360Photography

DPReview Awards 2020

How is it nearly the end of the year already? Not that any of us are keen for 2020 to last much longer. To say the least, this has been a strange and difficult few months for people all over the globe, and one that we can’t wait to put behind us. The photo industry (like most industries) was impacted by the COVID-19 epidemic this year, but a lot of great products were released nevertheless, even if launch schedules were a little more erratic (and access to samples a lot more disrupted) than normal.

At the end of every year we get together as a team to recognize the standout products of the past 12 months in our annual DPReview Awards. Normally we do that in a room, but hey – contentious multi-participant discussions about which products a bunch of very opinionated professional reviewers like best are what video calls were invented for!

Without further ado, take a look through this article to find out which products made our list of the best gear of 2020.

Best accessory

Shortlist:

• Apple iPad Air (2020 version)
• DJI Mavic Air 2
• DJI Pocket 2
• GoPro HERO9 Black

Runner up: GoPro HERO9 Black

‘Go big or come home,’ is a phrase we can only assume is often spoken (or shouted?) at GoPro HQ. And with the new flagship HERO9 Black, GoPro really did go big.

The HERO9 Black offers up to 5K/30p or 4K/60p video from a new 23.6MP sensor; the former gives room to crop-in in post, assuming you’re outputting in 4K. It also features GoPro’s impressive HyperSmooth 3.0 video stabilization, which is easily the best in the action camera class.

Still images are captured at 20MP, up from 12MP on the HERO8 Black. And a new accessory wide angle attachment (sold separately) adds increased versatility to the unit. Long gone are days of confusing button combinations: The HERO9 Black offers a rear touchscreen as well as a front-facing ‘live’ screen. It’s also waterproof, without the need for a case and provides 30% improved battery life over its predecessor. That’s good enough to make it our runner-up for best accessory of the year.

Read more about the GoPro Hero9 Black

Winner: DJI Mavic Air 2

The DJI Mavic series has likely done more to popularize drone photography than any other product, but in 2020 DJI really hit the sweet spot with the Mavic Air 2. It’s a true Goldilocks product that’s not too little or too much – it’s just right. In our review we called it ‘The best all-round drone for most people’.

While not the smallest drone on the market, the Mavic Air 2 still fits in the palm of your hand. Despite its compact size, it features a camera with a 1/2″ CMOS sensor to deliver better image quality than models with smartphone-style sensors. It captures impressive 4K/60p video and photos in JPEG or Raw, includes HDR and panorama modes, and packs useful features like an obstacle avoidance system and impressive subject tracking. Most important, it’s fun to fly and makes it easy to capture great photos and videos, earning it our photo accessory of the year award.

Read more about the DJI Mavic Air 2

Best smartphone camera

Shortlist:

• Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
• Google Pixel 5
• Huawei Mate 40 Pro
• Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G

Runner up: Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G

Sitting at the top of Samsung’s Galaxy S20 lineup, the Ultra earns its name in multiple respects, starting with its massive 6.9” OLED screen. But what stands out most to us is its impressive camera hardware. It offers a large 1/1.33″ 108MP sensor in its main camera module, complemented by a 12MP ultrawide and depth-sensing time-of-flight sensors. An additional 48MP telephoto camera features a 103mm periscope configuration with an f/3.5 aperture, making it a native 4x optical zoom. A 10x “hybrid optic zoom” mode is offered that combines data from both the 108MP wide and 48 MP telephoto modules, and you can go up to 30x with some software upscaling wizardry. All but the ultrawide module offer phase-detect autofocus.

This phone was announced in February of this year and at the end of 2020 it’s still unrivaled in terms of raw camera specs. It’s large main sensor, 8K video, and its Nonacell and Tetracell technologies in the main and tele- modules that allow for higher quality images in low light thanks to hardware binning, to name a few.

In recent history, smartphone camera advancements have largely come from more sophisticated software. To be sure, the S20 Ultra has plenty of software tricks up its sleeves, but Samsung also went big on hardware in this device. For this unique combination of cutting-edge software and hardware, it earns our Best Smartphone runner up.

Read more about the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra

Winner: Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max

Apple reserved its most impressive imaging specifications for the iPhone 12 Pro lineup, with telephoto lenses, LiDAR scanners that enable night portrait mode images, and up to 4K/60p Dolby Vision video. In fact, iPhone 12 phones are the only devices in existence that allow you to capture, edit and display video in the 10-bit Dolby Vision HDR format all on the smartphone itself.

But the iPhone 12 Pro Max takes things a step further, introducing a 47% larger sensor with bigger pixels to the device’s main camera, which in conjunction with the F1.6 main lens aperture allows the Pro Max to capture nearly twice as much light as the previous generation phones. Sensor-shift stabilization has also been added to the main camera for the first time in an iPhone, allowing for better night mode photographs.

While this may not sound like a big deal considering the 1/1.33″ sensors we’ve seen in competitors, it’s the total package that makes the 12 Pro Max our winner. It’s the only smartphone not just capturing but displaying HDR in both stills and video, in more hands than ever before. Yet also doing so also with a large sensor, sensor-shift stabilization and the image processing many have come to know and love of Apple. And seeing HDR photos and videos is believing – it’s one of the next big steps forward in image capture and display, and the 12 Pro Max is going to turn a lot of people into believers. Especially if you set your screen brightness to max!

Read more about Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max

Best zoom lens

Shortlist:

• Nikon Nikkor Z 14-24mm F2.8 S
• Nikon Nikkor Z 70-200mm F2.8 VR S
• Olympus 150-400mm F4.5 TC1.25x
• Sony 12-24mm F2.8 GM

Runner-up: Nikon Nikkor Z 14-24mm F2.8 S

The third and final member of Nikon’s Z-mount ‘Holy Trinity’ is an impressive lens – the Z 14-24mm F2.8 S. This one had a hard act to follow, vying to replace the very well-liked AF-S 14-24mm F2.8 in the kitbags of Nikon mirrorless upgraders.

Instead of simply adapting and re-housing the older optical design for the new Z-mount, Nikon’s engineers went back to the drawing board, creating a fast wideangle zoom that manages to be smaller, lighter and more practical than its F-mount predecessor, without sacrificing optical quality and, actually, improving on it. This is a wonderfully sharp lens, and very practical too, weighing in at less than 1.5 lbs, with the option of screw-in filter compatibility via an included hood adapter. This is a lens which – like one of its main competitors this year, Sony’s FE 12-24mm F2.8 GM – really shows what optical designers can do with a short flange-back distance.

Read more about the Nikkor Z 14-24mm F2.8 S

Joint-winner: Nikon Nikkor Z 70-200mm F2.8 VR S

A good 70-200mm F2.8 equivalent seems to be essential in any system which wants to be taken seriously. Nikon announced the Z 70-200mm F2.8 VR S way back in January (which feels like years ago) but disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has meant that even now, it’s hard to get hold of.

Assuming you’re lucky enough to get your hands on one, you’ll find a lot to like about the Z 70-200mm F2.8 VR S. Perhaps the sharpest of the current (all very sharp) range of similar lenses for competitive mirrorless systems, this powerful telezoom features a very good minimum focus distance, excellent customization, and the ability to accept teleconverters. While it doesn’t have quite the same magic bokeh as the AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm F2.8E FL ED VR, the cross-frame sharpness and flare-resistance of this native mirrorless lens is superb, making it a very capable companion for users of Nikon’s Z-mount, and the joint-winner in this year’s DPReview Awards for best zoom lens.

Read more about the Nikkor Z 70-200mm F2.8 VR S

Joint-winner: Sony 12-24mm F2.8 GM

In the end we couldn’t choose between the Nikon Z 70-200mm F2.8 VR S and this one. The Sony 12-24mm F2.8 GM is a very different kind of lens, but equally excellent in its way. Aimed at landscape and astrophotographers alike, it’s a lens that can replace a handful of primes thanks to its optical performance. It’s tack sharp wide open, and three extreme aspherical (XA), two Super ED and three ED (extra low dispersion) elements help the lens achieve little to no lateral or longitudinal chromatic aberration. Stars and city lights are faithfully rendered thanks to minimal coma, and the precision of XA element grinding ensures smooth bokeh with no onion-rings.

The Sony 12-24mm F2.8 GM is impressively lightweight at 847g, only 6.5% heavier than the compact Sigma 14-24mm F2.8 DG DN Art lens. It accepts rear-mount gel filters, and is fast to focus thanks to four extreme dynamic (XD) linear motors that allow it to keep up with the 20 fps frame rate of the Sony a9 cameras. A newer Nano anti-reflective coating allows for lower flare and ghosting. Video shooters will be pleased by the linear focus response, lack of focus breathing, focus shift, and axial shift while zooming.

