Pentax 645Z and K-S2 Win TIPA 2015 Awards

Best Medium Format & Advanced DSLRs

By PF Staff in Photo Industry News on Apr 9, 2015

The Pentax 645Z and Pentax K-S2 have been selected as the Best Medium Format and Best Advanced DSLRs of 2015 by the editors of the Technical Image Press Association (TIPA).  TIPA is an organization consisting of 28 photography magazines from 15 different countries whose endorsement is claimed to be "the highest accolade for any photo and imaging product."  Each year, TIPA presents 40 awards in a wide variety of categories, from consumer accessories to professional photographic equipment.

TIPA's selection of these two cameras comes as no surprise, as their performance is without question class-leading.  Last summer, the 645Z revolutionized the medium format market segment by offering an impressive array of features at an incredibly low price.  Similarly, the Pentax K-S2 broke new ground by being the first Pentax to offer built-in wireless connectivity and an articulating LCD screen, all in a rugged weather-sealed package.  You can learn more in our 645Z in-depth review and, or see our first K-S2 first impressions.

Five other Pentax cameras have previously been recognized by TIPA:

• 2014: Pentax K-3 (Best Expert DSLR)
• 2012: Pentax WG-2 (Best Rugged Compact)
• 2011: Pentax 645D (Best Professional DSLR)
• 2010: Pentax K-x (Best Entry-Level DSLR)
• 2007: Pentax K10D (Best Expert DSLR)

This year's TIPA awards also named the Ricoh WG-M1 as Best ActionCam. 

With the exception of the Sigma 18-300mm "C" (not yet available in the K-mount), no Pentax-compatible lenses were part of this year's awards.

Other noteworthy cameras in the 2015 TIPA awards include the Sony a5100, Panasonic GM5, Olympus E-M5 II and Samsung NX1 in the Entry-Level, Advanced, Expert, and Professional mirrorless categories, and the Nikon D5500, Canon 7D II, and Nikon D810 in the Entry-Level, Expert, and Professional DSLR categories, respectively.  The Panasonic LX100 and Sony a7S were recognized as Expert and Professional Photo/Video cameras. The complete list of award winners is available on TIPA's web site.

Have your say- what is your opinion on the TIPA awards?  With so many products being selected each year, several categories with only a handful of contenders, and TIPA's website offering little insight beyond basic specifications for each product chosen, how significant do you think these awards are? 

Historically, many successful Pentax cameras have gone unnoticed in the awards, while others, such as the Ricoh WG-M1, were recognized despite a general lack of popularity.  The WG-M1 is not even an original Pentax/Ricoh design, and it packs technology that is several generations old. On the other hand, if we look at the 7 Pentax cameras that have received awards, they certainly seem to have deserved them.

Tell us what you think in the comments below!