When setting out to list the best cameras for photography, you have to ask yourself: what kind of photography?

The camera you want to shoot fast-moving athletes at the Olympics will be different to the one you set on a tripod to create fine art images or crisp portraits, and you might want something different again if you’re trekking through the forests of Borneo in search of a kind of monkey many think is already extinct.

Luckily, there are lots of cameras out there, and there’s always going to be one that will suit your needs. There are flagship models that combine high image resolution with fast frame rates (although in the case of Canon, this camera – expected to be the EOS R1 – has yet to actually be released) that can tackle just about anything for a high price, and then there are more specialised models such as Sony’s Alpha 9 III which does one thing extremely well. There are cheaper hybrids that are flexible and allow you to shoot video too, or models that forego the high framerate in favour of exceptional resolution to bring out the smallest details.

If you’re buying one of the best cameras for photography, there’s always more to it than just getting the camera body. You’ll need lenses too, and memory cards capable of keeping up with the camera’s frame rate. You’ll need a bag to keep it all in, batteries, chargers, a tripod and more. You’re not just buying a camera, you’re investing in a system, and your choice of body will dictate the lenses available to you (Sony’s E-mount has many third-party manufacturers producing autofocus lenses for it, while Canon’s RF mount has almost none). 

Here, then, are some of the best cameras available today for photography, though you’ll be able to shoot video with all of them too.

Find out more below