It's the last day of Amazon's October Prime Day event, and the good news is, there's still plenty of deals on camera and drone equipment. Now is a great time to shop for holiday gifts for that photographer on your gift list, or pull the trigger on a camera or accessory you've been lusting after. 

There are some particularly good offers this year from many of the major brands including Sony, Canon, DJI, GoPro and Fujifilm. And many are pulled from our guide to the best cameras for 2024. You may want to peruse that post for more info as you add items to your cart. Here are the best Prime Day camera deals we could find.

Prime Day camera deals: Engadget's top picks

GoPro Hero 12 Black for $299 ($50 off)
Canon EOS R100 with 18-45mm lens for $364 at Walmart ($216 off)
DJI Osmo Mobile SE gimbal for $69 ($20 off)
Sony ZV-1F compact vlogging camera for $398 ($102 off)
Sony ZV-E10 mirrorless vlog camera w/16-50mm lens for $698 ($102 off)
Panasonic G95 mirrorless camera w/12-60mm lens for $650 ($350 off)
Nikon Z8 full-frame mirrorless camera body for $3,497 ($503 off)
OM System OM-5 with 12-45mm f/4 lens for $1,300 ($300 off)

Prime Day compact and action camera deals

• GoPro Hero 12 Black for $299 ($50 off): GoPro's Hero 12 isn't the company's latest action camera, but it offers a big improvement over the previous model and offers features like 5.3K 10-bit video at 60fps, industry-leading stability and native vertical video.

• DJI Action 3 Outdoor Combo for $199 ($90 off): The Action 3 is a solid option to GoPro's Hero lineup, with features like a magnetic quick-release mount, dual screens and 4K 120p resolution.

• Sony ZV-1F compact vlogging camera for $398 ($102 off): Sony's famous creator compact camera is a big step-up over a smartphone thanks to the 1-inch sensor and high-quality optics. It also offers vlogging features like a flip-out screen, one-touch bokeh and background defocus. 

Prime Day mirrorless camera deals

• Canon EOS R100 with 18-45mm lens for $364 at Walmart ($235 off): Canon's EOS R100 is the only modern mirrorless camera you can get with a kit lens for under $500. It comes with a 24-megagpixel APS-C sensor that delivers great picture quality with Canon's pleasing skin tones. 

• Panasonic G95 mirrorless camera w/12-60mm lens for $650 ($350 off): The G95 came out in 2019 but it was years ahead of its time with video-friendly features like a flip-out display, 5-axis in-body stabilization and 4K 30p video, all in a lightweight 1.2-pound body.

• Sony ZV-E10 mirrorless vlog camera w/16-50mm lens for $698 ($102 off): With the ZV-E10 II arriving earlier this year, you can pick up the original with a lens for a song. It offers sharp 4K video at up to 30 fps and vlogging features like product showcase and background defocus.

• Canon EOS R7 mirrorless camera body for $1,274 ($225 off): The R7 offers very fast shooting speeds up to 30 fps using the electronic shutter, high-resolution images that complement skin tones, excellent autofocus and sharp 4K video.

• OM System OM-5 with 12-45mm f/4 lens for $1,300 ($300 off): For those who need a compact camera that can function as a tourist, wildlife or even sports camera for both video or stills, the OM-5 fits the bill.

• Panasonic G9 II mirrorless camera body for $1,698 ($202 off): This is Panasonic's first Micro Four Thirds camera with phase-detect autofocus and is now the company’s best vlogging camera in that sensor category for the price.

• Panasonic S5 II mirrorless camera body for $1,800 ($200 off): The S5 II was Panasonic's first full-frame mirrorless camera with phase-detect autofocus. It also offers solid vlogging features like 5-axis stabilization, 10-bit log capture up to 6K and more.

• Canon EOS R6 Mark II for $1,999 ($500 off): The 24-megapixel EOS R6 Mark II is an awesome hybrid camera with fast 40fps shooting speeds and 4K 60p video.

• OM System OM-1 Mark II mirrorless camera body for $2,000 ($400 off): The OM-1 Mark II only came out this year, so $400 off is an outstanding deal. It offers shooting speeds up to 50fps, 4K 60p video, 8.5 stop in-body stabilization and more.

• Sony A7 IV body for $2,298 ($102 off): Though it was released over two years ago, the 33-megapixel Sony A7 IV still has one of the best combinations of image quality, performance and video powers.

