The 2006 POP Awards

Every year hundreds of new photo-related products enter the market. A few are instant hits, most do relatively well, and the remnants gather dust on store shelves, warehouses, or on eBay. At Pop Photo, we’re constantly on the lookout for products that improve our chances of taking great pictures, make it easier to share our photos, or provide a service that solves a critical photo-related problem. And we’re also impressed by innovative designs, ease-of-use, and bang-for-the-buck.

This year we decided to give 25 products a mark of distinction: a 2006 POP (Photography’s Outstanding Product) Award. While this group includes a variety of compact cameras, DSLRs, printers, software, scanners, and
lenses, you’ll notice that some imaging categories (such as batteries, lens filters, and imaging computers) aren’t represented. That’s because we don’t give POP Awards to products in every category — only those that made a significant contribution to advancement and enjoyment of photography in 2006.

For the engineers and companies who designed, refined, and manufactured the products in this elite group, we have one word: Congratulations!