As the end of the year approaches, it’s time to look back on the products that debuted this year in the 2011 Ideal focus Awards.
These awards are intended as a light hearted look at the best and worst of 2011, but they do include good information to help your buying decisions.
Our first award is all about technological breakthroughs.
Best Innovation In A Camera 2011
The nominees are…
- Lytro, for their Light Field Camera
- Nikon, for their autofocus system in the Nikon J1 & V1
- Sony, for their Electronic Viewfinder (EVF) in the A77 & NEX-7
Lytro created quite a stir when they released their Light Field Camera. The unique selling point of their invention is that you can focus your photo after you have taken the shot. It’s a new and fun way to take photos, and for that they should be praised.
The AF in the Nikon 1 cameras is impressive because it is the first of the Compact System Cameras (CSCs) to use the Phase Detection method. While Olympus and Panasonic have made great strides with Contrast Detection, it is currently not good at tracking subjects. The phase-detect method used in the Nikon 1 CSCs means that they are much better for sport or action shooting. The ability to use phase detection in a CSC also removes one of the significant advantages DSLRs had over CSCs.
Traditionally EVFs have had a bit of a bad rap. Fans of Optical Viewfinders (OVFs), such as you find in DSLRs, pointed to the poor resolution, slow refresh rate (meaning loss of picture when moving the camera), and screen blackouts while files were written to memory cards.
Well not any more, Sony’s new EVF is a revelation in terms of size and brightness. It’s not perfect in terms of a tearing effect if you move the camera quickly, and blackouts, but they too are infinitely improved. While reports of the death of OVFs are very premature, Sony has proved that EVFs are soon going to be able to match the very best of the OVFs.
And the winner is…
Nikon, for their autofocus system in the Nikon J1 & V1.
Lytro missed out, as although their technology is great fun, it’s not bringing mainstream photography further forward, and its applications are limited.
Sony’s EVF is great, but more of a continuance of improvement in this area.
Nikon have broken down a boundary to the success of CSCs with their autofocus system and addressed a major complaint of Compact Camera users, namely autofocus speed.
Our next award covers those companies who disappointed us in some way in 2011.
Biggest Disappointment of 2011 (In the camera industry)
The nominees are…
- Nikon, for their pricing of the Nikon 1 cameras
- Pentax, for their Q system
- Samsung, for their UK distribution
- Sony, for the lack of any new NEX pancake lenses
It’s fair to say that Nikon created, what is known in the business, as an expectation gap with their Nikon 1 launch.
There were a lot of people getting very excited about the possibility of a DSLR sized sensor and the ability to mount their Nikon DSLR lenses on the new Nikon mirrorless. Well that’s not what Nikon gave them. (You can use a bulky adapter to mount Nikon DSLR lenses, but that kind of defeats the point of a Compact System Camera.)
In fact Nikon released 2 models aimed squarely at consumers, and this annoyed a lot of people. That’s not why they’re on this list though. In my opinion, the Nikon 1 series is actually pretty good. The Nikon 1 autofocus won our first award this year, remember. The reason they’re on this list is their prices. The cheapest model, the J1 was released at £550 and the V1, £830.
Large Price + Small Sensor = A Nikon Fail
This is especially true given the amount of cheaper alternatives that in many ways outperform the Nikon offerings. I’m not alone on this either. CNET list the J1 as one of their Top Ten Disappointments of 2011.
Pentax’s Q system is a disappointment for much the same reasons, the difference being the sensor in the Q is the same as in Compact Cameras. The Q just isn’t a match for the opposition. Given Pentax already had lots of compact, high-performing lenses for its DSLR mount, and so could have made a system using its DSLR sensor, makes it all the more disappointing.
Samsung have a great CSC system. Do you know what it’s called?
No? I didn’t think so (It’s called the NX System)
The reason not many people have heard about it in the UK is that Samsung doesn’t seem to bother supplying them to any stores, and if, in the unlikely event you are able to buy the camera you want, just try and find a lens!
Samsung announced 3 lenses in February, and they still haven’t made it here yet!
Note to Samsung, you can have the best products in the world, but if people can’t buy them all your potential customers will join another system. Once that’s happened you don’t get them back. By the time Samsung starts trying harder, it could be too late.
Sony, our last nominee, is nominated for making the schoolboy error of releasing the most compact CSC bodies (the Sony NEX series), but with one mediocre exception, some of the biggest lenses.
