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It’s the end of the year and that means Lensrentals has once again rounded up a list of the most popular camera bodies, lenses and accessories rented from Lensrentals and LensProToGo customers in 2020. Although this year has been, shall we say, different than most, the macro-level look at the most popular rental gear hasn’t changed much. That said, there are a few interesting trends emerging based on the 2020 data.

As it has been since 2017, the Canon 24–70mm F2.8L II lens takes the top spot of the most popular item to fly off Lensrentals’ shelves. Following it is the Canon 5D Mark IV, Canon 70–200mm F2.8L IS II, Sony a7 III and Canon 70–200mm F2.8L IS III. It isn’t until sixth place that we see a change of places. Instead of the Ronin-S, Canon’s 35mm F1.4L II lens snatches up sixth place.

A list of the most popular individual pieces of gear for 2020. Click to enlarge.

As has been the case for a number of years now, Canon absolutely dominates the list of most-rented gear. Canon holds 7 of the top 10 (70%) items and 13 of the top 20 (65%). Lensrentals also notes Canon easily took the top spot for new releases in 2020, suggesting people seem more comfortable renting newer Canon gear compared to new offerings from other brands. To that end, Lensrentals’ data also shows that RF mount lenses rent at eight times the rate of Nikon Z mount lenses—a rather staggering statistic considering the new mirrorless mounts were released at the same time and have roughly the same number of lenses available for both mounts.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise, but there’s been a significant growth in mirrorless camera and lens rentals. This backs up essentially all other data showing the migration away from DSLRs is undoubtedly happening. Another interesting trend is third-party lenses, such as those offered by Sigma and Tamron, are on the rise.

An ordered list of the most popular brands by rental market share. Click to enlarge.

All in all, across the board, the top five rental brands are Canon, Sony, Nikon, Sigma and Blackmagic, respectively. The only change in the top five compared to 2019 is Blackmagic, which overtook Panasonic for the final spot.

The full blog post from Lensrentals is a great read, so be sure to visit via the link below to ingest all the data there is to offer.

The Top Rented Photo and Video Products of 2020

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Photo: Dan Bracaglia

We were being out-paced by a semi-truck on a dirt road off an Idaho interstate in a mad gambit to skip an hour's worth of stop-and-go traffic. As the 18-wheeler rounded a corner far ahead of us, leaving our sight, I felt a bit of humility. Mostly relief. Though if we'd wanted, we could easily have kept up with the truck in the little Subaru we were bouncing around in.

It was nice to take comfort in the certainty that every photo I would take on this trip would be reasonably exposed and perfectly focused.

But earlier, we'd been tailing the truck a bit closer and all the dirt it kicked up made us feel like we were crash-landing on the Red Planet in a Martian storm. The subsequent realization that we'd left our cell phone reception back by the highway also encouraged a little more caution.

Visitors visit parts unknown in Craters of the Moon National Monument. Processed and cropped slightly in Adobe Camera Raw. ISO 100 | 1/500 sec | F8 | Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM @ 141mm.

We were on our way back from Bozeman, Montana, from a DPReview video shoot on a farm. In normal times, road tripping to parts unknown is one of my favorite activities, and the ensuing uncertainty is honestly part of the appeal. But the additional uncertainty of the pandemic weighed on me a little bit. Every rest stop, every carefully vetted Airbnb stay was a risk, necessitating masks and buckets of hand sanitizer.

So it was nice to take a small bit of comfort in one thing – the certainty that every photo I would take on this trip would be reasonably exposed and perfectly focused. I had Sony's a9 II with me, and free from worrying about whether or not the camera would do its job, I came away with some of my favorite photographs I was able to take this year.

Why it matters

It may not have bird detection, but the a9 II's tracking is just solid. ISO 100 | 1/1000 sec | F5.6 | Sony 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM @ 100mm

Back when I wrote our review of the a9 II, I said it had the best autofocus performance money could buy. Canon's subsequent EOS R5 and R6 cameras have come close to closing the gap, and they have pretty awesome animal detection algorithms. But the a9 II's tracking just works incredibly well, pretty much all the time; it's tenaciously sticky and tracks anything I put the AF point over, and the camera can track human eyes that are absolutely tiny in the frame.