Read more about the Sony 12-24mm F2.8 GM

Best prime lens

Shortlist:

• Nikon Z 20mm F1.8 S
• Sigma 105mm F2.8 DG DN Macro
• Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art
• Sony FE 20mm F1.8G

Runner-up: Sigma 105mm F2.8 DG DN Macro

Another in a line of excellent ‘DN’ (Digital Native) lenses from Sigma, the 105mm F2.8 was designed specifically for full-frame mirrorless cameras, and delivers excellent results on the latest Sony E-mount and Panasonic/Leica/Sigma L-mount bodies.

Medium-telephoto macro lenses like this one are excellent for closeup work of smaller animals and plants, where you want to be able to maintain a reasonable camera-subject distance. They’re also handy as portrait lenses, where the longer focal length and sharpness wide-open help compensate for the relatively slow maximum aperture compared to a conventional portrait prime. As one of (still) very few native macro options for full-frame mirrorless shooters, the Sigma 105mm F2.8 DG DN Macro earns its runner-up spot in this year’s DPReview Award for best prime lens.

Read more about the Sigma 105mm F2.8 DG DN Macro

Winner: Sony FE 20mm F1.8G

The Sony 20mm F1.8G takes the top spot in our awards for prime lens of the year thanks to the fact that it’s nearly optically flawless. It’s sharp enough wide open to pair with the high-resolution 60MP a7R IV, with nearly no lateral or longitudinal chromatic aberration to speak of – particularly impressive for a lens of this type. Bokeh is smooth with no onion rings or bright edges. Nine aperture blades ensure smooth out-of-focus highlights even as you stop down, and for astrophotographers, there’s minimal sagittal flare or coma.

Autofocus is extremely speedy thanks to XD (extreme dynamic) linear focus actuators. Distortion and vignetting are also well-controlled and easily fixed in post-processing. The only flaw we can find really is a tendency to flare and ghost, but that’s excusable for a lens of this type and considering its lack of other optical aberrations.

As the most well-corrected lenses of this type that we’ve ever seen, the Sony 20mm F1.8G easily wins our prime lens of the year.

Read more about the Sony FE 20mm F1.8G

Best compact/fixed lens camera

Shortlist:

• Fujifilm X100V
• Nikon Coolpix P950
• Sony ZV1
• Zeiss ZX1

Runner-up: Nikon Coolpix P950

In a year with few highlights, testing the Nikon Coolpix P950 was definitely among them. Maybe the perfect camera for shooting during quarantine, if you can’t find some interesting photographic perspectives with a 24-2000mm zoom range, it’s time to find another hobby.

It’s all too easy to sneer at ‘big lens, small sensor’ cameras like this, but do so at your peril. The Coolpix P900 sold like hotcakes, and the P950 is a better camera, and nicer to use, too (thanks to Raw mode and a better EVF, respectively). If you respect its limits, the P950 will reward you with images that would be near-impossible to get with any other comparably-priced setup. A good camera removes obstacles to creativity, and for that reason the Nikon Coolpix P950 earns its runner-up spot in our category for compact / fixed-lens camera this year.

Read more about the Nikon Coolpix P950

Winner: Fujifilm X100V

And the Nikon Coolpix P950 would probably have won outright, were it not for this pesky kid. The Fujifilm X100V is the fifth camera in the company’s perennially-popular X100 range, and brings far more substantial changes compared to previous iterations. Featuring a new 26MP BSI-CMOS sensor, flip-out, touch-sensitive rear-screen and redesigned lens, the X100V is a significantly better camera than its forebears.

We’ve always loved the X100-series, and it was very good to see Fujifilm’s engineers really grasp the nettle this year and make some bolder updates to the concept. And while some photographers might still consider the X100V’s fixed 35mm equivalent lens to be limiting, it’s worth noting that the redesigned lens makes the company’s wide and tele-converters perform a lot better than they did on some previous X100-series models. For everyday photography the X100V is a reliable and enjoyable companion, and as such it takes the top spot in our 2020 DPReview Award for best compact/fixed-lens camera.

Read more about the Fujifilm X100V

Best stills / video camera

Shortlist:

• Canon EOS R6
• Fujifilm X-T4
• Panasonic Lumix DC-S5
• Sony a7S III

Runner up: Canon EOS R6

The EOS R6 risks being overshadowed by the 8K-capable R5 (and the initial concerns about how it recovers from overheating), but its a hugely capable stills / video camera.

The ability to record in 10-bit, either as Log or PQ HDR footage, is impressive, as is the option to shoot 4K/60p, but its appeal goes beyond that. Its stabilization is excellent, its autofocus is reliable and the video and stills settings are kept separate to a good degree, making it easy to switch back and forth. A firmware update that improves recovery times means it’s primarily its rolling shutter that counts against it. But even with this taken into account, there are few cameras at the price that make it easier to shoot genuinely excellent video.

Read more about the Canon EOS R6

Winner: Sony a7S III

Instead of chasing headline specs, Sony told us its priorities for the a7S III centered around reliability. In that spirit, it stuck with a 12MP sensor to capture native 4K, but its an all-new BSI sensor with dual gain architecture and fast rolling shutter performance. As a result, the camera can capture 4K/60p using the full width of its sensor, and up to 4K/120p with a slight (1.1x) crop, all in 4:2:2 10-bit color.

The a7S III also benefits from updated codecs, including a new All-I ‘intra-frame’ option, 16-bit Raw video output over HDMI, and dual-twin card slots that support both SD and CFexpress Type A. It’s also the first a7-series camera to feature a fully articulating screen in addition to Sony’s class-leading AF system, and it can record 4-channel audio with a new XLR adapter. the a7S III’s biggest drawback is that it’s stuck at 12MP for stills. Native 4K may result in slightly less detail than the oversampled video found on competitors, but it’s still the most impressive stills/video hybrid we’ve seen this year unless you really need more than 4K resolution.

Read more about the Sony a7S III

Best entry-level ILC

Shortlist:

• Canon EOS Rebel T8i
• Fujifilm X-S10
• Fujifilm X-T200
• Olympus OM-D E-M10 IV

Runner-up: Olympus OM-D E-M10 IV

The Olympus OM-D E-M10 IV is one of the dark horses of the current photography market. Introduced this year without much fanfare, on the surface the E-M10 IV might look like an iterative update to the venerable E-M10-series, and in some ways of course it is. But iteration is good! With the Mark IV, Olympus has created arguably its most competitive consumer ILC yet.

With a 20MP Micro Four Thirds sensor (an upgrade from the rather long-in-the-tooth 16MP sensor used in the last generation) and built-in IBIS effective for ~4.5EV, the OM-D E-M10 IV is a more powerful tool than its predecessors. It’s fairly fast (max shooting with AF is possible up to 4.5fps) and offers a decent electronic viewfinder, a flip-down touchscreen on the back, and 4K video. While its menu system and GUI can be overwhelming at first, the amount of features and technology that Olympus has packed into the E-M10 IV make it an excellent option for a keen beginner.

Read more about the Olympus
OM-D E-M10 IV

Winner: Fujifilm X-S10

The Fujifilm X-S10 is one of our favorite cameras of the year (spoiler alert). It uses the same sensor, processor and AF system as the flagship X-T4, and is only the third Fujifilm X-series camera to offer built-in stabilization, using a newly-developed compact IBIS mechanism. Meanwhile the deep handgrip recalls the popular X-H1.

Far from being a ‘parts bin’ camera, the X-S10 brings something genuinely new to Fujifilm’s lineup, offering a more conventional (less dial-driven) interface with a PASM exposure mode control which will be familiar to anyone who has used an entry-level camera from another manufacturer. Its performance, both in terms of autofocus and speed, is excellent, as is image quality in stills and video modes. While just on the cusp of ‘midrange’ considering its price, if you have the money, the Fujifilm X-S10 is one of the best entry-level ILCs on the market, and takes first place this year in our DPReview Awards.

Read more about the Fujifilm X-S10

Best midrange ILC

Shortlist:

• Canon EOS R6
• Fujifilm X-T4
• Nikon Z5
• Nikon Z6 II

Runner-up: Fujifilm X-T4

Fujifilm’s flagship APS-C format camera, the X-T4 is a model that we find ourselves recommending to friends and family quite often. There was apparently some debate within Fujifilm about whether to call this the ‘X-T3S’ but it was decided that enough had been changed to justify an entirely new model name.

We tend to agree. While the X-T4 looks a lot like the X-T3 (and the X-T2… and the X-T1…) it’s a better and more competitive camera. Now featuring a powerful in-body stabilization system (effective up to an impressive ~6.5EV) and 4K/60p video, the X-T4 is a highly versatile tool. We’ve seen the 26MP BSI-CMOS sensor before in the X-T3 and X100V, but it’s still among the best (if not the best) of its type on the market. Pound for pound and dollar-for-dollar, the Fujifilm X-T4 offers fantastic value, and it’s a lot of fun to shoot with, too.

