Last year, Sony took center stage with the Sony Alpha 1 winning the Camera of the Year award and the Sony Alpha 7S III winning the Photo/Video Camera award. This year, Nikon and Canon step up to the plate with their new full-frame mirrorless cameras: The Nikon Z 9 is Nikon’s flagship full-frame mirrorless camera and it snatches the Camera of the Year award; the Canon EOS R3 wins the Professional Camera award. The Canon EOS R1 (Canon’s flagship full-frame mirrorless camera) is expected in 2023 and we can already make a good guess which camera will wear the crown next year.
For those looking for a Best Buy Camera, the Fujifilm X-T30 II (APS-C mirrorless) wins that award. The Sony ZV-E10 (APS-C mirrorless) wins the Vlogging Camera award. No one is surprised that DSLRs do not figure at all this year and that mirrorless is now the new reality.
The EISA awards can be confusing, for they change with the years. What differentiates a “Professional Camera” award from a “Full-Frame Camera” award? To remove the confusion, we have added our own interpretations between parentheses, where necessary:
| Camera of the Year | (Professional Full-Frame Camera of the Year) | Nikon Z 9 |
| Professional Camera | (Professional Full Frame) | Canon EOS R3 |
| Full-Frame Camera | (Enthusiast Full Frame) | Sony A7 IV |
| APS-C Camera | (Enthusiast APS-C) | Canon EOS R7 |
| Photo/Video Camera | (Enthusiast Hybrid MFT) | Panasonic GH6 |
| Micro Four Thirds Camera | (Enthusiast MFT) | OM System OM-1 |
| Best Buy Camera | (Beginner APS-C) | Fujifilm X-T30 II |
| Vlogging Camera | (Vlog APS-C) | Sony ZV-E10 |
Then, there are the lens awards:
Lens of the Year: Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II
Macro Lens: Nikon Nikkor Z MC 105mm F2.8 VR S
Manual Lens: Laowa 90mm F2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO
Photo/Video Zoom Lens (MFT): Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Summilux 25-50mm F1.7 ASPH
Photo/Video Wide-Angle Zoom Lens (Full Frame): Sony FE PZ 16-35mm F4 G
Professional Telephoto Lens: Nikon NIKKOR Z 400mm F2.8 TC VR S
Standard Lens: Fujifilm Fujinon XF33mm F1.4 R LM WR
Superzoom Lens: Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS | Sports
Standard Zoom Lens: Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 DI III VXD G2
Telephoto Lens: Nikon Nikkor Z 800mm F6.3 VR S
Telephoto Zoom Lens: Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II
Travel Zoom Lens: Tamron 18-300mm F3.5-6.3 DI III-A VC VXD
Zoom Lens: Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8 DI III VXD
Wide-Angle Lens: Sigma 20mm F2 DG DN | Contemporary
Visit the EISA Site