Nikon simultaneously made a splash and a fizzle with
its new 1-series mirrorless cameras.
Year of the Littlecam
Last year, it seemed like most of the action was in DSLRs. Granted, the NEX cameras made their debut, and that was important. But the bigger news in camera intros back in 2010 concerned things like the Sigma SD-1, Canon 60D, Olympus E-5, Pentax K-r and K-5, Nikon D7000, and Sony A33 and A55. For one reason or another, this year has been almost free of DSLR introductions.
Next year, I'm guessing that the big news is mostly going to be in full-frame cameras. The Bigs seem to be gearing up for some major pro camera replacements, warily eyeing each other along with things like floods and tidal waves. (I don't do the crystal ball thing; I'm just another reader who's disappointed that there's no Predictions article from Thom Hogan this year. That's usually one of the high points of each winter for me.)
In contrast, 2011 seems to have been the year of the "mini" camera—minis going by a variety of confusing genus names, such as STDSLRBNASSSWSKOV*. I hardly have the nomenclature all sorted out, and I'm supposed to be doing this for a living.
We got the Fuji X100 as well as the surprisingly great Fuji X10
; the Nikon 1 series; the Ricoh GR Digital IV; the NEX-7 (well, we haven't "gotten" that one yet, really, but it was announced and at least started to ship, briefly, before supplies were cut off by the Thai floods); the Olympus E-P3 mirrorless (and several others) and XZ-1 compact digicam; the Panasonic GX1, long-awaited successor to the GF1 (which—the GX1, I mean—has just started to ship, beating the year's end by a matter of days); the Canon S100
; and the fun little Pentax Q system (more popular in the Japanese home market than elsewhere, it seems, so far).
Yes, the Sony A77 and A65 also came out, but sank beneath the floodwaters. The Panasonic G3 both came and went—a rather odd schedule that must also have been influenced by supply irruptions.
The Fuji X100 was, of course, introduced at Photokina 2010, but I don't count it as a 2010 camera because it didn't ship until this year. Similarly, I can't see counting the upcoming Canon 1D X as a "2011" camera just because it's been announced already. It's not even in the hands of beta testers yet as far as I know.
You all know already what our Camera of the Year is going to be for 2011, don't you? From amongst these contenders? No-brainer, right? But I'll announce it anyway, somewhere between now and some day not too far into the New Year.
Mike
*Smaller Than a Digital Single-Lens-Reflex But Not a Standard Sensor Size and With Several Kinds of Viewfinders; you haven't heard of this abbreviation yet?
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Original contents copyright 2011 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved.
Speaking of the year in review ... How's the darkroom coming?
Posted by: Speed | Monday, 26 December 2011 at 07:00 PM
My favorite camera was the E-PM1, but I suspect that my little opinion won't affect the forthcoming coronation of the X100, a camera that I would award the title, "Camera Whose Popularity is Most Perplexing."
Posted by: Nicholas Condon | Monday, 26 December 2011 at 07:27 PM
"Nikon simultaneously made a splash and a fizzle with its new 1-series mirrorless cameras."
"Splash" seems an unfortunate term to use here given that the majority of the industry's problems this year were caused by water.
Posted by: Eliot | Monday, 26 December 2011 at 08:30 PM
Reading this post made me realize that the Ricoh GXR M module won't be considered for a lot of "best-of-year" gear lists and "contests" just because of its odd-duck nature. It most likely won't get considered for any camera lists, certainly not lens lists, and probably not accessory lists either. I'm not qualified to say whether the GXR+M module is a contender for camera of the year (any year), just sayin' it's too bad, as it sounds like a camera, an idea, and a risk, that at least deserves some attention and applause.
Posted by: robert e | Monday, 26 December 2011 at 08:53 PM
hmmmm.
my personal "camera of the year 2011" is - just because i purchased it within this year - a 1967 built leica M4.
while i guess that this choice is invalid in the terms of your article, i still enjoy it as much as my friend rob enjoys his (impulse buy) X100.
Posted by: sebastel | Monday, 26 December 2011 at 11:38 PM
I know people like to read top 10 and cameras of the year but I think two points should be made :
I find it odd too that the Ricoh GXR-M is not even mentioned.This shows once more that People like to think along conservative lines and that thinking out of the box is always frowned upon , at least at first
Secondly I think it is interesting that the X100 which will be your camera of the year will still not have addresses the issues asked by many reviewers more than a year after it came out
Very telling in my opinion
Posted by: Harold GLIT | Monday, 26 December 2011 at 11:42 PM
Canon 60D. The D60 was a camera made in 2002.
Posted by: Jeremy Breningstall | Monday, 26 December 2011 at 11:44 PM
Not having worked with all the cameras you noted, and not having any hard metric for just what characteristics such a distinction requires I really do not know what you'd choose, Mike.
