Vote - 2011 Camera Of The Year!

[Photo-John]

I have posted a poll for the community choice 2011 Camera of the Year. Please visit the poll and vote for the camera you think was the best of 2011:

2011 Camera Of The Year Poll >>

If you aren't familiar with the cameras listed, check out our 2011 camera of the year nomination discussion:

2011 Camera Of The Year Discussion >>

Thanks for voting and please feel free to share the poll. The more votes we have the more valid the results are.

[Greg McCary]

I am going to wait until the last day to vote. My NEX7 is on the way, it has been shpped. I downloaded the manual. It looks awesome on paper and the top wheels, when in manual, adjust the shutter speeds and apeture. I think this may be the working mans Leica that everyone has been waiting on.
I will check out the color shift problem and post pictures...

[Photo-John]

I am going to wait until the last day to vote. My NEX7 is on the way, it has been shpped. I downloaded the manual. It looks awesome on paper and the top wheels, when in manual, adjust the shutter speeds and apeture. I think this may be the working mans Leica that everyone has been waiting on.

Can't wait to see what you think of the NEX-7, Greg! In my brief time with it at PhotoPlus, I found it was a very different experience than the Leica M9. It's much closer to a DSLR than a Leica rangefinder. And as much as I appreciate the M9, I think the NEX-7 is a much more practical camera.

[Greg McCary]

Can't wait to see what you think of the NEX-7, Greg! In my brief time with it at PhotoPlus, I found it was a very different experience than the Leica M9. It's much closer to a DSLR than a Leica rangefinder. And as much as I appreciate the M9, I think the NEX-7 is a much more practical camera.

I agree John as much as I would like an M9 it's not a practical stand alone system. It is built for a specific type of photography.

[Liz]

I am going to wait until the last day to vote. My NEX7 is on the way, it has been shpped. I downloaded the manual. It looks awesome on paper and the top wheels, when in manual, adjust the shutter speeds and apeture. I think this may be the working mans Leica that everyone has been waiting on.
I will check out the color shift problem and post pictures...

Congratulations Greg! That's great news.....I can't wait to hear what you think of it!

Liz

[armando_m]

Greg I'm also very curious on your opinion about the nex7, so far it is winning in the poll (with a current count of 5 votes)

[Photo-John]

The first vote was actually for the Nikon 1 system cameras. That surprised me since those cameras have had such a mixed reaction.

[Anbesol]

Geez John, look what your diplomacy has done, you put it up there and now more idiots voted for it (the Nikon). You know they voted based on the brand name, and not because of the merit of the innovation (that is exceedingly obvious). Ah geez.... I haven't voted yet, can I use my vote to cancel out the Nikon 1, instead of vote for something else?

*edit - I tried Nikon 1's 30 and 60fps modes. After I dug through the painful menu system to find it, and it turns out that its not REALLY 60FPS, but 12 frames at the rate of 60 FPS, then it just stops. Same with the 30 FPS mode. What a jip. Oh well, its not like they put it in their for anything more than advertising points, who's going to find out? Who cares? It says Nikon on the front, that'll be enough to appease the morons who buy that.

[Photo-John]

Charlie-
It's not diplomacy. Or, if I read between the lines - I'm not kissing Nikon's ass. I really am impressed with the Nikon 1 and think it brings something new to the compact system category and possibly even cameras in general. I absolutely believe it belongs on the list. And yes, people will vote by brand loyalty. They always have and they always will. That's just the way we are.

By the way, just to make things clear - this poll is for the community choice. I will choose my own camera of the year and that will be the official pick for the site. But I think it's useful and interesting to find out what the community thinks, too. The poll is sort of like a user review - you read the results differently. It *will* be more of a popularity contest. Most photographers don't get to use as many cameras as I do so there's no way they can be as informed. That said, knowing what's most popular is important, too.

[Franglais]

I have no idea who was the first idiot to vote for the Nikon 1. Absolutely none.

[Photo-John]

I have no idea who was the first idiot to vote for the Nikon 1. Absolutely none.