• Canon EOS R5 body for $2,999 ($900 off): Canon's R5 is near an all-time low price, giving you 8K video and 20fps shooting speeds at a substantial savings over the original.  

• Nikon Z8 full-frame mirrorless camera body for $3,497 ($503 off): I said that the Nikon Z8 was a phenomenal camera for the price at $4,000 so at this price it's nearly a no-brainer. With a stacked 45-megapixel sensor it can shoot RAW photos at 20fps and capture 8K RAW video.

• Sony A7R V full-frame mirrorless camera body for $3,498 ($402 off): With a 61-megapixel sensor, the A7R V shoots sharp and beautiful images at a very respectable speed, while offering up to 8K 10-bit video.

Drones and gimbals

• DJI Osmo Mobile SE gimbal for $69 ($20 off): This gimbal keeps your smartphone video as smooth as can be with DJI's ActiveTrack 6.0, and includes a magnetic snapping mechanism so you can install your mobile device in seconds.

• DJI Avata for $499 ($130 off): DJI's original first-person cinewhoop-style drone offers 4K 60p stabilized video and a built-in propeller guard so it's safe around people. 

• DJI Air 3 Combo (RC 2) for $1,239 ($310 off): While its cameras aren't pro level, the DJI Air 3 offers the Mavic 3 Pro's bells and whistles for half the price. Top features include obstacle detection all around, focus tracking, 4K 120p video and more. 

Camera accessories

• K&F Concept camera sling bag for $32 ($6 off): If you need to travel light this bag can carry a surprising amount of gear while offering excellent protection and features like a side safety buckle. 

• Amazon Basics 60-inch lightweight tripod with bag for $18 ($8 off): This lightweight tripod weighs just 2.7 pounds and has adjustable leg heights and rubber feet. Though small, it can handle any camera and lens combo weighing up to 6.6 pounds.

• Lexar Silver Pro SDXC UHS-II 128GB (2 pack) memory card for $60 ($12 off): This V60 card has enough speed for 4K 60p video capture and can unload files to your computer and a stellar 280 MB/s. 

• SanDisk 256GB Ultra microSDXC memory card for $21 ($5 off): A good compromise between speed and value, it offers speeds up to 150 MB/s for drones, consoles and other devices. 

Expired Prime Day deals

• Fujifilm GFX50S body for $2,999 ($1,000 off)

• Fujifilm GFX50S body for $2,999 ($1,000 off): Though over seven years old, Fujifilm's GFX50S is the cheapest way to get a medium-format camera, especially with this sale. For less than half the original price, you get a lightweight large sensor camera with 50.1-megapixels of resolution.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice, and stay tuned to Engadget.com for all of the best tech deals coming out of October Prime Day 2024.

Fujifilm’s original GFX100S was a popular alternative to the GFX100, as it offered the same picture quality in a slimmer body at a much lower price. It did have some flaws, though, most notably its autofocus that didn’t always keep up with the subject. In a similar vein, the company recently released the $5,000 GFX100S II as a smaller and cheaper alternative to the $7,500 flagship GFX100 II. It looks much the same as before, but has an updated sensor, processor, autofocus and more.

Both cameras are clearly aimed at pros, but is the GFX100 II worth the extra $2,500, or is the S model fine for most? 

Body

At 1.9 pounds, the GFX100S II weighs an ounce less than its predecessor and its body's design and controls are nearly the same. As before, it comes with a mode dial and focus selector switch, dual control dials, drive select buttons and a quick menu. On top is a small, always-on display that shows settings, simulated mode dials and a histogram. That way, you can see all your key settings when shooting at hip level.

It feels a lot more like a mirrorless than a classic medium format camera. It handles well, but after spending time with both models, I prefer the GFX100 II’s larger body and extra controls, even though it's five ounces heavier.

Steve Dent for Engadget

The rear 3.2-inch, 2.36-million-dot-display is unchanged, tilting up, down and to the right, but it doesn't flip out. However, Fujifilm boosted the viewfinder’s resolution to 5.76 million dots, so it’s noticeably sharper than the last model’s 3.69-million-dot EVF.

The GFX100S II includes dual SD UHS-II card slots but lacks a high-speed CFexpress port like the GFX100 II. Though it uses the same battery as before, it can now shoot 540 photos on a charge, up from 530. Other features include USB-C, mic and headphone ports, along with a micro HDMI connection. A new feature is USB-SSD connectivity that allows for faster burst shooting and ProRes video capture.