In order to really take advantage of it’s size advantage in bodies, Sony needed to release some compact lenses similar to those available for micro 4/3 and NX. It didn’t and that was frustrating for a lot of NEX users.
And the winner is…
Nikon, for the pricing of the Nikon 1 cameras.
Pentax ran them close, but there was much more hype for Nikon to live up to and so more disappointment when they didn’t.
Samsung’s problems are probably more serious, but given nobody has heard of their NX series, it’s unlikely to have upset as many people.
Time for a bit of light relief with a couple of entirely superficial awards.
The Prettiest Camera 2011
The nominees are…
- The Olympus E-P3
- The Samsung NX200
- The Sony NEX-5N
You’ll notice that all of these cameras are CSCs, that might well be because that’s where the creative budgets are going at the moment. The chances of their ever being a beautiful DSLR seem quite remote, and there’s very little new design in the Compact Camera world.
The Olympus E-P3 follows the classic design from the original PEN cameras
Olympus E-P3 by Frode Inge Helland (Wikipedia)
It is a classic design that maintains form and function.
The Samsung NX200 (sadly no picture available) also has nice blend of form and function. You can check out the design in DP Review’s Preview article. I though I was alone in liking this, but I saw today that Thom Hogan also likes it as you can read on his Sans Mirror site.
The final nominee in this category is the Sony NEX-5N. Again, no picture, so take a look at DP Review’s Review of the NEX-5N to see the camera. The NEX cameras divide opinion due to their unique look and strange body/lens balance, but I rather like the sleek minimalist looks.
And the winner is…
If this wasn’t purely about eye appeal, the Olympus might have shaded it. But it’s not, it’s an arbitrary award that I decide, and I think the NEX-5N is the prettiest.
(If I had done these awards in 2010, when the Fujifilm X100 was released, that would have won hands-down. This year there’s no stand-out product.)
In the interests of symmetry…
The Ugliest Camera 2011
The nominees are…
- The Nikon Coolpix P7100
- The Pentax Q
- The Sigma SD1 Wood Edition
The Nikon P7100 is a true triumph of function over form. Perhaps too much of a triumph. An oddly shaped, bulbous thing. Buttons and dials protrude everywhere. Check out the DP Reveiw P7100 Preview to see it in all its glory(?).
The Pentax Q is a bit of an oddity in almost every way. It is actually quite well built, yet somehow gives the impression of being designed in the dark. Odd button placement doesn’t help but the articulated pop-up flash is probably the sinker for this model. (see the DP Review Preview.)
The Sigma SD1 is an unconventional DSLR, but Sigma obviously felt it still looked a little too normal and boring. Their solution was to spruce it up a bit with a bit of wood (pun intended, sorry). Photography Blog have a photo showing it off to full effect.
And the winner is…
The Sigma SD1 Wood Edition, not just because it looks like the interior of a 1990s Rover, but mainly because Sigma are charging €9,999 for the privilege of owning one!
As we move towards the exciting climax of our awards, it’s time to consider the unsung hero of photography, the lens.
Best Lens 2011
The nominees are…
- The Olympus 12mm f/2 for Micro 4/3
- The Olympus 45mm f/1.8 for Micro 4/3
- The Panasonic 14-42mm Collapsible Zoom for Micro 4/3
Aside from their well documented troubles in 2011, Olympus have been busy creating some great lenses. The 12mm f/2 has met with universal approval for its build quality and contrast. The only real criticism you can level at it is the price of £600. Although to get as wide on a Consumer (APS-C) DSLR will cost you almost twice as much.
The 45mm f/1.8 is designed as a classic portrait lens that performs really well wide open, and then improves. Its small size and low price of £250 make it both convenient and fantastic value.
Panasonic make the nominations a clean sweep for micro 4/3. Their new 14-42mm Collapsible Zoom performs no better optically than the standard kit lens, but its compact size means micro 4/3 now has a zoom lens that fits into the CSC philosophy of smallness. This means the micro 4/3 user who values compactness now has the flexibility of a zoom available to them. The new 14-42mm offers something different, and at a good value price of £320, that’s why it’s on the list.
I feel I should point out that I did try very hard to justify lenses of other mounts on this shortlist, but either they weren’t compelling enough (Nikon 40mm Micro DX/Tamron 18-200mm), or they weren’t yet available in the UK (Samsung NX offerings), or they were exotic and unaffordable (Canon 600mm f/4 L at £7,000+ ).
