S III is new and has backside-illuminated (BSI) structure. Using this design enables the photosites to receive more light than a standard CMOS sensor, which means its low-light performances is boosted.

Read our Sony A7S III Review

In early 2020 Panasonic announced that via a strategic partnership with Atoms it had developed new firmware for the Lumix S1H that enables the camera to output a maximum 5.9K/29.97p RAW video data to the Atomos Ninja V.

Shortly after this announcement, the Panasonic S1H became the first ‘Netflix-approved’ camera on the market.

The S1H is aimed at serious filmmakers, but its price tag is under the the £4,000 threshold, and it packs some serious firepower.

Panasonic’s flagship full-frame mirrorless camera offers 6K video recording and 10-bit 60p 4K/C4K, aided by a 35.6 x 23.8mm, 24.2-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor. It can record 6K at 24p at a 3:2 aspect ratio, 5.9K at 30p in 16:9, as well as 10-bit 4K/Cinema 4K footage at 60p using the Super 35mm image area.

As if that isn’t enough, it can record 4:2:2 10-bit 4K footage at 30p over the full image area.

The Panasonic S1H also delivers 14 stops of dynamic range – the same as Panasonic’s cinema cameras – along with a slew of other video specifications aimed at professionals such as Panasonic’s V-Log/V-Gamut log modes, HDR in HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma), 4:2:2 10-bit HDMI output and Anamorphic 4:3 modes.

While the S1H is aimed at professional videographers and filmmakers, the S5 is designed at a wider market, those people looking to take video more seriously and create high-quality content. The small size and weight of the Panasonic S5, combined with its vari-angle screen should make it suitable for use when travelling as well as day-to-day shooting and vlogging.

There’s an excellent array of customisation options to enable you to set the camera to suit your style of shooting and results are very impressive.

In some respects, the Panasonic S5 appears to be the camera that many people were expecting when the development of the full-frame Lumix S1 and S1R was announced at Photokina in September 2018.

The S5 is aimed at people who have started out as photographers and content creators and who want to create more video. Its headline video specification is that it can shoot 4K (3840×2160) footage in 4:2:2 and 10-bit LongGOP H.264 at 29.97/23.98p/25p. That’s when recording internally to an SD-type card.

It can shoot at that quality and resolution for up to 30 minutes, but if you drop to 4:2:0 8-bit 4K footage, it can record indefinitely until the memory cards are full.

In summary, the Panasonic Lumix S5 is a very nice all-rounder that captures attractive stills and video.

Read our Panasonic Lumix S5 Review

The Pocket Cinema Camera’s small body gives you access to pro-level features, and although the sensor may be small, it’s still capable of producing high-quality footage full of tone and detail.

Using this camera in a variety of situations we were blown away by the visual quality of the footage. There are some quirks, such as only being able to shoot up to 4K in ProRes, but with Blackmagic RAW you soon learn to love the data format and realise that it isn’t too scary.

Blackmagic also improved the camera’s image processing with new generation 5 colour science, a Super 35 HDR image sensor with 13 stops of dynamic range and dual native ISO of 25,600.

Because it’s an advanced digital film camera, the sensor is designed to reduce thermal noise allowing cleaner shadows and higher ISO.