Reading mode: Light Dark

News Reviews Articles Buying Guide Sample Images Videos Cameras Lenses Phones Printers Forums Galleries Challenges

Now reading: Reminder: Vote now for your product of 2013 64 comments

Reminder: Vote now for your product of 2013

Published Jan 18, 2014 | dpreview staff

Which is the best of the best? Vote for your product of 2013

Last month you voted for the best gear in five categories, and now's your chance to let us know which of the winning products was the most impressive. With almost 30,000 votes cast already we know that you've got plenty of opinions about which cameras and lenses stood out, but we want more! We want to know which one you thought was the absolute best.

Click through for a look at the category winners from our five classes - Best lens, best DSLR / SLT, best fixed-lens compact camera, best mirrorless interchangeable lens camera and best enthusiast zoom compact. The category winners are presented here in alphabetical order.

Have your say

Readers' Poll: Best Product of 2013

Fujifilm X100S19.9%
Olympus OM-D E-M1 32.8%
Pentax K-320.6%
Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM | Art13.2%
Sony Cyber-shot RX100 II13.5%

Total voters: 6,873

Tags: 2013-readers-poll, comment

Comments

All (64)

Most popular (12)

Editors' picks (0)

DPR staff (6)

Oldest first

VENTURE-STAR

Marty, if there was a charge for visiting a site like DPR, I simply wouldn't bother and I generally take no notice of advertising on any site, or manage to block it.

The problem with advertising is that is has the potential to distort the value of products and the bottom line is that manufacturers and pretty much every other business is only interested in generating profit. Therefore the motives of holding a poll that suggests it is the carefully considered opinion of a wide public audience is very questionable.

It's all too common to see ads displaying car of the year, fridge of the year or holiday deal of the year as if it's some kind of factual statement rather like government statistics that are generally way off the mark in the real world.

If this poll was simply aimed at followers of this site, it would need to be wider in scope, ask for any additional equipment to be taken into account and not concentrate on brand new kit that relatively few of us have any experience with.

Jan 23, 2014permalink

VENTURE-STAR

I don't entirely disagree with you duckling. However, all the practical concerns are important, because equipment needs to be fit for purpose and reliable. These products are expensive and I might well consider the camera of 2013, to be a cheap Canon DSLR or the Panasonic LX7. Some of the items in this poll like the Sigma lens are unlikely to make better photographers of any average user. Nice to hang around your neck and show off as jewellery but not really needed to produce a range of good work. What does concern me is that the information provided in this poll, will simply be used by the companies in question for advertising purposes and therefore of little genuine use to DPR readers.

Jan 22, 2014permalink

Marty4650

Let's assume you are right when you say "the information will be used by companies for advertising purposes."

Why is this a bad thing?
Why do you assume there will be no benefit for Dpreview users?

This website is supported by advertisers. There is no subscription fee for us to pay. Everything we like seeing here is paid for by companies who advertise their wares.

If a company advertises "Camera X won the Dpreview poll for best product of the year" that statement cannot possibly harm the users here. Assuming that camera actually won, it will be a truthful statement, that tells potential buyers "this is a popular camera."

I think your concerns are ill founded.

You probably need to find a website that charges you $19.99 a month and bans all advertising, so you won't have to worry about advertising and it's negative affects. If there actually are any.

Jan 22, 2014permalink

VENTURE-STAR

How can the average DPReview reader do any more than accept the findings of this site's reviewers (for these products), or comments from other Internet sources? I've certainly not had the chance to test any of these cameras or lenses and do not own any of them. I might think that these cameras look pretty, and probably perform well, but I could easily be unhappy about the price or availability of accessories or chipped batteries. I might also find the company's after sales service second rate - which is not unusual these days. Really, this is not the right way to go about doing a fair polll that has any value or meaning. It needs to be hands-on and retrospective.

Let me add that I have no appreciation for DPR for wasting their time and space on something as stupid as this.

Jan 21, 2014permalink

duckling

You must be an engineer :)
There is more to photography (and the gear involved) than those practical concerns. Given you have not handled any of the options, just select the item which catches your imagination, the one that may best serve your art.
Personally, I don't trust "best of" polls either. They are largely meaningless when it comes to devices with a human-machine interface (due to subjectivity). I am skeptical about the value of popularity as a measure of quality. My experience tells me not to trust the wisdom of the crowd. Nevertheless, this is a fun little poll. It's harmless. To be honest I voted in order to view the distribution of the votes rather than to express my opinion.

