Our friends across the pond at the European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA) have announced the winners of their 2011-2012 photo awards. Check outs what 16 items came out on top.
And if that list a gear doesn't impress you, you can alway check out the detailed list of gear we here at Fstoppers.com are giving away to three lucky winners of our 2011 BTS Contest.
European Professional Lens for 2011-2012 - Canon EF 70-300mm F4-5.6L IS USM: The Canon EF 70-300mm F4-5.6L IS USM is an amazing telephoto zoom lens that combines high image quality with an extremely durable construction and a surprisingly compact design. It sets a new standard for this popular zoom range with its professional autofocus performance and the latest generation of Image Stabilization, but is still affordable for the enthusiast. Throughout the zoom range the lens shows optical qualities that are in line with fixed focal length lenses - it performs very well even at its widest aperture, and the environmental shield protects it from moisture and dust.
European Camera for 2011-2012 - Canon EOS 600D: The Canon EOS 600D is a good-value camera that has a very strong set of features and customizable functions. The excellent resolution and its low-noise characteristics even at high ISO settings make it an extremely desirable model to amateur photographers. This new EOS generation offers Full HD video, a larger, more comfortable grip, an external microphone socket, wireless flash control, good dynamic range, an articulated LCD screen and a host of beginner-friendly features that make advanced picture quality easier to achieve.
European Travel Compact Camera 2011-2012 - Casio EXILIM EX-ZR100: Casio’s small superzoom camera, with its stabilized 12.5x zoom and 24mm wide angle lens, fits easily into most pockets making it the ideal travel companion. The camera has a very strong set of core features, including a high-sensitivity, 12.1-million-pixel, back-illuminated CMOS sensor, a high-resolution 3-inch display, full-HD movie modes with stereo-sound, an HDR-mode and the easy-to-use Sweep Panorama mode. The outstanding feature of this EXILIM is its high-speed-mode: it can shoot up to 40 pictures in a second with a resolution of ten million pixels and record movies at up to 1,000 frames per second that can be replayed in slow motion.
European Printer 2011-2012 - Epson Stylus Photo R3000: The Epson Stylus Photo R3000 is a well-designed A3+ printer that produces extremely high-quality and detailed pictures with the help of its 2pl ink droplets and the inclusion of a vivid magenta in the UltraChrome K3 pigment ink set. A new colour LCD control panel makes the printer easy to operate, while a high speed USB port, built-in Wi-Fi, net connection and PictBridge give the user a wide range of ways to send files for printing. Thanks to the nine high-capacity (25.9ml) ink tanks, the cost of printing has been reduced. This is an ideal printer for both professional photographers and advanced amateurs.
European Advanced Compact Camera 2011-2012 - Fujifilm FinePix X100: The Fujifilm FinePix X100 advanced compact camera introduces an innovative new hybrid optical and electronic viewfinder, and is a very high-quality camera designed to be portable and always ready. The camera is ruggedly built, has a very sharp 23mm F2.0 moderate wide angle lens that offers selective focus, and its APS-C CMOS sensor offers high image quality even under low-light conditions. As a near-silent camera with excellent manual and automatic shooting modes, the FinePix X100 stands out as a serious alternative to a compact system camera or a travel camera for the enthusiast and professional photographer.
European Photo Software 2011-2012 - Nik Software Silver Efex Pro 2: Silver Efex Pro 2 software brings together the worlds of film and digital photography by providing the processing techniques of the darkroom in a much more convenient form. As well as features such as adding the grain and contrast of a fast film, this software package has an excellent set of image-editing controls, especially the U-Point Technology, that will reduce your reliance on other mainstream packages, such as Photoshop. The software is able to divide its operations between the computer’s CPU and the graphics card so that even complicated actions can be processed very quickly.
European Advanced SLR Camera 2011-2012 - Nikon D7000: At the head of Nikon’s semi-professional line of cameras, the D7000 is packed with the high-end features it inherited from the company’s D300 and D300S models. The solid body offers high-speed autofocus, a bright 3-inch LCD, dust control, dual SDXC card slots and Full HD Video. An exceptionally good noise-control system means the 16.2-million-pixel-sensor can be used at ISO 3200 and still produce high quality, clean images - even at ISO 12800 noise is not much of an issue. This is a camera that can give amateur photographers professional-looking images.
European All Weather Camera 2011-2012 - Olympus TOUGH TG-810: The stainless steel Olympus TOUGH TG-810 is a water-, crush- and shockproof camera that is ideal for outdoor enthusiasts as well as for families. Although its rugged build is the principal feature of the camera, it also delivers good picture quality. With a 14-million-pixel sensor and a 5x zoom lens (28-140mm), it is suitable for almost every situation. The camera is easy to operate in both very bright and dark conditions thanks to the clarity of the 3-inch LCD screen, and the Super Macro mode allows you to take pictures just 3cm from the subject – above and under water! A dual-mode digital image stabilisation system makes sure that pictures appear sharp even in low light and when you are shooting a moving subject.
European Compact System Camera 2011-2012 - Panasonic LUMIX DMC-G3: The LUMIX DMC-G3 is a very small interchangeable-lens camera, which, as it is fitted with a built-in flash and an electronic viewfinder, is as easy to use indoors as it is outside on a sunny day. The camera offers excellent image quality, and it is capable of resolving very fine details and working in low light without producing excessive image noise. A new contrast-detection autofocus system finds and tracks the subject very quickly, and the responsive touch-screen allows not only focus pin-pointing, but also touching the subject can trigger the camera’s shutter to take the picture.
