EISA Awards 2009: the year's best cameras

In the spring, it's the Technical Image Press Association which releases its list of the year's best photographic equipment, but summer is the time for the European Imaging and Sound Association.  Here are the products chosen by the Photo Panel, one of six different groups of specialists in different technical fields.

Compact Camera: Sony Cyber-Shot WX1 This is a nomination that could prove controversial: the EISA has chosen a product that won't actually be available until September!  For the time being, all we've seen are its specifications and a few test shots produced by prototypes.  It does, though, include the same technology that has recently revolutionised the quality of Sony's camcorders and we would be very surprised if it didn't represent a real step forward.  It's still unusual for the EISA to name it as a product in this year's awards.

Travel Compact Camera: Casio Exilim H10 On paper, the H10 is a pretty logical choice in this category.  Its ultra wide-angle lens has a 10x zoom, and offers a battery life of up to 1000 photos, two strong points which should impress travellers who don't necessarily want to think about carrying the right batteries or adaptors with them when they go on holiday.  We're currently testing it in our lab and will bring you the results soon.

Adventure Compact Camera: Olympus μTough-8000 This is another very obvious choice.  The μTough-8000 is the only compact currently available that can go as deep as 10 m underwater with a 28 mm wide-angle lens.  The fact that it uses an interface that can be controlled by tapping the outside of the case is also greatly appreciated for use in extreme conditions.  The EISA doesn't have anything to say about the quality of the photos it takes, and that might be because Olympus doesn't make the best 12 Megapixel cameras around.

Advanced Compact Camera: Samsung WB1000 Like us, the EISA liked the solid construction and stunning AMOLED screen on this compact, as well as the number of options for more advanced users.  Once again though, the awards don't say much about the photos themselves, which are, to be fair, average.

Camera of the year: Olympus Pen E-P1 The E-P1 is praised for its compact body, its compatibility with existing 4/3 lens, including those in the Olympus OM and Leica M series (!), and its bright screen.  That's the same screen that has a rather ridiculous resolution of 230 000 pixels that lost it a star in our final verdict. That said, it would have been difficult for the EISA to not recognise this new breed of cameras.

Multimedia Camera: Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 This was something of an inevitable choice, given that our camcorder specialist found himself wondering whether or not he could replace his existing camcorder with this camera (see our report HD Video: Panasonic DMC-GH1 vs. Sony HDR-XR5000).  Combining the performance of a compact still camera and a powerful camcorder in the frame of a mini-reflex is a very original solution that presents a lot of advantages over other professional cameras.

SLR of the year: Canon EOS 500D This particular award could well set tongues wagging, as the citation from the EISA claims that ''the quality of the HD video mode is so impressive that it might provoke the beginning of a new movie-making hobby for some users.''  When we tested it, though, we weren't impressed by the mono sound, the choice between either a Full HD resolution or a decent framerate or the continuous autofocus that was too loud and slow to be usable.

Advanced Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mk II Here, the EISA has recognised a true all-rouder and it draws attention to Full HD video, improved dust protection, and, above all the grip that Canon has got on digital noise levels, which are now ''below those of the 5D, which is a great achievement.''

After looking at the results of the awards, you should bear in mind that the EISA is a general press association that covers the broad areas of imaging and sound, not a group of specialist photography publications, like the TIPA.  That might explain why many of its award citations praise the technical specs, rather than the actual performance of the products themselves, as well as the inclusion of models that it's too early to judge or others that suffer from real problems alongside their strong points.