EISA Awards: The Best Cameras of 2020 According to EISA

The 2020 EISA Awards for photography have been handed out.

If you’re in the market for a new camera but you aren’t sure which way to turn, you might be interested to see what the guys and gals at EISA have to say about all things cameras. The annual EISA awards have just been announced, and they have given their recommendations on cameras in various categories. We have to say that, for the most part, we agree with the awards they have dished out. After the break, we have listed which cameras received awards, so hop past the break and see if any of the winners tickle your fancy.

EISA, or the Expert Imaging and Sound Association, give out their stamp of approval every year to cameras and lenses (which we will be going over in a separate article). EISA is made up of 55 specialized interest magazines from 29 countries, and they are well respected. Below you will find the cameras that have received EISA awards for the current year. So, before you head out to buy a new camera, check EISA’s recommendations against our real-world reviews.

Canon EOS 90D – EISA APS-C Camera of the Year

Here are our thoughts and first impressions:

“Having shot with the 90D for just a few hours, the camera felt responsive. The autofocus was reasonably accurate, especially considering the fact that the camera sports a higher resolution sensor than its predecessor.”

Pauleth Ip – Reviews Editor

Buy now: $1,299

Canon EOS R5 – EISA Awards for Camera Innovation

Here are our thoughts and first impressions:

“If you’re a Canon user, then everything will be pretty intuitive. This is one of the first cameras that I didn’t really modify right out of the box because I didn’t need to. Everything I need and want to work with has a button. And that’s awesome.”

Chris Gampat – Editor In Chief

Buy now: $3,899

Fujifilm X-T4 – EISA Camera of the Year

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

• Excellent build quality and weather sealing
• Upgraded autofocus performance
• Articulating touchscreen, finally!
• Dual UHS-II SD card slots
• Some of the best in-camera image stabilization we’ve seen
• Deeper grip
• New Bleach Bypass film simulation
• Larger battery (can be tripled when using the VG-XT4 vertical grip)
• A lot of technology for $1,699

Cons

• Some of the menus in the Fujifilm XT4 still aren’t touch compatible
• Inconsistent high ISO performance

Buy now: $1,699.95

Fujifilm X100V – EISA Best Compact Camera

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

• Feels good in the hand
• Focuses quickly but the all wide tracking needs a revamp
• Beautiful overall
• We like the new ISO dial
• So simple to use
• Image quality is nice so far
• Built-in ND filter option
• With the right tweaks, the autofocus can be very good for street
• We’re finding autofocus with the OVF to be faster than with the EVF
• Touchscreen focusing is wonderful in protests

Cons

• Battery life drains too fast
• Could use a leatherette grip and not this plastic fantastic stuff
• Exposure compensation dial needs a lock button
• Touchscreen menu is needed
• Maybe even a few more Fn buttons
• Viewfinder diopter adjustment doesn’t lock
• When you set the camera to viewfinder only for shooting and LCD for playback, the menu system works only in the viewfinder.
• There are situations where Image Stabilization would really benefit this camera due to the quick “hit and run” style of shooting
• LCD needs to adapt to lighting automatically
• Autofocus suffers in very low lighting and in zone setting

Buy now: $1,399.95

Nikon D780 – EISA Best Full Frame Camera

Here’s what Digital Trends had to say about the Nikon D780:

“After waiting generations for Nikon to get live-view autofocus right, it finally has. Combined with the touch screen, focus is fast, accurate, and flexible. Eye-detection turns on automatically, and works well, even recognizing the eyes of a subject wearing dark sunglasses. This is all great stuff, and makes the D780’s tilt screen more useful than it was on the Nikon D750.”

Daven Mathies – Digital Trends

Buy now: $2,296.95

Nikon Z50 – EISA Best Buy

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

• The best ergonomics of any APS-C Mirrorless camera
• Weather sealing
• Nice image quality
• A nice touchscreen interface (including menus)
• Capacitive controls make good use of some otherwise dead real estate
• Astonishing high ISO performance
• Good all-around autofocus and tracking performance
• Great battery life
• A nice, clean menu system
• The screen does a poppy thing (folds out from the body and down)

Cons

• The Z mount looks hideously huge on this camera
• Large Z mount lenses make you gain back anything shed in the size and weight department
• The touchscreen is not fully articulating: an odd choice for a hybrid camera that’s for video and stills
• The Z50 is limited to 30-minute captures when filming and has no IBIS nor dedicated headphone jack: again, some odd choices for a hybrid camera
• Ony one UHS-1 card slot and it really affects the performance of this camera
• This camera has a serious identity crisis. It’s too expensive for an entry-level camera and those who would have considered the D3XXX or D5XXX DSLRs, and it doesn’t offer enough for the prosumer crowd. There are also too many compromises for the vlogging group as well. Yeah, it’s a strange one

Buy now: $850

Panasonic S1H – EISA Best Photo/Video Camera

Here’s what Engadget had to say about the Panasonic S1H:

“You can capture video at up to 6K with 10-bit colors, giving you sharp, rich video and HDR, with lots of flexibility in post-production. The ergonomics are outstanding, and it has excellent low-light capabilities. It’s also good for hand-held video shooting thanks to the five-axis in-body stabilization system.”

Steve Dent – Engadget

Buy now: $3,997.99

Sony a7r IV – EISA Most Advanced Full Frame Camera

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

• Improved ergonomics
• Blazing fast autofocus
• Excellent weather sealing
• Anti-flicker shooting
• Dual UHS-II SD card slots
• More resolution than most photographers will need

Cons

• Limited touchscreen functionality: You still can’t navigate the menus or interact with the display
• Large file sizes (to be expected)

Buy now: $3,198

Canon 1DX III – EISA Best Professional Camera

Here’s what DXOMark had to say about the Canon 1DX III:

“Although we at DXOMARK test only sensor performance and no other features, at face value it’s an incredibly fast DSLR with not only blazing AF speed, incredible continuous shooting rates, and a prodigious buffer, but also an equally impressive sensor.”

Kevin Carter – DXOMark

Buy now: $6,499