Released on December 31, 2025, a comprehensive analysis of customer purchase data from Lensrentals, a leading provider of photography and videography equipment, reveals a dynamic landscape in gear acquisition for the year. This report, following closely on the heels of their annual rental trends, offers a unique perspective on what professionals and enthusiasts are choosing to permanently integrate into their kits, rather than simply rent for projects. The findings highlight Canon’s enduring strength, a notable shift in Sony’s market share for purchases, and the surprising ascent of DJI, alongside a clear preference for essential accessories and advanced wireless technologies, underscoring evolving industry demands and purchasing strategies.
Contextualizing the Data: Beyond the Rental Paradigm
Lensrentals, primarily known for its extensive inventory of rental equipment, occupies a distinctive position within the photographic and videographic industries. Its "Keeper program," which allows customers to purchase rented items, often with rental costs credited, provides a unique window into buyer preferences that complements its widely cited rental statistics. While the vast majority of the company’s business revolves around temporary equipment access, the purchase data offers a crucial counterpoint, reflecting long-term investment decisions by its diverse customer base. This dual insight provides a holistic view of market sentiment, distinguishing between temporary project needs and sustained professional commitment to specific gear. The 2025 purchase report is particularly insightful as it follows a year of significant technological advancements and shifts in manufacturer focus, making the observed purchasing patterns a valuable indicator of broader market trajectories.
The Dominance of Complementary Products and a Venerable Workhorse
A deep dive into the sheer quantity of items purchased from Lensrentals in 2025 reveals a pragmatic approach by customers, with essential complementary products leading the charts. CFast cards, camera batteries, and UV filters constituted the bulk of these transactions. This trend is not merely anecdotal; it reflects the fundamental requirements of professional workflows. Photographers and videographers consistently need reliable storage, extended power solutions, and protective lens elements, making these items perennial best-sellers. Their relatively lower cost and consumable nature mean they are frequently acquired outright, serving as indispensable components of any robust kit. The high volume of these purchases underscores their critical role in ensuring operational efficiency and protecting more significant investments.
Amidst these high-volume, lower-value items, one "high-value" product stands out as the most purchased: the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II lens. This particular lens, a staple in many professional camera bags for over a decade, has consistently ranked among the most rented lenses due to its exceptional optical quality, robust build, and versatile zoom range. Its enduring popularity as a purchase item in 2025 is particularly telling. With Canon’s strategic pivot towards its mirrorless RF mount system, the market for its venerable EF lenses has seen a dynamic shift. While new EF lens development has largely ceased, the existing inventory, both new and pre-owned (including those from rental fleets), represents an exceptional value proposition. Professionals and advanced enthusiasts recognize the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II as a high-performance, durable lens that, when paired with an adapter on a mirrorless body or used on an existing DSLR system, delivers professional-grade results at a more accessible price point than its newer RF counterpart. This trend indicates a savvy consumer base prioritizing proven performance and value in a transitional market.
Brand Market Share: A Shifting Landscape by Revenue
Analyzing brand market share by revenue for 2025 purchases provides a clearer picture of financial investment trends. The data, spanning from 2023 to 2025, reveals both steadfast leaders and significant market shifts.
| Brand | 2023 Market Share | 2024 Market Share | 2025 Market Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canon | 28.43% | 22.99% | 23.55% |
| Sony | 28.83% | 21.60% | 16.60% |
| DJI | 7.22% | 10.04% | 9.95% |
| Nikon | 3.93% | 4.69% | 4.90% |
| Blackmagic | 2.41% | 2.58% | 3.43% |
| Leica | 1.63% | 2.39% | 3.25% |
| Fuji | 1.29% | 2.80% | 3.24% |
| Aputure | 2.38% | 2.33% | 3.01% |
| SmallHD | 1.58% | 2.32% | 2.83% |
| Panasonic | 2.05% | 2.20% | 2.76% |
| Sigma | 3.09% | 2.50% | 2.42% |
| Teradek | 1.02% | 0.92% | 2.83% |
Canon’s Resilient Leadership:
For 2025, Canon solidified its position as the leading brand in terms of purchase revenue, capturing 23.55% of the market share. This marks a slight recovery from its 2024 dip (22.99%) and underscores the brand’s enduring appeal. Canon’s robust ecosystem, particularly its legacy EF lens lineup and its strong presence in the professional video segment, continues to drive sales. The strategic pricing of EF lenses, as evidenced by the 24-70mm f/2.8L II, has likely contributed to this stability, offering professionals a cost-effective path to high-quality optics amidst the transition to mirrorless. Canon’s consistent performance in both rental and purchase metrics speaks to its deep-seated market penetration and user loyalty.
Sony’s Notable Decline in Purchases:
In contrast to Canon, Sony experienced a significant drop in its purchase market share, falling to 16.60% in 2025 from 21.60% in 2024 and 28.83% in 2023. This decline, while noteworthy, invites further analysis. Sony has been a powerhouse in the mirrorless revolution, often leading innovation in sensor technology and autofocus. However, its position in the purchase market, as revealed by Lensrentals’ data, suggests a potential shift in how consumers are acquiring Sony gear. It is plausible that Sony’s cutting-edge, often higher-priced, mirrorless bodies and native lenses are more frequently rented for specific projects, allowing users to stay current with the latest technology without the significant upfront investment of a purchase. This could also indicate a saturation in the early adopter market, or perhaps a temporary lull in major new product releases that would compel outright purchases in 2025 compared to previous years. The disparity between potential rental popularity and purchase decline for Sony could signal a maturation of the mirrorless market, where strategic rentals fulfill short-term needs, while purchases are reserved for proven, long-term value.