Performance

Steve Dent for Engadget

The GFX100S II does shoot faster than its predecessor at up to 7 fps compared to 5 fps in mechanical shutter mode. Without a fast CFexpress card, though, you can only capture about 30 compressed RAW frames before the buffer fills. There’s also a slight image quality penalty as the camera downshifts from 16- to 14-bit RAW images when shooting bursts. Fortunately, most of the frames are likely to be sharp thanks to some big autofocus improvements. Even with the faster burst speeds, I noticed a large boost in the percentage of sharp photos when shooting quick moving subjects.

The AF improvements don’t end there. AI face and eye tracking is smarter and more accurate, meaning your subject's eye and not their eyelash is more likely to be in focus — something that’s critical with 100 megapixels of resolution. Fujifilm also introduced new subject tracking modes for animals, birds, automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles, airplanes and trains.

In-body stabilization also gets an upgrade, with eight stops in shake reduction compared to six before. That allows you to capture dimly lit scenes or blur movement at shutter speeds as low as a half second, without the need for a tripod. As with the previous model, rolling shutter distortion is a real problem with this camera in electronic mode, so neither you nor your subject can move much when using it. Otherwise, you’ll get some nasty skewing that will ruin your photo.

Image quality

For pro photographers who can afford it, the GFX100S II offers unmatched image quality. The 100-megapixel sensor delivers pin-sharp photos and 16-bit RAW pixel depth that delivers 14 stops of dynamic range, beating most other mirrorless cameras. That means you can shoot in very dark, bright or contrasty conditions and retain detail in all parts of the photo.

Fujifilm’s color science is ideal for portrait work, with accurate and pleasing skin tones. The level of detail means prints can be blown up to very large sizes, nearly 40 x 30 inches at 300 pixels per inch (PPI). The resolution and precision color rendering also makes it ideal for landscape photography, art archival work and more.

The outstanding RAW quality lets photographers perform detailed post-production work without hurting image quality, even on shots not exposed correctly. In low-light, you’ll start to see a fair amount of noise above ISO 8000 or so. However, a lot of that grain disappears when you shrink those 100-megapixel images down to a more reasonable size.

Nathanael Charpentier for Engadget

At the same time, JPEG images are outstanding straight out of the camera. Like other Fuji models, the GFX100S II comes with an array of film simulations, from the new Reala Ace to Velvia, Acros and others. Most pro photographers like to tweak their images, but many may shoot both RAW and JPEG with film simulations so they can show their clients something right away and make detailed adjustments later on.

Video

Unlike the more expensive GFX100 II, video is a weak point with this camera. Resolution is limited to 4K 10-bit, and while there’s no cropping, there’s considerable pixel binning that reduces sharpness. You can capture 10-bit 4:2:2 ProRes video at up to 30fps, though that entails hooking up an SSD drive. There aren’t really any slo-mo modes, as both 4K and 1080p recording are limited to 60fps.

While video lacks the sharpness seen on other mirrorless cameras like the Sony A1, color rendering is excellent. You can also improve dynamic range by shooting in Fujifilm’s FLog or FLog2 modes and applying a LUT later on in post.

Rolling shutter in video mode is reduced compared to photos because of the pixel binning, but you still need to be careful not to move the camera too much to avoid excessive wobble and skewing. The in-body stabilization is only effective for handheld shooting without much movement. If you try to walk while vlogging, you’ll see some severe jolts. All told, I’d say the Fujifilm GFX100S II is mostly a photo camera, with video available for emergency use only.

Wrap-up

Steve Dent for Engadget

The $5,000 Fujifilm GFX100S II gives professionals outstanding picture quality at a significantly reduced price over the $7,500 flagship GFX100 II. It even goes beyond what buyers might expect by offering fairly quick burst shooting with autofocus that’s much more reliable than on the original GFX100S. Video isn’t a strong point, but that won’t be important for its target market.

The GFX100S II is also the cheapest camera in the mainstream medium format space, with its primary competition being either the GFX100 II or Hasselblad’s $8,200 X2D100C. I’d highly recommend it for portraits and other types of shooting where detail is key. However, burst speeds and autofocus still aren’t quite good enough in fast moving scenarios.

Those who need more speed and reliability for things like weddings or live events would be better off with high-resolution full-frame models like the $3,700 Nikon Z8, $6,500 Sony A1 or Canon’s new $4,300 EOS R5 II.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/fujifilm-gfx100s-ii-review-outstanding-performance-at-a-reduced-price-153020497.html?src=rss