As a tool for the type of work I wanted to do, the Sony a9 II did the job.

It's also easy to forget that there are plenty of cameras out there for which we don't recommend using subject tracking all the time. Heck, even Sony's a7R IV, which, on paper, features the same implementation, can struggle with fast action. (Admittedly, this could be the massive resolution, but if the AF can't keep up, what's the point of all those megapixels?).

The clouds roll into Mount Rainier National Park. Processed in Adobe Camera Raw. ISO 125 | 1/160 sec | F8 | Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM @ 137mm

Shooting with a camera that has the most dependable subject tracking I've used really freed my mind to focus on composition and capturing a variety of moments. As the camera tracked my chosen subject and kept it in critical focus, I could easily experiment with my composition with my eye to the finder and end up with an image I was happy with.

No camera is perfect, but this one is pretty darn good

I have to admit, one of the great frustrations of my job is that in over five years of living, breathing and testing cameras, there isn't one camera that does everything exactly the way I want. Yes, I know that might be the most #firstworldproblem ever. Maybe I'm just too picky.

Great eye detection means the a9 II didn't get tripped up at all by the foreground elements in this Montana farm photo. Processed in Adobe Camera Raw. ISO 100 | 1/160 sec | F2.8 | Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM @ 70mm

The Sony a9 II, for all its impressiveness, still has some interface lag, convoluted menus and a handful of other quirks. It's overkill for many people, while others would value more megapixels or slightly greater dynamic range over the a9 II's speed and AF tracking. Oh, and the touchscreen kind of stinks.

You'll also notice that the images presented here are processed through Adobe Camera Raw (original JPEGs in the gallery below). Sony's JPEG engine has some of the best detail retention and noise reduction on the market, but I just felt like some images needed a more personal touch to really replicate what I saw in front of me as I hit the shutter button. That would admittedly be an issue were I a full-time sports shooter on a tight deadline.

The road ahead will always be windy and more than a little uncertain. Processed in Adobe Camera Raw. ISO 100 | 1/500 sec | F8 | Sony FE 24-70mm GM @ 24mm

But as a tool for the type of work I wanted to do, it did the job. It may not be a camera that I fully enjoy the experience of using, but the confidence it inspires is hard to overstate. And that made all the difference on an uncertain road trip in these uncertain times.

And lastly, happy new year to everyone reading (and thanks for reading this far). Here's to hoping for some slightly more certain times ahead, and thank you for being a part of DPReview.

Read our full Sony a9 II review here

Sample gallery

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The top 10 most popular cameras of 2020

We've taken a look back at our year of Instagram posts to the @DPReview account and compiled the 10 most popular cameras of 2020, based on most 'likes' to a single post. This seemed like a fun way to relive some of the biggest launches and camera news of the year.

One brand in particular accounted for more than half of our top ten. Can you guess which?

#10 Fujifilm GFX 100

Our #10 most popular camera of the year, according to our Instagram, is the Fujifilm GFX 100. While it did not debut in 2020, it did receive significant firmware updates over the course of the year, adding a suite of new features including Raw video out, gimbal support, new film simulations, and a 400MP high-res mode.

Read: Fujifilm GFX 100 review

Photo: Dan Bracaglia

#9 Nikon Z7 and D850

Our #9 most popular camera(s) of 2020 is a tie between the Nikon Z7 and D850. If there's one thing we've learned from attending tradeshows and industry events it's that there's almost always gear cut-in-half on display, somewhere. Moreover, we know our readers love seeing the 'guts' of cameras and lenses, which is why this post was shared at the start of the Covid lockdown, to help lighten the mood.

