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Year in Review 2025

2025 was another busy year for the photo and video industry. It was packed with new product releases, the largest CP+ event ever hosted, and another year of images and footage from every corner of the globe, captured by people, and created by machines through the continued rise of AI.

Gareth's Photography 2025 Year in Review Video

While artificial intelligence still propels the industry into new directions, many photographers and everyday creators embraced image making as their personal outlet. More brands like Sony, Nikon, and Fujifilm have begun integrating Content Credentials as a means of authentication, which is a great step for image validation.

The Associated Press’ photographers documented Year End Photos 2025, covering events with harrowing images from Gaza and Ukraine, to the Philippines, Haiti, the White House and California, with countless images in between.

Magnum Photos reflected on his life and legacy in Remembering Martin Parr (1952-2025), which celebrates the British photographer who sadly passed away this year. Gareth mentions him in his video roundup and I’m glad to have come across him, albeit so late, as his work really is inspiring.

It was a full year for Park Cameras too, helping thousands of customers online, in our West Sussex store, as well as welcoming visitors to our new London camera store.

Join us for this Year in Review as we look back at the biggest camera and lens releases of 2025, and explore what they mean for us photographers, filmmakers and content creators of all levels.

New cameras in 2025

2025 naturally included several next-gen updates from all of the main manufacturers, with a few noteworthy models that went well beyond incremental upgrades. These include the Canon EOS R6 Mark III, Sony A7 V and Nikon Z5 II, which are all well-rounded hybrid cameras that have almost everything you could want for stills and video content creation.

Alongside these, several brands took the opportunity to launch completely new cameras. Fujifilm surprised us with the GFX 100RF, their first medium format compact camera, no doubt inspired by the runaway success of the X100-series. Sigma launched the super-stylish BF, while Nikon and Canon both made moves towards video creators with the ZR and EOS C50.

From all of these, we’ve shortlisted a handful to draw attention to, including:

• Canon EOS C50
• Canon EOS R6 Mark III
• Fujifilm GFX 100RF
• Fujifilm X-E5
• Fujifilm X-T30 Mark III
• Nikon Z5 II
• Nikon ZR
• OM System OM-3
• OM System OM-5 Mark II
• Panasonic Lumix S1 II
• Panasonic Lumix S1R II
• Sigma BF
• Sony Alpha A7 V
• Sony RX1R III

New Lenses for 2025

Lenses are the bread and butter for content creators, and all of the brands launched new options in 2025. Canon was busy with their line of VCM video-first hybrid lenses, Nikon completed their trilogy of ultra-fast primes with the Z 35mm F1.2 S, and both Sony and Sigma created stunning class-leading options to entice users.

Whether you enjoy shooting with primes or a zoom, 2025 was packed with options to extend your creative reach, with a new lens for every system. When you look at the list of releases, it’s really impressive how far mirrorless has come.

Lens launches of particular note:

• Canon RF 45mm F1.2 L USM
• Canon RF 20mm f/1.4L VCM Lens
• Nikon Z 35mm F1.2 S
• Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S II
• OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 100-400mm F5.0-6.3 IS II
• OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 50-200mm F2.8 IS PRO
• Panasonic Lumix S 100-500mm f/5-7.1 OIS Lens
• Sigma 135mm f/1.4 DG Art
• Sigma 200mm f/2 DG Art
• Sigma 35mm f/1.2 DG II Art
• Sony FE 100mm f/2.8 Macro GM
• Sony FE 400-800mm F6.3-8 G OSS

DJI launches

DJI is arguably the largest manufacturer of cameras by volume when you consider action cameras and drones and 2025 saw another busy year of new releases from them. These ranged from accessories such as the DJI RS 4 Mini to new drones including the DJI Flip and the hugely popular DJI Mini 5 Pro.

The DJI Mavic Pro 4, which is DJI’s flagship camera drone, did not disappoint. It arrived with major upgrades such as a new 100MP 4/3 CMOS Hasselblad camera, updated telephoto cameras and impressive 51-minute flight times.

DJI also joined the wearable camera foray with the Osmo Nano, which has impressed many creators who want a simple 4K camera they can pin to a cap or T-shirt.

Canon launches

In 2025, Canon focused mainly on video-first cameras, launching the PowerShot V1, EOS R50 V and C50 cinema camera, which are all aimed at various levels of hybrid shooters and video creators. The EOS R6 Mark III then dropped in November and was met with universal praise for taking a great all-rounder and making it even better, leaving no doubt about the hybrid direction the full-frame RF mount is taking.

Canon’s lens releases helped reinforce that direction. The RF 20mm f/1.4L VCM completed the initial set of fast RF VCM primes, adding an ultra wide-angle option that sits alongside existing Voice Coil Motor hybrid primes. The RF 45mm f/1.2 L USM launched at the same time as the EOS R6 Mark III and stands out as a bright standard prime that undercuts many comparable mirrorless lenses while providing good optical performance, r rounding off quite a busy year for Canon.

Fujifilm

Although the X100VI arrived in 2024, 2025 was an incredibly busy year for Fujifilm, with five new camera releases across different parts of its range and no less than three firsts for the brand. The GFX Eterna arrived as Fujifilm’s first medium format cinema camera, extending the GFX system into high-end video territory. The X Half arrived as the world’s first digital half-frame camera, introducing a new format to the digital market.

Alongside these, Fujifilm released the GFX 100RF, which was widely seen as a great success for medium format in a portable body, and refreshed its APS-C line with the X-E5 and X-T30 Mark III. With so many camera launches perhaps that’s why we didn’t see any new lenses in 2025, which may provide us with some insight for what’s in store for 2026.

