Your favorite holiday tradition is back! Yes, it is time for our annual Best and Worst camera gear roundup. Jordan and I get together to battle it out with some not-so-friendly challenges, drink more than we probably should, and reminisce about the last year’s gear releases.
Jordan and I went to battle for our Best and Worst of 2025 episode.
2025 was a bigger year for the industry than we possibly could have expected. Despite the looming uncertainties of global tariffs and the ever-increasing prices of cameras and lenses, the manufacturers released so many capable products. We saw some brilliant mirrorless cameras come out that were accessible to much larger audiences, and some truly ground-breaking optics that we have not seen before in the mirrorless world. Collecting our thoughts about the best and worst products turned out to be a daunting task.
Our drink of choice this year was the Kamikaze shot. It was disastrous. 
Big thanks to our friend Alex Mitchel for being the ref and keeping things civil.
Jordan Drake chose the gauntlet of challenges that we would tackle, and our good friends, Levi Holwell and Alex Mitchell, joined us to make our annual holiday tradition come to fruition. As usual, we needed a signature drink, and this year I decided to make a daring and way too sour shot to ring in the new year. The Kamikaze shot is basically equal parts vodka, triple sec, and lime juice, and it certainly devastated our taste buds. I highly encourage you to watch the episode and see the fun and games for yourself, but I will be revealing our choices below. Let’s get right into the best and worst gear of 2025.
The Best Zoom Lenses of 2025
There were so many good zoom lenses and prime lenses released this year, but some really rose to the top of the heap, and for different reasons every time. Often, the best lenses also tend to be the most expensive; however, sometimes a lens comes along that represents such excellent value while still delivering pro results. For me, that lens was the Panasonic S 24-60mm f/2.8 zoom.
I was honestly shocked at how good this lens was, how portable it was, and how it did so well for under a thousand dollars. It’s incredible value earned it a third-place position against far more expensive optics.
In second place, we chose the Nikkor 24-70mm S f/2.8 II. This is an expensive lens, but what really stands out about it is how it found a way to improve on what was almost perfection. The original Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 was legendary for its sharpness and bokeh, and it is a testament to the Nikon engineers that they were able to squeeze appreciable benefits out of an already amazing formula.
The top winner for best zoom lens has to go to the Sigma 300-600mm f/4 DG OS Sports, because it combines what the other two winners both achieved. The Sigma delivers prime quality results at f/4 throughout its entire range, and it does it for half the price of the competitor’s fixed focal length options. You get quality, the versatility of a zoom, and value for the dollar, all in one lens.
The Best Video Camera of 2025
We might be crazy, but neither the Canon C50 nor the Nikon ZR made our list this year. They are awesome video cameras made for the creators of the world, but Jordan is biased towards mirrorless designs that provide proper EVFs, and I don’t disagree with him. Often, the mirrorless cameras get overlooked as dedicated video cameras, and the Canon R6 Mark III has proved to be incredibly capable. It has IBIS, open gate recording, and high-resolution video modes. The overheating issues are fairly easy to work around, making this camera a powerful hybrid tool.
In second place, we are going with a drone. The DJI Mavic 4 Pro features a massive range and speed, coupled with an excellent camera that can now rotate through an even greater range of motion. Its advanced subject-avoidance modes make it easy for everyone to fly, and the only issue that holds it back is its unavailability in the USA. For us Canadians, the Mavic 4 Pro is divine.
The winner has to go to the video camera we film the vast majority of our episodes with. The Panasonic S1 II has quickly become a favorite of Jordan’s and it all comes down to proper video exposure tools, amazing color and grading potential, and much improved video autofocus. It might lag behind in the dedicated photography space, but there is no other more powerful mirrorless video camera on the market right now.
It was tough to pick winners and losers this year, because so many excellent products came out. The Best Photographic Camera of 2025
There were so many great choices for best camera of the year, and these choices spanned many different sensor sizes and genres. I’m almost a little ashamed that all our honors go to full-frame conventional mirrorless bodies. But the fact is, the enthusiast mirrorless market was on fire in 2025, and these cameras will still be the most impactful to the widest range of users.
Our third-place winner is easily the best value for the dollar in the full-frame market. The Nikon Z5 II is affordable and capable, but it is still fairly entry-level with a 24-megapixel sensor and a more basic EVF. Still, this camera can handle almost any photo situation with aplomb.
In second place is a latecomer to the field that perhaps should be tied for first. However, that option was vetoed, and I had to make a choice. The Sony a7 V features a state-of-the-art sensor and just does everything well. Its body design is not a head turner, but the results can’t be denied. If you want a powerful hybrid tool that can work day in and day out, the Sony a7 V is a killer choice.
In first place, we gave the win to the Canon R6 Mark III, which brings one of the best all-around experiences to the game. It surpasses the Sony with its video specs, and easily competes for image quality and autofocus performance. Canon have come a long way in the last few years to really improve focusing performance and sensor quality. Remember that they are one of the few companies not using a Sony sensor design, and they managed to keep the price slightly under the a7 V as well.
The Worst Lens of 2025
It’s hard to find a “bad” lens nowadays as all lenses seem to have a target audience and enough merit to please said audience. However, a lens can still miss the mark or lack a more global appeal.
Our runner-up in this category is the Laowa 200mm f/2 AF FF. This is an ambitious lens, but it fails to deliver quality results at the f/2 aperture -where you will use it most- and is far too bulky to be a practical lens to haul around. However, the worst lens this year goes to a simple rebranding on Canon’s part of a DSLR lens that was never that amazing to begin with.
Canon decided to modify its classic telephoto 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6 to fit on RF mount in order to offer an affordable option for beginner photographers. While this strategy had merit back in the DSLR days, it also comes with the optical compromises from that era as well. Because little was done to address these issues, it feels like a rather lazy solution that is uninspiring at best.
The Worst Video Camera of 2025
Sometimes a camera failure isn’t because of a lack of popularity, a lack of technical ability, or poor design, but rather just a case of bad timing.
The Sony FX2 is certainly capable of creating excellent video quality, but it made use of an old sensor that was slated to be replaced the same year. Although the FX2 incorporates a fan, we had zero issues with overheating on the a7 V as well. With the release of the Sony a7 V, the FX2 now looks completely obsolete, only months after its release.
The Worst Photo Camera of 2025
We applaud any camera manufacturer who takes risks that very well may fall flat. This year, we had two very interesting camera concepts that pushed the limits and didn’t quite find a solid footing. The Sigma BF is our runner-up because it brings amazing style and sexiness to the table but without offering much substance. The interface pigeonholes the use into one particular way of operating the camera, the lack of EVF is limiting, and I don’t like the reliance on non-removable memory.
Still, the camera is made to be unapologetically stylish, and it has its place on the shoulder of the right customer.
The camera that we felt really fell flat was the Fujifilm X half. This is another ambitious project which brings glorious styling to the table. However, the charm of shooting a faux-analog experience wears off quickly, and all that’s left is a fairly expensive basic point-and-shoot experience.
The overall experience of shooting the Fujfilm X half is novel at first but with only a little bit of time behind the wheel the charm wears off, and I feel like the camera will find itself on the used market quite quickly.
A Hard Fought Victory
You’ll definitely want to watch the video to see how the games turned out this year, but as always, we love making these end-of-year specials for you. It was an exciting year for the camera industry and I hope to see even more innovation next year. Thank you all for your continued support of our channel. We wish you a happy holiday season and a wonderful new year as well. See you in 2026!