Cameras by autofocus

Autofocus over time

Each dot is a camera. Older and slower sit lower-left, newer and faster climb to the upper-right. Click a dot to open that camera.

How the height works: it's a rough capability score, not a measured benchmark. Each camera starts from its AF type and rises with release year, since newer processors and subject detection sharpen every system. Phase-detect DSLRs lock fast but sit below modern mirrorless because they don't track subjects across the frame. Contrast and Depth-from-Defocus stay near the floor. The chart shows milestone bodies plus every tracked camera released after 2020. Smartphones are left out.

Dedicated phase modules (DSLRs, Pentax) and on-sensor phase like Canon Dual Pixel. Reads focus direction in one step, so it locks fast and tracks well.

On-sensor phase working with contrast. Sony Fast Hybrid, Nikon Z, Fujifilm X-Trans, OM Dual FAST. The default for most current mirrorless.

Panasonic's contrast variant. It uses lens profiles to estimate distance, which sped contrast AF up but still hunts in video. Panasonic has since moved most bodies to phase.

Contrast-only. Accurate when it locks, slower to get there, prone to hunting. Common on older mirrorless and most fixed-lens compacts.