From a small group of five prestigious European magazines who began, in 1982, to publish a joint award for best camera, the Expert Imaging and Sound Association has grown to become “the world’s leading collective of 51 magazines, websites and social media from 26 countries.” Their awards are highly-coveted and hard-earned. Without further ado: the awards!
Camera of the year
Sony Alpha 7 V
The Sony Alpha 7 V is that rare bird that is recommendable to almost anyone: a weather-sealed full-frame camera (with gorgeous output) that’s suitable for virtually any application.
Lens of the year
NIKKOR Z 24–70mm f/2.8 S II
Nikon’s latest pro-quality normal zoom is a top-tier production that continues to improve on decades of the company’s previous models.
Photo/video camera
Nikon ZR
Packed with video-forward features, the ZR is a highly capable tool with extensive production potential.
Photo/video lens
Canon 20–50mm f/4 L IS USM PZ
A little off the beaten path for a normal lens, the 20–50 is a carefully-designed, “true hybrid” lens.
Best buy camera
Fujifilm X-T30 III
This compact body packs in classic SLR styling and Fujifilm’s celebrated color science—with a dedicated Film Simulation dial.
Best buy lens
Canon RF 45mm f/1.2 STM
Nimble, extremely bright, and surprisingly affordable: no Canon shooter is likely to resist this kind of depth of field control.
Professional
camera
Sony Alpha 7R VI
A first-rate, resolution-first tool for those who want to make sure only work of the highest caliber leaves their studio.
APS-C
camera
Fujifilm X-E5
A compact, beautifully built camera perfect for street, travel, and everyday.
Compact
camera
Lumix L10
An advanced compact camera that’s designed for enthusiast photographers with incredible zoom capabilities and extensive manual control.
Standard lens
NIKKOR Z DX MC 35mm f/1.7
Wide and on the nose (54mm full-frame equivalent field of view). Bonus: the lens covers the same subject area as a 1:1 macro lens on a full frame.
Standard zoom lens
Tamron 35–100mm f/2.8 Di III VXD
Tamron shines again with a zoom lens that maintains high quality throughout the range.
Telephoto lens
Sigma 200mm f/2 DG OS Sports
Robust, sharp, and well-sealed; a great choice for sports, dangerous wildlife, and more.
Telephoto zoom lens
NIKKOR Z 70–200mm f/2.8 VR S II
Nikon snags another win for a “trinity” lens: “Lens of the year” for their standard zoom and special mention for telephoto zoom.
Wide-angle lens
Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG II Art
Sometimes, those at the fringes need to step in and keep their apertures wide open. Go wide (but not too wide) and highlight your subject with much-applauded bokeh.
Wide-angle zoom lens
Tamron 16–30mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2
Highly versatile and extremely portable, with image quality that won’t disappoint.
Portrait lens
Sigma 135mm f/1.4 DG Art
The world’s first 135mm f/1.4 with functional autofocus! 90mm lenses are nice for portraits, but the added compression at this focal length adds a unique appeal.
Macro lens
Sony FE 100mm f/2.8 Macro GM OSS
EISA calls this lens “an almost perfect lens without any real weaknesses”—impressive praise, and for good reason! Among plenty of other great features, the macro goes well beyond the minimum with 1.4x magnification (or up to 2.8x using a teleconverter).
Wildlife lens
M.Zuiko ED 50–200mm f/2.8 IS PRO
Quick-focusing (and accurately focusing), sharp, weather-sealed, and well-stabilized, this one’s a boon companion when questing the wild realms.
Travel zoom lens
Sigma 20–200mm f/3.5–6.3 DG Contemporary
The extra 4mm in wideness this lens offers (compared to most similar models) can make a big difference; it’s also very lightweight and reasonably durable.