Read more about the Fujifilm X-T4

Winner: Canon EOS R6

Now that full-frame mirrorless cameras have joined APS-C models in all market segments, it’s harder than ever to divide products up into categories. As you’d expect, the full-frame Canon EOS R6 costs a lot more than the APS-C Fujifilm X-T4, but it’s aimed at essentially the same kind of customers: advanced amateurs and enthusiast photographers, and perhaps professional photographers looking for a second, video-capable body.

It’s hard to imagine a camera better suited to this constituency of users than the Canon EOS R6. It’s fast, powerful and offers excellent autofocus. It’s a great stills camera, which produces very nice JPEGs and offers good (while not class-leading) dynamic range in Raw mode. The R6 also provides one of the sharpest and most responsive electronic viewfinders on the market, and offers an impressive video feature-set, in addition to stills. As a ‘do everything’ camera for enthusiast photographers the Canon EOS R6 is very hard to beat and is likely to remain competitive for a long time. As such, it’s a worthy winner of our 2020 DPReview Award for best midrange ILC.

Read more about Canon’s EOS R6

Best high-end ILC

Shortlist:

• Canon EOS R5
• Canon EOS-1D X Mark III
• Nikon D6
• Nikon Z7 II

Runner-up: Canon EOS-1D X Mark III

Announced in early January this year, the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III was meant to be Canon’s ‘Olympics’ camera, for the games originally planned in Tokyo this summer. We all know how well that worked out of course, but sports isn’t the only thing that the EOS-1D X Mark III is good for. Despite being a ‘Mark’ update, the Mark III brings a lot of new and impressive technology to Canon’s pro market segment. Blazing speed and extreme durability are a given, but in the Mark III, Canon created the nearest thing to a true ‘hybrid’ camera we’ve seen to date.

In DSLR mode the EOS-1D X Mark III is a conventional pro camera, albeit an extremely good one. But with the mirror locked up in live view mode, it offers many of the advantages of a high-end mirrorless ILC. These include near full-frame autofocus coverage, sophisticated AF tracking courtesy of an advanced Dual-pixel CMOS autofocus system and silent shooting with a maximum frame-rate of 20fps. Oh, and up to 5.5K/60p Raw video. The vast majority of photographers won’t need many of this camera’s features, but for those that do, the EOS-1D X Mark III is up there with the best of the pro bodies currently available.

Read more about the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III

Winner: Canon EOS R5

The R5 is a more costly and pro-focused camera than the R6, and at the time of its announcement, the big news was its unique ability (among cameras of this type) to shoot 8K video. Arguably, though, 8K video is the least of the reasons to be interested in the EOS R5. Much more useful to most photographers is its excellent resolution, highly effective autofocus system (closing the gap substantially with Sony’s best-in-class implementation in the a9/II) and photographer-friendly ergonomics. As a stills and video tool for serious professional photography, the EOS R5 has a lot to offer, even if overheating concerns did take the shine off some of its headline video features (something which, to Canon’s credit, has been improved via firmware since its release).

It seems strange to talk about any company having ‘a good year’ given the unmitigated chaos of 2020, but for Canon it’s actually kind of true. Alongside the EOS-1D X Mark III and several excellent lenses, this was this year that Canon made its most convincing entry into serious full-frame mirrorless imaging with the winner of our 2020 DPReview Award for best high-end ILC – the EOS R5.

Read more about the Canon EOS R5

DPReview innovation award

Shortlist:

• Canon EOS R5
• Canon RF 600 & 800mm F11 IS STM
• DJI Mavic Air 2
• iPhone 12 Lineup

Runner-up: Canon RF 600/800mm F11 IS STM

While neither of these lenses will challenge more conventional, brighter-aperture telephoto primes for ultimate image quality, they’re unique in that they bring true, practical telephoto shooting into range for amateur and enthusiast photographers. Considering their reach, both lenses are relatively small and lightweight, and while F11 can be limiting, autofocus support (including even using the RF 2X converter on the EOS R5 and R6) and built-in image stabilization make them surprisingly versatile.

We’ve seen collapsing mechanisms in lenses before, and we’ve seen diffractive optics used to reduce the weight and complexity of telephoto lens designs. It’s the combination of the two technologies which makes the Canon RF 600mm and 800mm F11 IS STM so innovative, and so special.

Read more about the Canon RF 600mm and 800mm F11 IS STM

Winner: iPhone 12 Lineup

This year we’re awarding the entire Apple iPhone 12 lineup for our Innovation of the Year award, because it brings HDR to the masses. No, not the overly tone-mapped, flat HDR you’re thinking of. We’re talking about high dynamic range (HDR) display of both images and video. Like the previous two generations of iPhones, the iPhone 12 captures a wide dynamic range and tonemaps this large range into the final image. Under SDR viewing conditions (like your web browser) this can lead to high dynamic range images appearing somewhat flat. However, these very images viewed directly on iPhones with OLED displays appear quite the opposite of flat, with very bright brights (skies, clouds, lights) and dark shadows, thanks to HDR playback. HDR playback (like Dolby Vision/HDR10/HLG for video) tries to preserve the contrast between brights and darks to produce more realistic results, so that sunlit grass actually looks radiant compared to grass in the shadows, for example.

This year, down to its cheapest iPhone 12 Mini, Apple has included an HDR OLED display and Dolby Vision video. Apple has been displaying HDR stills since the iPhone X, but this is the first time it’s doing so across its entire lineup, and for video as well with Dolby Vision, a format that optimizes scene dynamic range on a frame-by-frame basis. Add to that the wide P3 color space used for both stills and video, and you have some of the nicest looking imagery from any device. Not to mention one you can carry in your pocket.

Read more about the Apple iPhone 12 line

DPReview product of the year 2020

Shortlist:

• Canon EOS R6
• Fujifilm X100V
• Fujifilm X-S10
• Sony 12-24mm F2.8 GM

Runner-up: Fujifilm X-S10

The Fujifilm X-S10 might not bring much to the X-series lineup that’s genuinely ‘new’, but the way that its various features are packaged is extremely impressive – and very appealing. Built around a newly-designed compact IBIS system, the X-S10 breaks with Fujifilm’s traditional ‘traditional‘ control layout, offering a slightly more streamlined experience, more in line with competitive models.

These tweaks – plus a large, comfortable grip and a very attractive stills and video feature-set – make the X-S10 a seriously compelling camera for its price. The competition for our ‘Product of the Year’ award is always very tough, but the Fujifilm X-S10 beats out stiff competition to take the runner-up spot thanks to its uncommonly attractive suite of features, coupled with a great handling experience that make it a pleasure to shoot with.

Read more about the Fujifilm X-S10

Winner: Canon EOS R6

The Canon EOS R6 is one of relatively few cameras we’ve seen over the years which can genuinely be described as ‘multi-purpose’. While not class-leading in terms of resolution, 20MP is enough for most applications, especially when paired with such a powerful autofocus system, which rivals or outclasses the best of the R6’s competition at this price-point.

Designed as a ‘do-everything’ camera for both stills and occasional video shooters, the R6 offers a suite of advanced features in both modes. But arguably none of this would matter so much if it weren’t such a nice camera to use. The Canon EOS R6 is one of the most photographer (and videographer)-friendly cameras of its type, with performance that means it’s equally comfortable shooting sports and wildlife as it is covering weddings and events. It’s this combination of features, performance and excellent handling which make the Canon EOS R6 such a compelling camera, and the winner of this year’s DPReview Award for product of the year.

Read more about the Canon EOS R6

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

DPReview Awards 2019

If 2018 was the year that full-frame mirrorless went mainstream, 2019 was the year when all of the major manufacturers really doubled-down on their mirrorless strategies. Canon pumped out a series of very high quality RF lenses, alongside the world’s cheapest full-frame mirrorless camera. Nikon went all-in on its range of affordable F1.8 primes, and Sony pulled out all the stops – yet again – in the a7R IV.

Meanwhile, Olympus threw all of its technological know-how into the sports-oriented OM-D E-M1 X, Fujifilm reinvented medium-format with the GFX 100 and Ricoh’s GR III and Leica’s Q2 offered a welcome refresh for fans of fixed-focal length compacts.

That’s a lot, and it’s only a small taste of what happened this year. At the end of every year we get together as a team to recognize the standout products of the past 12 months in our annual DPReview Awards. Take a look through the slides above to find out which products made our list of the best gear of 2019!

