Nikon wins big at the Red Dot Design Awards – not all red dots are on Leicas!

It's been a great award season for Nikon as it received 4 more awards to add to its cabinet. 

Off the back of winning four TIPA awards, Nikon picked up four Red Dot Awards for product design, among the winners are two of the best Nikon cameras and Nikon lenses on the market. 

Two of Nikon's flagship full-frame mirrorless cameras were among the winners, the Nikon Zf and the Nikon Z8 were both recognized by the jury of esteemed design specialists. In the lens department, two further awards were won by the Nikon Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena and the Nikon Z 600mm f/6.3 VR S. 

For those unfamiliar, the Red Dot Design Awards is a prestigious competition that celebrates the best in design and business, often awarding state-of-the-art products with a 'Red Dot'. It covers all aspects of design, from cars to camera equipment, and the red dot signifies an industry seal of confidence in great design. (Despite the name, they are not signifying that the winner suddenly becomes a Leica, though the awards are organized in and hosted in Germany).

This year, product submissions from over 60 countries were entered and deliberated over by a panel of judges. The products were judged on the degree of innovation, functionality, ergonomics, and durability. Nikon's winning products were:

Nikon Z8 

Released in May 2023, the Z8 brings the features of the flagship Nikon Z9 to a body that is 30% more compact. The 45MP stacked CMOS sensor provides exceptional image quality and substantial dynamic range. Deep learning AF system provides fast and efficient focus, for capturing even the most action-packed scenes, making it ideal for sports and wildlife. 

Nikon Zf

Classic analog Nikon design meets modern mirrorless technology in one of the best retro cameras on the market. Since its release in October 2023, the Nikon Zf has taken the market by storm enticing those who want the appearance of shooting analog without the added effort and cost of film development. 

As well as looking the part it also walks it, with a 24.5MP full-frame sensor, powered by the Expeed 7 processor, which delivers great autofocus performance. 

Nikon Nikkor Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena

Nikon's signature portrait beast of a lens, the Plena offers exceptional image quality with an 11-blade rounded aperture for extremely attractive and soft depth of field. The 11 aperture blades minimize diffraction and aberrations, suppressing them at any aperture. 

The 135mm focal length is coupled with the f1/8 widest aperture enabling exceptional subject separation making it a fantastic portrait lens option. 

Nikon Z 600mm f/6.3 VR S

The super-telephoto lens was released in October 2023 and offers a surprisingly lightweight design with superb optics. Typically, lenses of this focal length are incredibly heavy and cumbersome, but this is the lightest and most well-balanced 600mm lens that I have held, which is ideal for keeping up with fast-paced action such as wildlife and sports.

So, congratulations to Nikon for winning yet more awards. Nikon has been releasing some exceptional cameras and glasses of late, and the awards that they are gaining are certainly echoing the thoughts of the market. It makes me excited to see what comes next!

You may also be interested in our guides to the best Nikon camera, the best Nikon lenses, and the best Nikon flashguns.