Pixiq

When Canon released the EOS 60D last year, someone remarked to me how they really couldn’t grasp Canon’s game with it. On paper, it didn’t really seem to offer anything on the 50D that it was replacing. However, as the reviews began to trickle in, the plan became more obvious: it was designed to sit neatly between the 550D and the 7D. And people seemed to approve. And the guys over at Amateur Photographer really did approve as they’ve just named it Product of the Year.

The judging panel at Amateur Photographer was looking for a product that would bring its user the most benefit and complete satisfaction. For them, it was the Canon 60D, with its plethora of features and excellent image quality.

In all, 18 awards were handed out. They included best software, which went to Adobe Lightroom 3; innovation of the year, which was scooped by Sony and their incredible translucent mirror; and the Reader Award, which went to Pentax for the 645D. Nikon picked up best entry level and best high-end cameras of the year, with the D3100 and the D3s. Panasonic dominated the compact camera prizes but Samsung had it all their own way in the compact system categories.

If one set of awards is anything to go on, it shows which companies are excelling in which areas of camera technology. For the moment, anyway.