View in gallery
Between mobile phones, action cameras, full frame DSLRs and mirrorless compacts, there were hundreds of new digital cameras released in 2014. Of these cameras, only a handful truly pushed the envelope. While the rest were wrestling with megapixel counts and other gimmicks, these 7 digital cameras stood out from the rest on innovation, quality and a genuine challenge to the status quo. They are the most important digital cameras of 2014, those that improved the photographic medium with new possibilities. Ladies and gentlemen, meet the best digital cameras 2014 edition.
A New Category of Camera: The Lytro Illum Light Field Camera
View in gallery
Lytro Illum Light Field Camera | Gallery
View in gallery View in gallery View in gallery
A New Standard for Stable: Sony A7II Full Frame Mirrorless Camera
View in gallery
Sony A7II Full Frame Mirrorless Camera | Gallery
View in gallery View in gallery View in gallery
A Newly Evolved Video Drone: DJI Inspire One Drone
View in gallery
DJI Inspire One Drone | Gallery
View in gallery View in gallery View in gallery
A No Nonsense Compact: Fujifilm X30 Compact Digital Camera
View in gallery
Fujifilm X30 Compact Digital Camera | Gallery
View in gallery View in gallery View in gallery
A Nearly Perfect Full-Frame Beast: Nikon D750 Full Frame DSLR
View in gallery
Nikon D750 Full Frame DSLR | Gallery
View in gallery View in gallery View in gallery
A New Life for Instant Film: Lomography Lomo Instant Film Camera
View in gallery
Lomography Lomo Instant Film Camera | Gallery
View in gallery View in gallery View in gallery
A New Challenger to the Status Quo: Samsung NX1 DSLR
View in gallery
Samsung NX1 DSLR | Gallery
View in gallery View in gallery View in gallery
Noteworthy Omissions in the Best Digital Cameras 2014 List: Canon, GoPro, etc.
What gives? No love for Canon or GoPro? There’s plenty of respect for both brands here, but neither released a product this year that was noteworthy enough to make this list. The GoPro Hero 4 is certainly remarkable, but is not a dramatic enough improvement over the previous generation. The Canon 7D MKII is a similar situation, a minimal upgrade — and one that didn’t receive the kindest reviews. Both companies produce some amazing cameras that would top this list any other year, but 2014 wasn’t a ground-breaker for either company.
Also, Fuji fans might wonder why we featured the X30 instead of the X-T1. The Fujifilm X-T1 is clearly the better camera, hands-down. Yet for professional compacts, the recently-introduced Sony A7II takes the cake. Its sensor stabilization system is truly ground-breaking, a milestone that no other camera in its class can match.
Speaking of which, if you’re into compact cameras, be sure to check out our feature on the 5 best wifi-enabled digital cameras of 2014 .
