Every year, there are a few excellent new cameras that seem to fly a bit under the radar. Whether they were released late in the year in the midst of the holiday rush or were overshadowed by pricier models with more bells and whistles and, consequently, more hype, these lower key but still worthy cameras get overlooked year after year. That’s unfortunate because if you can look past the glowing headlines about the Canon EOS R5, Sony a7S III and other glitzy product releases in 2020, there were a number of highly functional and fully featured new cameras that will cost you much less. In this guide, we have chosen our five favorite most underrated cameras for 2021, all of which we would recommend to any advanced amateur photographer, photo enthusiast, or aspiring pro. Read our picks and see if there’s something that suits your shooting needs for the new year. It’s very possible you missed these solid but less “sexy” cameras the first time around!
Fujifilm X-S10
The Fujifilm X-S10 is the “little brother” to the Fujifilm X-T4, which was one of the best reviewed cameras of 2020 and my personal favorite mirrorless model of the past year. With the smaller but sturdy X-S10, you get a lot of what makes the X-T4 so special but for quite a bit less money. Like the XT-4, the X-S10 features five-axis In-Body Image Stabilization (IBIS), which is a huge plus for keeping your shots steady, particularly in low light. The Fujifilm X-S10 has the same chipset as the XT-4: the tried-and-true 26.1-megapixel, X-Trans CMOS 4 (APS-C) sensor and X-Processor 4 engine. Other shared features include Fujifilm’s fast and accurate 425-point hybrid AF system with 100% on-sensor phase detection and the ability to shoot 4K video. However, the X-S10 can only capture 4K at up to 30p, where the X-T4 can shoot at up to 60p. The other main difference is the X-S10 records bursts of images at up to 8 frames per second with its mechanical shutter while the X-T4 goes to 15 fps. But if you add in the X-S10’s durable but svelte magnesium alloy body; vari-angle 3-inch LCD screen which can be flipped forward by 180 degrees; fun film simulation modes (18 in all!) and appealing new graphic interface, this is a camera that’s definitely worth a second look.
