Best Medium Format Camera / PENTAX 645Z
With an imaging area of 43.8 x 32.8mm, the 51.4 MP CMOS sensor in the Pentax 645Z is about 1.7X larger than those found in full-frame DSLRs. The camera can deliver 3 frames per second with 10-image burst capability in Raw and up to 30 in Large JPEG format. The tiltable 3.2 inch LCD monitor contains 1.037 million RGB dots and has an “anti-gapless” construction that reduces reflection and dispersion of light that is further enhanced by a special Anti-Reflection coating. There is also a large and bright optical finder. A newly designed SAFOX 11 phase matching AF module contains 27 sensor points, including 25 cross-type sensors; when matched with a Live View function that can magnify the on-screen image, very precise focusing adjustments can be made. If desired, ISO sensitivity can be raised to an incredible 204,800.
Best Digital SLR Advanced / PENTAX K-S2
The Pentax K-S2 is a good match for enthusiast photographers and features a 20MP CMOS sensor without a low pass filter. It has a weather and dust resistant body, offers an optical pentaprism (100% field of view) and is the first Pentax DSLR with a Vari-angle LCD (3-inch, 921K dots). The compact body incorporates a Shake Reduction (SR) mechanism and can handle all new and many older Pentax lenses, albeit with some requiring an adapter. The K-S2 can deliver a top shutter speed of 1/6000 second with a continuous shooting rate of four to five frames per second. Creative functions include multi exposure, interval shooting, an advanced HDR mode, full HD video, and built-in WiFi with a dedicated app to transfer images and for wireless tethered shooting.
Best ActionCam / RICOH WG-M1
This hot segment of the market continues to grow and the Ricoh WG-M1 offers a unique design that is waterproof to 32 feet (9.75 metres) without an additional protective housing, is shock resistant to six feet (1.8 metres) and frost-proof to 14F (-10C). The unit has large control buttons and a 1.5-inch (3.8cm) LCD monitor. The 14 MP sensor and processor can record Full HD movies and deliver 10 frames-per-second high-speed shooting through its ultra wide-angle lens. To help users get right into action, the camera comes with a carabineer-equipped strap for carrying and a WG adhesive mount to help attach the camera to different surfaces. Optional accessories expand the camera’s usability via a wrist strap mount, helmet mount and more.
