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Updated: March 13, 2024
It’s not so long ago that $2000 would buy you the lowliest, entry-level full-frame camera. Now, for around the same money, you get a choice of high spec cameras that shoot excellent stills and video, and include autofocus systems approaching the performance of professional sports cameras.
Choosing a camera also means committing to a lens mount, and the wider system that goes with it, so we advise checking whether the lenses you want to use are available at a price you’re willing to pay. Not all camera makers allow other lens makers to produce lenses for thier mount, for instance, which can limit choice.
It’s worth noting that the latest lens designs for mirrorless cameras regularly out-perform their older DSLR counterparts. If you have any lenses already, it’s worth considering whether they’re good enough that you need to stick with a camera to which they can be adapted. You might get better results by selling-up and buying modern equivalents of your most-used lenses.
Several cameras have arrived in this price bracket fairly recently, and we’ve not yet completed our full reviews. We’ve only recommended cameras we’ve used extensively enough to be confident you’ll be happy with them.
Our recommendations:
Best camera around $2000: Canon EOS R6 II
24MP Dual Pixel AF CMOS sensor | 40fps burst shooting | 4K/60 from 6K capture
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| Photo: Dale Baskin |
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What we like:
- Simple, powerful AF for stills
- Fast 40fps shooting with continuous AF
- Excellent battery life
What we don’t:
- AF less reliable in video mode
- SD cards limit burst duration
- E-shutter can distort fast-moving subject
The EOS R6 Mark II is Canon’s second-generation full-frame enthusiast mirrorless camera, and is based around a stabilized 24MP Dual Pixel CMOS sensor.
Read our full review of the Canon EOS R6 II
See the Canon EOS R6 II studio scene
Best camera under $2000: Nikon Zf
24MP full-frame BSI CMOS sensor | Full-width 4K/30 video, cropped 4K/60 | Stabilization rated to 8EV
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| Photo: Richard Butler |
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What we like:
- Distinctive design with direct controls
- Effective subject recognition
- Strong stills and video features
What we don’t:
- Weight and minimal grip can become uncomfortable
- Slow MicroSD second slot
- Few custom buttons
The Nikon Zf is a retro-styled camera built around an image-stabilized 24MP full-frame BSI CMOS sensor.
Read our initial review of the Nikon Zf
The compact option: Sony a7C II
33MP BSI CMOS sensor | 4K/60p video with 10-bit color | Dedicated ‘AI’ processor for AF system
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| Photo: Richard Butler |
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What we like:
- Big camera features in a small body
- Outstanding AF performance
- Auto Framing video mode
What we don’t:
- No joystick control
- No fully mechanical shutter
The Sony a7C II is a compact, full-frame mirrorless camera with a 33MP BSI CMOS sensor.
The a7C II’s viewfinder is a little small and rather low resolution for this price, but it’s part of what helps the camera stay so compact. Modern full-frame lenses are often so large as to make the difference in camera size fairly trivial but Sony’s E-mount has the widest range of lenses available, so there are some relatively compact options.
Read our full review of the Sony a7C II
Should I buy the Sony a7 IV, a7 III or a7C?
The Sony a7 IV is, in several ways, a better camera than the a7C II. It has a much nicer viewfinder and slightly better ergonomics. It also has a full mechanical shutter, which means there’s no risk of the slight image glitches that can occur if you shoot images at very high shutter speeds with wide apertures. But it’s also larger, heavier and offers less effective image stabilization than the newer, generally less expensive model. If compactness doesn’t matter to you then it might be worth your while to pay a little extra for the a7 IV’s larger, higher-resolution viewfinder, but only if the price difference is small.
It’s a similar story with the a7 III and a7C. These are from an older generation of products with less sophisticated autofocus, video and image stabilization. They also use an older, more awkward-to-navigate menu system which we’d happily pay to avoid ever having to use again. The a7C lacks the version II’s front control dial and features an even smaller viewfinder, so we’d be inclined to save up for one of the newer models.
What about other sensor sizes?
There are a couple of high-end APS-C cameras that fall in the realm of our ‘around $2000’ guide, and they’re certainly worth a look. The smaller APS-C sensor format generally gives the Canon EOS R7 and Fujifilm X-T5 an image quality disadvantage, compared with the full-frame models in this guide, but also means they can give smaller lens/camera combinations. They’re also markedly less expensive than the other cameras we’d recommend.
In the case of the Fujifilm X-T5, you gain access to a wide range of lenses that includes some well-priced options and a healthy selection of prime lenses, that can be fun to shoot with. Fujifilm’s X-T series significantly pre-dates Nikon’s Zf and Z fc throwback models and arguably has a more refined shooting experience. Its autofocus isn’t up with the best cameras in this guide, nor is its video output, but it’s a camera we really like, if a compact kit and prime lenses appeal to you.
