Photography News 96 - Newsletter

TheWinners

Lenses

Cameras continued

 BESTWIDE-ANGLE LENS

BEST DSLR CAMERA

BEST ENTHUSIAST FULL-FRAME MIRRORLESS CAMERA

BEST TOP-END FULL-FRAME MIRRORLESS CAMERA

BEST STANDARD LENS

WINNER Zeiss Otus 55mm f/1.4

The Zeiss reputation for delivering amazing lenses is well-deserved.

WINNER Nikon D850

WINNER Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG HSM Art

WINNER Canon EOS R5

SHORTLISTED • Canon RF 50mm f/1.2L USM • Fujifilm XF16-80mm f/4 R OIS WR • Irix 45mm f/1.4 Dragonfly • Olympus M.Zuiko ED 25mm f/1.2 Pro • Panasonic Lumix S 50mm f/1.8 • Panasonic Lumix Leica DG Vario- Elmarit 12-60mm f/2.8-4 Asph OIS • Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD • Tokina Opera 50mm f/1.4 FF

WINNER Panasonic Lumix S5

Mirrorless cameras might be grabbing all the headlines, but there’s still life in the DSLR market, especially if cameras of the Nikon D850’s calibre remain available. Headline features include a 45.4-megapixel resolution sensor, which is a leading performer at high ISOs, 4K/30p video, and up to 7fps continuous shooting. One big benefit of DSLR cameras that’s not always mentioned is battery longevity, and with the EN- EL18B, you’ll get over 5000 shots before recharging is required.

This is quite possibly the hardest-fought category in the PN Awards, but there had to be a winner. The Canon EOS R5 – it won in 2020, too. The quality of its 45-megapixel stills and 8K video are first class, while its AF skills can deal with the most challenging subjects. SHORTLISTED • Canon EOS R3 • Leica M10-R • Nikon Z 7II • Panasonic Lumix S1R • Sony A7R Mark IVA • Sony A1

Sigma’s Art lenses are the best of the best in the company’s range. The 14- 24mm f/2.8 DG HSM Art is certainly a superb optic, with ultra-wide coverage and fast, constant f/2.8 aperture. Even at this f/stop, sharpness is impressive across the image frame – making this a great option. SHORTLISTED • Canon RF 14-35mm f/4L IS USM • Fujifilm XF18mm f/1.4 R LM WR • Fujifilm GF30mm f/3.5 R WR • Nikon Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S • Olympus M.Zuiko Digi ED 8-25mm f/4 • Panasonic Lumix S 24mm f/1.8 • Samyang AF 12mm f/2 E • Samyang AF 24mm f/1.8 FE • Sony FE 14mm f/1.8 G Master • Tamron 11-20mm f/2.8 Di III-A RXD • Tokina atx-m 23mm f/1.4 X • Zeiss Otus 28mm f/1.4

Panasonic’s full-frame Lumix S5 is a pro- level hybrid camera using the increasingly popular L-Mount, a fitting championed by Panasonic, as well as Leica and Sigma. Its hybrid credentials are beyond question, starting with a 24.2MP sensor capable of dealing with 14EV+ dynamic range. There’s also 4K/60p video with Dual Native ISO technology for stunning footage in poor light. It even boasts an in-body image stabiliser with up to 5EV benefit.

BEST SUPERZOOM LENS

SHORTLISTED • Canon EOS 90D

BEST MEDIUM FORMAT

SHORTLISTED • Canon EOS R6 • Leica SL2-S

CAMERA

• Canon EOS-1D X Mark III • Nikon D6 • Nikon D780

WINNER Tamron 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6 Di III RXD Tamron’s wonderful 28-200mm f/2.8- 5.6 Di III RXD has an advanced optical design for good sharpness throughout its aperture and zoom range. And it’s the first superzoom to have a fast f/2.8 aperture at the 28mm setting – perfect for when travelling light is essential. SHORTLISTED • Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS USM • Fujifilm XF18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR • Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-60mm f/2.8-4 • Nikon Z 24-200mm f4-6.3 VR • Olympus M.Zuiko ED 12-200mm f/3.5-6.3 • Tamron 18-400mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC HLD

• Pentax K-1 Mark II • Pentax K-3 Mark III

• Nikon Z 5 • Nikon Z 6II • Sony A7C • Zeiss ZX1

BEST BRIDGE/ COMPACT CAMERA

WINNER Fujifilm GFX 100S

The award-winning Fujifilm GFX 100S is a landmark camera, and remarkable in so many ways. First up, its body is the size of a full-frame DSLR, so is ideal for location shooting – yet it packs a whopping 102 megapixels. SHORTLISTED • Fujifilm GFX 50S II • Hasselblad 907X 50C • Hasselblad X1D II 50C • Pentax 645Z

EDITOR’S CHOICE

EDITOR’S CHOICE

WINNER Nikon Coolpix P950

Compacts and bridge cameras offer photographers options, whether that’s pocketability or zoom lens potential. In the case of the Nikon Coolpix P950, it is definitely the latter. Its integral zoom has a beyond amazing 80x range. In 35mm format equivalent terms, the P950’s 4.3-357mm zoom gives a range from 24mm to 2000mm – in an all-in-one that’s a similar size to a DSLR. Add 16-megapixel resolution, lens-shift vibration reduction for stills and an advanced contrast detect AF, and it’s no wonder this Nikon bridge camera scooped our award. SHORTLISTED • Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III • Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II

BEST MACRO LENS

BEST CAMERA PHONE

Editor’s Choice: Irix 45mm f/1.4 GFX

Editor’s Choice: Sigma fp L

I fell in love with this lens during its PN test

Small is beautiful, and that certainly applies to the Sigma fp L. It’s the tiniest full-frame camera on the market, packing an unbelievable 61 megapixels of resolution. True, it is monitor-only and the optional EVF-11 is needed for viewfinder shooting, but I’d be very happy to have the fp L on its own, with a pancake wide-angle lens in my bag. I’d know that, wherever I go, I have this powerhouse to grab shots, with the megapixels to make the most of Crop Zoom – offering an effective 5x zoom.” Will Cheung–Editor

in 2021. I went around shooting landscapes, flowers and people at f/1.4 because I just adored that blurry, picturesque differential. That selective focusing effect looked wonderful, and while most of the time we attempt to produce maximum sharpness in a scene, the joy here was in trying to do the exact opposite. Of course, that’s not to say this lens only performs wide open. It’s actually a classy operator when stopped down, too.” Will Cheung–Editor

WINNER Voigtländer 110mm f/2.5 Macro Apo-Lanthar The Voigtländer gives 1:1 life-size magnification, and its apochromatic design ensures aberration-free images. SHORTLISTED • Canon RF 100mm f/2.8 Macro IS USM • Fujifilm XF80mm f/2.8 R LM OIS WR • Irix 150mm f/2.8 Macro 1:1 • Nikon Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S • Sigma 105mm f/2.8 DG DN Macro • Tokina FíRIN 100mm f/2.8 FE Macro

WINNER Apple iPhone 12 Pro

The powerful iPhone 12 Pro features a seven-element lens boasting a f/1.6 aperture, for improved low-light richness, dynamic range and detail. SHORTLISTED • Google Pixel 4a • Huawei P40 Pro+ • Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra • Sony Xperia 1 III

• Fujifilm X100V • Leica V-Lux 5 • Leica Q2 • Panasonic Lumix ZS80 • Panasonic Lumix FZ1000 II • Ricoh GR IIIx • Sony RX100 VII • Sony ZV-1

Issue 96 | Photography News 17

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