There are times at the Academy Awards, where a filmmaker's film that wins Best Picture doesn't win Best Director. And while it usually invites the question of whether a film directed itself, what It usually indicates, is a divided Academy. That seems to have been what happened this year at the annual Expert Imaging and Sound Association (EISA) Awards in Australia, as one camera maker took Camera of the Year, while another took Best Full Frame Camera. And they're both full frame mirrorless cameras!
Overall, the Nikon Z6 took the top honor of Camera of the Year, with EISA judges saying that the robust build quality of the full frame mirrorless camera translated to high performance handling and excellent images in almost any situation. "With the Z6, Nikon has made a superb camera," the announcement reads. "Its autofocus system includes Eye-Detection AF, allowing accurate focus wherever the subject is placed in the frame."
The announcement went on to outline how the large electronic viewfinder of the Nikon Z6 provided an accurate preview of how the image looks and will turn out, while while Nikon's IBIS in-body image stabilization keeps images rock steady and sharp with any lens used, including when using the F-mount lenses through the bundled FTZ lens adapter.
Not to be outdone, however, the Canon EOS RP shared top full frame honors with the Panasonic S1R, with the EOS RP being awarded as Best Full Frame Camera, while the S1R secured the Best Advanced Full Frame award. This is where it seems that EISA was a clearly divided over which camera was the best, as it also awarded Best Advanced Camera to the FujiFilm X-T3, and even gave the Sony A6400 Best Photo/Video camera. A real shock though, is how the popular Sony Full Frame Alpha series was largely overlooked save for a Best Innovation Award.
When it came to lenses, however, Canon took the lion's share of awards, taking Best Lens Innovation with the larger EOS R lens mount and constant aperture of f2 on the Canon RF 28-70mm F2L. A first for any mirrorless zoom lens. "The lens is a spectacular demonstration of what can be achieved with the EOS R mount," the awards announcement stated.
Canon also took the awards for Best Standard Zoom Lens, with the Canon RF 24-105 f4 L IS, Best Standard Prime Lens with the Canon RF 50mm F1.2L "Nifty Fifty," and best Super Telephoto Prime Lens with the EF 600mm f4 IS III.
Other lens winners included:
- Zoom Lens: Tamron 35-150mm f/2.8-4 Di VC OSD
- Wide-Angle Zoom Lens: Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 Di III RXD
- Pro Standard Zoom Lens: Nikon NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S
- Telephoto Zoom Lens: Sigma 60-600mm f/4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM
- Pro Telephoto Zoom Lens: Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM
- Wide-Angle Prime Lens: Sony FE 24mm f/1.4 GM
- Portrait Prime Lens: Sony FE 135mm f/1.8 GM
- Telephoto Prime Lens: Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS
In other awards, Sony was honored for best Photo Innovation with their Real Time Eye AutoFocus feature. "The Real-time Tracking system recognizes the whole body, and the focus area will seamlessly change between the face and the eyes," the announcement read. "This means sports photographers can reliably track unpredictable movements, trusting the AF system to get every shot in focus." Sony was also awarded with best Wide Angle Prime Lens with the Sony FE 24mm F1.4 GM.
But when you look at the distinctions of Best Full Frame vs. Best Advanced Full Frame, and Best Super Telephoto vs. Best Prime Telephoto, does it seem to anyone else that EISA is making up categories to spread the wealth? Or am I seeing too much into it?
The entire list of EISA winners can be found here.
Source: Peta Pixel
