As a professional photographer I've shot everything from editorial photo stories to product photography and landscape, travel and street photography in my personal work. In that time, I've learned there are three types of camera that all photographers need to have in their collection. And I'm not talking about brands, like a Sony or a Canon, or even sensor types, like a full frame or APS C. I mean a deeper level of camera selection -- the types of camera that offer fundamentally different ways of approaching your photography and allow you to create your best work, no matter what genre you like to dabble in.
And while these types could be three physically different cameras, they could also be represented in two cameras, or even just the one. I'll explain, so let's dive in with camera type number one.
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The workhorse
This is the camera that gets stuff done. It's likely packed with modern camera technology. It's fast to use, shoots at high speed, has lightning-fast autofocus, possibly image stabilization, and almost certainly uses interchangeable lenses. It may well be full frame. It's the camera that pros the world over use for all kinds of photo shoots -- just like I have -- from weddings to cars to products to pets ... whatever. It's a jack-of-all-trades camera that you can trust will do anything you need it to any time you need it to do it.
I've used my Canon R5 on numerous professional shoots for photos and videos. It's a high-performance all-rounder. Andrew Lanxon/CNET
For me right now, that's the Canon R5. Fast, high resolution. Tons of features. A flippy screen. And it shoots awesome video. Endless lens and accessory options. It's the camera I trust for most of my professional work because I know it can deliver and I know I can deliver when I'm using it. Previously it's been the Canon 5DIV and before that it was the Canon 6D. For you, it might be the Sony A7RV, the Nikon Z8 or the Panasonic Lumix S5II.
It might not be the latest model around, but whether it was launched in 2025 or 2005 it'll tick all the boxes you need for a busy day of photography whether you're a professional or an enthusiastic amateur. The workhorse is a camera that'll do everything and it'll do it well. But it's likely also quite big and probably quite expensive. While it's great that there are so many lenses to choose from, maybe sometimes you don't want the burden of choice. So that's when you need...
A compact, fixed-lens camera like Fujifilm's X100VI is great to have with you, always ready to shoot. John Kim/ CNET
The everyday carry
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