Are you saying that you're the culprit?

I don't want to influence the vote by saying what I voted for but I will say that I was not the first to vote

[mjs1973]

People will vote by brand loyalty. They always have and they always will. That's just the way we are.

What? No Canon on the list? I can't vote!

Seriously though, I can't say I really know anything about any of these cameras, other than Ashton Kutcher seems to be a fan of the Nikon 1... Maybe he was the 1st to vote.

[Anbesol]

I wasn't implying you were kissing Nikon's ass. I was implying that you were kissing popularity's ass . You know, diplomacy to the 4 idiots that voted for it. *edit - your diplomacy is well-founded, I don't actually fault you for putting the Nikon up, just wildly disappointed that people are silly and thoughtless enough to vote for it.

Well that's a relief anyway, I thought the poll dictated the winner.

John, what do they bring, aside from phase detect points on a transparent filter on top of a tiny crappy sensor, to assist in moving the AF gear barely one way or another for its tiny focus range? Sort of easy to get fast continuous AF when you hit hyperfocal distance at 8 feet.

One inadvertent thing the Nikon 1 does for the CSC category is draw attention away from consumer DSLR and into the more layperson friendly category of CSC. But they did that with their name and with Ashton Kutcher, not with their technology.

They always have and they always will. That's just the way we are.

Not the way I am. I seriously cannot even pick one, the entire list sans the Nikon 1 has such good technological, innovative merit. The only thing I'm sure of is that the Nikon 1 aint it! lol...

[Anbesol]

oh boy, Just witnessed a surge in votes for the Nikon 1. I suspect foul play, someone has clearly compromised the integrity of the poll.

[Franglais]

Are you saying that you're the culprit?

I don't want to influence the vote by saying what I voted for but I will say that I was not the first to vote

No comment.

I was going to vote for the Olympus E-P3 Pen but then I realised I'd never actually handled one. Big responsibility casting a vote just the same, weigh up the pros and cons..

But I only voted once.

[Anbesol]

Big responsibility casting a vote just the same, weigh up the pros and cons..

interesting. Care to share that list?

[Anbesol]

So, it takes 24 hours to hit 20 votes. and in the past 2 hours there was another 19 votes, all of which were for the Fuji and Nikon. What do you guys think the implications are?

[Greg McCary]

So, it takes 24 hours to hit 20 votes. and in the past 2 hours there was another 19 votes, all of which were for the Fuji and Nikon. What do you guys think the implications are?

You think Ashton Kutcher and his girlfriends found the site?

[Photo-John]

So, it takes 24 hours to hit 20 votes. and in the past 2 hours there was another 19 votes, all of which were for the Fuji and Nikon. What do you guys think the implications are?

It was the local SLC pro dealer, Pictureline, linking to the poll from their Facebook page. I'm not sure about the Nikon 1, but the Fujifilm X100 has been a very big seller for them.

I wouldn't worry about the numbers right now. Statistically, the numbers don't mean much until we hit 100

[Anbesol]

Well I certainly don't know who else would do such scheming trickery.

*edit - oh, I see PJ says it was the SLC pro dealer. So, the question then becomes, why are so many pictureline customers so misinformed as to vote for the Nikon? Maybe Picturelines Nikon dealership contract trumps customer relations and integrity and honesty...

[Photo-John]

Well I certainly don't know who else would do such scheming trickery.

*edit - oh, I see PJ says it was the SLC pro dealer. So, the question then becomes, why are so many pictureline customers so misinformed as to vote for the Nikon? Maybe Picturelines Nikon dealership contract trumps customer relations and integrity and honesty...

Naw, the guys at Pictureline are legit. All they did was post a link to the poll. I think it's Nikon's marketing and brand-loyalty. Like him or not, like them or not, the Ashton Kutcher Nikon ad campaign has been pretty effective. Personally, I don't look to actors to help me decide what camera to buy

[Franglais]

interesting. Care to share that list?

I thought you would never ask.