Best accessory

Shortlist:

• DJI Osmo pocket
• DJI Ronin SC
• Gnarbox 2.0 SSD
• Peak Design Travel Tripod

Runner up: Peak Design Travel Tripod

The role of photography accessories is to play support to your creative endeavors. That can mean support in the traditional sense, like a well-designed travel tripod or 3-axis gimbal rig. Or it can mean support in the form of peace of mind, like a rugged file back-up device.

Our runner-up for best photography accessory, the Peak Design Travel Tripod, falls into the former category. Travel tripods aren’t new, but Peak Design has managed to radically rethink the concept to create a package that’s significantly more compact than the competition and just as stable, if not more so. Its Arca Swiss-compatible, dual-locking ball head in particular is worth calling out for its clever low-profile design. Available in both aluminum and carbon fiber, this is the travel tripod we’ll likely be reaching for in 2020, whenever space is tight.

Read more about the Peak Design Travel Tripod

Winner: GNARBOX 2.0 SSD

The Gnarbox 2.0 brings calm to the often chaotic world of photography. It’s the friend in the field you always wanted: a rugged (weather, dust and impact-resistant) SSD (available in 256GB, 512GB and 1TB) with built-in SD reader and super-fast transfer speeds (up to 350MB/s). It’s there to protect all your precious data until you get it home for a full backup.

One-touch copying and an info LCD make it effortless to start transferring and confirm files have been properly duplicated. And for those eager to get ahead on their edits, Gnarbox will pair with a smart device so that you can sort and tag (using Photo Mechanic’s image engine). But that’s not all: Gnarbox also has swappable batteries and can even be used to charge other devices via a Micro-USB port. It’ll also play nice with Apple’s iPad Pro, with support for programs like Adobe Lightroom and Affinity Photo, when connected via its USB-C port. What more could you ask for?

Read more about the GNARBOX 2.0 SSD

Best smartphone camera

Shortlist:

• Apple iPhone 11 Pro
• Google Pixel 4
• Huawei P30 Pro
• Samsung Galaxy S10 5G

Runner up: Apple iPhone 11 Pro

The iPhone 11 Pro is a significant step forward for Apple, and from a pure experience standpoint, is the nicest smartphone camera to use today. Its bright screen combined with HDR playback of photos makes the on-device experience of shooting and enjoying photos industry-leading. And unlike any other smartphone camera to-date, iPhones since the iPhone X utilize the wide P3 color space, meaning more life-like color capture and rendition.

A new ultra-wide lens allows for dramatic perspectives, and wide angle portrait mode – utilizing the main camera module – makes it easy to shoot more intimate perspectives of your loved ones and pets, with better image quality than the standard portrait mode offers. Editing photos, depth effects, and video is pleasing thanks to the Photos app updates, and clever features like ‘capture outside the frame’ offer creative uses of the phone’s three lenses. Video quality is superb, with HDR capture up to 4K/60p.

We have some reservations over the warm and green-shifted colors, overly-processed faces from semantic rendering choices, significant lag in portrait mode, and image quality artifacts including banding, aggressive noise reduction and over-sharpening, but as an all-rounder, the iPhone 11 Pro is hard to beat.

Read more about the Apple iPhone 11 Pro

Winner: Google Pixel 4

The Pixel 4 offers compelling still image quality. If you shoot Night Sight – even during daylight hours – you’ll be rewarded with some of the best detail retention and balanced noise reduction we’ve seen from a smartphone. It only gets better in Raw, since the DNGs produced by the Pixel 4 are the result of aligning and merging multiple frames. A new astrophotography mode is not just cool but inspiring, and also benefits any nighttime scene where longer exposures can be used. The combination of super-res zoom and a new telephoto module make ‘zoomed in’ photos better than many peers. And unlike the iPhone, you can continue to use the telephoto module in dim light.

New ‘dual exposure controls’ allow you to fine tune the ‘look’ of the resulting HDR image in real-time. Portrait mode has been improved to yield bokeh similar to what you’d expect from ILCs, with fewer depth map errors and virtually no shutter lag. As such, the Pixel 4 is truly an enthusiast’s smartphone camera. We have reservations over its video quality, display, as well as certain metering and image processing choices, but its strong core competency in stills makes it our winner.

Read more about the Google Pixel 4

Best zoom lens

Shortlist:

• Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM
• Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8L IS USM
• Nikon Z 24-70mm F2.8 S
• Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Summilux 10-25mm F1.7 ASPH
• Sony E 16-55mm F2.8 G

Runner-up: Nikon Z 24-70mm F2.8 S

Every year we struggle to narrow down the number of lenses released to a shortlist of just four or five. This year saw a lot of action in the lens space, with both Canon and Nikon putting considerable energy into building out their native mirrorless lens lineup, and Sigma, Sony and Tamron doing the same.

One of the zoom lenses that has most impressed us this year is Nikon’s Z 24-70mm F2.8 S. Built for use in difficult conditions, the Z 24-70mm is tough and weather-sealed, but more than that, it’s optically outstanding. Sharp, virtually aberration-free and extremely flare-resistant, the Z 24-70mm F2.8 really lets Z7 shooters make the most out of their camera’s resolution, for anything from landscapes to portraiture.

Read more about the Nikon Z 24-70mm F2.8 S

Winner: Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM

We really, really like the Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM. It’s small (at 70mm), relatively lightweight, autofocus is lightning fast and silent, and its optical image stabilization system is excellent.

The 70-200mm represents the first time we’ve seen Nano USM technology incorporated in fast L-series glass, and the increase in focus speed is dramatic compared to ring-type USM on EF lenses. But perhaps the most impressive thing about this lens is its optical quality. Contrast and sharpness are class-leading wide open at all focal lengths, bokeh is smooth with no distracting patterns, and both longitudinal and lateral forms of chromatic aberration are very well controlled.

This is the most impressive 70-200mm F2.8 lens we’ve ever seen, in a surprisingly compact form factor, and a worthy winner of our award for best zoom lens of 2019.

Read more about the Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM

Best prime lens

Shortlist:

• Tamron SP 35mm F1.4 Di USD
• Sigma 35mm F1.2 DG DN | Art
• Sony FE 135mm F1.8 GM
• Nikon Nikkor Z 85mm F1.8 S

Runner-up: Sony FE 135mm F1.8 GM

There were so many great prime lenses released this year, and inevitably, it’s near-impossible to reduce the list to just four. This ‘shortlist’ could have been at least twice as long and we would still have had to omit some great lenses. But the primes listed above represent our favorites of 2019, not only because of their optical quality, but also their versatility and overall value for money.

Among the most impressive lenses of any type released this year was the Sony FE 135mm F1.8 GM. Designed for portrait fans, the 135mm F1.8 is stunningly sharp and delivers beautiful images at its widest apertures. It’s virtually aberration free, and is the fastest-to-focus lens of its kind. Sony’s optical science has improved by leaps and bounds in recent years and the FE 135mm F1.8 is an excellent example of the company’s current state-of-the-art. While 135mm isn’t necessarily an everyday focal length, the Sony FE 135mm F1.8 GM is arguably the best option on the market right now for portrait shooters.

Read more about the Sony FE 135mm F1.8 GM

Winner: Nikon Nikkor Z 85mm F1.8 S

Nikon’s S-series prime lenses for the Z system have impressed us this year with their performance, not to mention their versatility and value. All sub-$ 1000 and all relatively small and lightweight, the best of Nikon’s new F1.8 options outperform many faster lenses that cost considerably more.

The Z 85mm F1.8 S is a great example. Sharp, virtually aberration-free and still nicely portable, this portrait prime isn’t as fast as some of its competitors, or as polished as (say) the Sony FE 135mm F1.8 which takes the runner-up spot, but it’s a supremely practical, useful lens. With its smooth bokeh, the Z 85mm F1.8 S is, of course, a fantastic portrait lens for Z6 and Z7 shooters, and a nifty 135mm equivalent on the APS-C Z50. But its size and weight, plus its superb sharpness make it just as useful for landscape and candid work.

Read more about the Nikon Nikkor Z 85mm F1.8 S

Best compact/fixed lens camera

Shortlist:

• Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II
• Leica Q2
• Ricoh GR III
• Sony Cyber-shot RX100 VII

Runner-up: Sony Cyber-shot RX100 VII

This is always a tricky category, spanning multiple sensor formats and including both zoom and fixed focal length lenses. This year saw the release of some very impressive – and very different – compact / fixed-lens compact cameras, from the high-end Leica Q2 to the more consumer-friendly Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II.

Despite their different shapes, sizes and prices, all of the cameras in this section cater to the same basic need: high quality imaging, in a compact form factor. Our runner-up this year is Sony’s best RX100-series camera yet. A small, powerful zoom with a high-quality EVF, great video and formidable autofocus, the RX100 VII is a near-perfect camera for travel and everyday photography and video. Inevitably it’s not cheap, but this kind of technology never is.

