toolkit | Gear of the Year
Lenses and podcasting/ streaming
Podcasting hardware Winner: Rodecaster Video S Live streaming/ broadcast hardware Winner: Sony PXW-Z300 Zoom Winner: Sigma 28-105mm T3 AF Cine
Prime Winner: Zeiss Otus ML 35mm f/1.4 Editor’s choice: Samyang AF 35mm f/1.4 P FE Prima Lens accessory Winner: Vocas MB-260 Matte Box
Star performers The legendary Zeiss Otus prime lens (right) and Rodecaster Video S (below) came out on top, as voted by readers
he boundaries between filmmaking, broadcasting and content creation have never been more blurred, and these
even great glass needs a little help, the Vocas MB-260 Matte Box is our readers’ favourite lens accessory. Away from lenses, the changing face of production becomes even clearer. Podcasting is now a serious part of the professional content landscape and the Rodecaster Video S takes our podcasting hardware award, reflecting the growing demand for compact tools that bring video and audio production together. Meanwhile, Sony’s potent PXW- Z300 camcorder triumphs within the live streaming⁄broadcast hardware class – a category that itself reflects how rapidly traditional broadcast, streaming and content creation are converging. It’s an eclectic collection, but it reflects that today’s filmmakers might be shooting through premium cine glass one day and producing a live stream or video podcast the next.
Gear of the Year winners prove it. Perhaps the biggest indication of where things are heading comes from Sigma, whose 28-105mm T3 AF Cine takes our zoom category. Combining a hugely useful focal range with a fast T3 aperture and autofocus in a cinema lens makes it a thoroughly modern proposition, particularly as smaller crews increasingly expect their kit to work across everything from traditional productions to fast- moving creator shoots. Prime lovers haven’t been forgotten. The Zeiss Otus ML 35mm f⁄1.4 takes the honours, bringing the prestigious Otus name to mirrorless filmmakers, while our Editor’s Choice goes to the Samyang AF 35mm f⁄1.4 P FE Prima. And because
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November/December 2026
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