In this guide I list the best also affordable cameras for the professional photographer. These cameras are designed to be great hybrid cameras with very good performance for both still photography and video. These cameras can be used for most genres of photography except those that have very specific special needs . These cameras can be used effectively for Wedding and Event Photography, Portrait and fashion photography, sports and action photography etc where the emphasis is on speed and efficient workflow.

Leica SL2-S

Price in India ₹ 356,780 Price in the USA $4,995.00

Leica SL2-S Features

Camera type: Mirrorless full-frame system camera with 24.6 MP CMOS Sensor

Buffer memory: 4 GB: DNG™: > 999 recordings / JPG: > 999 recordings

Storage medium: UHS-II (recommended), UHS-I, SD/SDHC/SDXC memory card

Image Stabilization: 5 axis Body Image Stabilization. Camera stabilizes up to 5.5 stops.

Video resolution:

35 mm - C4K (17:9) 4096x2160 pixels (Sensor range: 6000 x 3168 pixels)

35 mm - 4K (16:9) 3840x2160 pixels (Sensor range: 6000 x 3368 pixels)

35 mm - Full HD (16:9) 1920x1080 pixels (Sensor range: 6000 x 3368 pixels)

Viewfinder (EVF): Resolution: 5,760,000 dots, 120 fps, magnification: 0.78x,

LCD panel: 3.2“ (backlight LED) with anti-fingerprint and anti-scratch coating, 2,100,000 pixels

Shutter speeds: Mech. shutter: 30 min to 1⁄8000 s / Electr. shutter function: 1 s to 1⁄16000 s / Flash Sync: up to 1/250 s.

Multishot High Res : Generates 2 DNGs: 1x 24 MP, 1x 96 MP (8 pictures are combined into one high-res image)

WLAN and Bluetooth ; Yes with Leica FOTOS App

GPS : Yes with Leica Fotos App

USB Power Supply:

USB charger function in standby mode or when switched off, USB power supply when switched on

Lens Suggestions for Leica SL2-S

1. Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-70 f/2.8 ASPH

2. Sigma Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN Art Lens for Leica L

3. Sigma 45mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary Lens for Leica L-Mount

4. Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG DN ART Zoom Lens for Leica L-Mount

5. Leica APO-Summicron-SL 28mm f/2

Canon R6

Price in india Price in the USA

Canon R6 Features

High Image Quality featuring a New 20 Megapixel Full-frame CMOS Sensor.

DIGIC X Image Processor with an ISO range of 100-102400; Expandable to 204800.

High-speed continuous shooting of up to 12 fps with Mechanical Shutter and up to 20 fps electronic (silent) shutter.

Dual pixel CMOS AF covering approx. 100% area with 1,053 AF areas.

Subject tracking of people and animals using deep learning technology.

Video capture resolution: 4K UHD 2160p

Cinematic 4K Capture - 4K (up to 60 fps) and Full HD 1080 (up to 120 fps) recording is ideal for quality content creation.

4K and Full HD video shooting is possible in 10-bit 4:2:2 (H.265) with Canon Log or HDR PQ.4K and Full HD video shooting is possible in 10-bit 4:2:2 (H.265) with Canon Log or HDR PQ.

OLED EVF Resolution - 3.69 Million Dots

Mechanical Shutter - Cont. shooting up to 12 fps

Electronic (Silent) Shutter - Cont. shooting up to 20 fps

5-axis Image Stabilizer  - In-body image stabilization offers up to 8 stops of shake correction** for smooth, steady imagery.

Wireless Capabilities 

Built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth allow for quick and convenient wireless connectivity.

A polycarbonate exterior body and an internal structure of mainly magnesium enable high durability.

Lens Suggestions for Canon R6

1. Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8L is USM Lens

2. Canon RF 28-70mm f/2L USM Lens, Black - 2965C002

3. Canon RF 24-105 mm F/4 l is USM Lens

4. Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8 L IS USM

SONY ALPHA 1

Price in India Rs 559,990 Price in the USA $6,774.95

Sony Alpha 1 Features

50.1MP* full-frame stacked Exmor RS CMOS sensor w/ integral memory.

8x more powerful*, next generation BIONZ XR image processing engine.

Blackout-free shooting up to 30fps from fast sensor readout speed.