Jan 22, 2014permalink

anthony mazzeri

I still dispute the misleading notion the X100s should even be in the 'compact' category in the first place. It's even bigger than an m4/3 camera like the GX7, or even the OM-D body without the prism. Compact is not even a relative term for 'smallish' open to interpretation - the very least definition of a compact camera is shirt-pocketable, which the X100s is most certainly not by any stretch of the imagination.

Jan 21, 2014permalink

highwave

I don't see why all the negativity on this comment board.

Basically Dpreview made previous Polls that categorized photography products pretty well (Best SLR, Best Mirrorless, Best Lens..) for all those who want that categorization they can go there and check it out.

This one particular poll does serve a purpose. It, in a way, reveals future camera industry tends. So far from the polls it seems consumers really want fast zooms (a la Sigma F1.8), prefer better camera features over sensor size (Pentax K3 beating FF SLRs and E-M1 beating Sony A7) and mirrorless seems to be the future trend (EM-5 winning last year and E-M1 seems to have it in the bag this year).

I really wish people would show more appreciation to Dpreview for making such a poll instead of whining. If you don't like it don't read it. Having said that, it is actually clear why people whine. Just because your Nikon D7100, or your Sony A7r, or whatever make or brand didn't make it you shouldn't act like a child about it.

Jan 20, 2014*permalink

Photomino

Unfortunately is the best camera of the year not included in this poll..

Jan 20, 2014permalink

Daedbird

Time to feed the troll....which camera would that be?

Certainly not the Df....
I am guessing that you mean the A7. Well the A7 is certainly a bellwether product. Something that will likely change Sony's whole lineup and push mirror less even further.
Or maybe it won't.
With all its accolades, and it is a fine camera, the A7 twins are the beginning of a new line, and really, there are few lens offerings that directly take advantage of its sensor. The Olympus is the flagship of a completely mature M43 lineup, and is ultimately where that system was heading. It has the lenses, and has the capabilities that satisfy its users.

And my pick, the K3, is simply the best APSc camera on the market today. Not that the Canon 70d is a slouch, it has an innovative live view focusing system. But its sensor close, but not as good. The AF systems for stills seem equal (it is shocking, but believe me, its true). Meanwhile the Pentax smokes the D7100 on FPS and other details.

Jan 20, 2014permalink

VENTURE-STAR

Not sure what the point of this very restricted poll is. Who will benefit from it? Maybe the advertising companies promoting these products, but I really can't see any point in voting.

Jan 20, 2014permalink

Barney Britton

You must be fun at parties.

Jan 22, 2014permalink

Marty4650

You always have to remember that this is a poll taken among a group of camera enthusiasts, and not one taken from a large group of mass market users.

If we polled them, then an Apple iPhone might win. And a Canon digital rebel might be the first runner up. Products made by Fuji, Pentax or Olympus might not even make the "top 100."

Jan 20, 2014permalink

Gran Buhre

GX 7

Jan 20, 2014permalink

backayonder

Maybe the "I wish" and"I want it's" could get together and strike up a deal or two..

Jan 19, 2014permalink

Jorginho

With 6619 votes and Oly at 33,1% and the nr2 at 20,0% we already know EM1 is the winner...

Jan 19, 2014permalink

bluevellet

Yeah, but I find it interesting how the Fuji is catching up to the Pentax for the battle for second place. On the first day of the poll, the Pentax zoomed passed the Fuji, but I guess the pool of Pentax users/fans has run dry while the fairly massive Fuji fanbase is slowly turning out to vote

Jan 19, 2014permalink

duckling

bluevellet,
Must be an organized campaign of some sort. Not that it matters much.

Jan 20, 2014*permalink

Morpho Hunter

Similar claims were made last when the E-M5 won. I suspected Oly was onto a winner when I first handled that camera at Focusing on Imaging Show (Birmingham, UK). The Olympus E-M5 stand was right next to the Nikon D800 stand .. and when the Olympus floor show started ...several of the guys running the Nikon stand came over to have a look at/handle the camera. One wonders just what will Olympus market that will take the winner's title for a third year running ....(well, who would bet against them doing it?)

Jan 25, 2014permalink

justinwonnacott

For myself,these polls are about as lame as "what the duck". Oooof ...

Jan 19, 2014permalink

backayonder

Add the D400 to a "You Wish " option and the results would be interesting.

