Mirrorless cameras – also known as compact system cameras – are now big business and no longer the plucky upstart. Gone are the days where the DSLR was king. The best mirrorless camera to buy obviously depends on your skill level and favourite subject matter. But overall you’ll be looking for something small and portable, with an EVF, fast and accurate autofocus and great image quality. Sounds too good to be true? Not these dates.

Mirrorless cameras have steadily won an increasing share of the camera market. This is because photographers now recognise the benefits of using mirrorless cameras, namely their smaller design and an electric viewfinder that lets you see the impact of camera settings.

There are now mirrorless cameras to suit every kind of photographer, including professionals. As with DSLRs, specs can vary greatly between different mirrorless cameras, making something which is suitable for one photographer not particularly suitable for another.

Types of mirrorless cameras

At one point in time the best mirrorless cameras were simply those that existed from the few manufacturers making them. But these days nearly every manufacturer has a mirrless offering, and they run the gamut from entry-level models to professional options to mirrorless medium format cameras. Options include:

Each of these options has its own benefits (and costs), depending on what you intend to shoot. We’ll explain these below. To make it easy to see the best mirrorless cameras for your needs as a photographer, we’ve indicated who is best suited to each camera and why based on our experiences testing these models.

The best mirrorless cameras you can buy today

All of the mirrorless cameras we’ve recommended below are based on our tests and experience of using them. We’ve broken them down into groups of the best mirrorless cameras by type to help you choose the right model for your needs.

For a deeper dive into the many different camera types and features available, check out our range of camera buying guides.