And the winner is…
I place a high weighting on value on this site, because at Ideal Focus we work with beginners and enthusiasts. People shouldn’t feel pressured to buy the most expensive because you can get fantastic images with consumer optics like the our shortlisted contenders.
For that reason the winner of the Ideal Focus Best Lens 2011 award is the Olympus 45mm f/1.8. for £250 you get optical excellence and fantastic images, combined with low light ability. Although its a plastic lens, it’s well built. The plastic also makes it nice and light for your small camera.
The 12mm f/2 ran it very close. It has a superior metal construction, and is a pleasure to use. If the price had been less than £500 I would probably have given it the nod. At £600 it just misses out.
Before we get to the one you’ve all been waiting for, another bit of light relief.
Most Annoying Advertising 2011
The nominees are…
- Fujifilm, for the XP30 TV Advert
- Nikon, for the Nikon 1 TV adverts
- Nikon, for the Robbie Williams Coolpix Advert
Instead of describing these adverts I’ll just show you them, then rant!
*Disclaimer: Don’t take this too seriously!*
Fujifilm XP30
For anyone who wished they could throw their camera off a bridge! Bad enough except the XP30 is only shockproof to 1.5m and therefore the video might be considered a bit misleading.
Nikon 1
First off, I don’t want my camera proclaiming its intelligence. Smug people are bad enough, never mind smug gadgets! Add that to the fact that the analogy doesn’t work. For the Nikon 1 to be like the coffee maker in the ad, it would need to take the picture as soon as I thought of it. now that would be useful!
Nikon Coolpix
Oh My God! People are taking pictures of me using flash, that’s never happened to me at all in my celebrity career! Alright, maybe the fact I don’t like Robbie Williams makes this more annoying to me than normal. That said, I don’t get what the advert is supposed to tell me about the camera (other than that it’s available in different colours and has a flash).
And the winner is…
Nikon, for the Nikon 1 advert. The Fuji XP30 ad is pretty bad for being misleading, but the Nikon advert is simply more annoying. A camera speaking in the first-person is annoying enough in itself, but the implication that I need it to think for me is just too much!
And finally, (insert fanfare here) it’s time for the main event.
Best Camera 2011
The nominees are…
- The Fujifilm X10
- The Olympus XZ-1
- The Sony NEX-7
The Fujifilm X10 follows the philosophy of its big brother, the X100, in providing lots of external controls. It has a Compact Camera sized sensor, that performs very well for its class. The build quality is very good, which makes it appealing to use. While it’s not as pretty as the X100, it is nicely designed. It features an f/2 zoom for good low-light performance, but most importantly it functions well and takes nice pictures.
The Olympus XZ-1 has gained a cult following for its fantastic low light lens (f/1.8 at the wide angle and f/2.5 at the long end) and nice controls. It has nice, understated, looks, and of course takes great photos.
The Sony NEX-7 is the only camera you can change the lenses on in this list. It features the EVF nominated for Best Innovation In A Camera, and Sony’s newest sensor. However, the key to the NEX-7′s appeal is its 3-way controls. It has 2 dials for adjusting exposure settings quickly, and the ring around the 4-way controller. The NEX-7 is a premium camera in all respects, and at more than £1,000 certainly has a premium price, but ultimately it lives up to the cost.
And the winner is…
The Sony NEX-7. The X10 and the XZ-1 are both very capable cameras, and great choices for those looking for a Compact Camera, however they compete with fundamentally similar products. (See our Buyers’ Guide to Advanced Compacts.) The NEX-7 is the first CSC to offer such good manual controls. The NEX-7 is analogous to an Enthusiast or Semi-Pro DSLR whereas its CSC competitors are more akin to Entry Level DSLRs (in terms of usability).
Think roughly in terms of the NEX-7 being the CSC equivalent of a Nikon D90 or D7000 (or of course the Sony A77 with which it shares a viewfinder and sensor).
For elevating the standard of the CSC market, the NEX-7 fully deserves to be the Ideal Focus Best Camera 2011.
I hope those of you who have made it this far have enjoyed the article, it is of course a matter of opinion and is designed to provoke your own thoughts. remember you can comment on this article on our Facebook page.
Look out for tomorrow’s final scheduled blog entry of 2011, my 2012 predictions.
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