The post The Best Gear of 2021? TIPA Announces Its Winners appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

The Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) has released its 2021 World Awards recipients, celebrating the best cameras, lenses, and other photography gear released over the past year.

Hailed as the “most coveted photo and imaging awards worldwide,” TIPA aims to “both recognize and honor [photography] industry companies and their products.” Winners are chosen by TIPA member magazine representatives, who vote for class-leading gear across dozens of categories, including Best APS-C Camera (Entry-Level, Advanced, and Expert), Best Tripod, Best Telephoto Zoom Lens, and much more. 

All the usual suspects took prizes, with Sony grabbing an impressive six awards (including Best Full Frame Professional Camera, Best Photo/Video Camera (Expert), and Best Photo Smartphone). Sigma snagged four awards, Canon and Nikon each snapped up three, while Fujifilm and Tamron took two. 

Olympus was notably absent for the second year running, but Pentax made the list – thanks to its K-3 Mark III – for the first time since 2015. 

While the TIPA awards can only reveal so much, this year’s awardees do seem representative of the broader camera world – where Sony, Canon, and Nikon dominate headlines, Olympus and Panasonic cater to a niche audience, and third-party manufacturers such as Tamron and Sigma offer highly respected alternatives to Canon, Sony, and Nikon glass. 

In fact, out of nine lens awards, six were handed to third-party lens manufacturers. And the trend is hardly new. Last year, six out of eleven lens awards went to third-party manufacturers, and the year prior saw six out of twelve. It highlights the outstanding products offered by “optics-first” companies such as Tamron, Sigma, and Laowa. 

Below, I’ve included the full list of awards and the corresponding winners. Give it a read – and once you’re done, leave a comment. Did any equipment deserve to be awarded that was skipped? What do you think of TIPA’s picks? Share your thoughts!

The TIPA World Awards 2021 winners

Best APS-C Camera (Entry-Level): Canon EOS M50 Mark IIBest APS-C Camera (Advanced): Fujifilm X-S10Best APS-C Camera (Expert): Pentax K-3 Mark IIIBest Full Frame Camera (Advanced): Nikon Z6 IIBest Full Frame Camera (Expert): Nikon Z7 IIBest Full Frame Professional Camera: Sony a1Best Photo/Video Camera (Advanced): Sigma fp LBest Photo/Video Camera (Expert): Sony a7S IIIBest Medium Format Camera: Fujifilm GFX 100sBest Prime Wide Angle Lens: Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Zero-D ShiftBest Prime Standard Lens: Sony FE 50mm f/1.2 GMBest Prime Telephoto Lens: Canon RF 600mm f/11 IS STMBest Wide Angle Zoom Lens: Nikon Nikkor Z 14-24mm f/2.8 SBest Standard Zoom Lens: Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXDBest Telephoto Zoom Lens: Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8 Di III VXDBest Ultra-Telephoto Zoom Lens: Sigma 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS | ContemporaryBest Portrait Lens: Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN | ArtBest Macro Lens: Sigma 105mm f/2.8 DG DN Macro | ArtBest Vlogger Camera: Sony ZV-1Best Professional Video Camera: Panasonic Lumix DC-BGH1Best Fine Art Printing Solution: Hahnemühle Print – Protect – Authenticate Product RangeBest Photo Printer: Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-300Best Imaging Software Expert: Zoner Photo Studio XBest Imaging Software Professional: DxO PhotoLab 4Best Lighting Technology: Profoto AirXBest Portable Flash: Godox Pocket Flash AD100ProBest Tripod: Vanguard VEO 3GO seriesBest Tripod Head: Gitzo Ball Head Series 4Best Gimbal System: Manfrotto Fast Gimboom and Gimbal seriesBest Enthusiast Photo Monitor: ViewSonic VP2768aBest Professional Photo Monitor: LG UltraWide Thunderbolt 4Best Professional Video Monitor: LG UltraFine OLED ProBest Photo Smartphone: Sony Xperia 1 IIIBest Power Accessory: NITECORE SCL10 2-in-1 Smart Camera Light & Power BankBest Video Accessory: RØDE Wireless GO IIBest Photo Accessory: Hoya PROND GRAD Circular Graduated ND FiltersBest Retail Finishing System: CEWE PhotocenterBest Photo Lab: WhiteWall Room ViewBest Photo Service: CEWE Photo Calendar A2 Gold EditionBest Imaging Computer: Asus ZenBook Pro Duo 15

The post The Best Gear of 2021? TIPA Announces Its Winners appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.