Jan 19, 2014permalink

GREG HUTCHINS

I like these polls mainly for the readers comments I find them very amusing.

Jan 19, 2014permalink

aerorail

no need to vote
all you have to do is look at the 'own it' number and thats your winner
olympus? really?

by time this poll is over the products here will be discontinued

Jan 19, 2014*permalink

MarkByland

"by time this poll is over the products here will be discontinued"

Agreed. And, to me, it's sad that only 2/5ths of the products shown are for use with actual optical viewfinder type cameras. The Jedi Mind Trick of convincing every one that the EVF is the new way to go is really taking hold. I do hope that there is a commitment to furthering development by those manufacturers who understand that not all customers are sold on mirrorless.

Jan 19, 2014permalink

wansai

@markbyland,

- what is a viewfinder used for?

i'll tell you. for framing a shot. for focus/confirmation. both evf and ovf accomplish the same thing. your insinuation that anyone who may prefer an evf because it is an inferior aid is preposterous.

Jan 22, 2014*permalink

Jimmy jang Boo

These stupid polls do not add any credibility to dpr. On the contrary, they cheapen it.

Jan 19, 2014permalink

Barney Britton

Hmmm... the opinions of our readers cheapen our site...

Jan 22, 2014permalink

John P.

Where's the "None of the above" option?

Jan 18, 2014permalink

pixelpushing

Bodies come and go (faster and faster). That lens will be here for a long time, and is a game-changer.

Jan 18, 2014permalink

peevee1

Nowadays, lenses are not what they used to be. AF, often fly-by-wire MF, electronic aperture - they live only as long as the electronics in them and mounts for which they were made.

Jan 19, 2014permalink

AD in KC

Upcoming poll: Hammer - vs- Screwdriver? Which is the BEST?

Jan 18, 2014permalink

RichRMA

If there was a God, the Robertson would be the primary screw design used; not the slot-head, not the Phillips, not the Allen.

Jan 18, 2014permalink

Sir Corey of Deane

No contest. A hammer may be used as a Birmingham screwdriver.

Jan 18, 2014permalink

Raskolnikow90

http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2012/03/hammerforum-com

Hammertime!

Jan 18, 2014permalink

backayonder

Ball Pein or Mallet v Yankee Screwdriver

Jan 19, 2014permalink

marike6

If these are the "best of 2013" it's clearly not been a banner year for cameras.

With the EM-1 you get free shutter shock and one of the smallest sensors for any crop sensor camera. The X100s took the excellent X100 and saddled it with X-Trans RAW conversion issues, and the K-3 is an excellent APS-C camera at a time when most advanced amateurs and professionals are shooting FF.

These polls give DPR another tool for advertiser banners like "DPR Reader's Poll Best of 2103" that we see in magazines and e-commerce sites. So in a sense they symbolize the growing commercialization of this website. Content like this is ultimately tied to Gear Shop which is fine if that's the direction they want to go, but kind of a turn off for readers.

Jan 18, 2014permalink

vadims

Please continue, tell us all the truth. Inquiring minds want to know.

Jan 18, 2014permalink

Barney Britton

@marike6 - most of the links you see here lead to content. And as for the 'growing commercialization of this website' GearShop isn't even available to readers outside of the USA (i.e., most of them).

Jan 18, 2014permalink

wansai

@marik, and yet you said nothing about photography. the em1. is as fine a camera as they come, despite any misgivings you may have about it. having a large sensor does not guarantee a good camera. all those entries take superb quality fotos btw, regardless of sensor size differences.

Jan 22, 2014permalink

timo

Boring.

'Clickbait', as someone said in another post.

And perhaps a desperate ploy to get Canon or Nikon back in the headlines ...

Jan 18, 2014*permalink

Simon Joinson

By publishing a poll that doesn't mention them? That's not desperate that's almost surrealistically subtle.

Jan 18, 2014permalink

revio

@Lucas:

These 5 alternatives are there because they were selected before by the DPR readership to be the best in their respective category.

Of course the A7 twins are superb cameras, IQ wise especially, but obviously other characters of gear also took place in folk´s minds while making their choices. And, frankly, the m4/3 system as a whole is way more mature than the A7 w its dedicated lenses, so far, and will so continue to be a fair amount of time from now. From that we may assume that choosing the E-M1 as "best" wasn´t ONLY because the camera in itself is very good, but also because it can within its system be considered a better choice for a larger number of people than would the A7 in its present system context. Even the dedidacted lenses will, to a fair degree, offset at least a part of the benefit the camera´s small dimensions offer...