NEX-7 = A technological triumph but when I tried it I didn't like it, funny tales about purple images on Leica lenses.. Not enough out there yet to be sure it's really a good, useful camera. Save till next year

E-PL3 = Respect the gradual improvement but I like to have a viewfinder. Never been able to try one. You want me to vote for that?

Fuji X100 = Like it a lot but a fixed focal length lens? Bit of an oddball

Nikon J1/V1 = At Christmas my brother-in-law showed me the results he got with his Nikon P100 Bridge camera. I have to say they are pretty good by any standards. Then he did a shot of me being devoured by a little dog, 20 images in quick succession and pick the best one, just like on the V1. It's what the punters are asking for, suppoted by some really new technology but I'm not enthusiastic about it at all

[Greg McCary]

I bet Jennifer Aniston could make a EP-3 look sexy. I wonder how many Canon's Andre Agassi sold.

[Photo-John]

I bet Jennifer Aniston could make a EP-3 look sexy. I wonder how many Canon's Andre Agassi sold.

I think Agassi's mullet sold tons of Rebels for Canon. I hated that campaign, though. The "Image Is Everything" tagline just rubbed me the wrong way. As a photographer with a fine art background, talking about image just seems so shallow. I know it was catching and had a double meaning. But to me, *content* is everything.

As for the E-P3 - it *is* sexy! But it's not on TV. Not at all. But Olympus doesn't have the deep pockets that Nikon does. Especially not now.

[Anbesol]

Dear god, 80 votes now. At least the numbers look more appropriate this time.

NEX-7 = A technological triumph but when I tried it I didn't like it, funny tales about purple images on Leica lenses.. Not enough out there yet to be sure it's really a good, useful camera. Save till next year

Image samples at every ISO are available. Right, the magenta shift on older third party lens. I wonder how the Nikon does with that... wait, nobody has tried it yet. I wonder why that is? Its almost like people wouldn't waste their time trying alternate glass on the Nikon.

E-PL3 = Respect the gradual improvement but I like to have a viewfinder. Never been able to try one. You want me to vote for that?

They have an articulating evf, and now they have a fixed evf as well. What do you mean?? Before the E-P3/E-PL3/E-PM1, the CSC categories CDAF was dirt slow, Olympus brought AF speed up and in a big way! The E-PM1 was the smallest CSC camera at its introduction, with a bigger image sensor than the J1 at a smaller size.

Fuji X100 = Like it a lot but a fixed focal length lens? Bit of an oddball

Its because its a fixed focal length lens that they were able to utilize such short backfocus and make the whole thing small. a fixed 50mm is a good range for a universal use. Lots of people stick with only 50mm lens, certainly more do that than could benefit from nikons AF advantage (at the sacrifice of dof control).

Nikon J1/V1 = At Christmas my brother-in-law showed me the results he got with his Nikon P100 Bridge camera. I have to say they are pretty good by any standards. Then he did a shot of me being devoured by a little dog, 20 images in quick succession and pick the best one, just like on the V1. It's what the punters are asking for, suppoted by some really new technology but I'm not enthusiastic about it at all

A) Sony has been doing 10 FPS for over a year now, and as I said earlier, Nikons 30 and 60fps are misleading in that they only shoot 12 frames. Further, if punters are asking for easier spray-n-pray, is that really whats good for photography? Don't bother with technique or approach, just hold the trigger and cross your fingers??? Absurdity, I don't care if its popular its bad technique.

I put up a facebook link to the poll too. Hopefully that will help in pushing Nikon to the bottom, where it belongs lol.

The entire photo market culture is diseased with this ignorant brandism that pervades the majority of consumers. People eat up whatever brand they think has the most clout, and the Nikon 1 is the epitomizing display of this brain-dead brandism. I have long found this situation repugnant, and Nikon just upped it a notch with this camera. The fact that the Nikon is fairing so well in this poll, and in its sales as well rubs salt into that sense of indignation.

John - sorry to be such a troll, just having fun.. I understand you are being entirely objective and non-disparaging, I respect that. I'm being unfair picking on you.

I voted XZ-1, I really think its heading for a comeback.