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B&H Photography Podcast

2025 Photo Gear of the Year, with Kevin Rickert

B&H Photography Podcast

Jill Waterman

Arts, Visual Arts

4.8 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 1 January 2026

⏱️ 104 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In case you didn't already know, 2025 marks 10 years since we started the B&H Photography Podcast, making today's show our tenth annual Photo Gear of the Year episode! A lot of cameras have come down the pike since that first recap, along with a veritable roller coaster of marketing strategies and photographic trends.

To follow up on a trend discussed last year, we start out with a nod to point-and-shoots, a craze that, according to Kevin, has "become fever pitch." To expand on this theme, we look back in time to when digital point-and-shoots were losing ground to the ubiquitous camera phone, leading to Mike's theory that the current digicam trend is "real nostalgia for mid-aughts frivolity." We also point to a multi-tiered strategy among manufacturers, allowing them to cater to different user bases—from vloggers to professionals to hybrid shooters to the all-important enthusiast market.

This lighthearted banter leads into our main course, focused on new releases from Canon, FUJIFILM, Godox, Hasselblad, Leica, Nikon, OM SYSTEM, Panasonic, Peak Design, Ricoh Pentax, Sigma, and Sony.

Finally, in addition to predictions for 2026, we wrap things up with Kevin's picks for travel-friendly photo accessories to catch his eye this year. Stay to the end to learn about Peak Design's latest travel bags and tripods, plus the innovative modular design behind a new flash system from Godox.

Guest: Kevin Rickert

Episode Timeline

  • 2:50: Kevin looks back at recent camera trends, and identifies separate tiers for vlogging, high resolution cameras, hybrid cameras, and the nostalgia for old point & shoots.
  • 9:11: Canon releases: R50 V, R6 Mark III, Powershot V1… plus a nod to the older G7 X Mark III
  • 18:00: FUJIFILM releases: X-half digital camera, X-E5, X-T30 III, GFX100RF, Instax Wide EVO
  • 33:10: Hasselblad release: X2D II 100C
  • 37:37: Leica releases: M EV1, Q3 Monochrome, SL3-S, SL3 Reporter

43:30: Episode break

  • 43:52: Nikon releases: ZR 6K, Z5 II, and a Z6 III firmware update
  • 54:22: OM SYSTEMS releases: OM-3, OM-5 MK II
  • 57:38: Panasonic releases: S1R II, S1 II, S1 IIE
  • 1:02:48: Ricoh release: GR IV
  • 1:05:40: Sigma release: BF Mirrorless
  • 1:09:48: Sony releases: RX1R III, FX3A, FX2, a7 V
  • 1:23:50: Kevin's recommendation for a better editing workflow when travelling with an Apple iPad Pro
  • 1:26:06: Peak Design releases: Roller Pro Carry-On & Pro Carbon Fiber Tripods with Ball Head
  • 1:28:45: Godox release: iT-32 TTL Mini Flash system
  • 1:30:12: Revisiting the current point and-shoot craze and the digicam look
  • 1:34:52: Kevin's upcoming travel plans, and thinking ahead for the total eclipse in mid-August 2026
  • 1:39:00: Kevin, Derek, and Mike share their predictions for 2026

Guest Bio:

Kevin Rickert is B&H Photo's Senior Sales Trainer for Photography and Lighting. It's Kevin's job to keep in touch with camera and lens manufacturers and get details about all the latest releases and updates. His role is to make sure the world-renowned B&H staff has all the information to answer your who, what, why, and other questions that you may ask, so they can satisfy all your wants and needs.

Born and raised in New York, Kevin is an intrepid street photographer, an avid traveler, and a baseball fan with 23 years in electronic retail, the last 11 of which have been spent as a sales trainer at B&H.

Stay Connected:

Credits:

  • Host: Derek Fahsbender
  • Senior Creative Producer: Jill Waterman
  • Senior Technical Producer: Mike Weinstein
  • Executive Producer: Richard Stevens

 

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

This week's episode is sponsored by Lyca.

0:03.4

You're listening to the B&H Photography Podcast.

0:06.4

For 50 years, B&H has been the professional source for photography, video, audio, and more.

0:12.5

For your favorite gear news and reviews, visit us at B&H.com or download the B&H app to your iPhone or Android device.

0:20.1

Now here's your host, Derek Fasbender.

0:23.7

Welcome listeners. I'm Derek Fosmender host at the B&H Photography Podcast. And I'm Jill Waterman,

0:30.7

the podcast Senior Creative Producer. And I'm Mike Weinstein, the show's technical producer and audio

0:36.1

engineer. In case you don't already know, 2025 marks 10 years since we started the B&H Photography Podcast, making today's show our 10th annual Gear of the Year episode.

0:47.7

Now, a lot of cameras have come down the pike since that very first recap, along with a veritable roller coaster of marketing strategies and

0:54.8

photographic trends. This year, the recent trend for the Digi-Cam look and old-fashioned

1:00.3

point-and-shoots continues to grow in popularity, no doubt fueled by user-generated camera

1:05.5

reviews on YouTube and TikTok. We're starting off the show with a look back in time to when

1:10.7

digital point and

1:11.5

shoots were losing ground to the ubiquitous camera phone, which leads into our theory about how

1:16.4

the current digicam trend is simply nostalgia for mid-aught's frivolity. After that lighthearted

1:22.1

banter, we'll launch into our main discussion about this year's crop of shiny new cameras

1:26.6

from 10 leading manufacturers

1:28.3

grouped by brand. Finally, for listeners in search of the latest options when traveling with gear,

1:34.0

we'll end the show with a few favorite new releases that offer a step up in comfort and ease of use.

1:39.6

To guide us through these bright and shiny picks for 2025 photo gear, and to get a sense of how consumers are reacting to these cameras in real life, we welcome Kevin Rickert, B&H Photos Senior Sales Trainer for Photography and Lighting, to the show for the fifth year running.

1:56.1

Wow, Kevin, I think it's time we give you some official B&H podcast swag if only we had some.

2:02.4

But in all seriousness, it's Kevin's job to collaborate with camera and lens manufacturers to create curriculum for training B&H's world-renowned sales staff.

...

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