I attended IBC 2025 in Amsterdam this week, and the world’s largest annual event for broadcast and entertainment tech didn’t disappoint.
Loads of new camera gear made its public debut at the show, from established names and fresh upstarts. Highlights included the Canon EOS C50, Fujifilm GFX Eterna 55, and Nikon ZR – plus heaps of lenses, accessories and software.
Besides having a hands-on experience with Nikon’s first cinema camera, the ZR, I had a chance to take a stroll through the many halls packed with exhibitors, seeing what was drawing the crowds and discovering some lesser-known gems.
The following list is by no means exhaustive; there was simply not enough time for me to cover the entire show. If you were at IBC 2025 and came across other exciting camera tech not included below, please do let me know in the comments!
1. The Nikon ZR and Nikon’s rapid rise in video
Announced a few days before IBC, the Nikon ZR attracted plenty of visitors, and rightly so – Nikon’s first Z Cinema Camera boasts incredible video features for a tantalizing price of just $2,199.95 / £2,199.99 / AU$3,499.
I was already familiar with the weather-resistant and compact enthusiast-level model (see my ZR first impressions) but it was great to get another chance to play with the camera that offers a stabilized and partially stacked 24MP full-frame sensor, 6K video, internal 12-bit RAW recording, a new RED color profile, subject-tracking autofocus, 32-bit float audio and a punchy 4-inch vari-angle touchscreen.
It’s only been 18 months since Nikon acquired RED, and since then it’s been taking the video world by storm. I saw new Z-mount RED camera models at the show, including a more affordable RED V-Raptor XE. New accessories were also on display, including the SmallRig cage kit which improves the ZR’s handling, and a Tascam XLR adaptor.
The future looks bright too – during IBC, Nikon announced that it is developing dedicated cinema lenses. Watch out, Sony and Canon!
2. Fujifilm’s first pro cinema camera, and it’s available to buy
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Another fresh model on the cinema camera scene came from Fujifilm, with the new GFX Eterna 55. There was a chance for me to get hands-on with Fujifilm’s medium-format monster, together with the new GF 32-90mm T3.5 PZ OIS WR cine lens that was announced at the same time.
The GFX Eterna 55 inherits a lot of GFX100 II tech, including a full-frame-beating 102MP 44×33 sensor, 8K video in a variety of formats including anamorphic, dual base ISO, and Fujifilm’s film simulation color profiles.
These powerful video features are placed into a meaty new pro-grade cinema camera body, which tips the scales at 4.41lbs / 2kg. It features twin displays including a removable 5-inch 6.22m-dot type with 2,000nit brightness, plus a built-in variable electronic ND filter with a 2-7EV range.
Coming in at the pro-end, usually cameras with this kind of feature set and design are available for hire only and not purchase, but unusually the GFX Eterna 55 is available to buy – it costs $16,499 / £13,999, while the new 32-90mm T3.5 lens costs $5,999.95 (UK / Australia pricing TBC).
Given pro filmmakers can spend thousands hiring gear for every shoot, I can see the appeal in picking up the Eterna instead; it could pay for itself after a few shoots.
3. Sony keeping it real with a world-first
Sony unveiled a new camcorder, the PXW-Z300 and it’s the first to deliver content credentials for video. Dubbed the ‘world’s first authenticity-ready broadcast camera’, Sony’s flagship handheld XDCAM camcorder ensures credibility by embedding your shoot and signature details with a Sony certificate to metadata.
Content can be uploaded to the cloud, edits logged, and broadcasters can put their own certificate on files to verify they are true – vital for news gathering today.
Specs-wise, the PXW-Z300 features triple 1/2-inch sensors – one for each of red, blue and green – delivering true 4K video up to 60fps, and is powered by a Bionz XR processor and AI Processing Unit for subject tracking autofocus.
The lens boasts a 17x optical power zoom and features focus, zoom and iris rings, while a flexible arm for the camera’s touchscreen can be positioned for shooting from virtually angle, including selfies. Live streaming can be accessed by a (removable) screen which is attached to the camera by V-lock and controlled by your choice of Android app.
We have a long way to go to establish authenticity standards across the industry, but Sony is one of the leading names behind content credentials, further demonstrated with its new PXW-Z300.
4. Canon turning the shrink ray on its cinema camera series
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Canon’s new EOS C50 also debuted at IBC. It was displayed alongside existing models such as the EOS C70 and EOS C400, highlighting that it’s the baby in Canon’s cinema camera range.
