We are 
delighted to announce that Nikon has been successful across four categories at this year’s TIPA World Awards. Nikon’s latest mirrorless camera, the sleek and stylish Z f was crowned the ‘Best Full-Frame Expert Camera’, while the Z 8 was awarded the prestigious title of “Best Full-Frame Professional Camera”. When it came to the lens categories, Nikon scored two awards with the NIKKOR Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena being voted the ‘Best Professional Portrait Lens’, while the NIKKOR Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR took home gold for the ‘Best Super Telephoto Zoom Lens’ award.
The four awards showcase Nikon’s dedication to producing innovative equipment, combining advanced technology and superior performance to empower photographers to push creative boundaries, but above all, to ‘keep inspiring’.
TIPA members praised the 24.5MP Nikon Z f as an excellent
example of convergence between 
classic design and modern technology. Combining a Nikon SLR retro style look with still and video features that invite creative engagement, the Z f camera has proven to have great appeal to photo enthusiasts young and old. On-camera controls include precision dials for settings and an easy flip switch for choosing still or video capture. Framing and POV flexibility are enhanced by a vari-angle LCD for live-view shooting that can also be used for quick menu selections. Plus, there’s a pentaprism-style OLED with 100% coverage. Advanced video recording and vlogging capabilities include UHD 4K 30p and Full HD 120p recording, and SnapBridge, Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity.
The Z 8 was celebrated for its ability to pack a range of impressive Z 9 features into a ‘smaller, lightweight’ body – making it the perfect camera for both photographers and videographers on the go. Sharing many attributes with the flagship Nikon Z 9, the Z 8 hits a sweet spot in terms of size and weight for enthusiast and working pro on-the-go photographers and videographers. The choice between the two has more to do with the photographer’s mode, professional demands, and need to fit into a production regime than any major feature trade-offs. Lightweight at just 2 lbs. (0.90kg), the Z 8 is ideal for use with a gimbal for video and, being 30% smaller, is ideal for all day jobs, when kit bag weight is an important consideration. But being smaller and lighter does not mean a loss of features found in the Z 9, with sensor size, framing rates, and all the AI and tracking functions, among other specs, shared.
The NIKKOR Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena was recognised for its ‘edge-to-edge buttery bokeh’. It’s rare for Nikon to name a lens, so we looked it up and Plena is defined as “the condition or quality of being full.” If the compliments paid to this lens by photographers from around the world are any indication, the appellation is apt. Aimed at commercial, wedding, portraitists, and even landscape and nature photographers, pro reactions have been overwhelmingly positive worldwide. In particular, there has been special praise for its edge-to-edge buttery bokeh for stills and cinematic video, thanks to its 11-blade diaphragm; its edge to edge brightness and minimization of ghosting, flare, and fringing, due to special elements and coatings; and its customizable control and function buttons, notable for cinemaphotographers who admire its smooth aperture transitions and Nikon’s Multi System Focus AF performance.
The NIKKOR Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR being Specifically designed for nature, wildlife, and sports enthusiast photographers, this long-range zoom lens brings it all together in terms of focal length range, fast, responsive autofocus, an STM motor for quiet and smooth video capture, and weather-sealed construction with a fluorine lens coating that, to quote, “anticipates a high frequency of lens wiping.” TIPA editors know that in pro offerings it’s often the small touches that make a big difference in the field, and with this super tele it’s the ability to adapt 1.4X and 2X teleconverters, maintain lens size when zooming, only a 70-degree turn to zoom out to maximum focal length, 5.5 EV image stabilization, and a host of on-lens controls to switch or lock modes and settings.
The TIPA World Awards are universally recognised as celebrating top-class companies and the highest quality products in the industry. It also serves to provide an important benchmark and guide for consumers when making their purchasing decisions.
Please visit the TIPA website for more information: www.tipa.com
