DPReview TV: Best and Worst photo/video gear 2021

Yes, you are.

This is a long-running Christmas tradition, like the Charlie Brown special!

They did acknowledge those properties but also acknowledged that in real use, any attempt to make the most of any one of them is thwarted by a design compromise

The fp L and the Z9 have few things in common, and chief among those are: a) that they’re billed as hybrid cameras, capable in both stills and video; and b) that both lack a mechanical shutter. The Sigma, however, doesn’t really deliver in either of those fields, while the Nikon is market-leading.

Scottelly, that begs the question "what niche are non-foveon Sigma cameras fulfilling?"

Still less than half the price of the best camera winner.

@String -- that's a wonderful thing 👍

We Canadians make jokes about Alberta, but it's not so horrible that we'd abandon it to the US.

Good thing they dont make their glass like their cameras.

Like other Commonwealth countries, Canada mostly follows British spelling, I think.

There's an age divide with spelling and pronunciation. Geezers like me, do things like the people whose language it is; programme and lieutenant pronounced ' 'leftenent' not the Yank 'lootenent' that makes the officer sound like they are a person who lives in a toilet. However, there are anomalies hanging in Canada on like the spelling 'centre'.
What's with this U.S. pronunciation of 'Z' as 'zee'? It always gets confused with 'C' by the rest of the planet's English speakers. What sounds better, a hot car called a Zed 28 or one called a Zee 28?
Come on down there below the 49th! It's the Brit's language so just speak and spell it like they do.

My first SLR was a Practica, a successor of Praktiflex. All disappeared meanwhile more or less. Asahiflex was another successor and Asahi Optical bought the name Pentax in 1957. Now they are disappearing too. That's how things are going.

Nevermind. Nikon Z9 may start shutterless age.

@42 bit TIFF
Sigma fp also hasn't shutter. But, no stills camera before Z9 success proof shutter is not necessary.

42 bit tiff, how many Pentax customers went to Canon, Nikon and Sony for a good mirrorless camera? Did Pentax stay in line with those customers?
Did Canon and Nikon "forgot" the things their customers wanted (they still sell DSLRs in large numbers, but concentrate on what a growing majority wants: mirrorless.
Pentax missed the boat when they not went to mirrorless when they could do so AND keep their DSLR lines alive.
Now their customer base is getting smaller and smaller, not many new users and old users who go to mirrorless or camera phones.

@42BitTiff Bit strange to laud Pentax one moment for giving its users what they want and then saying that Nikon "can't" even adapt screw-focus lenses to their Z bodies when this is so very obviously not an engineering limitation but a choice they made based on what they think (presumably with some justification) *their* users want - namely to take advantage of the benefits of mirrorless tech and the new mount without the compromises required to support some really quite old lenses. Meanwhile Nikkor AF-D lens owners still have some of the best DSLRs ever made to choose from.

I think that the real point is that any mocking tone is distasteful, even if slight and excused by alcohol - Ricoh are sincere about what they are doing they are producing high quality products which do not deserve derision even if they they run counter to the prevailing narrative.

@42 Bit TIFF
The X1D doesn’t have a shutter because the lenses have leaf shutters.

The read out speed of that sensor is extremely slow and it’s only usable in e-shutter mode on a tripod for static subjects.

Yes smart choice.

The sync speed is 1/250s which is the same as the D850/D6.

@42 bit TIFF “Nikon can't even adapt its screw mount lenses to a body and have AF.”

Pentax can’t even adapt its M or K series lenses to a current DSLR and have seamless automatic metering.

Same thing.

@42 bit Not going to go into this too much, but with a Nikon DSLR with an aperture coupler the only difference is you change the aperture ring instead of one of the e-dials. I do think that’s much more seamless than having to press the button each time you want to meter.

Also, you original point is actually not true. For people that want AF with a D lens, or indeed an aperture coupler, or both, there are cameras currently on sale such as the D780.

Oh btw, you seem to imply face AF in the OVF is a first with Pentax. You may want to check out the D850 and D500.

How predictable this subthread is. Pentax did win this category by virtue of having no competition. That’s a fact.

Where are all the protests from angry disheartened Sigma users? Their camera came worst in 2 categories, after all.