World’s first 240 fps refresh rate, 9.44M dot 0.64” QXGA OLED EVF.

World’s first anti-flicker mechanical and electronic shutter.

Wide AF coverage with 759-point phase-detection and 425-point contrast detection AF points

EYE AF - Still images: Human (Right/Left Eye Select) / Animal (Right/Left Eye Select) / Bird, Movie: Human (Right/Left Eye Select)

FOCUS SENSITIVITY RANGE - EV–4 to EV20 (ISO 100 equivalent with F2.0 lens attached)

Movie-making with 8K 30p and 4K 120p

Anti Dust System - Yes (Charge protection coating on Optical Filter and ultrasonic vibration mechanism)

Image Sensor-Shift mechanism with 5-axis compensation (Compensation depends on lens specifications)

BLUETOOTH®

Yes (Bluetooth Standard Ver. 5.0 [2.4 GHz band])

WIRELESS LAN (BUILT-IN)

Yes (Wi-Fi Compatible, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac [2.4-GHz band/5-GHz band])14

USB POWER SUPPLY

Yes (Available with USB Type-C Terminal. USB Power Delivery compatible)

OPERATING TEMPERATURE

32 - 104 degrees F / 0 - 40 degrees C

Lens Suggestions for Sony Alpha 1

1. Sony SEL2470GM 24-70 mm F2.8 Full Frame G Master Lens (Black)

2. Sony SEL1635GM 16-35mm f/2.8-22 Zoom Camera Lens, Black

3. Sony SEL70200GM E Mount FE 70-200 mm F2.8 GM OSS Lens (White)

4. Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Art Lens for Sony E Mount Mirror-Less Cameras

5. Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art Lens for Full-Frame Sony E Mount

Sony A9 II

Price in India Rs. 423,990 Price in the USA $4,498.00

Sony a9 II Features

35 mm full frame (35.6 x 23.8 mm), Exmor® RS CMOS sensor

24.2-megapixel 35 mm full-frame stacked CMOS sensor with integral memory

BIONZ X™ processing engine

20fps  continuous shooting with AF/AE tracking

Wide AF coverage with 693-point phase-detection and 425-point contrast detection AF points

1000BASE-T LAN terminal, 5 GHz Wi-Fi support for fast data transfer

LENS COMPATIBILITY - Sony E-mount lenses

BATTERY LIFE (STILL IMAGES)

Approx. 500 shots (Viewfinder)/approx. 690 shots (LCD monitor) (CIPA standard)34

VIEWFINDER TYPE

1.3 cm (0.5 type) electronic viewfinder (colour), Quad-VGA OLED

MONITOR TYPE

7.5 cm (3.0-type) type TFT

Precision AF effective down to EV-3 brightness

Real-time Eye AF for humans and animals

Body-integrated 5-axis optical image stabilisation -

Shutter durability and image shake suppression - The shutter has been tested for durability in excess of 500,000 shutter-release cycles and incorporates an internal damper structure to absorb the impact of shutter motion for minimum shutter vibration and noise, helping to also realise more sharply resolved imaging.

Dual media slots, both supporting UHS-II

High-resolution 4K movie recording

The camera is capable of 4K movie recording with full-pixel readout without pixel binning.

Imaging Edge Remote, Viewer, and Edit desktop apps

Capture One (for Sony)

Capture One Express (for Sony)47 is free award-winning editing software that provides RAW development, easy management and powerful editing tools. 

Lens Suggestions for Sony a9 II

1. Sony Super telephoto Zoom 100-400mm G Master Lens

2. Sony SEL2470GM 24-70 mm F2.8 Full Frame G Master Lens (Black)

3. Sony SEL1635GM 16-35mm f/2.8-22 Zoom Camera Lens, Black

4. Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS Telephoto Zoom Lens (White)

NIKON Z6 II

Price in India Rs. 1 64 995.00 Price in the USA $1,996.95

Nikon Z6 II Features

24.5MP BSI resolution that excels in low light. 14 FPS suitable for fast action. 4K UHD Video performance at its best.

Full frame. Full pixel readout. Full featured 4K UHD Video. Top of the line video performance with 4K UHD 60p using full pixel readout and a host of outstanding features for serious videographers. Subject acquisition with speed and precision. 3.5x more buffer capacity than the original Z 6. Faster continuous shooting. Improved AF performance and functionality.

