Camera Ergonomics 2025 End of year gear roundup and commentary 31 December 2025

 

Like most end of year gear roundups this one is just for fun and not to be taken too seriously. I have not reviewed most of the cameras and lenses described so most of my comments are based on specifications, product photos and published reviews.

Canon appears to have produced the best and worst cameras of the year.

The EOS R6.3 narrowly edges out the Sony a7.5 as best new camera of the year. The R6.3 has everything a professional or enthusiast amateur photographer could want.  Very good ergonomics, excellent image quality and performance for stills or video in a very well designed package.

On the other hand the Ixus/Elph 360 HS A is a reworked version of the 2016 Powershot 360 HS but with fewer features and a higher price. It was not a very good camera in 2016 and they made it worse. Seriously…..??????

The EOS R50V is a vlogging/video oriented model which has been well reviewed and appears to be a solid entry in this market space.

I owned and used a Powershot V1 for a while. It is another vlogging/video oriented model which also happens to make good stills. I found it has good image quality, autofocus and overall performance and is generally enjoyable to use. The very wide angle zoom lens works well indoors where the lack of a viewfinder is not a problem. But outdoors in the Sydney sun I find it almost unusable even with the screen brightness at its not-very-bright maximum.

The RF 45mm f1.2 full frame lens created a bit of buzz with its very wide aperture and low price. Unfortunately as reported by Youtuber Christopher Frost and others this thing comes with severe focus shift as the aperture is closed down, very strong field curvature and strong chromatic aberration.  I would avoid this one unless for some reason you like creating wildly out of focus images.

What’s next for Canon   One of the most eagerly awaited new products of 2026 is the EOS R7.2. If this comes with most of the rumored specifications and performance it will be a game changer for  the Canon APSC lineup. If Canon adds a couple of high quality enthusiast zooms that will add to the appeal of APSC as a viable alternative to full frame for many of us.

I think Canon also might do well to respond to consumer demand for enthusiast level compact and bridge models with built in EVF, of which there are currently none in the Canon catalogue.

They have hinted at the possibility of a retro style model at some stage. I am old enough to have used these “retro” cameras when they were the latest thing and have no interest at all in going  back to their clunky, uncomfortable handling and  ergonomics.

Fujifilm  delivered some interesting models in 2025.

The X-T30.2 seems as though it would be a decent enough camera for those who like it’s control layout. However it does not move camera design  anywhere in particular and has been reported to have numerous handling and ergonomic foibles.

The X-E5 does much the same thing at a higher price point. I think this one might appeal to a few rusted-on Fujifans who are happy to buy a camera then find they need to equip it with an aftermarket grip and thumb support to make it reasonably enjoyable to operate. But there are plenty of cameras from other makers  in the same price range which offer better handling, ergonomics, autofocus and performance.

The X-Half model strongly competes with the Canon Ixus/Elph 360 HS A for my worst camera of the year award. But in the end I decided to give the X-Half it’s own special award of Silliest camera of 2025. 

The medium format GFX 100 RF compact model gets yet another award, this time for the biggest missed opportunity of 2025. If ever a camera demanded to have  a stabiliser either in the lens or body, this is it. A compact, hand held 100 megapixel super street camera is partly crippled without a stabiliser. Fujifilm knows how to do stabilisers. In Australia Fujifilm is asking around AUD8000 for this thing.

What’s next for Fujifilm ?   I think that Fujifilm  has dug itself into an awkward place in 2025. It seems to me they have too many models which overlap each other as to specifications, design and price point. I understand they are trying to cover every market niche but I wonder if that is a viable strategy for a low volume producer. They have DSLR style cams with traditional controls, modern controls, high Mpx, low Mpx, silver top, black top, high price and low price. Then they have rangefinder types with and without EVF, silver top, black top, high Mpx, Low Mpx, high price, low price. This produces a proliferation of models each of which is missing something which can be found on another model.

Even their overpriced top model the X-H2 comes in two versions, one with high pixel count, the other with high performance and even higher price. What is the point ?  Nobody can tell the difference between the image quality of the 40Mpx sensor and that of the 26Mpx sensor. Other camera makers are delivering models which  deliver excellent image quality, performance, autofocus, handling and ergonomics, all in one thoughtfully designed package which is less expensive than the Fujifilm offering.

Fujifilm weathered the seismic shift from film to digital while Kodak failed. Then they made the giant decision around 2010 to exit the compact and bridge camera market in favour of the high end compact X-100 series and X-Trans APSC models.  I think Fujifilm is at yet another big decision point in their interesting history. Their best selling range is Fuji Instax instant film models, not digital cameras.

I have no idea which way Fujifilm will go but wish them well on the next stage of their often perilous voyage into the future.

Hasselblad  delivered a Mark 2 version of their X2D100C medium format hand held model, with all round improved performance, to generally positive acclaim. I like Hasselblad’s approach to menu design  and layout, which I think other camera makers would do well to emulate.

Hasselblad is owned by the Chinese drone and gimbal maker DJI which has just been banned in the USA as an alleged security risk.

