The most popular gear on this social network is an eclectic mix of full-frame, Micro Four Thirds, smartphones, and older cameras

Canon EOS R6 Mark II — (Image credit: James Artaius)

Looking at the most popular cameras offers insight into the photography industry – but the list of top cameras on Flickr is a near-even matchup between full-frame mirrorless, Micro Four Thirds, and smartphones.

The photo-based social platform recently hit its 22nd anniversary, and as it does every year, it shared a glimpse at some key stats. This list names cameras of all different sensor sizes, but also lists a number of cameras that have already been replaced by newer models – a reminder that older cameras don't stop being good just because a new model is out.

Among the data, Flickr shared the list of top ten cameras “gaining the most traction” over the last year:

While there are three smartphones on the list, there’s an equal number of full-frame cameras (R6 Mark II, A7 III, Z6 II) and just as many Micro Four Thirds bodies (E-M1 Mark II, OM-1, G9). The Fujifilm X-T5 is the lone APS-C camera on the list.

Perhaps just as interesting is that several of those cameras are models released before the 2020s, yet are growing in popularity on the photo platform. The Sony A7 III is a 2018 release that has since been replaced by the A7 IV and A7 V, but remains available to buy as a budget option. The Olympus in the E-M1 Mark II also hints at its age, as the camera came out in 2016, before Olympus became OM System. The Panasonic Lumix G9 is a 2017 camera.

The list of most popular cameras on Flickr hints towards which cameras users are using and uploading images from most, while recent lists of best sellers tend to skew more towards newer models – though not exclusively.

Looking at the tags used on Flickr, Nikon actually pops up before Canon, though Flickr notes that Canon has made a 17 percent jump this year. Popular tags also included 2025, red, green, nature, sport, art, and travel.

While travel was a key theme among those tags, Flickr notes that #park saw a massive 77 percent jump. That, along with the popularity of the nature tag, hints that photographers aren’t always traveling to distant locations to take shots in nature.

While the 2025 data offers an interesting look into what gear Flickr photographers are using most and what subjects have shown the most growth, the results are likely influenced in part by the demographics of the photo platform and, perhaps, the reason some choose Flickr over other networks.

Last year, Flickr showed some growth in numbers, and a part of that was likely photographers looking for a platform less video-focused and less algorithm-focused than social networks like Instagram and Facebook.

You may also like