Established in 1963 by the Camera Press Club in Japan, the Camera Grand Prix is a prestigious award bestowed upon newly launched still cameras and lenses in the country. The award has six different categories, each representing a particular aspect of the gear industry. The judges include a group of technical editors from varied popular Japanese photography magazines, who finally choose the winners. This year, we have seen names such as Canon and Nikon, amongst others. Without further ado, let’s dive in.
The Camera Grand Prix Winners Are…
There were six awards this year, and Canon seemed to have taken several honors in this race.
- Camera Grand Prix 2025 Grand Prize | Canon EOS R1: The camera was bestowed with the highest accolade due to “advanced technologies and high level of perfection.” The R1 is a 24MP camera that features a full-size back-illuminated stacked CMOS sensor, DIGIC X engine, and the DIGIC Accelerator system.
- Camera Grand Prix 2025 Lens Award | Sony FE 28-70mm f2 GM: The lens is a first by the company, which has a constant f2 aperture across the zoom range. In addition, it has helped the lens to win the award.
- Your Choice Best Camera Award | Canon EOS R5 II: The camera won the award due to various features, such as “flagship-like performance at an affordable price,” “focusing,” as well as “highly satisfying with image quality, AF, continuous shooting, and video.”
- Your Choice Best Lens Award | Canon RF 70-200mm f2.8L IS USM Z: This Canon lens was praised for its “image quality, focal length, and body size,” as well as being considered to be “Canon’s best 70-200mm f2.8 to date.”
- Camera Journal Press Club Award For Planning | Ricoh Imaging Pentax 17: In a digital age, the Pentax 17 makes film photography more appealing to many photographers. As a result, the camera won the honor for “recognizing that it is an iconic camera that conveys the joy of analog photography to the modern age.”
- Technology Award | Nikon Z50 II: A 20MP APS-C sensor with EXPEED 7 image processor, the Z50 II offers various functions for both beginners and advanced users, which is why it won the accolade.
Although we did not like the R1 and the R5 II, it is surprising to see the Camera Grand Prix recognizing the Canon devices. There was also the launch of the Sony a1 II, which did not get the same amount of exposure as the R1.
Fujifilm May Win Next Year
There was an obvious absence of Panasonic, OM System, and Fujifilm this year. However, the latest launch from Fujifilm, such as the X Half and GFX100 RF, both innovative cameras in their own way, are likely to get the award. There is also the Panasonic S1R II, which allows the use of false colors and includes carbon fiber reinforcement for shutter durability. However, the year is pretty long, and there are chances we may see more flagships from different companies, which will raise the stakes.
However, awards such as this only push manufacturers to do better. But will we see more innovation this year? Only time will tell.
