Best Gear of 2013 (according to dpreview reader poll)

Canon EOS 70D: B&H Photo, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

Photographic authority dpreview posted the results of their annual “best gear” reader poll. Five categories had to be voted: best lens, best DSLR/SLT, best fixed-lens compact camera, best mirrorless interchangeable lens camera and best enthusiast zoom compact.

The awesome Canon EOS 70D was voted as runner-up in the category “best DSLR / SLT”. Winner is the Pentax K-3. While I am personally convinced that the EOS 70D is the better and more advanced DSLR, the 70D didn’t make it on the first place. However, keep in mind that the 70D was announced last summer. About the 70D dpreview writes:

Canon’s EOS 70D was one of the most technologically interesting DSLRs that we saw last year, thanks to its Dual Pixel AF system, where almost all of the pixels on its APS-C CMOS sensor are used for phase-detection autofocus in live view and movie modes. The results is swift, highly accurate focus in situations where most DSLRs fail to deliver good performance. You clearly have a lot of time for the 70D too, giving it 16.3% of the final vote, just edging ahead of the Nikon D7100 and Df.

The undisputed winner in the category “best lens” is the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM, an amazing lens with a constant f/1.8 over the zoom range:

Garnering more than a quarter of the total votes cast, the Sigma 18-35mm is a convincing winner in this category, and one that attracted a lot of praise in your comments on the poll. A technical tour-de-force, the 18-35mm F1.8 is fast, sharp and affordable, offering APS-C photographers a viable alternative to the kind of bright-aperture standard zooms that have been available to full-frame shooters for a while.

The other results:

• Best fixed-lens compact camera: Fujifilm X100S
• Best enthusiast zoom compact: Sony Cyber-shot RX100 II
• Best mirrorless interchangeable lens camera: Olympus OM-D E-M1

See all results here.