Have your say: Best gear of 2023
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For the past few weeks, our readers have been voting on their favorite cameras and lenses released in 2023. Now that the first round of voting is over, it’s time to reveal the winners. Notably, 2023 appears to be the first time a single brand came very close to a clean sweep across all the Reader’s Choice award categories.
Remember, though, it isn’t over just yet! It’s now time to pick an overall winner. Don’t miss your chance to cast your ballot – this one’s for all the bragging rights.
Best prime lens Honorable Mention: Nikon Z 600mm F6.3 VR S
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First up is the 2023 honorable mention for best prime lens, the Nikon Z 600mm F6.3 VR S, a super telephoto that’s light enough for long periods of handheld use. It achieves this in part through the use of a size-reducing Phase Fresnel element, resulting in a lens that’s 278mm (11″) long and at 1,390g (3 lbs). It’s compatible with Nikon’s 1.4x and 2x teleconverters for even more reach.
In recent years, Nikon has done a great job designing compact prime lenses that put high-quality telephoto options within the budgetary reach of enthusiasts, and it looks like it’s hit another home run with the 600mm F6.3 VR S.
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Best prime lens Winner: Nikon Z 135mm F1.8 S Plena
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The 2023 Reader’s Choice Award for best prime lens goes to the Nikon Z 135mm F1.8 S Plena, a mid-telephoto portrait prime for its Z-series cameras. It’s Nikon’s second Z-mount lens to carry a unique moniker, joining 2019’s 58mm F0.95 S Noct, and is designed for sharpness, edge-to-edge brightness and round bokeh with minimal cat’s eye effect. We were mighty impressed with this lens when shooting our pre-production sample gallery, and apparently, you were, too, because it won this category by a healthy margin.
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Best zoom lens Honorable Mention: Sony FE 20-70mm F4 G
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Receiving an honorable mention for best zoom lens is the Sony FE 20-70mm F4 G, an ultra-wide to normal, constant aperture zoom lens. On paper, it doesn’t sound much wider than a standard 24-70mm zoom, but those extra 4mm at the wide end make a world of difference. Optically, this lens is sharp wide open while providing pleasing bokeh.
It pairs particularly well with Sony’s newest compact bodies, the A7C II and A7CR, providing a relatively compact yet versatile travel kit with a full-frame sensor. We’re not surprised that readers selected this lens as one of their top picks of 2023.
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Best zoom lens Winner: Nikon Z 180-600mm F5.6-6.3 VR
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The winner of the 2023 Reader’s Choice Award for best zoom lens goes to the Nikon Z 180-600mm F5.6-6.3 VR, the spiritual successor to Nikon’s F-mount 200-500mm F5.6 lens, covering a versatile telephoto to super telephoto range in a single optic. At 1955g (4.3 lbs) without its tripod foot, it’s not the lightest lens in Nikon’s lineup, but thanks to 5.5 stops of vibration reduction and a short, 70-degree zoom ring throw to switch between extreme focal lengths, it is pretty usable even handheld.
Along with the 600mm F6.3 that won the honorable mention in the prime lens category, the 180-600mm F5.6-6.3 is the second Nikon telephoto lens to win a Reader’s Choice award this year.
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Best camera Honorable Mention: Nikon Zf
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The Nikon Zf ticks off almost all the essential boxes on an enthusiast camera spec sheet, but what makes this camera unique is its classic style, designed to mimic the look of the company’s FM2 SLR from the early 1980s. The Zf isn’t Nikon’s first attempt at a retro camera, but it’s the one many enthusiasts have been waiting many years to arrive, and with an MSRP at the $2000 price point, it’s very price-competitive in its category.
We were impressed enough with this camera to give it the Best Enthusiast Camera award in our 2023 Annual Awards, and it looks like you agree that it’s one of the best products of 2023.
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Best camera Winner: Nikon Z8
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The 2023 Reader’s Choice Award winner for best camera goes to the Nikon Z8. We’re not surprised to see this topping your list as 2023’s best camera: it features the same 45MP stacked sensor and processor as its big brother, the Nikon Z9, but in a smaller body and much more approachable price point. In some ways, it’s the mirrorless successor to the Nikon D850, one of the best DSLRs ever made, and we think it’s an apt comparison.
In our 2023 Annual Awards, the Nikon Z8 walked away with two trophies: Best High-End Camera and 2023’s Product of the Year. It looks like it may be trying to make a clean sweep of the Reader’s Choice Awards as well.
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Have your say – vote for Product of the Year!
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You helped determine the winners in these individual categories, so now’s the time to cast your vote in one last poll! Choose your favorite product from this list of winners and runners-up between now and Monday, January 8th. Watch for an announcement of the winning products shortly after the poll closes.
As always, thanks for casting your votes and being a part of our community throughout the year.
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Poll Rules:
This poll is meant to be a bit of fun. It’s not sponsored, promoted, or paid for in any way, and DPReview doesn’t care how you vote. Our Reader’s polls are run on the basis of trust. As such, we ask that you only vote once from a single account.
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This article comes from DP Review and can be read on the original site.