I don’t know what that means for Hasselblad. I do know that we can buy a Fujifilm GFX100S.2 kit with a decent zoom lens and the same sensor and image quality as the Hasselblad for about half the price with no disadvantage against the Hasselblad as far as I can tell from reviews.

Leica  continued its merry way of offering models with fewer features at a higher price in the form of the Q3 Mono.  The M-EV1 was inevitable, I guess and a long time coming. The SL3-S is a version of the full frame mirrorless SL3 with fewer pixels and faster performance. Most reviewers point out that the SL3S is essentially a rebodied version of the Panasonic Lumix S52X at a higher price. However Leica buyers tend not to be concerned by price as long as it is high.

I have no idea what the future holds for Leica buyers. Here’s a guess….really expensive cameras and lenses, packed in fancy boxes.

Nikon released a mark 2 version of their well regarded Z5 model.  DP Review gave it a Gold award and described the Z5.2 as “almost unimaginably good for a camera priced under USD 2000”. High praise indeed making this one of the best value mirrorless interchangeable lens models on the market right now.

We also saw the ZR, a full frame cinema camera model without EVF, co-branded with RED which was recently acquired by Nikon. This one has been well reviewed, suggesting that Nikon is getting  serious with its cinema camera ambitions.

The Coolpix P1100 is actually just a re-release of the CP100 with a USBC port. This is very much a niche product with a huge lens beaming light onto a tiny sensor. Apparently it makes good pictures of the moon if that is your thing.

What’s next for Nikon ?  They have now developed a comprehensive and well regarded catalogue of full frame MILCs and lenses. Logically the next project would be building up their  APSC offering of both cameras and lenses. We shall see.

OM System  is the demerged spin-off of the former camera division of Olympus, which now concentrates on the much more profitable medical optics market.

In 2025 we saw the OM5.2 MILC which is a mildly reworked version of the 2022 OM5.1 which was a mildly reworked version of the 2019 Olympus OM-D EM5.3. So although most reviewers found the OM5.2 to be a decently good camera it is really just a re-housing of existing technology.

The OM3 is basically an OM1.2 re-housed in a classic Olympus SLR  style body with a flat front and no handle. Some reviewers like it, others are less enthusiastic. I used  flat front cameras like this for years in the middle of the 20^th Century when they were the main game. These days I would not use a camera like this if you gave it to me.

What, if anything, is next for OM system ?    There appears to be a lack of R&D capability at OM System which inherited the Olympus camera catalogue in 2022. The few models which OM has released since then have been re-worked versions of previous Olympus models.

There appears to be nothing fundamentally  bad about or wrong with OM cameras as they stand at the moment. But there are lots of APSC and even full frame models available at similar prices and with similar dimensions. So it remains unclear to me whether OM System and the Micro Four thirds standard has much of a future. We shall see.

Panasonic Lumix offered three version of the same full frame mirrorless interchangeable lens camera this year, the S1.2, S1.2E and S1R.2.  When I look through the specifications my eyes glaze over and I lose interest. One of them has more pixels than the other two. They are full frame hybrid stills/video models with a strong emphasis on video capability, including a cooling fan. Each is reported to lag behind models from other makers with respect to autofocus performance.

I don’t get it. Pana-Lumix is a niche player in a niche industry. They lack the volume to generate much R&D budget. Surely the smart play for them would be to concentrate on a few models each refined through incremental upgrades.

What if anything, is next for Pana-Lumix ?    I was an early adopter of Pana-Lumix Micro Four Thirds cameras in 2009 and stuck with them for ten years through many sub-standard low-performing models until I gave up on Lumix and went back to Canon which finally developed the excellent Dual Pixel Phase detect AF system first seen on the EOS 70D of 2013 and since evolved on the RF mount to be one of the best AF systems in the business.

Pana-Lumix has had a model muddle problem right from their first foray into digital photography in 2001. From then until the great crash of 2012 Pana-Lumix churned out a profusion of compacts, bridge cams and MILCs in what looks to me as a consumer like a scatter-gun approach, hoping to hit some kind of target, somewhere, sometime. Their M43 models got larger and more expensive then they launched into full frame territory with the DC S1 of 2019.

When I trawl through the Pana-Lumix models available new today I cannot get a sense of what the Lumix brand is about and where it might be headed.

We have two of the worst cameras of 2024, the TZ99 which is a TZ90 with the EVF removed and the FZ80 D which is a minimal update of a much older and decidedly mediocre model bridge cam. Then there is a collection of Micro Four Thirds models including the large, expensive full frame size G9.2, GH5 and GH7 plus the G97 which is a very slight update of an old and very much outdated model with the old DFD contrast detect AF.

As for full frame MILCs we have a confusing model muddle which includes the S9, S5.2, S5.2X, S1.2, S1.2E and S1R.2.

The only Pana-Lumix model which holds to the original Micro Four Thirds concept of good quality in a light, compact package is the G100D which in Australia appears not to be available in camera stores but in consumer electronics outlets.

On top of all this Panasonic Global Corporation has been in financial trouble for several years due to erosion of their market share in consumer electronics by Competition from China.

So I wish Panasonic and its imaging division the very best but I think they need to make some major decisions if the Lumix brand is to survive.