Dual card slots (CFexpress/XQD plus UHS-II SD). Flexibility and peace of mind when shooting important moments or on assignment, such as wedding and event photography. Comfortable. Durable. Intuitive. Z 6II’s exterior and interior have been thoughtfully designed to be handled and used with max comfort and ease of operation. CFexpress (Type B), XQD, SD, SDHC (UHS-II compliant), SDXC (UHS-II compliant)

Vertical Grip Ready. Now compatible with the new vertical battery grip for those in need of more power and easier shutter operation when shooting vertically. USB-C constant power and charging. Never run low on power during livestreams, video shoots and timelapses.

One mount accepts them all. Compatible with a growing line of NIKKOR Z lenses as well as approx. 360 F-mount NIKKOR lenses with FTZ mount adapter (sold separately).

Optical Zoom : 1.0 Multiplier x

Video Frame size (pixels) and frame rate

3840 x 2160 (4K UHD): 30p (progressive)/25p/24p 1920 x 1080: 120p/100p/60p/50p/30p/25p/24p 1920 x 1080 (slow-motion): 30p x4/25p x4/24p x5 * Actual frame rates for 120p, 100p, 60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, and 24p are 119.88, 100, 59.94, 50, 29.97, 25, and 23.976 fps respectively

Metering system- TTL metering using camera image sensor

Metering mode - Matrix metering Center-weighted metering: Weight of 75% given to 12 mm circle in center of frame; weighting can instead be based on average of entire frame Spot metering: Meters 4 mm circle (about 1.5% of frame) centered on selected focus point Highlight-weighted metering

Range : -4 to +17 EV * Figures are for ISO 100 and f/2.0 lens at 20 °C/68 °F

Mode - Auto, P: programmed auto with flexible program, S: shutter-priority auto, A: aperture-priority auto, M: manual U1, U2 and U3: user settings modes

Exposure compensation : –5 to +5 EV in increments of 1/3 or 1/2 EV available in modes P, S, A, and M

Wifi and Bluetooth 4.2

5 axis IBIS

Lens Suggestions for Nikon Z6 II

1. NIKON NIKKOR Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 Compact Telephoto Zoom Lens for Nikon Z Mirrorless Cameras

2. Nikon NIKKOR Z 50 mm f/1.8 S (20083)

3. Nikon 4185 Mount Adapter FTZ

4. Nikon Nikon NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S Lens

Panasonic Lumix S1

Price in India ₹ 1,48,338.63 Price in the USA $1,914.95

Lumix S1 Features

FULL FRAME SENSOR – 24.2-megapixel full-frame (35.6mm x 23.8mm) MOS sensor that provides a wide dynamic range and excellent performance at high sensitivity. (ISO 51200 Max sensitivity)

5-AXIS BODY I.S. and DUAL I.S.– Powerful image stabilization enables 6-stops slower shutter speed with B.I.S. and 6.5-stops with Dual I.S. by intelligently compensating the shakes

4K HDR VIDEO - 4K 60p, 4K 24/30P unlimited recording, 4K60P 29:59 min limited recording. HDR Mode and Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG). V-Log with Internal 4:2:2 10-bit 4k30/24p (4K60p output only) available via optional software upgrade key.

96MP HIGH RESOLUTION MODE – A sensor shift technology suitable for taking very high-resolution landscapes and fine art photos via tripod with toggleable motion correction capabilities

LVF and MONITOR – 3.2” 2,100K-dot RGBW LCD monitor (3:2 aspect ratio) with triaxial tilt moving element, plus large 5,760k-dot high-resolution OLED eye viewfinder in a rugged body

Lens Suggestions for Lumix S1

1. Panasonic Lumix S PRO 24-70mm F/2.8 L-Mount Lens

2. Panasonic 24-105mm f/4 LUMIX S O.I.S. L-Mount Lens

3. Panasonic 16-35m f/4.0 LUMIX S Pro L-Mount Lens

4. Panasonic 70-200mm f/4 LUMIX S Pro O.I.S. L-Mount Lens

Although most of the cameras above are mirrorless cameras it does not mean DSLRs have suddenly become unsuitable for professional photography. Cameras like the Nikon D850 and Canon 5D IV are still very good options for a good professional workflow. in fact great deals can be found on these DSLRs in both new and used condition.