Best cameras and lenses
Andy Westlake rounds up the standout cameras and lenses of 2023, and picks out some key industry trends
At the end of each year, we like to take a step back, look at the new products that have been launched, and pick out our highlights. It’s also instructive to tease out some industry trends.
For 2023, this appears to have been the year that the photo industry has returned more or less to normal after the Covid pandemic. That was followed by a mini surge in 2022, when companies caught up with their backlogs of planned products.
Looking first at the cameras that have been introduced, it’s clear that full-frame mirrorless is now firmly entrenched as the format of choice for serious photographers. At the time of writing, this accounted for 15 of the new 22 camera releases. Undoubtedly the most innovative new model was Sony’s Alpha A9 III, the world’s first camera with a global shutter sensor, which is something of a Holy Grail for sports and action photographers.
Meanwhile Nikon users finally got the full-frame retro model they’ve wanted for years, with the Z f.
Thankfully, though, we’re not entirely limited for choice, with some strong contenders appearing in other formats too. Two real highlights were the Micro Four Thirds Panasonic Lumix G9 II and the medium-format Fujifilm GFX100 II. Some fine APS-C models appeared too, including the Sony Alpha A6700 and Fujifilm X-S20.
Other camera types are still just about hanging on. Leica continues to produce new versions of its classic rangefinder cameras, including the fabulous M11 Monochrom. Compact cameras have retreated into a few niches where they can offer features that smartphones can’t, such as ruggedisation or specialist vlogging features. Unfortunately, though, there’s little good news for DSLR fans, with only Pentax left holding the fort and delivering just a trickle of new products.
On the other hand, smartphone cameras just keep getting better, with the likes of the Google Pixel 8 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, and Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max wowing us with their ever-moresophisticated AI magic.
Continuing the year’s general theme, of the 50-odd autofocus lenses introduced by mainstream makers, two-thirds were for full-frame mirrorless. However, one of the most notable offerings was manual focus, with the Voigtländer Nokton 50mm F1.0 apparently being the first third-party optic with built-in electronics to be approved by Canon for its EOS R cameras. Hopefully this will herald a more general opening up of the RF mount, which can only be a good thing for users.
Read on for our highlights of the year’s new releases, followed by the AP team’s favourite kit they’ve used this year.
