{"id":158232,"date":"2021-12-22T09:00:43","date_gmt":"2021-12-22T09:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/?p=158232"},"modified":"2021-12-17T16:19:18","modified_gmt":"2021-12-17T16:19:18","slug":"best-cameras-and-lenses-of-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/round-ups\/best-cameras-and-lenses-of-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"Best cameras and lenses of 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"

Andy Westlake takes a look back at the cameras and lenses introduced in 2021 and reflects on the year\u2019s trends<\/h2>\n
\n

At the end of each year, we like to take a look back at the new cameras and lenses that have been introduced and tease out some trends. Of course, 2021 has been a year unlike any other. With the Covid crisis in its second year, a global microchip shortage and widespread disruption to supply chains, fewer new cameras have been launched than at any time since 1998, when multi-megapixel digicams started to take off.<\/p>\n

The question of what kind of camera you\u2019re expected to buy appears to have shifted, too. It\u2019s no longer between compact, DSLR or mirrorless, but instead about what size sensor you\u2019d like in your new mirrorless camera. Let\u2019s dig into the numbers more deeply.<\/p>\n

At the time of writing, we\u2019ve seen just 16 new cameras in 2021. Of these, only one was a DSLR and one a compact camera, both from the same company: the Pentax K-3 Mark III<\/a> and the Ricoh GRIIIx<\/a>. Of the mirrorless models, two were medium format, five full-frame, four APS-C, and two Micro Four Thirds.<\/p>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\"Canon\u2019s<\/a>\t\t\t

Canon\u2019s EOS R3 sees the return of Eye Control AF<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n

The most affordable entry-level cameras came with asking prices of \u00a3750 or more, while the majority cost over \u00a31,500. In part, this reflects the fact that we\u2019ve seen a lot of innovative top-spec professional models, including the Canon EOS R3<\/a>, Fujifilm GFX100S<\/a>, Nikon Z 9<\/a> and Sony Alpha 1<\/a>. Even so, it\u2019s no wonder the second-hand market is booming.<\/p>\n

While it\u2019s no shock to find mirrorless dominating, the apparent decline of the enthusiast-focused advanced zoom compact camera is more of a surprise. But if we disregard Sony\u2019s ZV-1 \u2018vlog camera\u2019, the last round of new models appeared in July 2019. Hopefully Canon, Panasonic and Sony have simply decided that their existing offerings are fine for now and will update them in future. It would be sad to see this breed suffer the same fate as their point-and-shoot counterparts and go extinct at the hands of the smartphone.<\/p>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\"Sony<\/a>\t\t\t

Sony has built the Alpha 7 IV around a new 33MP full-frame sensor<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n

More lenses than ever<\/h3>\n

In contrast, new lenses were introduced at record pace. By my count, of 68 new optics from mainstream makers, 59 were for mirrorless, including 39 for full frame. At the same time, at least 60 DSLR lenses quietly disappeared from the market. So while there were more lenses available for DSLRs than mirrorless cameras at the start of the year, that balance has now switched the other way.<\/p>\n

In 2021 we also finally said goodbye to the Alpha mount. Noteworthy for being the basis of the world\u2019s first practical autofocus SLR, the Minolta Dynax 7000, in 1985, it was taken over by Sony in 2006. But the writing was on the wall when five years later, the firm introduced the mirrorless E-mount.<\/p>\n

Sony has to be given credit for continuing support for a decade, but all A-mount products are now officially discontinued. Existing lenses can at least still be used on Sony\u2019s E-mount cameras. Read on for our pick of the best new products we got our hands on in 2021.<\/p>\n

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Cameras<\/h2>\n

Canon EOS R3<\/h2>\n

l \u00a35,879 l<\/strong> www.canon.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n\"Canon<\/a>\n

Why we like it<\/h3>\n

l Revolutionary eye-control autofocus<\/strong>
\nl Superb design and handling<\/strong>
\nl Excellent user interface<\/strong><\/p>\n

Once in a while, a camera comes along that feels completely revolutionary, by transforming how easily you can get the pictures you want. One such model is the Canon EOS R3. By resurrecting a decades-old technology in eye control AF, but now combining it with the firm\u2019s excellent AI-based subject detection and tracking, this camera allows you to select the subject that you want to track focus on, simply by looking at it in the viewfinder.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s difficult to overstate just what a difference this makes for shooting fast-paced action, when you need to be able to select quickly and intuitively between several possible subjects. The recognition system works with humans, animals, or motor vehicles, but any kind of subject can be tracked based on colour and pattern.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, this impressive technology has been built into a stupendously quick camera with robust build and excellent handling. It can shoot full-resolution 24MP raw files at 30 frames per second, and boasts a world-record fastest shutter speed of 1\/64,000sec that\u2019ll freeze almost any action.<\/p>\n

Built-in 5-axis image stabilisation helps keep pictures sharp and free of shake, no matter what lens you use. In terms of handling, the EOS R3 generally behaves very much like the firm\u2019s other high-end cameras. But Canon has thought very hard about the user interface and made its clever AF technology remarkably easy to control. Tracking can be turned on or off at the touch of a button, and it\u2019s quick and easy to select between the various subject types from the onscreen Q Menu. This all adds up to a remarkable camera that feels like a glimpse of the future.<\/p>\n