European Professional Camera 2011-2012 - Pentax 645D: With the introduction of the Pentax 645D, the medium-format market has gained a much anticipated and highly competitive member that offers exceptional image-quality and handling. The 645D is a joy to use in the field, and although it is big and somewhat heavy, its ergonomic grip, large viewfinder, fast and accurate autofocus, and well-made controls make it perfectly usable without a tripod. With its 33x44mm, 40-million-pixel, Kodak CCD-sensor it is a landscape photographer’s dream, creating absolutely stunningly sharp and detailed pictures with very attractive colours and a huge dynamic range. As a serious photographer’s tool, the Pentax 645D is second to none.
European Compact System Lens 2011-2012 - Samsung NX 20-50mm F3.5-5.6 ED i-Function: When you have chosen to buy a camera because it is small it is important that the lenses that you use are also small. In this new category it is not true that all optics are as compact as the bodies on which they fit, but here Samsung has produced a very useful set of standard focal lengths in a form that is actually pocketable. It is not enough just to be small, of course, and this is a lens that produces exceptional image quality throughout its aperture and zoom ranges. Samsung’s i-Function is an important feature of this lens and allows the user to access the main mode settings of the camera just by pressing the button on the lens barrel. The lens collapses when not in use to make itself really compact, but expands to become a highly efficient optic capable of very high resolution.
European Social Media Camera 2011-2012 - Samsung SH100: This is a very small 14.2MP compact camera that makes it really easy to share your pictures and videos. Thanks to built-in Wi-Fi, as soon as you have taken a picture you can use the 3-inch touch-screen to get connected to a public or private hotspot. You can then email your masterpiece to your friends, or upload it to social networking websites such as Facebook or Picasa – and your videos can be sent directly to YouTube. DLNA technology allows the camera to be wirelessly linked to your TV, smartphone or tablet, and the camera can automatically back-up your images to your computer when you come within range. Samsung has created apps for iPhone and Android mobile phones, which let you connect the camera and the phone so the camera can be controlled remotely from the screen of the phone.
European Lens 2011-2012 - Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM: In the 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM, Sigma has produced a telephoto zoom lens that offers professional features and exceptionally good image quality at a very reasonable price. Even at the maximum aperture of F2.8 the lens delivers excellent sharpness and, combined with an effective image stabilizer (OS) and fast, silent autofocus (HSM), it is well suited to demanding photographic subjects such as nature, sports and documentary. Available with fittings for most camera brands, and covering APS-C and full-frame sensors, this lens is a perfect choice for both demanding amateurs and professional photographers.
European Compact Camera 2011-2012 - Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V: The Sony Cyber-shot DSC–HX9V is a powerful 16.2MP compact camera with a 16x (24-384mm) zoom lens. It records 1080/50p Full HD video and has built-in GPS and compass functions. This is a really feature-rich camera with a 10fps burst rate, a wide range of manual controls, 3D Sweep Panorama mode and an effective optical stabilization system. This new generation Cyber-shot camera brings high-quality photography to users at every level of experience.
European Zoom Lens 2011-2012 - Tamron AF 18-270mm F3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD: This compact zoom lens is an excellent tool for travel photographers, who can now carry a single all-in-one zoom lens instead of the multiple lenses that would normally be needed to cover this range of focal lengths. Designed for the popular APS-C sensor format, it delivers a focal range that is suitable for anything from landscapes to wildlife photography. The lens is small and light, and the main zoom ring is comfortable and easy to operate. The maximum aperture at the wide-angle end is well suited for working in low-light conditions or when a shallow depth of field is required, and Tamron’s new piezoelectric motor achieves near-silent autofocus.
European Photo Accessory 2011-2012 - Vanguard GH-100 Pistol Grip Ball Head: This ball-and-socket tripod head has a pistol-grip-style handle that enables you to quickly put your camera into almost any position, and it locks firmly once the trigger is released. The pistol grip itself can be fixed in eight different positions to suit your shooting style. It is easy to adjust the level of friction on the ball head to accommodate heavier camera and lens combinations. Photographers who enjoy shooting panoramas will appreciate the 72-click head rotation, designed to space pictures 5 degrees apart, that makes the process of creating a joiner easier and more accurate. This is a versatile accessory that is very well made and extremely useful.
via [EISA]
From Kenn:
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Ken, I don't know how well off you are personally, but many enthusiasts I know will balk at a $1500 variable aperture 70-300mm lens.
Tbh for that price it should sport a constant f/4 aperture.
Now, not always, but generally speaking; when you're shooting an event with a 70-300mm zoom, you'd be just as well off whether it's $300 or $500 with solid autofocus, than all the fancy *#$T canon adds in here. In fact, when nikon's 28-300mm (with a more complex design) is sold for $600 less, you have to wonder what exactly canon is charging us for.
Sure, it's a little bit smaller and has some fancy new age crap they slap on it to sell lenses, but is it really worth $1k over the lower end version with similar af and identical light gathering properties?
Even as an "enthusiast". When you're at the point where you're spending $1400 on a single lens, you may as well select the 70-200 f/2.8, for almost $100 less.
With a TC, it gives you more versatility than this lazy rich man's zoom. Even with the previous 70-300, you could pay for 2/3rds of a 50 f/1.2 with the savings.
This lens is in the consumer Canon DO club (honorarily of course).
i totally agreed, but when i was able to try it out for a bit, the image quality is actually really quite good- i think this one's aimed a little bit more towards nature photographers than event photographers which is why the variable zoom isn't a huge problem