By Claire Reilly

SYDNEY, NSW: Canon is celebrating a win after receiving award recognition from the European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA) for two of its digital imaging products.

EISA is the largest editorial multimedia organisation in Europe, with members from 50 special interest magazines focusing on photography and digital products from 19 different countries.

As a part of EISA’s annual awards, The Canon EOS 600D DSLR camera was awarded European Camera of the Year 2011-2012, while the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM was awarded Professional Lens of the Year 2011-2012.

Speaking about the accolades was Darren Ryan, general manager product marketing, Canon consumer imaging, Canon Australia.

“Winning these prestigious awards is a strong endorsement of the Canon EOS system and something that we are very proud of as the market leader” he said.

“The digital SLR market segment has grown strongly as Australian consumers look to satisfy their quality and creative expectations, and with more than one in every two DSLR cameras purchased being a Canon EOS, we are the overwhelming brand of choice.”

“With good supply of award-winning product from Japan, we’re focused on extending our lead in 2011 through campaigns and trade partnerships that attract consumers’ attention to Canon, offer great value and help them achieve their creative outcomes.”

According to the EISA Jury responsible for selecting the winners in each category, Canon’s DSLR offering had the tech specs to make it a winner.

“The Canon EOS 600D is a good-value camera that has a very strong set of features and customisable functions,” the EISA jury said. “The excellent resolution and its low-noise characteristics even at high ISO settings make it an extremely desirable model to amateur photographers.”

“This new EOS generation offers Full HD video, a larger, more comfortable grip, an external microphone socket, wireless flash control, good dynamic range, an articulated LCD screen and a host of beginner-friendly features that make advanced picture quality easier to achieve.”

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UPDATE: Panasonic was also pleased to announce a win at the EISA awards, with the Lumix DMC-G3 awarded European Compact System Camera 2011-2012.

“We are very proud of Panasonic’s leadership and innovation in the Micro Four Thirds platform and have seen our range become increasingly successful in the Australian market,” said Alistair Robins, group marketing manager – Lumix, Panasonic Australia.

“The DMC-G3 provides stunningly clear and sharp images, with impressive high-speed, accurate focusing and shooting. It is a compelling offering, with the downsized body, easy control over creative features, and outstanding imaging that have become hallmarks of the Lumix G Micro System range,” he added.

Select list of category winners, provided by the European Imaging and Sound Association:
-European Travel Compact Camera 2011-2012 – Casio EXILIM EX-ZR100.
-European Printer 2011-2012 – Epson Stylus Photo R3000.
-European Advanced Compact Camera 2011-2012 – Fujifilm FinePix X100.
-European Advanced SLR Camera 2011-2012 – Nikon D7000.
-European All Weather Camera 2011-2012 – Olympus TOUGH TG-810.
-European Professional Camera 2011-2012 – Pentax 645D.
-European Social Media Camera 2011-2012 – Samsung SH100.
-European Compact Camera 2011-2012 – Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V.