‘Best’? Probably Sony. But all the manufacturers have a mirrorless with good, usable AF now, including Nikon. The Z8 is pretty fantastic More on reddit.com

Speed and number of points are a factor in hit rate. But so are lighting conditions, contrast, direction and speed of movement. Most reviewers only do limited and frequently not practical AF tests. It depends a lot on what you shoot and how you shoot. I was shooting a bird today on my D500. It was a tight shot on a close subject. I didn’t have much DOF. For the best pose, I missed the focus. The AF point I was using was in the wrong place when it twitched. AF hit rates have too many variables with the biggest one being the photographer. But if you watch all of the reviews and try to come up with a winner with the latest high end cameras, Canon is slightly better than Sony which is a bit better than Nikon. This is not true up and down the camera lineups and if likely won’t be true in 6 months. The one truth is that every brand will have misses and where it’s the camera’s fault, they are all “good enough” for most situations. More on reddit.com

I am a total beginner who got my first mirrorless camera back in January so I’m commenting from that perspective.

Not sure if you’ve completely decided on full frame, but if you’re an amateur only looking to use the camera for fun, to learn photography, for family, for vacations, etc, I would recommend an APS-C. Unless you’re a professional and/or you’re planning on making big prints, then I think full frame is overkill. I don’t think you’ll even be able to notice or appreciate the “extra” quality that it offers. Everything you take on an ASP-C will look great (assuming you’re taking good pictures with a good lens haha) and won’t be lacking in any sort of meaningful quality that you’d notice.

IF you decide on an APS-C mirrorless camera, than I would highly recommend looking into Fujifilm. You seem to always hear Cannon, Sony, and Nikon cause those are the big names but when I was shopping around all of the people who worked at the camera stores kept saying they owned and used Fujifilm mostly. That’s when I started doing more research into Fuji. They are 100% dedicated to their ASP-C cameras (they don’t even sell full frame cameras) so they’ve put all their money and energy into making pretty darn good, top notch sensors. Their lenses are fantastic and produce beautiful images. There’s a huge variety of lenses within the Fuji system and then some other brands that sell compatible lenses for a bit cheaper. All of their cameras come with pre-set film simulations which is like an algorithm of settings that produce different colorings/styles that are meant to emulate original film types. I think this would particularly interest you since you’re coming from using a film camera. It’s REALLY fun having all the options and makes photography even more creative than it already is.

If I’ve sold you on Fujifilm, great!! Now it would be time for an actual camera recommendation haha. So basically all of the Fujifilm cameras have separate dials for the exposure settings (iso, shutter speed, and aperture), with the exception of one camera. People tend to like this for ease of learning the exposure triangle as well as the classic/nostalgic feel of all the knobs and dials. The “odd one out” in the Fuji lineup is the X-s10. This has a traditional PASM dial (program, auto, shutter, and manual) like the rest of the cameras that Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Panasonic make. It also has a deeper grip, making it more comfortable to hold and gives it that sort of classic “real camera” look to it (in my opinion).

I personally went with the X-s10 (over some of the other Fuji cameras) along with the 16-80mm f/4 lens for the following reasons:

• I wanted the PASM dial in case I ever wanted to switch brands. Didn’t want to not know how to use that type of dial.

• It was very comfortable to hold in my hand compared to the other Fuji cameras which have shallow or no grip.

• camera/lens pairing wasn’t too heavy and felt like a good comfortable weight

• it was the price I wanted ($1500 for camera body and lens as a bundle - although keep in mind the lens is more expensive if bought separately)

• I found the 16-80mm to be incredibly versatile, allowing me to explore different types and styles of photography all with one lens. Not the absolute best in low light, but can still make it do some realllly nice stuff

• I was sad anytime I wasn’t looking at the X-s10 (gut feelings go a long way haha)

Keep in mind that which lens you get is probably a more important decision than what camera body you get. A good lens will make or break how your photos come out

Every camera will have its down fall. The battery life is terrible on mirrorless cameras, X-s10 is no exception. You have to decide what features are important to you and which you can let go.

My biggest piece of advice (if you’re still reading this far down haha) is to go into a store and pick up a bunch of different cameras. Ergonomics are the most important factor because if it’s not comfortable to hold, you’re not going to want to use it as much. If you love how it feels in your hand and how it handles, then it will encourage you to want to use it more and more.

Hope some of my insight can help you in your decision. Whatever direction you go, you’re going to absolutely love it and have so much fun!

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Posts like this are like chefs asking "which kitchenware brand has the best and most affordable knives?" The problem is they've not said what they want the knives for or how much they're willing to spend. It's no good recommending a £1000 meat cleaver if they have £50 budget to peel fruit. I own both Fujifilm X (for play) and SONY full frame (for work) and so could say a lot for each of your observations but it would help if you could give us more information to go on... Can you tell us what (mostly) kind of subjects you like to shoot, where (mostly) the camera will be used, and what (mostly) time of day you will use it? Also we have no idea what "affordable" means to you; what's your budget? You talk about R5/R6 (£2500+) yet then say A7iii is too expensive when it's perhaps the most affordable and capable FF body on the used market (~£1300). Do you have the means to physically handle some of these options in a shop to see how they feel and operate in your hand? No amount of reading and research will satisfy this. More on reddit.com