Just my thoughts, not supposed to be considered The Absolute Truth about this matter!

Jan 18, 2014*permalink

Lucas_

What happened to the outstanding Sony A7R/A7? AFAIK they're launched in 2013 and blew the socks off any other mirrorless camera ( and many DSLR/SLTs, only loosing in AF speed ). Are they being considered 2014 models?
Anyway, if those two were not considered, I'd vote for for the Olympus OM-D E-M1, with a close second for the Sony RX100II. I don't think I'd buy the Oly though, it should be at least 20MP.

Jan 18, 2014*permalink

bluevellet

The A7's were crushed in the previous mirrorless poll. Just not good enough.

Jan 18, 2014permalink

Plastek

"and blew the socks off any other mirrorless camera" - lol. Not at all. Not even remotely close.

Jan 18, 2014permalink

Zeisschen

Olympus fanboy has spoken...

I give you one single reason. Sony is getting "punished" in this poll for releasing 2 slightly different cameras at the same time. Turn It the other way round and make only the A7 vs two potential version of the EM-1, one with 16MP sensor and fast autofocus and one with a new better 20MP sensor. Autocome of the poll would probably be 30% A7 and 15% for each of the Olympus models. I know that's just slightly fictional but that's what happened in the mirrorless "poll". So everybody should take these "polls" with a grain (or in this case a bag of) of salt.

Jan 19, 2014permalink

bluevellet

You can combine the total votes of the A7 and A7r and Sony still can't be first in the mirrorless poll. Even if you add the votes of the NEX5 (I'm feeling generous), it is still trailing behind the E-M1 which competes with 3 other m43 cameras. Speculation is fine, but it is always better when based on facts, not just wishful thinking.

And among Sony users, there's a clear preference for the "slightly different" A7r over the A7, that poll showed that too with over twice as many votes for the A7r. So the A7 alone would have gotten slaughtered more than the A7r would have in a similar hypothetical scenario.

Jan 19, 2014permalink

NZ Scott

I've read two separate comparative reviews of the E-M1 versus an A7 and in both instances the E-M1 was preferred. These were pro/advanced enthusiast reviews.

There's more to a camera than just the sensor size.

Cameralabs: :For me the combination of quicker handling, built-in stabilisation and plenty of native lenses makes the EM1 a better all-round camera for most people".

Jan 19, 2014*permalink

Mister J

Think I'll go for the delightful, though unlisted, Pana GM-1.

Jan 18, 2014permalink

Ralf B

The many times this poll gets re-used redefines "rumination".

Jan 18, 2014permalink

Barney Britton

Reused? This is the final poll, it runs through this month.

Jan 18, 2014permalink

sh10453

Sorry Barney, I have to agree to Ralf, aside from the fact we are asked to compare apples with oranges.

Jan 18, 2014permalink

Barney Britton

@ sh10453 - apology accepted, but Ralf is factually wrong.

Jan 22, 2014permalink

Mirrorless Crusader

Obvioiusly no coincidence that there isn't a single Canikon product that could even win its own category. Of course it doesn't help that Canikon has no idea how to do mirrorless, though it's not long they ever had a ghost of a chance to win that category no matter what they did, considering the E-M1 and A7R,

Jan 18, 2014permalink

marike6

All Canikon is doing is selling cameras, while the rest of the mirrorless vendors decide how they can even stay in business.

As far as these silly polls, truth be told the D7100 blows the socks of any of the crop sensor mirrorless cameras for IQ, AF performance and video, and the modest entry level FF D610 is flat out a better camera than the A7.

These polls exist as click bait for DPR, but truth be told there was no better camera than the D800 last year and this year...ho hum, Nikon added another camera to DxOMark's Top 10 with the Df, the best performing low-light camera ever made and Canon has brought HDSLR video up to the next level with the 70D. Meanwhile, mirrorless vendors keep trying to think of more ways to make cameras smaller, less ergonomic with zero consideration about flash systems, reasonably priced lenses, super telephotos, or anything that professional or advanced amateurs need.

Jan 18, 2014permalink

NZ Scott

Marike: "As far as these silly polls, truth be told the D7100 blows the socks of any of the crop sensor mirrorless cameras for IQ, AF performance and video".

IQ: The D7100 has roughly equivalent IQ to the E-M1 and NEX cameras

AF. The D7100 has better continous AF, but mirrorless cameras have more accurate S-AF.

