5 Most Popular Cameras Among Award-Winning Photojournalists

I’m really fascinated by photojournalism and because of that, I wanted to find out which digital cameras are most common among professional photojournalists.

The most popular cameras among award-winning photojournalists in 2023

Starting from the top, it’s really no surprise that among the winning photographers, most of them used the amazing Nikon D6. This camera is up there on my camera wishlist.

Top 5 DSLRs used photographers who won awards

 1. Nikon D6

This goes without saying. The Nikon D6 is a workhouse that produced beautiful images. As you can see on this list, the price range of the cameras is in the steep range, which is also what you’d expect from professionals of course.

Nikon D6: The most popular camera for award-winning press photographers and photo journalists.

2. Nikon D810

3. Sony a9 II Mirrorless Camera

The Canon EOS 5D Mark III shared the 1st place too.

5. Nikon D800E

Notable mentions:

5th place Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

6th Place Nikon D4s

7th Place Nikon D700

8th Place Canon EOS 5D Mark II


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So what camera is the best for photojournalism?

To get the data, I look at the most popular cameras used by the winning photographers of the World Press Photo Award 2023 and this is the list of cameras of the most popular cameras.

It’s a tough one. And course, it depends on what your needs are, but for me, I’d pick a camera that

  • Has amazing image quality and IQ – of course.

  • Lightweight.

  • Can record Video in HD.

  • Has fast autofocus and shutter.

But most importantly I’d go for a camera I feel comfortable with, and so should you. I tried my friend’s Nikon D6 and fell in love with it – but that doesn’t mean it’s the right camera for you. And what you will use it for matters a lot. If you are into war photography or photographing a place that is very dangerous, you might want to go with a small compact camera. That’s my take.

I, myself want to dig a lot further into press photography, documentary photography, and photojournalism and while I think books are what makes you a better photographer, I also really love to daydream about my future cameras.

Alright, I hope you get a bit closer to finding the camera of your dreams. And if you are a photojournalist or you study photojournalism, I wish you all the best, and stay safe.

It’s interesting to see how many photojournalists swear to Nikon DSLRs and Canon DSLRs. I mean, it’s not that shocking they are represented a lot – but 50% of the World Press Photo Winners shoot with a Nikon.

If you see the complete list, you will also find a couple of Fujifilm and Sony cameras.

In terms of lenses, these are my favorite from Fuji, if that’s what you are shooting on.

Learn more about getting press as a photographer.

Also, make sure to check out my list of photography gifts.

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