What a year for cameras! Popular Photography's 2008 finalists for our fifth annual Camera of the Year award not only "refine or redefine" photography -- some even revolutionize it. Consider that the nominees include two DSLRs that shoot high-definition video, a high-speed camera that fires at a rate once reserved for expensive scientific cameras, and a pocket-sized wonder that debuts an entirely new camera system.
How will we choose the winner? First, the camera must have been through the full battery of Pop Photo Lab tests in calendar year 2008. Impressive specs and fancy features alone won't cut it -- the camera must be a proven performer, both in objective tests and real-world shooting. Second, our editors will carefully deliberate which model comes closest to the Camera of the Year ideal:
The camera that best refined or redefined photography in 2008.
See our favorite gear this year: Pop Awards 2008
LEADING THE WAY
Refining and redefining photography? Nobody's done it better than our first four Cameras of the Year. And in retrospect, they seem even more like pathfinders.
When the NIKON D70 won in 2004, we hailed its 3 fps burst rate; now, one finalist shoots 6MP images at 60 fps. In 2005, the CANON EOS 5D brought full-frame shooting below $3,400 (body only); today, two finalists are full-framers at that price or less with a kit lens. The SONY ALPHA 100 took the 2006 prize for its big performance in a three-figure package; now we expect excellent image quality and stabilization (in the body or a kit lens) for a song. Then there's last year's champ, the NIKON D300: Standout photos at high ISOs, blazing bursts, 51-zone autofocus -- we're used to that, too. (Well, maybe not that AF system.)
So whoever takes the 2008 crown, chances are its rivals won't let it rest easy.
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