Personally, I would have to choose the Fujifilm X100 based principally on its thoughtful amalgamation of proven legacy industrial design with 21st century optical and imaging technologies. In many respects it is the camera that Leica should have produced instead of that lame X1 mess of theirs.
The NEX-7 would certainly have been a contender, and the NEX-5N is certainly nearby. (The 5N is fab.) But unfortunate weather prevented the 7 from contention.
Re: the quite DSLR front, I think we're seeing the end of that era. Of course these cameras are not going to disappear and new models, particularly at the high-end, will drip forth indefinitely. But dslrs are a largely perfected, and infinitely versatile, design whose primary onus is now to support sales of their lens lines.
Mirrorless is the clear camera design path for the immediate future, probably for at least 10-15 years. New lens lines are being developed for interchangeable lens bodies as I write. Next year's "Camera of the Year" will quite likely be such a camera.
Posted by: Kenneth Tanaka | Tuesday, 27 December 2011 at 12:49 AM
"my personal 'camera of the year 2011' is - just because i purchased it within this year - a 1967 built leica M4."
sebastel,
Yes, that's completely invalid, I'm afraid.
What the 1967 M4 is is one of the top cameras of the entire 20th century.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Johnston | Tuesday, 27 December 2011 at 12:50 AM
Mike, your statement about the 1D X ("It's not even in the hands of beta testers yet as far as I know.") is not entirely correct - well, depends on how you define a beta tester.
Dutch Formula 1 photographer (and Canon Ambassador) Frits van Eldik has been testing the new camera months before the launch in October. On his weblog he posted a promotional video on the day of the launch which shows him with the camera during the Monaco Grand Prix in May:
http://fritsvaneldik.nl/webpost/2011/10/promo/. His weblog is in Dutch but in various posts he commented that he has been able to test the camera several times prior to the launch - obviously with the aim to improve the camera even further using his feedback.
Posted by: Bernd | Tuesday, 27 December 2011 at 04:56 AM
Bernd,
Thanks. I stand corrected. Still, I think it's legitimately a 2012 introduction.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Johnston | Tuesday, 27 December 2011 at 06:41 AM
Mike, I'm not going to argue about that! :)
Posted by: Bernd | Tuesday, 27 December 2011 at 06:48 AM
me, too, won't argue about what you said :-)
happy new year to everybody, gong xi fa cai.
sebastian
Posted by: sebastel | Tuesday, 27 December 2011 at 07:42 AM
Nice strategy Mike! If you were trying to hunt down those scraper sites, you've got your list for this week. Check it out:
https://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=STDSLRBNASSSWSKOV
Posted by: Edward Bussa | Tuesday, 27 December 2011 at 08:04 AM
Both my cameras of the year were released in 2010.
The Canon 60D I use on my job is an amazing camera that delivers top-notch image quality and beautiful video. I am trying hard to imagine what else I could want in an affordable SLR that I would use on a daily basis with the occasional foray into sports.
The Olympus E-PL1 I bought for personal use made me a believer in the Micro Four-Thirds concept. The images are a HUGE step up in quality from point and shoot cameras, and its size was very welcome after I had carpal tunnel surgery in November and struggled to use my DSLRs for extended periods of time.
Posted by: Terry Manning | Tuesday, 27 December 2011 at 08:38 AM
The Panasonic G3 is underrated by a lot of people.
It's a great camera: Small and lightweight, built-in viewfinder, articulated screen, a great line-up of lenses (20/1.7 and 45/1.8!), and it produces very good files.
Go with the X100 if you like, I like the G3 better.
Leo
Posted by: Leo Graet | Tuesday, 27 December 2011 at 09:19 AM
How about the RED camera family? Don't know if it is really a 2011 event, but look at the Peter Jackson trailer that describes shooting "The Hobbit" in 3D and raw-file full frame digital using something like 48 camera bodies across the production. That seems like a transition that will shock Kodak and Fuji more than the entire DSLR takeover.
scott
Posted by: scott kirkpatrick | Tuesday, 27 December 2011 at 09:32 AM
For me, the camera of the year is the iPhone 4S. It's displaced my GF1 as the camera I always carry with me (though I still get plenty of use out of the GF1). It's really the first phone-camera that I've found acceptable, quality-wise.
Posted by: Yuda | Tuesday, 27 December 2011 at 09:44 AM
Funny, we just had this discussion over at the Micro Four Thirds forum - http://www.mu-43.com/f35/what-your-camera-year-19313/
Posted by: JohnMFlores | Tuesday, 27 December 2011 at 09:48 AM
"But I'll announce it anyway, somewhere between now and some day not too far into the New Year."
You toy with us sir. And we love it!