“Nikon can't even adapt its screw mount lenses to a body and have AF.”
Nikon could. But they don't want to. AF-S lenses started in 1998, E-type in 2008, AF-P in 2016. These are three newer generations introduced during the last 20+ years and that are all supported.
I said above that I'm surprised how Nikon managed to bring out the Z9. This has for sure something to do with tough management decisions and focus on the right things. Focus means they can't do everything. It appears reasonable to decide:
- no Nikon 1
- no full portfolio of APS-C lenses
- no AF-D lenses anymore with Z

@42 bit TIFF “I don't think having users buy an older body is a great option, since Canon doesn't have that limitation nor does Sony.”

Firstly, that older body was released in January 2020. Not sure if I’d want to call that “old”. Unless you want to call DSLR technology old…

Secondly, your premise doesn’t really make sense to me. If you are a Nikon user with older glass, you wouldn’t be better of going to Canon or Sony.

Thirdly, you mention Canon. They basically gave up compatibility when the EF mount was introduced. I agree it would be nice if Nikon would release an FTZ with screwdrive. But if you want to use a lens from the 70s, Nikon makes that possible, and Canon does not. Aperture coupler and all.

“I like old lenses so I may have a bias to wanting them to be used as long as possible”

If I understand you correctly, you argue that the camera that facilitates that for Nikon is not mirrorless, when Pentax doesn’t even have a mirrorless body. So… I’m confused; what’s your point?

@42 bit

“I think advocating to just go get a new body is more of a hassle than buying an adaptor.”

Explain to me how anyone ends up with a Z mount body and AF-D lenses without having had an F-mount body before.

I’m simply suggesting not getting to a Z body in the first place, but rather getting a D780. If the person in question wants to continue using those lenses with AF.

And sorry, but I’m not going to explain to you what an aperture coupler is. Google it and come back. Or better yet, come back when Pentax has introduced a new mirrorless mount. Because then Pentax will face a similar choice to what Nikon has gone through. And only then does it make sense to draw comparisons.

zakaria, the reason that they laugh in the segment is because of how overzealous some Pentax fans get when their brand receives any criticism. The amount of sh*t that reviewers get when discussing their products honestly is disproportionate in relation to the size of the fanbase (i.e. they’re loud and nasty).

About portability, it has nothing to do with a world of mirrorless or not, that debate is as old as cameras are and nothing has changed with mirrorless. People who prefer light systems always were willing to get less quality for less size and weight. Problem here is not so much the body but the lenses now with ML systems and new lens designs the top lenses got even bigger and heavier because that's the only way to get more quality for those high-resolution sensors. But then, for handheld shooting you need a balanced system.

I don't see the A1 to be made for portability, but for connectivity and use as a remote system, there it is unbeaten and there the small size is an advantage because balance is no issue.

For portability cheaper cameras with cheaper lenses are a way better choice than cheaper lenses with a high end body.

@lauma
"About portability, it has nothing to do with a world of mirrorless or not, that debate is as old as cameras are and nothing has changed with mirrorless"
The ability of shooting seamlessly switching from using the EVF and monitor, thus being able to hold the camera differently from against your face all the time, real time exposure, advanced AF tracking, and much lighter optics (partially just because of modern technology) is changing the way we are shooting, in a more dynamic and responsive way. So there is a lot more value today than in the past in working with a compact light gear.
Who is fresh coming out of the DSLR word might not yet figured out the potentials.
"I don't see the A1 to be made for portability". Maybe one day I will show you how I shoot with the A1: 50% of the time the Z9 would be a non starter simply because of the size and weight.

@armandino, it would be nice if you actually read what you reply to and then reply to the written instead of just posting a statement that completely ignores the content of the previous post. Thank you.

Lauma have you seen recent GM lenses? Sony is putting work into making reasonably-sized glass to go with the A1 instead of throwing weight at every problem like some other companies.

Besides, I've used A-type bodies with heavy lenses and did not find them uncomfortable.

"these ones are just for fun"

I don't see anything funny, but maybe that is just me. Or it could be that they had fun; for me it's just wasted time...

And let me be the party pooper by pointing out, yet again, that DPReview TV remains as inaccessible as ever for anyone who depends on captioning. The YT auto-captioning, although better than it was years ago, is still miles behind actual real-life captioning which a ten year old with a basic knowledge of YT can do. They just don't give a r*** a**. Can you spell that?

