by
- What: 98th Annual Academy Awards
- Where: Dolby Theatre, Hollywood, CA
- When: Sunday, March 15th
The Best Cinematography race at the 98th Academy Awards is the closest it’s been in years.
Let’s discuss what cinematography is. It’s how the film looks on screen. How the lighting, composition, color, and movement all blend together. This year’s nominees are all visually unique movies.
Five films earned nominations for Best Cinematography. They are Sinners, One Battle After Another, Train Dreams, Frankenstein, and Marty Supreme.
This year, we will have a first-time winner for this award. Dan Laustsen earned his third-best cinematography nomination for Frankenstein; this is the first nomination for the rest of the group.
Last year, Lol Crawly won for the Brutalist. That film was shot in VistaVision. Roger Deakins and Emmanuel Lubezki have dominated this category.
Remember to peruse our OSCARS page to gather all the necessary information about the award show before placing any bet.
2026 Best Cinematography OSCARS odds
| Movie |  |  |  |
| Sinners | -120 | -175 | -150 |
| One Battle After Another | +120 | +100 | +150 |
| Train Dreams | +525 | +500 | +650 |
| Frankenstein | +5000 | +2500 | +10000 |
| Marty Supreme | +5000 | +3000 | +6500 |
Sinners
The favorite in this year’s race belongs to Autumn Durald Arkapaw. She is the first woman of color nominated for the Best Cinematography Oscar. She’s only the fourth woman ever nominated and seeks to become the first woman to win the award.
Her work captured the visuals of the 1930s era in Mississippi by contrasting the sun-soaked beauty with the horror theme. She made history as the first woman to shoot in 65mm IMAX format. She pioneered combining IMAX and Ultra Panavision 70 on a single film. Kodak had to make a custom Ektachrome film stock for the production.
#Sinners is even better on a second watch. It is mind-blowing how Ryan Coogler took a vampire story and turned it into an all-encompassing spiritual journey covering oppression and the history of music, all the while making it look effortless. A jaw-dropping cinematic experience. pic.twitter.com/ktqfe4t2Yu
— Adam Klay (@AKlay19) April 22, 2025
She was nominated by BAFTA and ASC for Sinners and won the New York Film Critics Circle Award. Oddsmakers have placed her as the favorite at -120 to win the award.
I disagree with the oddsmakers and would pass on betting on Sinners to win this at that price.
One Battle After Another
Oddsmakers believe that One Battle After Another may continue the VistaVision winning streak. Michael Bauman shot Paul Thomas Anderson’s sprawling political thriller using VistaVision. The rare 8-perf horizontal 35mm format captures images at twice the resolution of conventional 35mm film.
Anderson wanted the film to evoke a gritty texture similar to 1970s movies. Using The French Connection as a blueprint, Bauman employed natural light and deliberate imperfections to avoid the polished modern studio aesthetic. He achieved this by running approximately 1.5 million feet of film through restored 1950s cameras.
Cinematographer Michael Bauman loosened the camera mount to add chaotic shake to this shot. https://t.co/PQmVpxNyji pic.twitter.com/ShQLy9ZZs9
— Vashi Nedomansky, ACE (@vashikoo) December 3, 2025
Bauman has a legitimate path to the podium. He won the British Society of Cinematographers Award, a strong Oscar indicator. Bovada has One Battle After Another priced at +150, which appears to be a strong value.
I would much rather back One Battle After Another at plus-money odds than side with Sinners at -120.
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Train Dreams
The dark horse in this race is Train Dreams. Brazilian cinematographer Adolpho Veloso is the first Brazilian ever nominated in this category at both the Oscars, BAFTA, and ASC. He has already won the Critics’ Choice Award, the Los Angeles Film Critics Award, and the Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography.
The film has surged as an awards contender of late, yet the odds are as high as +650 at Bovada. This price appears to be a mistake by the oddsmakers.
mine is Train Dreams https://t.co/okLRZDXnG2 pic.twitter.com/JeyjNir3Uz
— One Perfect Shot (@OnePerfectShot) December 24, 2025
Veloso’s approach was different from that of the other nominees. He relied almost entirely on natural light to capture early-20th-century Idaho. He shot on an ARRI Alexa 35 paired with vintage Zeiss Super Speed Mark II lenses. The result is an intimate, visually stunning film that transports you to a world of yesterday, featuring candlelit interiors without modern technology.
This was the film I believe is most deserving of this award, and at this price, you are getting a bargain.
Marty Supreme
Let’s talk long shots. Oddsmakers are pricing Marty Supreme at +2500 to win this award. While Darius Khondji’s work on Marty Supreme should be recognized for capturing the difficulty of the ping-pong matches, most forecasters would rank this film below most of the other nominees.
Marty Supreme missing for score sucks but I will say it getting into cinematography is so inspired pic.twitter.com/r4xxA4AMGe
— Aidan al Gaib 🎥🎨 (@akeltheartist) January 22, 2026
In addition to an Oscar nomination, he was also nominated for an ASC Award for the film. He evoked the grainy, gritty visual style of 1950s and 1970s New York City. Although it was nominated for nine awards, I don’t think Marty Supreme has a realistic chance of winning this one.
I would pass on betting Marty Supreme to win this award.
Frankenstein
Finally, we get to Frankenstein. This is an even longer shot with the oddsmakers, priced at +6500 at Bovada. This is an implied probability of just 1.5% to win the award.
This will be the third Oscar nomination of Dan Laustsen’s career. His partnership with Guillermo del Toro spans five films. The Shape of Water and Nightmare Alley are the other two del Toro films Lausten’s been nominated for.
the cinematography of frankenstein (2025) pic.twitter.com/lxzC49aIzI
— bennie (@lisaswallows_) November 8, 2025
He shot the entire film on the ARRI Alexa 65 with sweeping single-source lighting and rich amber and steel-blue contrasts. The film earned nine nominations, but most believe it will win in makeup, costumes or production design instead of cinematography.
Given that information I’m going to pass on taking Frankenstein to win this.
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