2025 was an interesting and largely exciting time for photography, though the looming shadow of uncertain tariffs made it feel at first like camera companies were holding back. We thought it might be hard to pick the Imaging Resource’s best cameras and lenses of 2025 because of a lack of products. Boy, were we wrong. By the end of the year, we had already reviewed dozens of products, with more certainly to come in the first few months of 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We found almost no mediocre products this year, which made picking these winners more difficult than in years with a slower rollout of products. A few of my personal favorite lenses got cut, for example, simply because there were so many showstoppers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While in previous years the camera companies looked to be cramming as many photo and video features as possible into their hybrid bodies, it\u2019s starting to look like we will see more specialized bodies going forward, at least based on what we saw in 2025. There were cameras positioned for the stills photographer, and cameras aimed at the video crowd. Maybe it\u2019s the growing demand for video content that\u2019s driving this change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rather than pick the most expensive products, which tend to have good performance just because of their prices, we chose winners based on how they perform for the target customer, but we also looked to see if the candidates would help a photographer or videographer creatively grow, thanks to the products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While these are our picks for the best cameras and lenses, there were still dozens of products this year that are perfect for all types of photographers and videographers. It’s truly a great time to be a creator, and we’re hoping 2026 gets even better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And with that, here is the 2025 Imaging Resource Editor\u2019s Choice for Best Cameras and Lenses<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Canon EOS R6 Mark II is the most interesting camera we reviewed this year, by far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is one of the most video-centric mirrorless cameras currently available, and it\u2019s a monster for both photography and videography. A significant upgrade over the R6 Mark II, the R6 Mark III can capture at 40fps with an electronic shutter and uses Canon\u2019s excellent Dual Pixel CMOS AF II subject detection autofocus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The reason that this is our pick for Best Camera of 2025 isn\u2019t the still photography frame rate or AF or the nice balance of resolution and low-light abilities of the 32-megapixel sensor; we picked it for its amazing video capabilities. The R6 MK III is such a good camera for video that every other camera released this year is being compared to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The standout feature is 7K Open Gate RAW internal recording, pro-level capabilities squeezed into a hybrid body. It also records full DCI 4K, Long GOP, and has C-Log and C-Log 3 profiles. It can also shoot 180fps Full HD, and 120fps 4K UHD or DCI. In short, this is a video beast that is also a still photography superstar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Canon R6 Mark III shares most of the features of the cine-style C50, but is a much more compelling offering. Phonomeal still photography features means users will have the best of both worlds, something that hybrid camreas are suppsed to be all about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you only shoot stills, this camera is overkill, but for mixed-use shooters, this is a knockout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n