I’m sorry, but the coolest cameras right now are the downright weird ones. I tried these unusual cameras at B&H Bild

I have a sign hanging in my home that reads something like this: Weird is a side effect of awesome. But I was standing several hundred miles away from that sign amid the latest imaging tech at the B&H Bild expo in New York City when I realized just how much the quote from Rebekah Crane applies to the photography world. Because if I had to pick just one word to represent all of the biggest trends in cameras right now, it would be something synonymous with weird.

From oddly-shaped gimbal cameras to digital shooters intentionally throttled for a more film-like feel, the expo floor was filled with unusual cameras alongside the latest tech innovations. As I wandered the show floor getting to touch and try the latest cameras, I realized the innovative and weird often go hand-in-hand.

While the show was also filled with beastly, advanced cameras with innovative tech like the Sony a9 III global shutter, the high resolution hybrid Panasonic S1R II and the luxurious Leica SL3, these are the weirdly wonderful cameras that I spotted during the 2025 B&H Bild Expo – and the trends that they’re emerging from.

Cameras for digital detoxing

Putting down a high-end mirrorless camera for a compact camera feels a bit like unplugging. But some cameras take this further than others, falling just shy of actually going back to film. The Fujifilm X Half feels like a camera meant for digital detoxing. With its half-frame sensor and lack of features like RAW and burst mode, there are more capable cameras. But the X Half isn’t about the latest tech but rather finding the retro feel without losing the convenience of digital.

I’ve been devouring any information I could get on the X Half since its launch, but when I finally had it in front of me, the first thing I realized was that it’s quite a bit smaller than I expected. The X Half carries some of the style of Fujifilm’s retro mirrorless cameras, but it’s so small, it's nearly whimsical. What really caught my attention, however, is the secondary screen for swiping through film modes and the film-like dials and special effects.

Minimalist, luxury cameras

One camera that arguably didn’t look like any other camera at Bild is the Sigma Bf. Boxy and simplistic, the Bf is the minimalist luxury camera. The silver body and simple controls are eye-catching.

A comfortable grip sits too far up my must-have list for me to consider a camera like the Sigma Bf. But, after holding it in my hands, I can see the draw of working with a camera that not only looks striking but keeps the controls simple. Perhaps my favorite part, however, is the available silver lenses to match.

Gimbal-clad cameras

Perhaps the most oddly shaped, trendy camera right now is the DJI Osmo Pocket 3. The Pocket 3 isn’t the typical rectangular shape with a grip and perhaps a viewfinder bump. No, the Pocket 3 is really a gimbal with an action camera built into the top and a screen built into the handle.

While the Pocket 3 may look strange, what it does is mix the simplicity of an action camera with stabilization and tracking. But perhaps the more important distinction between the Pocket 3 and most action cameras is that the Pocket 3 has autofocus and a larger one-inch sensor, which opens up more potential for background blur compared to action cameras that are made to generally keep nearly everything in focus.

Compact cameras – and tiny mirrorless kits

Compact cameras aren’t just a 2025 trend – the pocketable camera format has been making a resurgence for a while now. Compact cameras feel more like unplugging than using a smartphone camera, and many offer larger sensors and better lenses to boot. The trendiest compact cameras were all present on the Bild expo floor – the Fujifilm X100VI, the Ricoh GR III, the Leica D-LUX 8, and the Canon PowerShot V1, to name a few.

But alongside the trendy compact cameras, a compact size seems to be trending among mirrorless cameras, too. The newly announced Fujifilm X-E5 that I tested felt both high-end and compact, and I immediately fell in love with the film simulation dial. The OM System OM-5 Mark II feels impressively small and durable for a more affordable mirrorless camera. And why can’t more cameras have a variety of colorways like the compact Panasonic Lumix S9?

New cameras that look old

The retro look has made a comeback right alongside compact cameras – and there was certainly no shortage of vintage-inspired cameras. I shot the Nikon Zf at the Nikon booth, alongside its smaller but less luxurious-feeling Nikon Zfc. I felt nostalgic, gripping the OM System OM-3. And the new Fujifilm X-E5 and X Half fall under the retro look too.

But Bild also had its fair share of actually old retro cameras, from the historic cameras in display cases to the film cameras slung around the necks of guests and even renowned photographers like Louis Mendes and Mark Mann.

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