Nikon Z 9 named best camera at the Creative Bloq Awards 2022

By Joseph Foley
published

Nikon's flagship mirrorless picks up two awards in the camera category.

A close up image of a camera for the Creative Bloq Awards 2022 cameras category
(Image credit: Future)

We're closing the Creative Bloq Awards 2022 winners week by revealing the winners of the awards in our final category: cameras. We took public nominations for seven awards in this section. Those nominations were then voted on by our own panel of judges, to choose the winner.

Best camera and best camera for video went to the same much-anticipated flagship mirrorless camera: Nikon's Z 9. The other five awards were for best camera for streaming, the best cameras for artists and for beginners, the best camera phone and the best analogue camera. See below for the winners in the Creative Bloq Awards 2020 camera category.

The Creative Bloq Awards 2022 has now come to a close. Over the past week we've been recognising the best in design and tech over more than 70 categories, from game design to sewing machines, design software and entertainment. 

Each of the awards was decided through nominations from the public and then voting from the entire Creative Bloq team and hand-picked editors from some of our sister sites and magazines, including Digital Camera World. See the Creative Bloq Awards 2022 website for a full list of the judges for each category. In the meantime, here are our winners for the camera awards.

Best camera of the year: Nikon Z 9 

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Nikon's Z 9 was the clear winner for best camera overall. There are other strong professional full-frame mirrorless cameras on the market, but the judges agreed that the Z 9 was the release of the last year. While it's still difficult to get hold of, it's already proving to be a game changer thanks to its super-fast high speed shooting and autofocus. The judges particularly noted its strength for hybrid use, both video and stills.

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Best camera for video: Nikon Z 9

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The Nikon Z 9 was the victor as best camera for video too, and that probably won't come as much of as surprise since it's perhaps the first full-frame mirrorless stills camera to truly nail 8K video recording. Our panel liked the clear, quick separation of video from stills mode and the control over who settings carry over from stills to video. The judges noted that video quality was superb across multiple uses, with the autofocus again doing extremely well in fast-moving scenes.

Best camera for streaming: GoPro HERO 10 Black

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For streaming, the combination of public nominations and our expert panel's verdict gave the award to the GoPro, that stalwart of action video. It won praise for its compact, user friendly design, durability and its versatilty for a wide range of use cases, from webcam recording to streaming on the move.

Read our GoPro HERO 10 Black review.

Best camera for artists: Fujifilm GFX 50S II

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The best camera for artists award went to Fujifilm's medium-format GFX 50S II. It's more portable than a full-frame camera, which the judges saw as making it more convenient and practical for artists, and it's more affordable too. It was also praised for its ergonomic design and the stellar image quality that comes through the combination of a brilliant sensor and Fujinon glass. The 6.5 stops of image stabilisation were also commended.

Best camera phone: Google Pixel 6 Pro

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This one might be a surprise for some, but the Google Pixel 6 Pro beat the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and the iPhone 13 Pro to scoop the award for best camera phone. The judges praised it as one of the best value of the premium camera phones out there, while noting that the big sensor dealt with low-light conditions well, and the telephoto and ultra-wide lenses offered a versatile setup. Google's AI scene optimisation and Magic Eraser were also highly rated.

Best camera for beginners: Sony A6000

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The best camera for beginners award went to Sony's nifty A6000. Although it's now getting fairly old, the judges believed its performance, portability, and most notably value, make it still the best camera for beginners today. It was originally competing with mid-range cameras, but its price now offers great performance for those looking for an entry-level shooter.

 Read our Sony A6000 review

Best analogue camera: Polaroid Now+ i‑Type

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Finally, the best analogue camera award went to a revamped old school classic. Judges praised the Polaroid Now+ for the sharpness of its full-size instant photographs as well as its sharp vintage design and new range of lens filters, which make it much more than a mere point-and-shoot camera.

Read our Polaroid Now+ review

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Joseph Foley
Joseph Foley

Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news and features, updates buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment for creatives, from monitors to accessories and office supplies. A writer and translator, he also works as a project manager at London and Buenos Aires-based design and branding agency Hermana Creatives, where he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing photography, video content, graphic design and collaterals for the hospitality sector. He enjoys photography, particularly nature photography, wellness and he dances Argentine tango.

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