Read more about the Sony Cyber-shot RX100 VII

Winner: Ricoh GR III

First announced in 2018, the GR III was released this year and quickly became one of our favorite compact cameras. Small and lightweight, but with a stabilized sensor and capable of stunning image quality the GR III is – like the Sony Cyber-shot RX100 VII – a wonderful camera for travel and everyday photography.

Yes, the lens is a fixed 28mm equivalent. No, the video mode isn’t great, but this is a pure photography camera, capable of getting you images that larger, heavier or more complicated models simply won’t.

Read more about the Ricoh GR III

Best consumer stills / video camera

Shortlist:

• Fujifilm GFX 100
• Panasonic Lumix DC-S1
• Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H
• Sony Cyber-shot RX100 VII

Runner up: Sony Cyber-shot RX100 VII

While the RX100-series has always been primarily about stills photography, Sony has evolved its range of high-quality 1-inch sensor compacts into powerful video tools, as well. The Mark VII captures oversampled UHD 4K video, Full HD at up to 120 fps and lower resolution video with a top frame rate of almost 1000 fps. Unlike its predecessor, the RX100 VII has a built-in mic input.

In short: the RX100 VII offers excellent 4K video, very good autofocus and a handy built-in finder, making it exceptionally versatile for photographers that need to capture both stills and movie footage.

Read more about the Sony Cyber-shot RX100 VII

Winner: Panasonic Lumix DC-S1

It might seem odd having both the Panasonic Lumix DC-S1 and S1H on the same list, for best stills / video hybrid camera and have the S1 beat its more video-centric stablemate, but this is precisely the point. With the S1H in the pipeline, Panasonic didn’t need to make the S1 as good for video as it did, and it certainly didn’t need to make it even better with a paid firmware update.

With the paid update, the S1 becomes a formidable camera for video, even to the extent that the costlier S1H may prove unnecessary for many filmmakers. We’ve done a lot of shooting this year on the S1 and it’s an impressive machine from a manufacturer that perhaps more than any other, really knows how to do video right.

Read more about the Panasonic Lumix DC-S1

Best entry-level ILC

Shortlist:

• Canon EOS M200
• Fujifilm X-A7
• Olympus PEN E-PL10
• Sony a6100

Runner-up: Fujifilm X-A7

While a lot of attention gets paid to the high-end and professional market segments, often the most important cameras in a manufacturer’s lineup are at the entry-level. The reason they’re so important is that these are the products which – it is hoped – will attract new customers into a system.

The Fujifilm X-A7 is a significant camera for Fujifilm, and a great all-round option for beginner photographers in general. Significant for Fujifilm because it’s the company’s first entry-level offering that has really impressed us, and a great entry-level camera because it does exactly what a camera aimed at first-time buyers and smartphone upgraders should. It’s simple, streamlined, reliable and responsive, and can easily transition between stills and high-quality video.

Read more about the Fujifilm X-A7

Winner: Canon EOS M200

If there’s one thing Canon knows how to do it’s make an attractive, sensibly-designed entry-level ILC. The EOS M200 is the company’s latest, and while it doesn’t represent a massive upgrade compared to the M100, the changes are very welcome including one change in particular – Eye Detect autofocus. Assuming that a lot of us (and arguably most beginners) will take a lot of pictures of friends and family, the addition of eye detection to the M200’s autofocus mode really does make a big difference. Canon has also added 4K video capture and ‘CRaw’, for Raw format shooting without the massive file sizes.

Overall, the Canon EOS M200 doesn’t bring much to the table which is genuinely ‘new’ but its combination of features, easy to operate design, and reliable image quality make it a great entry-level ILC, and our favorite of 2019.

Read more about the Canon EOS M200

Best midrange ILC

Shortlist:

• Canon EOS M6 Mark II
• Fujifilm X-T30
• Nikon Z50
• Sony a6600

Runner-up: Nikon Z50

We define ‘midrange’ cameras as those transitional models between entry-level and enthusiast / pro which need to be able to work for inexperienced and more seasoned photographers alike.

Nikon’s first APS-C format mirrorless camera is also one of its most user-friendly. Intended to be picked up by first-time ILC buyers and smartphone upgraders, the Z50 is designed to be simple and straightforward to use, but isn’t ‘dumbed down’. Featuring a high-quality electronic viewfinder, twin control dials and photographer-friendly ergonomics, the Z50 is a camera that leaves plenty of room for a beginner to experiment and grow creatively.

Read more about the Nikon Z50

Winner: Canon EOS M6 Mark II

Canon has been making good, solid interchangeable lens cameras for a really long time, and this experience shows in products like the EOS M6 Mark II. A really great camera doesn’t need to do everything better than its competitors, it just has to do everything well enough, without getting in the way of your creativity.

The EOS M6 Mark II reaffirms Canon’s commitment to its compact, mirrorless EF-M system. After years of competent but usually beginner-focused models, the M6 II comes out swinging as a convincing option for more advanced users. Its new 32.5MP sensor has impressive resolution and dynamic range, the 14 fps maximum burst speed with autofocus is competitive, and its 4K video uses the full width of the sensor.

It doesn’t hands-down beat any of its competitors in any specific area, but as an all-around package, the M6 Mark II easily won us over for best midrange ILC of 2019.

Read more about Canon’s EOS M6 Mark II

Best high-end ILC

Shortlist:

• Fujifilm GFX 100
• Olympus OM-D E-M1X
• Panasonic Lumix DC-S1R
• Sony a7R IV

Runner-up: Panasonic Lumix DC-S1R

The Lumix DC-S1R will tick a ton of boxes for a ton of photographers, which is all the more impressive given that it’s Panasonic’s first full-frame offering (alongside the lower-resolution DC-S1). It’s built like a tank and all of the buttons and dials feel like they’re in just the right place.

The 47MP sensor at the heart of the S1R isn’t class-leading at this point, but it’s still capable of producing excellent image quality in almost any situation. Unfortunately, the DC-S1R falls somewhat short in terms of autofocus and tracking. While it can drive focus very quickly using Panasonic’s DFD technology, it just can’t quite keep up with competitors’ on-sensor phase detection systems for accuracy when photographing moving subjects.

Read more about the Panasonic Lumix DC-S1R

Winner: Sony a7R IV

The fourth iteration of Sony’s high-resolution mirrorless full-frame camera is the most capable, well-rounded interchangeable lens camera on the market today. It shoots 60.2MP files, offers industry-leading autofocus tracking, is capable of 10fps continuous bursts and shoots the best 4K video of any high-resolution camera you can buy. Plus, Sony claims weather-sealing has been improved, battery life is well above average and ergonomic tweaks have made it more comfortable and enjoyable to use than previous models.

The a7R IV is a camera that you really can shoot just about anything with, from action sports to billboard-ready landscapes, and because of that, it earns the distinction of being our high-end ILC of the year.

Read more about the Sony a7R IV

DPReview innovation award

Shortlist:

• Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM
• Fujifilm GFX 100
• Olympus OM-D E-M1X
• Peak Design Travel Tripod

Runner-up: Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM

Optically the RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM is stunning, but it’s also a marvel of engineering. At its short end, it collapses down to a barrel size not much longer than that of the RF 24-70mm F2.8L IS USM. At 1070g, it’s 26% lighter than its EF equivalent, and feels surprisingly light in one’s hands, and well-balanced on an EOS R body. Optical image stabilization offers an impressive CIPA rating of 5 stops. Combined with dual-sensing IS on EOS R bodies, you can expect tack sharp handheld shots on the long end at shutter speeds as low as 1/13s.

If that’s not innovative, we don’t know what is.

Read more about the Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM

Winner: Fujifilm GFX 100

While very little about the GFX 100 is new or unique to this model, what counts is how all the ingredients are mixed together. The addition of in-camera stabilization, impressive video capture and hybrid on-sensor PDAF to the medium format world makes the Fujifilm GFX 100 among the most capable and most innovative cameras out there.

Fujifilm has been working hard to democratize digital medium format for a couple of years, but with the 100 megapixel GFX 100, the company completely changed our understanding of what a medium format camera could be.

Read more about the Fujifilm GFX 100

DPReview product of the year, 2019

Shortlist:

• Apple iPhone 11 Pro
• Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM
• Fujifilm GFX 100
• Sony a7R IV

Runner-up: Fujifilm GFX 100

As we wrote in the previous slide, the GFX 100 really did turn our idea of what a medium format camera could do on its head. While the MSRP of almost ten grand puts it out of reach to most non-professional photographers, there is an audience out there for cameras like this, and Fujifilm has done a great job of catering to them.

