Creative Bloq Awards 2023: crafting and cameras winners
The Creative Bloq Awards 2023 winners week continues today with the announcement of the results in the crafting and camera categories. These include the coveted title of Craft Machine of the Year, plus best cutting machine, craft accessory and art printer. As for cameras, we awarded offerings in a range of categories, from best phone camera to best luxury camera.
Today's announcements are just a few of the more than 40 categories in the Creative Bloq Awards 2023. We've been announcing the winners throughout the week, recognising the best creative tech released in the past year, from laptops to games (see below for the schedule and links to the other announcements). You can see the full CB awards shortlist to view the competition and the Creative Bloq Awards website for more information on the awards.
The Creative Bloq Awards 2023: cameras and crafting winners
Craft Machine of the Year: xTool P2
The Creative Bloq Craft Machine of the Year 2023 award goes to xTool's mighty P2 laser cutter and engraver. It's a large, heavy device that requires a dedicated space, but it's the most powerful cutter the judges had seen for domestic use. They appreciated the sturdy metal chassis and the large work area with a passthrough slot for extending the size of projects as well as the new curved surface engraving feature.
Read our guide to the best xTool machinesView Deal
Best cutting machine: Siser Romeo
Turning to our specific award for cutting machines, the judges opted for Siser's more portable and approachable vinyl cutter Siser Romeo, finding it to be a practical option for home crafters. The judges praised its quiet running and precision for fine details up to .01 millimeters.
Read our guide to the best vinyl cutting machines
Best craft accessory: Shaper Trace
The Shaper Trace tool impressed our panel with its simplicity. It may be little more than a plastic frame and pen, but the judges found it to be a quick, flexible and economical way to turn hand-drawn designs into accurate vector images for graphic design and digital crafting, limited only by the imagination.
Read our Shaper Trace review
Best art printer: Canon Selphy CP1500 Mini
Camera of the Year: Nikon Z8
Best camera for streaming: Sony ZV-1 Mark II
The Sony ZV-1 Mark II might not represent a major departure from its predecessor, but our judges appreciated the wider 18mm lens as a potential improvement for some streamers. The camera remains small and compact, ideal for vlogging on the go, autofocus is fast and accurate, and video quality still outshines that of a smartphone.
Read our guide to the best camera for YouYubeView Deal
Best camera (luxury): Leica Q3
Turning to the higher end of the new camera offerings of 2023, our judges loved the Leica Q3, praising the stunning results captured by the 60MP sensor combined with Leica's processing magic. With a compact size for a full-frame camera, the panel saw this as the perfect option for a luxury everyday shooter.View Deal
Best phone camera: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
We'll be announcing the rest of the Creative Bloq Awards 2023 winners this week as follows:
MONDAY: Computing and laptops
TUESDAY: Software and drawing tablets
WEDNESDAY: Crafting and cameras
THURSDAY: Gaming