Video: The top-range M43 Panasonic cameras are acknowledged as being some of the best on the market for video. Some professionals are even using them for feature films.

"mirrorless vendors keep trying to think of more ways to make cameras smaller, less ergonomic ..."

The leading camera in the poll - the E-M1 - is essentially last year's E-M5 repackaged to be more ergonomic, with a bigger grip and better placement of controls. Panasonic's G-series cameras have similar layout to a DSLR.

Jan 19, 2014*permalink

YSLaiHK

LOL, so many Cyber Photographers here. These people so freely comment about cameras by 'numbers', while most of them even never touched the cameras or know how to use them to take pictures.

Jan 20, 2014permalink

AlexRuiz

During the past 3 years I went on a camera-buying rampage.

Why? I am meticulous about my things. When sometihng doesn't feel right, I move on to the next thing.

Here are my findings and experience with these products:

Panasonic GF series - IQ did not meet expectations...offloaded on eBay.

Panasonic ZS7 - terrible...offloaded on eBay

Sony NEX-3 - control layout (hardware and software) was poorly designed. Shooting with it was not fun. Sold on eBay

Canon T1i - not a great camera, but good enough to inspire me to go for a higher caliber DSLR.

Canon S90, S95, and S100 - Great pocket cameras, with each replacing the previous model. I still have the S100

Olympus OMD-EM5 - Probably the most overhyped camera of the lot. Owned it 6 months and sold it due to not meeting expectations.

Nikon D7000 - great camera all around and great update to the T1i. Inspired me to go full frame.

Nikon D600 - superb camera all around. Still have it. Still enjoy it.

Next - Fuji X series.

Jan 23, 2014*permalink

Mirrorless Crusader

Oly wins two years in a row. Sony the year before that. I doubt you'll ever see a DSLR win camera of the year ever again.

Jan 18, 2014permalink

Markol

Maybe this segment has so far matured that there is little new to be found?
A RX100 was certainly very innovative. And what Olympus/Panasonic have shown with their MFT lineup (even though they are too expensive) is more impressive than recent DSLRs too.

Jan 18, 2014permalink

Plastek

Considering that DSLR took 2nd spot and compact took 3rd spot in current results - I wouldn't be so sure of that M.C.

Jan 18, 2014permalink

steelski

Here is a reminder for you guys,
K-3 REVIEW............ Now get back to work.

Jan 18, 2014permalink

actaswu

Maybe if you'd just ask kindly.

Jan 18, 2014permalink

steelski

I do hope you realise I am joking. As there are a lot of british staff on dpreview, they should be able to take a joke. They already said it will come out shorty anyway.

Jan 18, 2014permalink

Segaman

Joke or not, its their job to do so, they make enough dough by attracting suckers like me :O)

Jan 18, 2014permalink


Readers' Showcase: Philip Ewing Nov 8, 2015	Olympus announces details of major firmware updates for E-M1 and E-M5 II coming November Sep 15, 2015	Readers' Showcase: Gene Smirnov Sep 5, 2015	Readers' Showcase: Greg Krycinski Aug 16, 2015


Pentax K-3	Olympus OM-D E-M1
588 I own it 554 I want it 91 I had it Discuss in the forums	2072 I own it 668 I want it 278 I had it Discuss in the forums

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II	Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM Art
640 I own it 287 I want it 181 I had it Discuss in the forums	531 I own it 520 I want it 71 I had it Discuss in the forums

Fujifilm X100S
953 I own it 549 I want it 334 I had it Discuss in the forums

US Version, Canon	In stock	From $799.00	Shop now
US Version, Nikon	In stock	From $799.00	Shop now
US Version, Pentax	In stock	From $799.00	Shop now
US Version, Sigma	In stock	From $799.00	Shop now
US Version, Sony	In stock	From $799.00	Shop now

Body Only, Black, Base	In stock	From $899.00	Shop now
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Compact System Camera with 16MP and...	In stock	$926.99	Shop now

Body Only, Standard Packaging	In stock	From $889.09	Shop now
with 18-135mm WR Lens, Standard Packaging	In stock	From $1,069.95	Shop now


Johan Willem Friso by I am Legend from Macro - Money	The Gateway of India - Mumbai by AKHS from departures.india	Perth. Australia by Nilesh Trivedi from Your City - Through a Window	Macro fly by dbwelds from A bugs life	Hovering by anisah from My Best Photo of the Week