Photography News 104 - Newsletter

Awards

Cameras continued BEST MEDIUM FORMAT CAMERA WINNER Fujifilm GFX 100S

Lenses

 BEST WIDE-ANGLE LENS WINNER Samyang AF 14mm f/2.8

 BEST STANDARD LENS WINNER Zeiss Otus 55mm f/1.4

 BEST MACRO LENS

WINNER Sigma 105mm f/2.8 DG DN Macro

Photographers seeking ultimate image quality are spoilt for choice here. For the second year in a row, Fujifilm GFX 100S wins out. With a sensor boasting 102 megapixels, this is the star act in a classy bunch.

Leading independent lens brand Sigma nabs the award in this category. A member of Sigma’s flagship Art collection, the 105mm f/2.8 DG DN Macro packs a considerable punch. It’s not only capable of life-size magnification, but it’s also weather resistant, has a focus limiter and Sigma’s renowned HSM focus motor guarantees fast AF. As you’d expect, its no-compromise construction of 17 elements in 12 groups delivers outstanding optical performance, and it’s a deserving victor of our macro lens accolade. ALSO NOMINATED: Canon RF 24mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM Canon RF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM Fujifilm XF80mm f/2.8 R LM OIS WR Macro Irix 150mm f/2.8 Macro 1:1 Laowa 58mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO Nikon Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S Tokina FíRIN 100mm f/2.8 FE Macro

Emerging victorious from our long shortlist shows how highly this lens is regarded among PN readers.

Serial PN Awards winner, Zeiss’ fast-aperture 55mm f/1.4 standard lens is an exceptionally capable optic – and one to which many discerning photographers aspire. This apochromat belong to Zeiss’ outstanding Otus collection, so you are guaranteed stunning performance with seriously low levels of chromatic aberration, thanks to a sophisticated optical formula that includes an aspherical element and several low-dispersion lenses. It’s superb to use, with a silky smooth manual focus mechanism. There’s no denying that this Zeiss optic is a standout.

ALSO NOMINATED: Fujifilm GFX 50S II

ALSO NOMINATED: Canon RF 14-35mm f/4L IS USM Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 STM Fujifilm GF20-35mm f/4 R WR Irix 21mm f/1.4 Nikon Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S Nikon Z 17-28mm f/2.8 Panasonic Lumix S 18mm f/1.8 Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG HSM Art

Hasselblad 907X 50C Hasselblad X2D 100C Pentax 645Z

 BEST VIDEO-FOCUSED CAMERA WINNER Canon EOS R5 C

ALSO NOMINATED: Canon RF 50mm f/1.2L USM Fujifilm XF16-80mm f/4 R OIS WR Laowa Argus 35mm f/0.95 FF Nikon Z 28-75mm f/2.8 OM System M.Zuiko 20mm f/1.4 Pro

Sigma 20mm f/1.4 DG DN Sony FE 14mm f/1.8 GM Sony E 15mm f/1.4 G Tamron 20-40mm f/2.8 Di III VXD Voigtlander 29mm f/0.8 MFT Super Nokton  BEST SUPERZOOM LENS WINNER Tamron 18-400mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC HLD

Panasonic Lumix S 50mm f/1.8 Samyang AF 35mm f/1.4 FE II Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 DG DN

Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Di III VXD Tokina Opera 50mm f/1.4 FF

Editor’s Choice: Voigtländer 110mm f/2.5 Macro APO-Lanthar

Editor’s Choice: Irix 45mm f/1.4 Dragonfly

With the ability to record 45-megapixel stills and 8K video, the compact EOS R5 C is a laudable winner.

ALSO NOMINATED:

Blackmagic PCC 6K G2 Canon EOS C70 Kinefinity Mavo Edge 6K Red Komodo 6K Sony FX30 Z Cam E2-F6

 BEST INSTANT CAMERA WINNER Polaroid Now

Our winner came from leading independent brand, Tamron. This APS-C format lens has an incredible 22.2x zoom range, meaning you truly get wide-angle to extreme telephoto coverage – and in a portable package. Plus, it’s moisture-resistant and focuses closely enough to give a magnification ratio of 1:2.9 for near-macro shots.

With its metal barrel, smooth manual focus ring and traditional

aperture setting, the 110mm f/2.5 Macro APO-Lanthar provides a lot of pleasure in use. But that's not to say it’s lacking in modern features. Focus peaking is fully supported, the lens has all the electrical contacts required for EXIF information to be recorded, and it has a distance encoder, so it works with any Sony Alpha camera with five-axis image stabilisation.” Roger Payne – Editor

A winner a couple of years ago, this optic still has much to offer.

ALSO NOMINATED: Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS USM Canon RF-S 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM

Polaroid is forever linked with instant photography. The Now does a fabulous job of keeping the legions of instant analogue image makers inspired.

It’s well-made, weather sealed and delivers impressive results. Its manual-focus-only construction demands you slow down and make more considered, thoughtful images, which is a good thing in my book.” Roger Payne – Editor

Fujifilm XF18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-60mm f/2.8-4 ASPH Power OIS

ALSO NOMINATED: instax mini Evo Lomo’instant

Nikon Z DX 18-140mm f/3.5-6.3 Nikon Z 24-200mm f4-6.3 VR

Canon Zoemini S2 Kodak Mini Shot 3

Olympus M.Zuiko ED 12-200mm f/3.5-6.3 Tamron 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6 Di III RXD

24 Photography News | Issue 104

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