2024 Photo Gear of the Year with Kevin Rickert

Well, 2024 has certainly come and gone in a flash, meaning it's time once again for us to reflect on new photo offerings in our annual Cameras of the Year episode, now renamed Photo Gear of the Year. Featured in our discussion are new releases from Canon, FUJIFILM, Leica, Mint, Nikon, OM SYSTEM, Panasonic, Ricoh Pentax, and Sony. In the words of our recurring guest, Kevin Rickert, B&H's Senior Sales Trainer for Photography and Lighting, "Everything old is new again" at least when it comes to this year's most sought-after camera releases. A penchant for pocketable, fixed lens cameras led us to organize our camera offerings by type rather than in an alphabetical laundry list. Along with debating the current craze for "the digicam look," we consider whether manufacturers will respond to consumers' increasing appetite for midrange point and shoots. After the break, we shift to the newest crop of flagship cameras that are built for speed, while also discussing notable updates to other new releases. We also shed light on the essential role served by firmware updates, both in trimming a new camera's time to market and allowing you to get more out of the camera you already have. As Kevin points out, "It's an important part of having a camera. Much like if you have a car, you need to get oil changes." We wrap things up with some predictions for 2025, including Kevin's hopes for a continued resurgence of point and shoot models, plus some intriguing new photo accessories that caught his eye this year. Stay to the end to learn about the inventive new Fjordan camera control for the iPhone, recently acquired by Leica. Guest: Kevin Rickert Episode Timeline 2:30: Kevin Rickert's role as a B&H sales trainer for photography and lighting. 9:34: What camera stood out the most this year: FUJIFILM X100VI 18:02: Ricoh GR III HDF / Ricoh GR IIIx 20:00: Nostalgia for midrange point and shoots and the digicam look 29:36: Leica D-Lux 8 31:42: Leica Q3 43 35:52: Fujifilm X-T50 (a baby Fujifilm X-T5) 37:30: Fujifilm X-M5 41:54: Pentax 17 48:52: Mint Camera Rollei 35AF   51:17: Episode break   52:22: Canon EOS R1 55:50: Sony a1 II 59:31: OM SYSTEM OM-1 Mark II 1:02:35: Nikon Z6 III 1:05:48: Canon EOS R5 Mark II 1:14:40: Leica SL III 1:17:55: FUJIFILM GFX 100 SII 1:20:31: Nikon Z 50 II 1:21:28: Sony ZV-E10 II 1:23:19: Panasonic Lumix S9 1:27:19: Kevin's predictions for 2025 1:33:36: Peakto Image Management Software 1:35:06: Capture One 16.5 with Match Look 1:35:49: Fjordan iPhone camera grip   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 22 years in electronic retail, the last 10 of which have been spent as a sales trainer at B&H.   Stay Connected: B&H Photo Video Website: https://www.bhphotovideo.com B&H Photography Podcast landing page: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts B&H Photography Podcast on B&H Photo's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BandH/podcasts B&H Photography Podcast Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1001107823418353 B&H Photo Video Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bhphoto B&H Photo Video Twitter: https://twitter.com/bhphoto Micro 4/3rds YouTube video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m072i-jDSg4 Peakto Image Management Software: https://cyme.io/peakto-photo-organizer-software/ Fjordan iPhone Camera Grip: https://shop.fjorden.co/en-us/pages/about