TIPA dubs its top new camera gear of the year
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Loading... - Mary Campbell
- 26 May 2022
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The Technical Imaging Press Association (TIPA) has just announced the winners of its 2022 World Awards. Even if you haven’t heard much about the association, you’ve likely seen its logo and “award winning” pop up in advertising for camera gear over the past 30 years.
What are the TIPA awards?
The TIPA World Awards are presented by the Technical Imaging Press Association, a group of 26 independent photography magazines from around the world. (In the US, Rangefinder and Digital Imaging Reporter are members.) The group has been giving out its awards since 1991.
Of course, over the years the categories have changed somewhat. Originally, they celebrated film cameras and film stocks, before transitioning to DSLRs and then mirrorless cameras. For 2022, for example, the aard categories were updated to remove the “Expert” tier of gear and combine the three APS-C categories down to one, while adding the Best Rangefinder Camera, Best Micro Four Thirds Camera, and Best Camera Innovation categories, and splitting Best Professional Hybrid Camera into 4K and 8K sub-categories.
While this kind of shuffling and adding niche categories could make it easier for companies to win awards (which is a fair criticism), we feel the categories are also a reasonable reflection of the state of the industry. APS-C cameras simply aren’t as relevant as they were five years ago—though with Canon’s announcement of the R7 and R10, that may change.
Do these awards matter?
Sure, to the camera companies who can now use “award winning” in their advertising, the TIPA World Awards are useful, but we’re long past the point where this kind of publicity could make or break a camera. They’re a fun legacy but if you want to know whether the Canon EOS R7 is the sports and action camera everyone hopes it will be, you aren’t waiting for the 2023 awards: you’re reading things like our preview and checking out YouTube videos right now.
Our takes on some of the winning cameras
MFT Camera: OM System OM-1
“OM Digital Solutions Corp says they have refocused on the adventure genre with this new release, and the features they packed into this small camera reflect that. The improved autofocus and burst shooting speeds mentioned above will be excellent additions for adventure sport or wildlife photographers documenting fast action.” —Abby Ferguson
APS-C Camera: Nikon Z fc
“On paper, the spec sheet looks as you’d expect for a camera at this price point. The heart of the camera, a 20.9-megapixel DX-format sensor, is roughly 25 percent smaller than full-frame FX-format full-frame sensors. That choice makes sense for the camera’s $959 price, which aims squarely at the enthusiast market. The autofocus system covers roughly 85 percent of the frame in either direction and face tracking and other convenient modes that make mirrorless cameras appealing.” Read More...