Pro wedding and event photographers, portrait and lifestyle shooters, and even a certain type of videographer have kept the GFX 100 on more or less continuous backorder since it was released. You may not need 100MP, but some people do. And the GFX 100, with Fujifilm’s range of excellent GF lenses, makes 100MP shooting practical and enjoyable.

Read more about the Fujifilm GFX 100

Winner: Sony Alpha a7R IV

Sony is one of the more divisive brands on our site, partly because of a perception that it gets more attention than other manufacturers. This perception stems from two factors: firstly, Sony has released an astonishing number of high-end products in the past handful of years. Secondly, they have tended to be very good.

Taken as a whole, the a7R IV is Sony’s best mirrorless camera yet. The enthusiast-focused a7 III continues to top the best-seller lists but if you want the highest resolution, the best autofocus system and some of the best video features on the market (not just in Sony’s own product lineup) the a7R IV is where it’s at. A true ‘flagship’, the a7R IV has undoubtedly benefited this year from no direct competition from Canon or Nikon, but it will take an unusually good product from either manufacturer to make the a7R IV look uncompetitive in 2020.

Read more about the Sony a7R IV

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

DPReview Awards 2018

This year was a busy one for DPReview and the camera industry as a whole. 2018 saw the launch of two new full frame mirrorless systems from Canon and Nikon, a brace of excellent lenses, and the development announcement of even more goodies due to be released in early 2019.

With so many great products to choose from, there’s never been a better time to be a photo enthusiast, but the amount of gear out there can be overwhelming. Every year in December we get together as a team to recognize the standout products of the past 12 months in our annual DPReview Awards. Click through the slides above to find out which products made our list of the best gear of 2018!

Best photography accessory

Shortlist:

• Adobe Lightroom CC 2.0
• Canon Speedlite 470EX-AI
• Wandrd Prvke 21L Backpack
• Western Digital My Passport Wireless SSD

Runner up: Western Digital My Passport Wireless SSD

Photography accessories come in all shapes and sizes and this year’s shortlist includes four products that are as different as can be. But something they all share is the potential to help streamline the photographic process, whether that means improving the experience of transporting gear from A to B, or simply creating a better way to back up files on the go.

The Western Digital My Passport Wireless SSD falls into the later category. It’s a solid state version of the company’s already popular wireless drive with a shock resistant construction. Core features include a built-in SD 3.0 card reader, USB 3.0 connectivity, Wi-Fi connectivity for reviewing media on a device, a built-in 6,700mAh battery for charging other devices over USB (and to power Wi-Fi), and preview support for Raw files. It’s available in 250gb, 500gb, 1Tb and 2TB capacities.

Read more about the WD MyPassport Wireless SSD

Winner: Wandrd Prvke 21L Backpack

The right camera backpack is a frustratingly elusive thing to find. No bag is going to be perfect for every photographer. But wouldn’t be nice if one came close? Meet the Wandrd Prvke 21L. It might have a weird name (it’s pronounced ‘wandered provoke’), but it’s awesome to use. So awesome, in fact, that it’s our favorite camera backpack on the market and our pick for photographic accessory of the year.

The Wandrd Prvke 21 provides an impressive balance of intelligent, rugged design with outstanding weight distribution and comfort. It’s also incredibly versatile: a roll-top provides an additional 4L of storage and the internal ‘Camera Cube’ can be completely removed. There’s also plenty of external storage pockets and even loops to attach bulky gear, like a sleeping bag, to the bottom of the pack. In short, this bag looks good, handles well, is super versatile and can carry a ton of gear. As such, it’s a worthy winner of our award this year for best photo accessory.

Read our review of the Wandrd Prvke 21L camera backpack

Best video accessory

Shortlist:

• Atomos Ninja V
• Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve 15
• DJI Ronin-S
• Sigma Cine 28mm / 40mm / 105mm T1.5 FF

Runner up: Atomos Ninja V

Video capabilities continue to improve every year, and it’s common these days to find advanced features such as oversampled 4K, 10-bit recording, and Log gamma profiles on many cameras. While it’s possible to shoot amazing footage with just a camera and a lens, specialized video accessories can make your shoot easier or take your production quality up a notch or two.

The Atomos Ninja V is a tool that lets you take complete advantage of your camera’s video capabilities, some of which may only be fully realized when using an off-camera recorder. With features such as 4K/60p recording, support for Apple ProRes and Avid DNxHR, a 5″ daylight viewable screen, anamorphic de-squeeze, and HDR monitoring there’s a lot to like, and it does so in a compact size that’s a perfect match for DSLR or mirrorless cameras. If you want to squeeze every bit of quality out of your camera’s video, or just have a more enjoyable shooting experience, this is an easy way to do it.

Read more about the Atomos Ninja V

Winner: DJI Ronin-S

It’s easy to get stable video when using a tripod, or even when shooting a relatively simple shot using a camera’s image stabilization, but sometimes the key to great video is camera movement. Unfortunately, that’s where many in-camera or in-lens stabilization systems just aren’t quite good enough for things like run-and-gun documentary or narrative filmmaking.

Enter the DJI Ronin-S. It’s not the first one-handed camera gimbal, but it’s our current favorite thanks to its effective operation and ease of use. Setup is a breeze, thanks to its auto-tune feature for gimbal calibration, and the 3-axis motorized gimbal has some of the strongest motors DJI has ever put in a gimbal, allowing the Ronin-S to compensate for slight changes in balance when using zoom lenses. It’s also possible to save three distinct groups of settings and toggle between them at the press of a button – ideal for filmmakers who need to quickly react to changing conditions.

Other great features include an offset roll axis that’s cleverly designed to avoid blocking the screen while shooting, configuration using a smartphone app, and a 12-hour battery that will outlast your arm. It even supports remote camera operation including remote start/stop and a very precise remote follow focus knob.

Read our DJI Ronin-S review

Best smartphone camera

Shortlist:

• Apple iPhone XS
• Google Pixel 3
• Huawei Mate 20 Pro
• Samsung Galaxy S9+
• Sony Xperia XZ3

Runner up: Google Pixel 3

The Pixel 3 is the first smartphone camera to truly rival traditional dedicated cameras, surpassing 1″-type and rivaling cameras with Four Thirds sensors in ‘Night Sight’ mode.* It does this by improving upon the Pixel 2’s already class-leading HDR+ multi-frame fusion technique, now capturing even more frames and merging them using a super resolution algorithm to extract more detail, reduce noise, and remove the need for demosaicing. A new learning-based white balance approach in this mode also renders pleasing colors even in challenging light.

Portrait Mode has been improved using machine learning to understand a variety of depth cues, rendering the most pleasing subject isolation and blur of any smartphone we’ve tested. ‘Synthetic fill flash’ uses learning-based segmentation to identify and re-light faces. ‘Top Shot’ captures perfect moments you may have missed before hitting the shutter button. The Pixel 3 outputs Raw, but these Raw files have image quality that far surpasses what you’d expect from such a small sensor, since they’re the result of stacking and merging up to 15 rapidly captured frames. To sum up: it’s the best smartphone camera for stills we’ve ever seen.

Read more about the Google Pixel 3

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*Despite the name, you can use Night Sight mode any time of day to get its benefits, with the only downside being a positive shutter lag.

Winner: Apple iPhone XS

The iPhone XS faced fierce competition from the Google Pixel 3 this year, and from a pure still image quality standpoint the Pixel 3 wins hands down. But the iPhone XS takes the top spot overall thanks to a more rounded feature set that includes class-leading video, reliable AF, wide color capture and HDR display of imagery, plus a range of improvements over the original iPhone X.

New in the XS is a larger image sensor in the main camera for better dynamic range and low light performance, and a refined Portrait Mode. In a snub to traditional cameras, the XS allows you to choose your aperture after you shoot – all the way from F1.4 to F16. Cleverly, Apple has modeled the optical properties of real full-frame portrait lenses to accurately – and attractively – simulate ‘real’ bokeh.

Perhaps the biggest improvement though is Apple’s new ‘Smart HDR’ feature, which takes advantage of the faster processing capabilities of the phone to capture wider dynamic scenes in stills, panoramas, and even in video up to 4K/30p, making the HEVC 4K footage the best we’ve seen from a smartphone. Pair all this with improved contrast on one of the best displays on the market, with accurate color management under the hood so you get the benefits of the wide gamut display without a loss in color accuracy, and you have one of the best smartphones available today.

Read more about the Apple iPhone XS

Best prosumer camera drone

Shortlist:

• DJI Mavic 2 Pro
• DJI Mavic Air
• Parrot ANAFI
• Skydio R1

Runner-up: DJI Mavic Air

Drones have quickly become one of the most exciting new areas of photography, allowing anyone to capture stunning photos or video that previously required a helicopter or cable-cam.