Fun and funny are two different things. Even if this isn't your bag personally you should be able to recognise that it's meant as entertainment more than an attempt to be informative.

I see you own the original fp - would you yourself change that nice little camera for the fp L with all its high-megapixel induced issues and compromises?

No, let’s get Jordan a Pentax K-01 🤣

Mike, you just want to debate :)

I have been very consistent all year long. I have always said that the A1 is a fantastic camera, though not perfect, as none are...and that it is a big success for Sony. In fact early in the year, as the A1 was announced, I predicted it wold be a big success for Sony.

But now it clearly is time for the Z9 to have its place in the sun. And I am very glad for Nikon as I believe they needed this. Nikon is one of the historic names in photography and I am very glad to see them do well.

I agree. I'm not currently using Nikon cameras, but we all need Nikon to be successful.

Don Cox

What you’ve been consistent about is acknowledging the A1 when it’s mentioned. What you’ve also been consistent about now not starting your own comment thread to say what a great camera it is. Like you have now many times with the Z9.

It’s just an observation.

Relaxed, I agree. The competition is good.

The Nikon Z9 is even more impressive when taking into account the fact that since the release of the Z6 and Z7, Nikon has continuously been LAST on the list on mirrorless, as a company. Always great ergonomics with mediocre, buggy and hard to use AF implementations, even with firmware updates. And the Z6 II and Z7 II followed quite close, always in last place, just running to catch the competition, with every firmware update.

The Z9 is not just superb ergonomics (that both Nikon and Canon have been known for, when Sony had awful ergonomics!), but great build quality and durability -- sure, in a huge and heavy body, but which pros are accustomed with -- but it's the first full frame Nikon mirrorless that IMPRESSES both in AF and features, and in the overall package. And in the price, too!

> But you still are in denial about the wild success of the A1.

TRU would rather be boiled in oil than admit that Sony is successful.

He must be *really* steamed that the Canon R3 lost - and was called a "niche" camera again!

One done right and the other one done horribly wrong.

As a fp L user who actually likes the camera I will admit it is "quirky" but that's all you're going to get from me.
And, I don't use it when I've been drinking. Maybe that's my problem!

Real cams have their shutter in the lens anyway :)

I love what they are doing in this "reward" specials every year. And I do hope they will do it for a long time to come.
I do not care what gear they select, I do not care what camera is the best I love the way the make fun out all these best.... lists at the end of the year.
And I love how they make camera review something else then boring reviews. EVERY camera that comes out is good enough to take nice pictures, the limitations is the person behind the camera, that is for sure!

gfrensen, so you find it entertaining watching two adult men getting
drunk and behaving like teenagers? AND two journalists so bad at spelling.
These men are supposed to be Reviewers of camera gear that we should
be able to listen to their views with respect. What the heck are they trying to tell us I wonder? And what gfrensen are your views on camera gear being debased by such crass behaviour?
katy

@Katy I bet you're fun at parties, etc. Sometimes you just have to accept that other people have a different sense of humour than you, leave them to it and move on to something more suited to your (in this case somewhat delicate) sensibilities. Personally I really enjoy these end of year round ups, they are supposed to be a bit of fun in the approach to the holidays and not on the level of the their usual "serious" reviews.

Forgive me, I read "Best and Worse Gear of the Year" so
I expected it to be so, not to watch two adult individuals
trying to get drunk - so Infantile I think! Not a pretty sight
at the best of times. Where's the virtue in that!
katy

Katy C Yes I find it entertaining when people do not take their jobs to serious every now and then. Chris and Jordan do always a great job with their reviews, they are not to serious, but informative.
The end of the year show I see as a way to make fun of all these Best .... of the year lists. Most of these lists let brands pay for a place on the list and so are not really reliable. I can't think that Sigma or Pentax paid for the way their cameras were presented in this list.
And for the alcohol in the clip, well not everybody is against that, so when you don't like it, don't watch it!

I have been watching Chris and Jordan since their days back at the CameraStoreTV. Which I still watch. I totally agree with Katy C that two guy an or gals for that matter doing an drinking contest hardly adds in real value to this yearly event for now over a decade or so.

So Just as those that don't mind are making comments, those that don't see any added value have just as much an right to comment, just as we do on Camera Gear we own an or don't OWN.