Posted by: John MacKechnie | Tuesday, 27 December 2011 at 10:23 AM
"You all know already what our Camera of the Year is going to be for 2011, don't you? From amongst these contenders? No-brainer, right?"
I'm slightly puzzled by that. I assume you mean the X100, with the buzz it created (no disrespect, I was buzzing too), the innovative VF, the somewhat innovative concept of a fixed-lens digital camera with an optical VF, and the reported image quality of the finished product. But I could also see giving the award to the Nikon 1 V1, or the two Nikon 1 cameras together. They broke the pattern of sensors in basically standardized sizes, and showed how good a "big-enough" sensor could be. They met with upturned noses from a lot of internet experts, but I know of two pros who blog about cameras who are very enthusiastic about the V1 as their "off-duty" camera. (Actually one who sometimes uses it on-duty.) They also do things like user interface and autofocus a lot better than the X100. So I guess I don't see how this is a no-brainer, and I'm looking forward to your announcement of your selection.
Posted by: Andrew Burday | Tuesday, 27 December 2011 at 12:12 PM
Pentax 645D
Posted by: Al | Tuesday, 27 December 2011 at 12:30 PM
Along the lines of the Fuji X100, I would like a DSLR with the heft and feel of my Nikkormat. Of course, it would be nice if it used non-AI lenses too!.
Just wishing - I would probably get tired of the weight, lack of amentities, etc. and go back to using my D40x.
Posted by: Jim Green | Tuesday, 27 December 2011 at 12:30 PM
"Nikon simultaneously made a splash". Very appropriate comment Mike, as this camera looks like it belongs inside a Trident class submarine. The more I look at it, the more I like it.
Posted by: Eduardo Cervantes | Tuesday, 27 December 2011 at 01:42 PM
My camera of the year 2011 is the X100, the most frustrating and moody camera I've met, because it's the lightest, most inconspicuous camera helping to make images that make me happy. I'm looking for the happy compromise between minimal gear and decent quality, the X100 is the current champion for that sweet spot.
Posted by: Tilo Driessen | Tuesday, 27 December 2011 at 01:46 PM
"Pentax 645D"
Al,
You forget.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Johnston | Tuesday, 27 December 2011 at 02:04 PM
"I find it odd too that the Ricoh GXR-M is not even mentioned."
Harold,
Uh, because it's not out yet.
Another 2012 introduction.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Johnston | Tuesday, 27 December 2011 at 02:11 PM
Funny that you say the GXR-M isn't out yet because as I type this I have a GXR-M sitting right next to me that I ordered and received 3 months ago from Adorama. Fabulous camera, BTW.
Posted by: spence | Tuesday, 27 December 2011 at 03:21 PM
Oh, I'm sorry, my mistake. I can't keep up with the availability status of everything....
Obviously....
Mike
Posted by: Mike Johnston | Tuesday, 27 December 2011 at 03:29 PM
There's a GXR-M sitting in my bag as well.
Posted by: Kelvin | Tuesday, 27 December 2011 at 05:06 PM
My vote is for the Nikon 1 system.
While I do not think the cameras themselves are the best pure cameras due to the small sensor sizes, its this system more than anyone else's that everyone else will be copying over the next 4 years. The 1 system is the first truly bridge camera system between still and video. It has its faults (e.g. fast, but only with good light), but future cameras, and additional players, will inevitably address the faults.
Posted by: james | Tuesday, 27 December 2011 at 06:18 PM
It is hard not to see most of the operational elements of the future of mainstream cameras in the Nikon 1 system. EVF, AF integrated into the sensor, video and still coexisting as equals, sheer unmitigated speed, etc. As such, it is seminal. As much as has been written about the small sensor, that is not really the issue with the system. Rather the ergonomics and operational controls of the Nikon 1 are... not really designed for photographers. And while most of that is fixable in future cameras, the decision to omit a ring control on the lenses is a big loss. (The zooms have a zoom ring, but there is no equivalent to a focus ring. It could have usefully been done under software control so it could be mapped to focus, aperture, ISO, etc.)
Both the X100 and the NEX-7 lost me on usability. A shame as they are both wonderful cameras in many other respects. The X10 and the S100 are both really exemplary in terms of photographic use for the type of camera each is.
-Z-
Posted by: Zalman Stern | Wednesday, 28 December 2011 at 12:55 AM
No not the Nikon 1 - Mike never does that: showing an image of what's going to be the winner on top.... or does he?
I bet it's the NEX-7.
Posted by: Bernd | Wednesday, 28 December 2011 at 04:06 AM
A list from Spain
http://www.quesabesde.com/noticias/10-camaras-2011,1_8317
Posted by: Clayton Lofgren | Wednesday, 28 December 2011 at 08:25 AM
If it isn't the nex7 Id love to hear how. It is a game changer.
Posted by: Tom | Monday, 02 January 2012 at 02:09 AM