The San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Cinematography is an award given by the San Diego Film Critics Society to honor the finest directing achievements in filmmaking.
| Year | Winner | Cinematographer(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Gladiator | John Mathieson |
| 2001 | The Man Who Wasn't There | Roger Deakins |
| 2002 | Road to Perdition | Conrad L. Hall |
| 2003 | Girl with a Pearl Earring | Eduardo Serra |
| 2004 | Hero (Ying xiong) | Christopher Doyle |
| The Phantom of the Opera | John Mathieson | |
| 2005 | The New World | Emmanuel Lubezki |
| 2006 | The Illusionist | Dick Pope |
| 2007 | No Country for Old Men | Roger Deakins |
| 2008 | Slumdog Millionaire | Anthony Dod Mantle |
| 2009 | The Road | Javier Aguirresarobe |
| Year | Winner | Cinematographer(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Inception | Wally Pfister |
| 2011 | The Tree of Life | Emmanuel Lubezki |
| 2012 | Life of Pi | Claudio Miranda |
| 2013 | To the Wonder | Emmanuel Lubezki |
| 2014 | Nightcrawler | Robert Elswit |
| 2015 | Sicario | Roger Deakins |
| 2016 | Hell or High Water | Giles Nuttgens |
| 2017 | Dunkirk | Hoyte van Hoytema |
| 2018 | The Ballad of Buster Scruggs | Bruno Delbonnel |
| The Rider | Joshua James Richards | |
| 2019 | The Lighthouse | Jarin Blaschke |
| Year | Winner | Cinematographer(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Nomadland | Joshua James Richards |
| 2021 | The Tragedy of MacBeth | Bruno Delbonnel |
| 2022 | Babylon | Linus Sandgren |
| 2023 | Killers of the Flower Moon | Rodrigo Prieto |