Read: Nikon Z7 review

Read: Nikon D850 review

Photo: Barney Britton

#8 Fujifilm X-T3

The Fujifilm X-T3 is also not a new camera for 2020, but one that received major autofocus improvements, bringing its performance in-line with the X-T4, all via firmware. These updates are a great example of Fujiflm's commitment to older products. Because while the X-T3 may be more than 2-years-old at this point, it continues to provide fantastic bang-for-the-buck. No wonder it's our favorite camera under $1500.

Read: Fujifilm X-T3 review

Photo: Dan Bracaglia

#7 Zeiss ZX1

A good 2 years after being announced at Photokina, Zeiss' full-frame, fixed-lens, Android-running, Lightroom-capable, memory card-free camera finally became a reality (for consumers to actually purchase) in 2020. And the confirmation of its price ($6000) and shipping date secured the Zeiss ZX1 a spot as our seventh most popular camera of the year.

Read: Zeiss ZX1 initial review

#6 Sony a7C

The announcement of Sony's compact, full-frame a7C in September of this year secured it the #6 spot on our list. The Sony a7C sports a 24MP BSI CMOS sensor, the brand's 'Real-time tracking' AF, 4K/30p video, impressive battery life and 10 fps shooting. In short, it's a real peach, and its popularity comes as no surprise to us. Also, did we mention it's one of our favorite travel cameras of 2020?

Read: Sony a7C review

Photo: Richard Butler

#5 Fujifilm X-S10

Another crowd-favorite 2020 camera debut – both on Instagram and on the DPR homepage – is the Fujifilm X-S10. It offers a stabilized 26MP X-Trans sensor, the same processor and AF capability as the flagship X-T4 and a most-generous grip. Priced at $1000 MSRP (body-only), there's good reason this camera also earned a 2020 DPR Award as our pick for 'Best entry-level ILC.'

Read: Fujifilm X-S10 review Photo: Carey Rose

#4 Fujifilm X100V

Fujifilm sure was busy this year, and perhaps you've already guessed, this won't be their final camera on our list. Announced back in February, the Fujifilm X100V has proven to be nothing short of a smash hit, thanks to a thorough facelift over its predecessor. Improvements include a new sensor, updated lens, updated EVF, a new tilting touchscreen and proper weather-sealing. It also received a 2020 DPR Award for 'Best fixed-lens camera,' and was picked by fellow editor Barney as his favorite gear of the year.

Read: Fujifilm X100V review

Photo: Barney Britton

#3 Fujifilm X-T4

Also announced in February of this year is the latest X-mount flagship, the Fujifilm X-T4. It touts a stabilized 26MP X-Trans APS-C sensor, 4K/60p video capture, 20 fps shooting with AF, a lovely 3.68M-dot OLED EVF, a fully articulating touchscreen, twin card slots and more! All this adds up to a super-capable camera, whether you plan to use it for stills, video or both. And its debut post proved to be our third most popular on Instagram in 2020.

Read: Fujfilm X-T4 review

Photo: Dan Bracaglia

#2 Pixii camera

The #2 spot belongs to the Pixii camera, a small-production, M-mount, digital rangefinder sporting a 12MP APS-C sensor and no rear display. Priced at ~$3000, it's certainly not a camera for everyone. But the cool/classic design + the weird factor = our second most popular Instagram post of the year.

#1 Fujifiilm X-Pro3

Pump up the Ludacris, because Fujifilm is here for the number one spot. Announced at the end of 2019, the Fujifilm X-Pro3 is perhaps the brand's most adventurous digital camera in recent years. With a hidden screen for waist-level shooting and sporting Fufjilm's latest tech, the X-Pro3 is a highly capable camera for the photographic purist and our most popular camera of 2020, at least, according to Instagram.

Follow us on Instagram for more handsome photos of handsome cameras. Happy New Years, y'all!

Read: Fujfilm X-Pro3 review

Photo: Dan Bracaglia

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A year in review: the biggest stories of 2020 (in our world)

I’ve spent the past two or so weeks attempting to construct a sentence that accurately summarizes the year 2020. While I have a few scattered about in my journal, none of my prose comes close to more aptly encapsulate this year than this quote from Clarke Smith, age 9, from Beverly Hills, Michigan:

‘[It’s] like looking both ways before crossing the street and then getting hit by a submarine.’