Also worth mentioning is the OM System OM-1 II, released in early 2024, holding the torch as a flagship for Micro Four Thirds. At a price of $2,400, it’s quite a bit more than $2,000 and really only makes sense for adventurers who demand high speed from the most compact possible kit.
Best for video and stills: Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II
24MP BSI CMOS sensor | 6K/30p 10-bit video | 96MP high-resolution mode
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| Photo: Richard Butler |
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What we like:
- Great ergonomics
- Effective subject recognition
- Fan gives long video record periods
What we don’t:
- Subject tracking could be stickier
- E-shutter not as fast as rivals
- Middling battery life
The Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 II is an enthusiast-level camera with impressive feature sets for both stills and video, It’s built around a 24MP CMOS sensor and uses the L-mount shared with Leica and Sigma.
The S5 II can’t quite keep up with the latest Sony and Canon bodies for AF reliability, but it’s pretty close, and its video feature list is particularly strong. Features such as waveforms and a built-in fan for recording dependability make it the strongest option in its class if you plan to shoot both stills and video.
There’s also an S5 IIX model which can record video directly to an external SSD, allowing higher quality capture in All-I and ProRes codecs. It’s a better choice if you’re serious about video.
Read our initial review of the Panasonic DC-S5 II
What’s best for video?
If you’re only interested in video, Sony’s FX30 might be a better choice than the S5 II or S5 IIX. The Panasonics offer full-frame 4K up to 30p, which give a potential image quality benefit over the APS-C FX30, but the Sony will exhibit less rolling shutter distortion. The FX30 also has the benefit that its 60p footage isn’t cropped-in, compared with its 24 and 30p capture, meaning you won’t have to zoom or swap lenses if you change frame rates. It applies a heavy crop for its 4K/120p mode, but that’s something the Panasonics can’t offer at all.
The S5 II also offers a waveform display and control in terms of shutter angle, which the Sony lacks, but the Sony’s gimbal or rig-friendly design and superior autofocus make it the better choice if video is your primary focus.
Best for vlogging
Full-width 4K/60p, 120p with minor crop | Auto cropping/framing modes | Subject recognition AF
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| Photo: Richard Butler |
Buy now:
What we like:
- 4K footage up to 120p
- Auto-cropped modes aid one-person operation
- Effective autofocus
What we don’t:
- Recording times can be short in warm conditions
- 12MP resolution not optimal for stills
- Cropped footage is upscaled to 4K
The Sony ZV-E1 is a full-frame E-mount mirrorless camera aimed at vloggers and ambitious content creators.
The ZV-E1 is a specialist tool designed for vlogging. It shares many of its capabilities with the more expensive FX3 and a7S III but adds a series of modes that automatically frame and follow a presenter around the scene, if you’re trying to shoot video single-handed. The lack of fan and single card slot significantly dent its recording endurance, so it’s unlikely to work as a cheaper alternative to the FX3 for serious video work.
Read our initial review of the Sony ZV-E1
A fixed-lens option: Fujifilm X100VI
40MP BSI CMOS APS-C X-Trans sensor | 35mm equiv F2 lens | Hybrid viewfinder
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The Fujifilm X100VI is a refinement of everything that made the X100V great, but it’s still difficult to buy. Photo: Richard Butler |
Buy now:
What we like:
- Excellent build quality
- Subject-detection autofocus
- Now with in-body image stabilization
What we don’t:
- Lens not especially fast to focus
- Hard to find in stock
While the rest of our selections from this guide have interchangeable lenses, a feature you might demand at this price point, the incredibly hyped-up Fujifilm X100VI also sits just under the $2,000 price range at a (new, higher-than-its-predecessor) price of $1,600 and is worth considering.
A fixed-lens camera with a 35mm equivalent F2 lens, the X100VI is in active production following its 2024 launch, and so should be somewhat easier to buy than its constantly out-of-stock forebear. The reality, at the moment, is that it’s also quite hard to find.
Updated with in-body image stabilization rated at up to 6EV of correction and a 40MP BSI CMOS APS-C X-Trans sensor, the X100VI is a significant upgrade over its predecessor despite looking virtually identical. And those improvements in part explain the X100VI’s $200 increase in list price to $1,600.
The addition of subject-detection autofocus has given the X100VI the ability to recognize animals, birds, automobiles, motorcycles and bikes, airplanes, and trains though human (face/eye) detection is a separate mode. However, the lens the X100VI shares with the X100V is not the fastest to autofocus, prioritizing sharpness over speed.
If you’re looking to make an investment in a camera with a ton of versatility, the X100VI can’t quite go toe-to-toe with cameras that support dozens or hundreds of lenses. But for the price point, it’s the best at what it does.
Read our Fujifilm X100VI review
Why you should trust us
This buying guide is based on cameras used and tested by DPReview’s editorial team. We don’t select a camera until we’ve used it enough to be confident in recommending it, usually after our extensive review process. The selections are purely a reflection of which cameras we believe to be best: there are no financial incentives for us to select one model or brand over another.
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This article comes from DP Review and can be read on the original site.