The DJI Mavic Air is an ultra-compact, foldable quadcopter that’s small enough to be a true ‘take anywhere’ drone. Its 1/2.3″ CMOS sensor records 4K/30p or 1080/120p video at up to 100 Mbps, captures 12MP Raw photos, and ‘QuickShots’ modes make it easy to get cinematic looking footage even if you’re a beginner. It even includes DJI’s Advanced Pilot Assistance System (APAS), which uses numerous sensors to detect and go around obstacles so you can continue following your subject.

Read more about the DJI Mavic Air

Winner: DJI Mavic 2 Pro

The Mavic 2 Pro is the model that drone enthusiasts had been asking DJI to create, and in 2018 DJI delivered. It has all the great features of the original Mavic Pro, including a small, foldable form factor, but adds a camera built around a larger 1″-type sensor with Hasselblad branding. It’s the perfect match for the person who values exceptional photo and video quality in a compact package.

The Mavic 2 Pro’s standout features don’t stop with the larger camera, however. It’s capable of recording 4K/30p at up to 100 Mbps, supports both H.264 and H.265 codecs, offers 10-bit recording with DJI’s DLog-M gamma profile, and uses DJI’s OcuSync 2.0 video transmission system for reliable transmission over long distances. It also includes APAS for obstacle avoidance using 10 sensors that provide omnidirectional coverage around the aircraft and numerous intelligent flight modes for cinematic shots.

Read more about the DJI Mavic 2 Pro

Best zoom lens

Shortlist:

• Canon RF 28-70mm F2
• Canon RF 24-105mm F4
• Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 Di III RXD
• Tamron 70-210mm F4 Di VC USD

Runner-up: Canon RF 28-70mm F2

A lot of lenses get released every year, and it’s always a challenge to whittle the year’s releases down to a shortlist – let alone to pick a winner. That said, this year several lenses stood out from the pack.

Canon’s impressive RF 28-70mm F2L is perhaps the clearest indication that despite the mid-level positioning of the EOS R, the RF system should be taken seriously by professionals. This durable, weather-sealed lens features super-advanced glass and coatings designed to keep aberrations to a minimum despite its ambitious continuous maximum aperture. The result is a fast zoom that offers stunning image quality throughout its range.

Arguably falling into the category of ‘stunt lens’, the 28-70mm F2 is almost comically large and unbalanced on the R, but it’s clearly designed for a future – more professional – camera. We can’t wait.

See some samples from the
Canon RF 28-70mm F2

Winner: Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 Di III RXD

At the other end of the scale from Canon’s behemoth is the Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 Di III RXD. It might not be the widest or fastest (thanks to our runner-up), standard zoom of its kind, but it’s the smallest and lightest, and one of the best nonetheless.

The Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 Di III RXD has the distinction of being the first third-party zoom lens designed from scratch to be compatible with Sony’s full-frame mirrorless cameras. It has seriously impressed us with its optical quality, close-up ability, relatively fast (and silent) autofocus, pleasant handling and excellent value for money. A perfect companion to Sony’s a7 III, we hope that the 28-75mm F2.8 Di III RXD is the first of many future mirrorless-oriented lenses from Tamron, which has really impressed us in the past couple of years with its range of high-quality Di prime and zoom.

See our sample gallery shot with the
Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 Di III RXD

Best prime lens

Shortlist:

• Canon RF 50mm F1.2L USM
• Sony FE 24mm F1.4 GM
• Sony FE 400mm F2.8 GM
• Sigma 56mm F1.4 DC DN

Runner-up: Sigma 56mm F1.4 DC DN Contemporary

The launch of several new mirrorless systems has helped 2018 become a bumper year for interesting prime lenses. The fact that after a lot of discussion, Canon’s ambitious (and super-sharp) RF 50mm F1.2L just missed out on an award gives a hint of how hotly-contested this category was.

One of the lenses that really caught our eye this year was the Sigma 56mm F1.4 DC DN Contemporary. The 56mm F1.4 is the third in a set of affordable Sigma F1.4 lenses for Sony’s E-mount and the Micro Four Thirds system, and like the existing 30mm and 16mm lenses, the 56mm makes most sense on the APS-C format, where it’s equivalent to a classic 85mm portrait lens.

The 56mm F1.4 DC DN is small, light and, with an MSRP under $ 500, very sensibly priced. More than this, though, it’s sharp, fast to focus and exhibits pleasant bokeh, as a portrait lens should. In our view this makes it a great addition to the otherwise slightly under-served Sony APS-C E-mount lineup. We only wish it were available for other mirrorless APS-C mounts.

See our Sigma 56mm F1.4 DC DN
sample gallery

Winner: Sony FE 24mm F1.4 GM

We’ve seen a lot of small, OK lenses this year, and a lot of very large, very good lenses, but it’s really nice when we see a manufacturer make a small excellent lens. The Sony FE 24mm F1.4 GM is exactly that.

This medium-wide prime lens for Sony’s a7-series and a9 mirrorless cameras (it’s also a useful 36mm F2.1 equivalent on APS-C) is a great example of the lens-maker’s art. Superbly suited to landscape and astrophotography, the 24mm F1.4 is equally useful for low-light candid photography and portraiture. It’s uncannily sharp edge-to-edge wide open with little to no coma, bokeh is smooth, and longitudinal chromatic aberration – that purple and green fringing we loathe on many fast wide primes – is well controlled. Our decision this year was unanimous – the Sony FE 24mm F1.4 GM takes the well-deserved top spot in our award for best prime lens of 2018.

Read more about the
Sony FE 24mm F1.4 GM

Best compact/fixed lens camera

Shortlist:

• Fujifilm XF10
• Nikon Coolpix P1000
• Panasonic Lumix DC-LX100 II
• Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 VI

Runner up: Nikon Coolpix P1000

This year was another relatively slow one for compact cameras, but the models in our shortlist all have something special to offer.

Taking the runner-up spot this year is the Nikon Coolpix P1000, distinguished by its wonderfully bonkers lens, which covers an equivalent focal length range of 24-3000mm. This kind of zoom would be useless if the pictures were terrible, but the P1000’s lens is very impressive given its extraordinary range, and capable of everything from sweeping landscapes to sharp lunarscapes, thanks in part to a very effective effective image stabilization system. The bulky Coolpix P1000 might not be the ideal camera for everyone, but it has some unique tricks up its (very long) sleeve.

Read our review of the
Nikon Coolpix P1000

Winner: Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 VI

Another year, another Sony Cyber-shot RX100-series compact camera. What will it be this time – a faster lens? Better 4K video? Boosted continuous shooting? Well, in fact the RX100 VI offers none of those things compared to its predecessor the RX100 V/A, but instead adds a more versatile 24-200mm zoom to the lineup, which trades brightness (and a built-in ND filter) for extra telephoto reach.

The RX100 VI doesn’t replace the older RX100 V/A, but it does fill a gap in the established RX100-series lineup for a true ‘travel zoom’ camera, offering advanced video and stills features in a compact package, with a versatile zoom lens. Photographers have been asking Sony for a longer zoom in the RX100-series for a long time, and with the RX100 VI, Sony delivered, without compromising too much of what we love about the series as a whole. As such the Sony Cyber-shot RX100 VI takes our award for best compact / fixed-lens camera of 2018.

Read our review of the
Sony Cyber-shot RX100 VI

Best consumer stills/video camera

Shortlist:

• Fujifilm X-H1
• Fujifilm X-T3
• Nikon Z6
• Sony Alpha a7 III

Runner up: Nikon Z6

Once the shape of things to come, ‘hybrid’ cameras that offer high-quality video modes alongside stills photography features are now the norm. The new video standard of course is 4K, and all of this year’s shortlisted cameras offer excellent 4K video features alongside 24MP+ stills capture.

Taking the runner-up spot this year is the Nikon Z6 – the companion model to the flagship Z7 in Nikon’s new Z-system lineup. The Z6 offers lower-resolution 24MP stills capture than the 46MP Z7, but cleaner, distortion-free 4K video, and slightly better autofocus sensitivity in low light, too. Coupled with effective in-body stabilization and a supremely adaptable lensmount, the Z6 is a highly attractive camera for hybrid stills and video shooting, and Nikon’s most convincing video camera yet.

Learn more about the
Nikon Z6

Winner: Fujifilm X-T3

Every year, there’s at least one DPReview Awards category where we struggle to reach a unanimous decision. After a lot of discussion we awarded first prize in this category to the Fujifilm X-T3.