Such wisdom from one so young.

In this gallery, we’re revisiting some of the stand-out news stories of this wildest of years, selected by the editorial team here at DPReview. Browse through the collection, see which of our selections stand out to you and share any we may have missed in the comments below.

March: DPReview starts working from home

With DPReview's home state of Washington being an early hotspot for COVID-19, our entire editorial team left the office in March, to work from home (where we will likely remain until at least spring). While Michigan-based news editor Gannon (that's the 'me' in the 'we' of this article) is familiar with the work-from-home life, it's been an interesting transition for the rest of the team.

But despite the challenges of virtual meetings, virtual product briefings, virtual happy hours and all the rest, we've continued to publish content throughout the year. If you haven't noticed the difference, that must mean we've done an OK job.

Just – please – stop asking why there aren't more pictures of 'people and events' in our samples galleries. We'll make it up to you next year, we promise.

April: Cameras get turned into webcams

Hey, until this year, how much time did you typically spend thinking about webcams? Yeah, that's what we thought. This was the year when we all started to notice how crappy we look on Zoom calls, and camera manufacturers were quick to spot an opportunity. As the year crawls to an end, Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic and Sony are all developing first-party utilities for improving the visuals of our video calls using their cameras.

It doesn't matter how good your webcam is, though – virtual meetings suck. But at least with a proper high-fidelity camera your coworkers will have a better opportunity to judge your bookshelf.

The entire damn year: Shows and events canceled

After a strong start with CES and WPPI in the first few weeks of the year, as we got into spring, photo events around the world were first delayed, then rescheduled and, in some cases, canceled or indefinitely postponed.

As it stands, The photography Show, International Broadcasting Convention (IBC), CP+ and CES all either went digital-only or announced that they were planning to. Major Japanese show CP+ was canceled, and will be online-only in 2021, while the biggest of all, Photokina, has been canceled indefinitely. WPPI has also announced its 2021 show has been tentatively moved from April 2021 to August 2021.

Will tradeshows ever really 'come back'? We don't know. But maybe absence will make the heart grow fonder. After months of quarantine, a Las Vegas Convention Center hotdog is starting to sound pretty good – and we never thought we'd say that...

June: NASA stuns us with a time-lapse of the sun

It wouldn’t be a proper year unless NASA released at least one incredible image from space. Thankfully for us though, this year’s surprise consisted of a whopping 425 million images in the form of a time-lapse captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO).

The time-lapse, which is over an hour long, covers an entire decade, with the first image being taken back on June 2, 2010, and the final image being captured on June 2, 2020. If you wan’t a shortened version, NASA also shared a highlight video (below) that shows the most impressive captures from the bunch.

July: Marc Levoy moves to Adobe from Google

Marc Levoy was instrumental in pushing the boundaries of smartphone photography at Google. Levoy spent six years at the Mountain View company as a Distinguished Engineer, where he ‘led the team that developed computational photography technologies for Pixel smartphones, including HDR+, Portrait Mode, and Night Sight,’ according to his LinkedIn profile.

This year though, four months after he had left Google, Levoy announced he was joining Adobe as Vice President and Fellow. As we explained in our original coverage, Levoy’s role at Adobe will be to ‘continue [exploring] the application of computational photography to Adobe’s imaging and photography products, with one of his focuses being the development of a ‘universal camera app’ that could function across multiple platforms and devices.’

It remains to be seen what will come from Adobe after Levoy's hiring, but there’s little doubt he will have a profound impact on Adobe’s computational photography technology.

July: Olympus announces sale of imaging division

After many months of speculation and rumors, Olympus confirmed in July it had agreed to sell its imaging business to Japan Industrial Partners (JIP) by the end of the year. In a follow-up announcement shared in September, Olympus confirmed that the deal had been finalized, effective Jan 2nd 2021.

The acquisition, which will see Olympus transfer all of its imaging business to a wholly owned subsidiary which will then be transferred to JIP in the new year, consists of Olympus’ entire global Imaging business, including all research and development, as well as manufacturing facilities.