Pentax is still in business although owned by Ricoh since 2011. And it appears they are still making some cameras including DSLRs and waterproof compacts, one of which the WG-8 was released in 2025.

Ricoh  is a large multinational corporation which seems to deal mainly in office and commercial services, equipment and printing solutions. They also have a hobby business making and selling a very limited range of niche cameras. Apart from the Pentax DSLRs these include the Ricoh GR ultra-compact APSC series, a range of rugged industrial compact models and the Theta 360 degree rotating models.  

In 2025 they released the much anticipated GR4 and some variations including the GR4Mono and GR4HDF.

The GR4 is actually a completely new camera with a new body, lens, sensor, processor, IBIS, AF and battery plus a substantial boost to internal memory. However it sticks closely to the tried and tested GR formula, closely resembling the GR2 in control layout.

I had the GR2 and GR3 a while back and found them to be interesting cameras capable of very good image quality but they were largely unusable outdoors in Sydney with no EVF and only a rudimentary and expensive optical viewfinder.

The feature I like most in these cameras is snap focus. I wish all cameras had this capability which is very useful for quick shot street and crowd type photography.

I guess Ricoh is going with the old aphorism if it ain’t  broke, don’t fix it,  which seems reasonable.

Even so I would like to see a variant on  the GR4 theme with a proper built in EVF which might expand the potential market for this interesting camera series.

Sigma’s main business is making excellent camera lenses.  They released many of these in 2025 with most receiving very high marks from most reviewers. I have the 18-50mm f2.8 and the 10-18mm f2.8 for Canon RF-S models. These are very nice compact, sharp optics which are able to do justice to the high pixel count of the Canon EOS R7.

They also released the very ambitious 16-300mm f3.5-6.7 for APSC bodies. I bought one of these and was underwhelmed by its capability. It delivered decent results at the wide end and middle of the zoom range but sharpness and contrast fell away noticeably at the long end. It is a big heavy thing which did not remain long in my camera bag. I find the Canon RF-S 18-150mm a much better do-most-things general duties lens.

The 17-40mm f1.8 DC Art for APSC cameras received a very favourable reception from reviewers and lens afficionados, however it is much larger, heavier and more expensive than the 18-50mm f2.8 with no reported image quality benefit at most equivalent apertures.

Sigma also has a camera making hobby which has resulted in production of some of the strangest photographic devices ever seen. In 2019 it was the Sigma fp (which stands for fortissimo-pianissimo, go figure)

Sigma’s contribution for 2025 is the BF which I kid you not Sigma says stands for “Beautiful Foolishness”. I have to agree with the “foolishness” part of this and acknowledge that the “Beautiful” part is in the eye of the beholder. This camera almost tied with the Fujifilm X-Half for my silliest camera award.

What’s next for Sigma ?  I hope and expect they will continue making excellent lenses which we can enjoy using. Maybe after five years they will come out with another silly camera. Bravo Sigma.

Last but certainly not least we come to Sony.  This year Sony released the a7.5, a full frame mirrorless interchangeable lens model very similar in specifications and performance to the Canon EOS R6.3. For a buyer who likes the Sony user interface and is already invested in FE lenses  this camera makes a compelling case for itself. According to all reviews, it does everything well and could be the only hybrid stills/video camera a professional or enthusiast amateur might ever need.

They also released the compact full frame fixed lens RX1R.3, successor to the RX1R1 and RX1R2. This new iteration of the RX1R line has 60 Mpx but uses the same lens as the original which had only  24 Mpx. It has a low spec EVF, no stabiliser and cramped controls with no handgrip or thumb rest. In Australia Sony wants you to pay AUD8000 for this distinctly un-appealing little device. Give this one a miss.

The FX2 looks more promising. This is a fully featured cinema camera using the same or similar full frame sensor as the a7.4. It has all the bells and whistles required for high quality video performance. It also includes a large tilting EVF which could be very useful for low angle work or in bright light when the screen is hard to see.

What’s next for Sony ?  For the first 20 or so years of the digital camera era, Sony made most of the running on technological development, with other makers struggling and sometimes failing to catch up. If we look on the DP Review website to check out cameras produced in the early days of digital photography we can see that Sony experimented with many different types of architecture and technology before settling on the products which are available today.  Ergonomics and the user interface has never been Sony’s strong point with many of their cameras pushing the limits of compact dimensions to the detriment of handling. Many Sony cameras continue to suffer from the legacy of this pre-occupation with compactness at the expense of ergonomics. I think Sony would make more friends if they increased the width and effective handle height of their cameras to make them more comfortable to hold and provide a less cramped platform for the control layout. I think that they could house their top tier APSC model, currently the a6700,  in the same body as their full frame A7.x line, for a better ergonomic experience.

Some makers have caught up to Sony in the technology race, notably Canon and to some extent Nikon, eroding Sony’s main advantage.

Globally, Sony Corp has shifted its efforts from consumer electronics to gaming, music, imaging sensors and movies. Perhaps this accounts for an apparent slow-down in the rate of new product development in the camera division.  Maybe they are just gearing up for the next great big imaging thing. There are plenty of rumors along those lines. We shall see.