Sony scoops 7 EISA Awards – but Olympus and Panasonic are nowhere to be seen

EISA Awards
(Image credit: EISA)

At this years annual EISA Awards (Exert Imaging and Sound Association) mirrorless cameras and lenses stole the show while not a single DSLR placed. Camera giant Sony won the most awards for best products but Panasonic and Olympus were completely missing from the list. 

With an impressive 50MP sensor, blackout free shooting and up to 30fps, the newly released Sony A1 took the award for Camera of the Year.  Sony also won the award for best Wideangle Full Frame Zoom with the Sony FE 12-24 GM f/2.8 which delivers impressive corner to corner sharpness, weather-sealing and speedy autofocus. 

• Read more: Best Sony cameras

Sony also picked up awards for Best Standard Lens with the release of its Sony FE 50mm f/1.2 G Master in March 2021, which beat Canon's RF equivalent on both price and autofocus speed while the Sony Experia 1 III which features the world's first 120Hz 4K screen won best Multimedia Smartphone.

(Image credit: Rod Lawton/Digital Camera World)

The Canon EOS R5 and Canon RF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM received the top spot for Premium Camera and Lens Innovation respectively while their long-term rival Nikon came up top in the Best Buy Category with the full frame Nikon Z5 and best professional telephoto with the Nikkor Z 70-200 f/2.8 VR S.

Other noteworthy winners include Fujifilm, which scored the honor of best Professional Camera of the year with their medium format Fujifilm GFX 100S and the Fujifilm X-S10 which placed top for best APS-C Camera.

Third party lens manufacturers Sigma, Laowa and Tamron also managed to come out on top with several mentions at this years EISA awards. While Sigma claimed the top spot for Best Portait Lens with the Sigma 85mm f/1.4, Laowa shone through with the Argus 33mm F/0.95 in Best Manual Lenses and the Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Zero D Tilt Shift Lens in the Special Purpose Lens Category. 

Tamron also managed fight it out for Lens of the Year with the 17-70 f/2.8 Di III VC RXD, best Wide Angle APS-C with the 11-20mm f/2.8 Di III A RXD and the 150-600mm f/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD secured the prize for best Telephoto.

Despite the release of the Panasonic S5 and several impressive S Mount lenses, Panasonic was completely missing from the list alongside Micro Four Thirds competitor Olympus. 

For a list of complete winners see below:

EISA 2021 Award Winners

Cameras

Sony A1 – Camera of the Year
Nikon Z6 II – Advanced Camera
Canon EOS R5 – Premium Camera
Fujifilm GFX 100S – Professional Camera 
Sony A7S III – Photo/Video Camera
Nikon Z5 – Best Buy Full Frame
Fujifilm X-S10 – Best Buy APS-C

Lenses

Tamron 17-70 f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD – Lens of the Year
Sony FE 14mm f/2.8 GM – Wide Angle Lens
Tamron 11-20mm f/2.8 Di III A RXD – Wide Angle Zoom Lens (APS-C)
Sony FE 12-24mm f/2.8 GM – Wide Angle Zoom Lens (Full Frame)
Sony FE 50mm f/1.2 GM – Standard Lens
Tamron 150-600mm f/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD – Telephoto Zoom
Nikon Nikkor Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S – Professional Telephoto Zoom
Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art – Portrait Lens
Laowa Argus 33mm f/0.95 CF APO – Manual Lens 
Nikon Nikkor Z MC 50mm f/2.8 – Macro Lens 
Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Zero-D Tilt Shift – Special Purpose Lens 
Canon RF 100mm f/2.8 Macro IS USM – Lens Innovation

Other
Zoner Photo Studio X – Photo Software
DxO PureRaw – Professional Photo Software
Cewe Photoworld – Photo Service
Epson SureColor SC-P700 – Photo Printer
Oppo Find X3 Pro – Advanced Smartphone
Sony Xperia 1 III – Multimedia Smartphone

Read more: 

Sony A1 review
Sony FE 12-24 GM f/2.8 review
Sony Experia 1 III review

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Hannah Rooke
Staff Writer

Having studied Journalism and Public Relations at the University of the West of England Hannah developed a love for photography through a module on photojournalism. She specializes in Portrait, Fashion and lifestyle photography but has more recently branched out in the world of stylized product photography. For the last 3 years Hannah has worked at Wex Photo Video as a Senior Sales Assistant using her experience and knowledge of cameras to help people buy the equipment that is right for them. With 5 years experience working with studio lighting, Hannah has run many successful workshops teaching people how to use different lighting setups.