At first glance very similar to its direct predecessor the X-T2, this year’s model is in fact a major upgrade, offering a substantially improved set of video and stills features. In fact, despite its lack of IBIS, the 4K/60-capable X-T3 is arguably a better 4K video platform than the nominal video flagship of the X-series, the X-H1. Its ability to capture 4K/60p footage in 10-bit even puts it ahead of the latest models in Panasonic’s video-centric GH series.

All of this is made more impressive by the fact that until quite recently, Fujifilm’s X-series lagged seriously behind its competition in terms of video. The X-T3 is the clearest indication yet that Fujifilm has well and truly joined the game.

Read our review of the Fujifilm X-T3

Best entry-level ILC

Shortlist:

• Canon EOS M50
• Fujifilm X-T100
• Nikon D3500
• Olympus PEN E-PL9

Runner-up: Nikon D3500

Entry-level cameras are among the most important products in every manufacturer’s lineup. Once a new photographer has invested in a system, the hope is that they’ll stay loyal, growing their investment in lenses, accessories and – in the future – more advanced cameras.

The Nikon D3500 is a modest upgrade to the last-generation D3400, but it still offers the excellent 24MP sensor of its predecessor, and despite its entry-level positioning the D3500 handles very nicely, thanks in part to a redesigned, deeper grip. For anyone looking for an inexpensive first camera to grow and learn with, the D3500 fits the bill nicely. As such, it takes the runner-up spot in this year’s DPReview Award for best entry-level ILC.

Read more about the Nikon D3500

Winner: Canon EOS M50

Canon’s EF-M range occupies an awkward spot in Canon’s current product portfolio – based around the APS-C sensor format, but incompatible with the lenses from Canon’s newer, full-frame RF mirrorless mount. Nevertheless, the best EOS M cameras are really nice to use, and have a lot to offer the beginner and enthusiast photographer alike.

The DSLR-styled EOS M50 is one of the standout cameras in the EF-M lineup, offering an attractive combination of pleasant handling, solid stills photography features, and usable 4K video in a small, lightweight package. As a beginners’ ILC, the M50 is easy to use, powerful, and un-intimidating. As such, it takes the winning spot in our award category this year for best entry-level ILC.

Read our review of the
Canon EOS M50

Best midrange ILC

Shortlist:

• Canon EOS R
• Fujifilm X-T3
• Nikon Z6>
• Sony Alpha a7 III

Runner-up: Fujifilm X-T3

This year, the mid-range interchangeable lens camera segment saw a lot of action. All of our shortlisted models are capable of excellent still image quality, and feature a range of powerful features. Three of the four are also capable of superb 4K video capture, making them true ‘hybrid’ cameras of the sort unthinkable just a few years ago.

Runner-up in this competitive category is the Fujifilm X-T3, one of the most impressive cameras released in 2018. Despite its APS-C sensor, the X-T3’s image quality at low and medium ISO sensitivities gives a lot of full-frame cameras a run for their money, and its 4k video features are very competitive. The X-T3 is one of those rare cameras that is better than it probably needed to be, and this is reflected in the fact that it beat out several full-frame models to the runner-up spot in this years’ award for best midrange ILC.

Read our review of the Fujifilm X-T3

Winner: Sony Alpha a7 III

One of the full-frame cameras that the X-T3 has to compete against is one of our favorite cameras released all year – the Sony Alpha a7 III, which takes the winning spot in this year’s DPR Awards category for best mid-range ILC. The a7 III won out thanks to its stabilized full-frame sensor, powerful autofocus system and excellent 4K video features. For anyone looking for a ‘do it all’ camera without spending a lot more money, the a7 III is hard to beat. For these reasons, it takes the top spot in this years’ DPReview award for best midrange ILC.

Read our review of the Sony Alpha a7 III

Best high-end ILC

Shortlist:

• Fujifilm GFX 50R
• Nikon Z7
• Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5S
• Panasonic Lumix DC-G9

Runner-up: Fujifilm GFX 50R

The high-end ILC category saw some serious innovation this year, from Fujifilm’s slimmed-down medium format GFX 50R to Nikon’s all-new Z7. At the other end of the sensor size scale was the video-centric Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 and the ultra-rugged G9.

This year’s runner-up spot is taken by the camera with the biggest sensor of all – the Fujifilm GFX 50R. Designed for active photographers, the 50R takes the best bits of the more costly 50S – including its most important feature – the excellent 50MP CMOS sensor – and packages them in a smaller, more affordable, rangefinder-style body. Medium-format has never looked more attractive.

Read more about the Fujifilm GFX 50R

Winner: Nikon Z7

The Nikon Z7 marks the beginning of a new era for the stalwart Japanese camera manufacturer, debuting the new full-frame mirrorless Z mount. With a wider diameter than the 1950s-era F-mount and a shorter flange-back, the Z mount is designed to be futureproof, and the enthusiast-oriented Z7 is an appropriately bold camera to kick things off.

In many respects akin to a mirrorless D850, the Z7 offers a proven 46MP sensor, traditional Nikon handling, deep customization and a powerful 4K video feature set with impressive video AF. While stills autofocus could be improved, the Z7 is a formidable camera signaling Nikon’s dedication to the future, and as such it takes the top spot in this year’s DPReview Award for best high-end ILC.

Read our review of the Nikon Z7

DPReview innovation award

Shortlist:

• Canon RF 28-70mm F2
• Canon Speedlite 470EX-AI
• DJI Mavic 2 Pro
• Google Pixel 3

Runner-up: Canon Speedlite 470EX-AI

Innovations come in all shapes and sizes, but sometimes the simplest innovation can have the biggest impact on how you make photographs. Take for example the Canon Speedlite 470EX-AI, an on-camera flash that uses a simple technique to demystify the art of bouncing light.

For years, hot shoe flashes have been able to measure distance to subject. Canon’s Speedlite 470EX-AI takes this simple action several steps further. By first measuring the distance to subject, followed by the distance to ceiling, the 470EX-AI can predict the optimal bounce angle and set itself there, automatically. Even cooler, it re-positions itself when switching from portrait to landscape orientation.

Learn more about the Canon Speedlite 470EX-AI

Winner: Google Pixel 3

Every year brings new innovation in the camera industry, and this year was particularly busy with new entrants in the mirrorless and full-frame camera markets, and stellar new optics. Despite this competitive landscape, we unanimously picked the Google Pixel 3 for our ‘Innovation of the Year’ award.

The Pixel 3 is the first smartphone camera to truly challenge traditional cameras from an image quality standpoint, surpassing 1″-type and rivaling cameras with Four Thirds sensors in ‘Night Sight’ mode. It does this by improving upon the Pixel 2’s already class-leading HDR+ multi-frame fusion technique, now capturing up to 15 frames and merging them using a super resolution algorithm to extract more detail, reduce noise, and remove the need for demosaicing altogether. That allows its image quality to rival higher resolution dedicated cameras with Bayer filter arrays, and allows for digital zoom that rivals modest optical zoom modules.

Google is also at the forefront of applying machine learning to photography. This pays off in more accurate white balance, sharper images, as well as ‘real’-looking background blur and subject isolation for the best portraits we’ve seen outside of a dedicated camera. The list goes on, but importantly: these techniques are bringing high quality photography – and videography – to the masses, on unprecedentedly small and convenient devices. This democratization of the art using technology is what garners the Google Pixel 3 our Innovation of the Year award.

Read more about the Google Pixel 3

DPReview product of the year, 2018

Shortlist:

• Fujifilm X-T3
• Nikon Z7
• Sony Alpha a7 III
• Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 Di III RXD

Runner-up: Fujifilm X-T3

Picking the single best product of the year is always a difficult task, and if we’re being honest, it’s impossible. Everyone’s needs are different. There has never been a better time to be a photographer, and in 2018 there are fantastic cameras, lenses and accessories out there for everyone.

But pick we must. This year’s shortlist is comprised of those products that represent, in our collective opinion, four of the best bits of gear released in 2018. Two of them really stood out, though. Runner-up is the Fujifilm X-T3 which – in case you didn’t already get the message – we really like. Fujifilm didn’t need to make the X-T3 as good as it is – hell, Fujifilm didn’t even need to replace the X-T2 yet – but they did, and they did. And the resulting camera is one of the best APS-C format ILCs money can buy, even rivaling some full-frame models.

Read our review of the Fujifilm X-T3

Winner: Sony Alpha a7 III

And the winning spot this year is taken by the Sony a7 III. Arguably the best-value full-frame ILC available right now, the a7 III is a superbly versatile camera for both stills and video imaging, at a great price. Other cameras in Sony’s lineup offer higher stills resolution and some nice extras, but the a7 III takes most of the essentials, and packages them inside an attractive, very usable and affordable body. As such, the a7 III is a worthy winner of our most important award – the best product of 2018.

Click here to read our Sony Alpha a7 III

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)