Nikon

Through the mirrorless Z mount and the more recent acquisition of RED, Nikon has taken the opportunity to reinvent itself as a more video-focused company. This culminated in the Nikon ZR, which arrived in 2025. This is the first video camera to offer a flavour of RED’s high-end internal RAW codec, with colour science that matches the premium cinema line-up from RED.

The Z5 II also launched, taking the entry-level model and elevating it significantly with comprehensive hybrid capabilities that have trickled down and place the new model higher up the range. 2025 also saw Nikon’s first redeveloped mirrorless lens, with the Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S II, which took an already excellent premium workhorse to the next level. Additionally, the Z 35mm F1.2 S launched, marking the completion of Nikon’s fast prime trilogy for professional users.

OM System

With the Micro Four Thirds system enjoying a little bit of a resurgence, OM System took the opportunity to release two new bodies in 2025, including the OM-3 and OM-5 Mark II. Although both were relatively light on brand new tech, they provide the core user experience that the system is known for, with compact, portable, robust cameras that you can bring into virtually any shooting conditions.

Two new telephoto lenses also arrived, with the M.Zuiko Digital ED 100-400mm F5.0-6.3 IS II and M.Zuiko Digital ED 50-200mm F2.8 IS PRO, both of which offer excellent zoom ranges, reach and image quality for more distant subjects.

Panasonic Lumix

Lumix S-series cameras from Panasonic are making strides with the second-generation S1 II, S1 IIE variant and S1R II, introducing features such as Open Gate recording and a new partially stacked sensor. The S1R II is aimed more at photo-first creators with a 44.3MP BSI CMOS sensor upgraded Phase Hybrid AF with AI tracking, and more, expanding what creators can do with this full-frame system significantly.

Panasonic also added to the professional video line with the HC-X1600 and HC-X1200, and introduced its first super-telephoto zoom for the L mount, covering long-range subjects with excellent results.

Sigma

While Sigma may be best known for its lenses, 2025 saw another camera launch from the Japanese brand with the incredibly unique and very stylish Sigma BF. Although this is a niche product, its desirability is unquestionable, and many users have expressed just how beautiful it is, and how unique to shoot, with a completely radical UX.

On to lenses, and it’s been another knockout year for the company, with releases for L and E mounts including the 135mm F1.4 DG Art, 200mm F2 DG Art and 35mm f/1.2 DG II Art. With three absolutely stunning primes and a camera, you’d think they were all done, but no. 2025 also saw the 17-40mm f/1.8 DC Art, 12mm f/1.4 DC Contemporary and all-in-one 20-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DG. What a year, covering everything from high-end full-frame portrait lenses to professional indoor sports and a travel lens for good measure.

Sony

Sony had a prolific year with a number of camera and lens launches, including the revival of its premium full-frame RX1R III, which added all of the imaging technology Sony had developed in the decade since the previous generation launched. We also saw the FX2 video camera, and Sony finished the year with the show-stopping A7 V, which took its mid-range hybrid all-rounder to a whole new level thanks to the new technology. This includes a brand new partially stacked sensor and a new processor with integrated AI, rather than using a separate AI chip.

When it comes to lenses, there was plenty to be excited about, starting with the ultra-wide FE 16mm f/1.8 G, a brand new FE 400-800mm f/6.3-8 G OSS, the outstanding FE 50-150mm f/2 GM, and the FE 100mm f/2.8 Macro GM, which is arguably the best macro lens the world has ever seen. Sony’s range of lenses is now so comprehensive that it has begun not just to remake originals, but to create zooms that were previously all but impossible.

Other brands

There were naturally so many other releases for photographers and content creators, such as the next-generation Ricoh GR IV, Hasselblad X2D II 100C, and Leica breaking with tradition in a polarising move with the Leica M EV1. This was, of course, not all from the German brand, which also released its first ever roll of film in the . I love that this has come about in 2025 and demonstrates that the joy of image making is never going to leave the human spirit, regardless of what digital or artificial intelligence tools become available. A quick shoutout to ZEISS too, who returned to making two new own-brand lenses with their first releases in around ten years. With such a rich history dating back many decades, we hope their comeback is here to stay.

There were of course plenty of other notable releases for photographers and content creators, including the next-generation Ricoh GR IV and the Hasselblad X2D II 100C. Leica took a polarising move breaking with tradition by introducing the Leica M EV1, but that was not the only surprise from the German brand. Leica also released its first ever roll of film, the MONOPAN 50 black and white film. It is fitting that this arrived in 2025, acting as a reminder that the joy of image making will continue to be part of human creativity, regardless of how digital or artificial intelligence tools develops.

That just about wraps up some of the biggest releases of 2025, and there really was something for everyone this year, from high-end video cameras to compacts and entry-level hybrids. What stood out most to me is just how far camera technology has come, with so many impressive features now appearing even in models aimed at beginners. It’s hard to think of another point where creators have had such a wide selection of tools at their fingertips, whether they focus is stills, video, or a bit of both.

All that remains is to wish all of Park Cameras customers a very happy Christmas and Peaceful New Year.

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By Nick Dautlich on 26/12/2025

Nick Dautlich

Senior Content Writer and Product Reviewer

Nick Dautlich is the Senior Content Writer and Product Reviewer at Park Cameras, with over 15 years of photography experience. A Sony Imaging Professional and expert reviewer, Nick has worked with major brands such as Canon, Sony and Nikon. His work is also featured on Vanguard World UK’s website, Capture Landscapes, and Shutter Evolve. Nick’s photography includes National Trust projects and magazine covers and he is passionate about landscapes and storytelling. Nick also enjoys hiking and teaching his children about nature. Learn more on his profile page.