Awards
Cameras
BEST ENTHUSIAST MICRO FOUR THIRDS CAMERA WINNER Panasonic Lumix DC-G9
BEST ENTHUSIAST APS-C MIRRORLESS CAMERA WINNER Fujifilm X-E4
BEST DSLR CAMERA WINNER Nikon D850
BEST TOP-END FULL-FRAME MIRRORLESS CAMERA WINNER Nikon Z 9
The X-E4 may be Fujifilm’s smallest X Mount camera, but it’s big when it comes to performance – and a deserving winner of this competitive category. It’s a rangefinder-styled machine based around a 26-megapixel Fujifilm X-Trans CMOS sensor which is optical low-pass filter-free to enable the finest details of scene to be recorded – and it’s brilliant with video as well as stills. In video, it can record DCI 4K/30p video at 8-bit internally and in 10-bit through HDMI. In stills, it can race through shots at 20fps with the electronic shutter. Small is beautiful as far as the award-winning X-E4 is concerned.
Most camera brands are focusing their creative energies on the mirrorless kit rather than DSLRs, but this camera type is already fully developed. There’s no model that illustrates this better than Nikon’s hugely respected D850. It won this award last year, so it was no surprise that once again it hit the jackpot. With its full-frame 45.4-megapixel sensor, 7fps continuous shooting and great handling, the D850 remains a massive player in Nikon’s portfolio.
The pressure was on the Z 9 to deliver – well, it did. Recent firmware updates have honed its AF skills even further. Hybrid phase/contrast detection gives superfast, responsive performance. An advanced algorithm can tell between cats, dogs and birds, as well as planes, trains and motorbikes. This deep-bodied, 45.7-megapixel machine is notable on many fronts. It’s electronic shutter only, shoots Raws at 20fps, full-size JPEGs at 30fps and cropped JPEGs at 120fps. Among PN readers at least, the brand is back with a vengeance. Congratulations, Nikon.
The Lumix DC-G9 sits at the top of Panasonic’s Micro Four Thirds. As you’d expect from a flagship, it’s a high-performing stills and video camera with speed a key selling point. With mechanical shutter, it can blaze away at 9fps with AF tracking using DFD tech for over 600 frames. Switching to the electronic shutter ups the shooting speed to 20fps with AF tracking, which the DC-G9 can maintain for 50 shots. If ultimate stills are your aim, the DC-G9 delivers 80-megapixel shots with its high-resolution mode. Add weather-resistant sealing, 6.5EV image stabiliser, dual SD card slots and video features, there’s no doubt the DC-G9 is a worthy winner.
ALSO NOMINATED: Canon EOS R10 Fujifilm X-S10
ALSO NOMINATED:
Canon EOS-1D X Mark III Nikon D6 Nikon D780
ALSO NOMINATED: Canon EOS R3 Canon EOS R5 Leica M10-R Leica M11 Nikon Z 7II
Nikon Z fc Nikon Z 50
Pentax K-1 Mark II Pentax K-3 Mark III
ALSO NOMINATED: Olympus PEN E-P7
BEST TOP-END APS-C MIRRORLESS CAMERA WINNER Canon EOS R7
BEST ENTHUSIAST FULL-FRAME MIRRORLESS CAMERA WINNER Sony A7R III
Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III Panasonic Lumix DC-G100
Panasonic Lumix DC-S1R Sony A7R Mark IV Sony A1 Sony A7 IV
BEST TOP-END MICRO FOUR THIRDS CAMERA WINNER OM System OM-1
BEST BRIDGE/COMPACT CAMERA WINNER Leica Q2
Canon introduced its first two APS-C format cameras with the RF mount in 2022, the EOS R10 and EOS R7, both competitively priced and feature-rich. Of the two, the EOS R7 captured the imagination. With the benefit of the 1.6x crop factor, it had nature photographers clamouring for the camera to reach the shops. The EOS R7’s 32.5 megapixels is a key attraction, but there’s plenty more such as continuous shooting at 30fps with the electronic shutter, 7EV IBIS and an AF system with deep-learning AI and subject recognition cascaded down from the EOS R3. With such impressive features, you might expect the EOS R7 to be weighed down with a hefty price tag, but the reasonable cost has obviously enhanced its appeal.
Sony’s series of high-resolution, full-frame R cameras have gained many fans. While the A7R III is getting on in digital camera terms, it remains a great machine with an impressive skill set. Resolution from the Exmor R CMOS sensor is a very useful 42.4 megapixels and, partnered with the Bionz X image processor, superb imaging performance is assured with low levels of digital noise and the ability to deal with up to 15EV dynamic range. Despite such high resolution, this camera can shoot continuously at 10fps, and you get that with AE/AF tracking, too. The A7R III is a capable, versatile machine and thoroughly deserves its success.
Leica, the premium brand recognised by its red dot, has emerged the winner here with its stunning Q2. The brand has been quietly expanding its portfolio merging innovation with performance and elegance – and the outcome is a formidable product line-up that will appeal to photographers of all levels. Superbly engineered and dust- and splash-proof, this 47.3-megapixel camera is fronted by the fixed 28mm f/1.7 Summilux, pin-sharp across its aperture range. With its high-res OLED viewfinder, sensitive touchscreen and Leica aesthetics, the Q2 is a marvel.
The OM-1 is the first unit from OM Digital Solutions, which bought Olympus, and the last with its branding. Whatever its pedigree, there is no denying the OM-1 is probably the best Micro Four Thirds camera we’ve seen to date. Its rugged, yet compact body is home to state-of-the-art AF, an 8EV image stabiliser and stacked, back-side illuminated 20.4-megapixel sensor. Such speed gives the ability to shoot Raws at 50fps with focus tracking and 120fps with single shot AF. If you need higher-resolution files, handheld HR mode gives 50-megapixel files. Make no mistake, the OM-1 is a landmark camera pushing the format to new heights.
ALSO NOMINATED: Canon EOS R6 Leica SL2-S Nikon Z 5 Nikon Z 6II
ALSO NOMINATED: Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III Fujifilm X100V Nikon Coolpix P950 Panasonic Lumix FZ1000 II Ricoh GR IIIx Sony RX100 VII Sony ZV-1
ALSO NOMINATED: Fujifilm X-H2 Fujifilm X-H2S Fujifilm X-T4 Leica CL Sony A6600
ALSO NOMINATED:
Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 Sigma fp L
Olympus OM-D E-M1X Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II Panasonic Lumix DC-GH6
Sony A7C Zeiss ZX1
Issue 104 | Photography News 23
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