I would love for them to do something more of an challenge, Like have to eat insects. Now that would be far more intriguing to me. So everyone has an opinion, seems that the majority only wants theirs heard an or supported. Which apparently the same false logic applies when we talk Camera Gear.

They do not do a good job with reviews, just look at the subs on the dpreview YT channel and the views, that says it all.

Why DPR continues with these guys is beyond me, send them back to the Camera Store were they belong and get some fresh faces in.

I would love to know what Phil Askey makes of this site now!

Who is against fun? Not me! Watching Adults trying to get
drunk isn't fun, drunkeness definitely is not - inexperienced
teenagers might think so but in reality watching drunks is an
unedifying experience.
And responsible mature men shouldn't condone it.

What does that mean in English please?

I wonder why you are trying so hard to insult me?
Snob? Snide? My own Likes?
What's that all about? Even Grandma you make an
insult.
I stick to my opinion none-the-less,
I enjoy Chris and Jordan's reviews and have for
many years but watching them get drunk NO thankyou!
It's not my idea of entertainment.

No, I didn't agree with the calling them poor journalists who can’t spell part. That was in poor taste. But Calling somebody Grandma is just as bad. Sometime I personally have to look at the bigger picture, so yeah I still gave Katy C likes in spite of that part. There are far bigger points that I feel needed to be made from MY viewpoint. Not others.

Sometimes I think Chris an or Jordan or faking getting Drunk. I can't say for certain. However I could care less if they are or aren't. I simply don't like the message it sends.

Others have every right to disagree. It's one thing to do something privately, it's another to apparently promote it publicly. That's where I have issue. Posters, apparently most on this site, have expressed they don't have any issues with the segment. That's hardly shocking.

I can only gloat at the idea how frustrated some people sound in the comments. I hope they will upset the tender souls of DPReview commenters for a long, long time.

@Just Another Tog , obviously from the UK and the product of there benefits system, do you know both your parents mate?

@adamm6 you really are quite insufferable and apparently a real classist too. I hope you don’t behave like this IRL.

@AdamM6 Grow up.

I must admit I have been disappointed in
Just Another Togs personal insults to me
especially accusing me of ticking on my
own LIKE! Just because I had the temerity
to voice my opinion.
Not a rational way to try and win an argument
is it.

It’s almost like the industry competitors leap frog each other every 3-5 years or so… hmmm. Didn’t see that coming.

Canon is rumored to announce soon RF mount based aps-c cameras, which will probably mean the end of the M mount.

And the Z mount aps-c cameras are pretty small and could be made even smaller without an EVF. But is that a good idea?

The iPhone crowd would love that actually. They’re so used to sticking the phone out at arms length in dim and bright light that an EVF-less camera would be more of the same. Stick a 16-50 kit lens on and it wouldn’t be that much bigger than an iPhone pro max but with much better IQ.

Yes, but:
- the mount is just one of the elements influencing the size of a camera and tiny cameras offer a terrible shooting experience
- using the same mount offers tremendous advantages since FX lenses can be used on DX bodies which is extremely useful for long glass

Maybe its selling at a loss, pinning on lens sales and overall profit from other cameras while the Z9 is a marketing poster boy that loses money on every sale. This tactic isn't new though.

The last two comments are rich. I can’t believe I actually read that the lower price of the Nikon (vs a1) is a knock against it. And that the Z9 is the loss leader for the brand. Lol. No, moving the country of manufacture and the nature of mirrorless in its assembly likely has some significant cost savings. Calibrating the AF sensor in a DSLR was likely time consuming and relied on human touch for precision as one example of where cost savings are found. Mirrorless doesn’t need the same precision because it doesn’t have the same components. You are right though that Nikon priced it quite strategically. Just as Sony did years ago (a850/a900 vs D3x), Nikon will have to buy some of the market back. If it was priced higher or higher than the a1, it would not have done so well in preorders. But people who had no intention of getting one given the price of the D6 are now getting one because for what it is, the price is very reasonable.

@m_black "t’s almost like the industry competitors leap frog each other every 3-5 years or so… hmmm. Didn’t see that coming."

The thing is a lot of people did not see that coming, given how many people's response to Nikon's brief slide into mediocrity was to proclaim that they were finished.