DJI’s Surprising Ascent:
Perhaps the most unexpected revelation from the 2025 purchase data is DJI securing the third-highest market share by revenue, reaching 9.95%. This places the drone and gimbal giant ahead of traditional camera manufacturers like Nikon and Fujifilm. DJI’s strong showing is indicative of the explosive growth in aerial photography, cinematic stabilization, and the broader content creation economy. Products such as their professional drones (e.g., Matrice, Inspire series), Ronin gimbals, and Osmo action cameras have become indispensable tools for a wide range of creators, from independent filmmakers to real estate videographers and social media influencers. The nature of these products – often integrated systems that are frequently used and less prone to rapid obsolescence in core functionality – makes them prime candidates for outright purchase rather than short-term rental. This trend solidifies DJI’s position not just as an innovator, but as a dominant force in the professional and prosumer equipment market.
Other Market Movers:
Nikon demonstrated steady growth, increasing its share to 4.90% in 2025, reflecting continued confidence in its Z-mount mirrorless system and a growing user base. Blackmagic Design saw a healthy rise to 3.43%, underscoring the brand’s appeal among independent filmmakers and studios seeking high-quality, cost-effective cinema cameras and post-production solutions. Leica, a niche luxury brand, also showed consistent growth, reaching 3.25%, indicating a dedicated and expanding clientele for its premium optics and cameras. Fujifilm, with its distinctive color science and strong APS-C and medium format offerings, also maintained positive momentum at 3.24%.
The increasing shares of Aputure (3.01%) and SmallHD (2.83%) highlight the growing investment in professional lighting and monitoring solutions, respectively, critical components of modern film and video production. Panasonic also saw a slight increase to 2.76%. Sigma, a prominent third-party lens manufacturer, experienced a slight dip to 2.42%, while Teradek exhibited remarkable growth, nearly tripling its market share from 0.92% in 2024 to 2.83% in 2025, a significant indicator of a key technological trend.
Emerging Technologies: The Rise of Wireless Production Tools
The data on purchases of gear introduced to Lensrentals’ inventory in 2025 offers a glimpse into cutting-edge trends. At the forefront of these new acquisitions is the Teradek 6G V Antenna, closely followed by the Teradek Wireless Antenna for Bolt 500/1000, which also ranks highly among overall purchases. This emphatic demand for wireless transmission components unequivocally signals the industry’s accelerating embrace of wireless workflows on film and video sets.
The shift towards fast, reliable wireless transfer is not merely a convenience; it is a fundamental evolution in production logistics. Wireless video transmitters and receivers, such as those from Teradek, enable directors, cinematographers, and other crew members to monitor footage remotely and in real-time without being tethered by cables. This enhances mobility, speeds up setup and breakdown times, and improves safety on set by reducing trip hazards. In an era where production demands efficiency, flexibility, and real-time collaboration, investing in robust wireless infrastructure has become paramount. The strong purchase data for Teradek’s antennas underscores that these are not just rented for specific high-end productions but are being permanently adopted as essential tools for a wide range of content creators and production companies, from indie features to commercial shoots and live event broadcasting. This trend is further supported by the overall increase in Teradek’s brand market share, confirming a broader industry commitment to streamlined, cable-free operations.
Implications for the Industry and Future Outlook
The 2025 purchase data from Lensrentals provides critical insights for manufacturers, retailers, and end-users alike. The continued strength of Canon in purchases, particularly driven by the value proposition of its EF glass, suggests that while innovation is crucial, there remains a robust market for proven, high-quality equipment, especially when priced competitively. This highlights a bifurcated market where cutting-edge, often expensive, gear might be extensively rented, while reliable workhorses and essential accessories are more frequently purchased.
Sony’s decrease in purchase share warrants close observation. It could indicate that its innovative products are primarily fulfilling project-specific rental needs, or that its primary market for outright sales has matured. For Sony, understanding if this is a temporary fluctuation or a long-term trend in buyer behavior will be key to future product and pricing strategies.
DJI’s surge into the top three purchase brands unequivocally demonstrates the growing financial weight and professionalization of the drone and gimbal segments, propelled by the expanding creator economy and demand for dynamic visual content. Manufacturers must recognize the integrated nature of these tools and their increasing necessity in diverse production environments.
Finally, the strong demand for wireless production accessories, exemplified by Teradek’s performance, underscores a fundamental shift in production workflows. Efficiency, mobility, and real-time collaboration are no longer luxuries but necessities on modern sets. Manufacturers of cameras, monitors, and other production tools must continue to integrate and optimize wireless capabilities to meet these evolving demands.
As the industry moves into 2026, these purchasing trends will likely continue to shape product development and market strategies. The data from Lensrentals offers a compelling snapshot of a market that values a blend of established reliability, strategic value, and cutting-edge operational efficiency, all while adapting to the rapid pace of technological advancement.
