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The post The Best Gear of 2021? TIPA Announces Its Winners appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

The Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) has released its 2021 World Awards recipients, celebrating the best cameras, lenses, and other photography gear released over the past year.

Hailed as the “most coveted photo and imaging awards worldwide,” TIPA aims to “both recognize and honor [photography] industry companies and their products.” Winners are chosen by TIPA member magazine representatives, who vote for class-leading gear across dozens of categories, including Best APS-C Camera (Entry-Level, Advanced, and Expert), Best Tripod, Best Telephoto Zoom Lens, and much more. 

All the usual suspects took prizes, with Sony grabbing an impressive six awards (including Best Full Frame Professional Camera, Best Photo/Video Camera (Expert), and Best Photo Smartphone). Sigma snagged four awards, Canon and Nikon each snapped up three, while Fujifilm and Tamron took two. 

Olympus was notably absent for the second year running, but Pentax made the list – thanks to its K-3 Mark III – for the first time since 2015. 

While the TIPA awards can only reveal so much, this year’s awardees do seem representative of the broader camera world – where Sony, Canon, and Nikon dominate headlines, Olympus and Panasonic cater to a niche audience, and third-party manufacturers such as Tamron and Sigma offer highly respected alternatives to Canon, Sony, and Nikon glass. 

In fact, out of nine lens awards, six were handed to third-party lens manufacturers. And the trend is hardly new. Last year, six out of eleven lens awards went to third-party manufacturers, and the year prior saw six out of twelve. It highlights the outstanding products offered by “optics-first” companies such as Tamron, Sigma, and Laowa. 

Below, I’ve included the full list of awards and the corresponding winners. Give it a read – and once you’re done, leave a comment. Did any equipment deserve to be awarded that was skipped? What do you think of TIPA’s picks? Share your thoughts!

The TIPA World Awards 2021 winners

• Best APS-C Camera (Entry-Level): Canon EOS M50 Mark II
• Best APS-C Camera (Advanced): Fujifilm X-S10
• Best APS-C Camera (Expert): Pentax K-3 Mark III
• Best Full Frame Camera (Advanced): Nikon Z6 II
• Best Full Frame Camera (Expert): Nikon Z7 II
• Best Full Frame Professional Camera: Sony a1
• Best Photo/Video Camera (Advanced): Sigma fp L
• Best Photo/Video Camera (Expert): Sony a7S III
• Best Medium Format Camera: Fujifilm GFX 100s
• Best Prime Wide Angle Lens: Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Zero-D Shift
• Best Prime Standard Lens: Sony FE 50mm f/1.2 GM
• Best Prime Telephoto Lens: Canon RF 600mm f/11 IS STM
• Best Wide Angle Zoom Lens: Nikon Nikkor Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S
• Best Standard Zoom Lens: Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD
• Best Telephoto Zoom Lens: Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8 Di III VXD
• Best Ultra-Telephoto Zoom Lens: Sigma 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS | Contemporary
• Best Portrait Lens: Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN | Art
• Best Macro Lens: Sigma 105mm f/2.8 DG DN Macro | Art
• Best Vlogger Camera: Sony ZV-1
• Best Professional Video Camera: Panasonic Lumix DC-BGH1
• Best Fine Art Printing Solution: Hahnemühle Print – Protect – Authenticate Product Range
• Best Photo Printer: Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-300
• Best Imaging Software Expert: Zoner Photo Studio X
• Best Imaging Software Professional: DxO PhotoLab 4
• Best Lighting Technology: Profoto AirX
• Best Portable Flash: Godox Pocket Flash AD100Pro
• Best Tripod: Vanguard VEO 3GO series
• Best Tripod Head: Gitzo Ball Head Series 4
• Best Gimbal System: Manfrotto Fast Gimboom and Gimbal series
• Best Enthusiast Photo Monitor: ViewSonic VP2768a
• Best Professional Photo Monitor: LG UltraWide Thunderbolt 4
• Best Professional Video Monitor: LG UltraFine OLED Pro
• Best Photo Smartphone: Sony Xperia 1 III
• Best Power Accessory: NITECORE SCL10 2-in-1 Smart Camera Light & Power Bank
• Best Video Accessory: RØDE Wireless GO II
• Best Photo Accessory: Hoya PROND GRAD Circular Graduated ND Filters
• Best Retail Finishing System: CEWE Photocenter
• Best Photo Lab: WhiteWall Room View
• Best Photo Service: CEWE Photo Calendar A2 Gold Edition
• Best Imaging Computer: Asus ZenBook Pro Duo 15

The post The Best Gear of 2021? TIPA Announces Its Winners appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

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