TIPA Awards crown best SLRs of 2010

Amazon.co.uk     £499 Amazon.co.uk Marketplace £4,119 Amazon.co.uk   £376.69

The Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) recently crowned its selection of 2010's best imaging products at its annual awards ceremony. As ever, the products were carefully picked to represent brands across the market, with choices that are often logical, but sometimes questionable. Let's see which DSLRs TIPA picked this year.

The Best Entry-Level SLR was the Pentax K-x, in which 'an attractive price and a respectable technical content are well-combined for pleasant picture taking'. I can't disagree with that; the camera is certainly affordable and has plenty of well-selected functions. In fact, all that's missing really is an autofocus point in the viewfinder, otherwise it would have got our five-star rating, which is rare for an entry-level product.

The Best Advanced DSLR was the Canon EOS 550D. It's a logical choice too as it's a recent release, it films in Full HD and has inherited some of the features of the higher-end EOS 7D. However, anyone who's a stickler for construction and handling will almost certainly prefer last-year's winner, the Nikon D90.

It's no surprise that the Canon EOS 7D walked away with the prize for Best Expert DSLR. Its main rival, the D300s, is a lightweight in comparison, as it's an updated version of a previous model. The 7D, however, is an all-new and truly revolutionary camera.

TIPA's Best Professional DSLR was the Nikon D3s. Although it's not a major new model but an updated version of a previous camera, the D3s is still way ahead of its main rival of the moment, the Canon 1D Mark IV, notably thanks to its simply breathtaking results at 12,800 ISO. After the D3 and the D3x, this is the third consecutive victory for Nikon in this category.

At the very highest end of the market, the Hasselblad H4D-40 was crowned Best Medium Format D-System, notably for its autofocus locking function. It doesn't come cheap though!

Lenses

You can't really talk about SLR cameras without talking about lenses too, so let's have a look which ones TIPA picked as the best of 2010.

Naturally, the Best Entry-Level Lens was the Sigma 17-70 mm Macro OS HSM. It's a fantastic lens with a highly practical focal range, good focusing distances, a stabilisation system and ultrasonic motorisation. It can also be used with all brands of camera.

The Sony 28-75 mm f/2.8 SAM lens kit for the Alpha 850 was named Best Expert Lens, while the prize for Best Professional Lens went to the impressive Nikkor 70-200 mm f/2.8 ED VR II tele-zoom.


> Product Survey: Digital SLRs and Cameras with Interchangeable Lenses

> Buyer's Guides: Our Pick of The Best Products