Olympus said in its September announcement that the "Zuiko and OM brands, which are grounded in optics and digital imaging technologies cultivated by Olympus over many years […] will be appropriately positioned to further pursue new developments." With new Olympus-branded products still coming out, only time will tell exactly what this all means for one of the oldest brands in the industry.

July: Canon EOS R5/R6 bring Canon up to date

Canon has come in for a lot of flak the past few years on our forums (and in our reviews) for its traditionally conservative approach to product development, especially in the full-frame mirrorless space. Well, that all changed in 2020. The Canon's EOS R5 is a huge leap forward for Canon, offering fantastic resolution, amazing autofocus, great ergonomics, and seriously impressive in-body image stabilization.

Oh - and 8K video. While Canon made it clear from the get-go that there would be limitations on 8K (and high-quality 4K) video shooting due to the potential for overheating, it soon became clear from our testing that the issue could be quite a major problem.

One month after releasing the camera, Canon released updated firmware for the EOS R5, which addressed various bugs and improved the overheating issue. Similar issues with 4K recording on the R6 have also been addressed via firmware (and similarly improved). Looking back, we're almost getting nostalgic for those glorious weeks this summer, after the lockdown and before the choking wildfire smoke, where all we had to worry about was how many minutes of video we could shoot on the EOS R5....

October: The Zeiss ZX1 is real!

After years of teasers, delays and downright mystery, Zeiss finally revealed its ZX1 Android-powered mirrorless camera back in October. As was expected, the camera isn't cheap – a wallet-busting $6,000 – but it offers a unique feature set that lets you shoot, edit and share on the go thanks to a built-in version of Lightroom.

We've since gotten our hands on a unit and have shared a real-world sample gallery, an initial review, as well as a studio scene captured with the fixed-lens camera. We're still working on a full review, but as reviews editor Carey summarized in his initial review, '[we're] glad the Zeiss ZX1 exists. It's refreshing to see a manufacturer do something truly different from the competition.'

In a year that has taken so much from so many, it was nice to see the Zeiss ZX1 go from essentially what was essentially vaporware to a final product that can be purchased.

November: Apple ditches Intel with M1 computers

During its virtual November event, Apple revealed its new M1-powered MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac Mini computers. While the devices remain almost unchanged on the outside compared to their Intel-powered predecessors, inside, these new computers mark a new era in the world of computing as they see the Cupertino company ditching Intel in favor of its in-house silicon, built on the Arm architecture.

We knew Apple's computers were going to perform well, based on the performance of Apple's mobile silicon (which is what these chips are based on) and leaked benchmarks. But we have been testing an M1 Mac Mini ourselves and continue to be blown away by the performance gains across the board, even when running non-native editing apps through Apple's Rosetta 2 emulator. Early tests show our $1,300 setup is outperforming computers with twice as much RAM that cost two to three times the price. We'll have a full review soon, but suffice to say, these things are fast. And it's just the beginning.

What the future holds, especially for more pro-oriented machines, remains to be seen, but if these first-generation Apple Silicon devices are anything to go on, future MacBook Pros, iMac Pros, and Mac Pros may be (finally) worth the money.

November: Joe Biden shows us what drones can do

Almost a week after the 2020 Presidential election, when it was clear that Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris had won, the Biden 2020 campaign held a victory party at which both the president-elect and vice president-elect set out their visions for the future.

At that event, a swarm of drones were used to spell out pictures messages in the night sky, courtesy of Pennsylvania-based company Verge Aero. Look forward to more 'drone light-shows' in future. They're more interesting than fireworks, and (in the right hands) less dangerous, too.

So what's next, in 2021?

Oh boy - who knows. Locusts? A global chocolate shortage? Battery acid in our tap-water? Aliens? Whatever 2021 brings, three things are certain - there will be plenty of photo news, plenty of new cameras, lenses and accessories will be released, and DPReview will be there to cover it all.

As always, thanks for reading. None of this would be possible without you.

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