Unlike the Nikon ZR, however, the EOS C50 squeezes pro connectivity and design into its compact 23.6oz / 670g cinema camera-style body. There are no fewer than four 1/4-inch mounting points for accessories, three record buttons, 14 custom buttons for any of 100 functions, timecode terminal and full-size HDMI, plus livestreaming capabilities. The camera is bundled with a top handle that features XLR inputs for pro-quality audio recording.
Canon hasn’t skimped on video features, either. The C50 shoots 7K video with the option for internal RAW and dual base ISO. Open gate video recording features for the first time in a Canon camera – about time. This is a mini marvel for cinema camera fans, and one that has access to an ever-increasing number of RF-mount hybrid lenses, with new optics also on display.
5. Sigma’s lens quartet
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Sigma announced a quartet of impressive full-frame lenses right ahead of IBC, and I got my first hands-on each one of them at the show. They are the 35mm F1.2 II, a 20-200mm f/3.5-6.3 travel lens, a new 28-45mm cinema lens and the headline act, the 135mm F1.4 portrait monster. It was also the first chance for me to hold the recent 17-40mm F1.8 for APS-C cameras.
I was super impressed by how Sigma has been able to size down the 35mm F1.2 II from the original and improve its handling in every regard, while apparently fine tuning optical quality – the same can be said for the 17-40mm F1.8 which effectively updates the classic 18-35mm F1.8.
Sigma has been really active in delivering world-first lenses and it’s Sony users in particular who are benefitting given how these lenses are almost always first launched for the Sony E-mount.
6. Gamechanging update for Blackmagic’s Davinci Resolve
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Blackmagic was quiet on the hardware front, with no new cameras at IBC 2025 – it’s most recent model being the Pyxis 6K. What was gaining much praise among attendees at the show instead was an update to Blackmagic’s Davinci Resolve video editing software.
The software is widely used in the broadcast industry thanks to its color grading skills and the latest version finally supports the ProRes Raw file format. That’s great news for productions which use any one of multiple cameras which rely on ProRes Raw, including DJI drones – those files can now be edited directly in Davinci Resolve.
ProRes Raw support also nods to the new iPhone 17 series – it’s the highest-quality video format that Apple‘s latest flagship phone shoots in. We’ve already seen camera phones being used in high-end productions such as director Danny Boyle’s 28 Weeks Later. With Davinci Resolve available on mobile with ProRes Raw support, the possibilities for pro productions from your iPhone are growing.
Blackmagic also showed me its new Camera Pro Dock adaptor, which “transforms your iPhone into a professional production camera with all the connections you need to build a custom rig”, and supports the Blackmagic Camera app for iPhone. Connectivity-wise, it has no less than HDMI for monitoring, mic, headphone, genlock, and multiple USB-C ports to connect external drives and for continuous power.
7. Viltrox innovating with a new autofocus adaptor and Rokinon (Samyang) sizing down
Viltrox has won me over following a string of superb lenses this year, especially given how attractively priced they are – a snip compared to proprietary optics. Not convinced? Check out my Viltrox 35mm F1.2 and 135mm F1.8 reviews.
And while the Chinese lens maker was showing off four new lenses for its Air, Evo and Pro lines at IBC, it was an altogether different Viltrox product turning heads – a Nexus autofocus adaptor prototype.
The innovative adaptor is able to pair a manual focus PL-mount cinema lens with a Sony E-mount camera and unleash the camera’s AI autofocus skills. Technically, we’ve seen this kind of idea before, but Viltrox steps it up with seemingly powerful subject tracking autofocus for those classic PL-mount manual focus cine lenses.
Delivering autofocus for PL-mount cine lenses is potentially huge news – I hope to have a play with a full production version of the adaptor when it’s ready. The product is still in its early stages, and we’re not sure yet if it will be made for other lens mounts.
I also had a quick chat with Rokinon (Samyang), which was displaying a new line of ‘V-AF’ compact autofocus-equipped cinema lenses for Sony E-mount. Alongside the lens maker’s XEEN series of cinema lenses, the fresh line ‘V-AF’ looked positively tiny and included the V-AF 75mm T1.9.
If this year’s show is anything to go by, cinema camera gear is evolving, going smaller, more convenient and in some cases much more affordable. It feels like hybrid mirrorless camera gear and cinema camera gear are converging, and that’s a future I can get behind!
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