diff --git a/include/libcamera/internal/camera_sensor.h b/include/libcamera/internal/camera_sensor.h
index 7f07413f95602881..6d92818f16e4b752 100644
--- a/include/libcamera/internal/camera_sensor.h
+++ b/include/libcamera/internal/camera_sensor.h
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ public:
 
 	const std::string &model() const { return model_; }
 	const MediaEntity *entity() const { return entity_; }
-	const std::vector<unsigned int> &mbusCodes() const { return mbusCodes_; }
+	const std::set<unsigned int> &mbusCodes() const { return mbusCodes_; }
 	const std::vector<Size> &sizes() const { return sizes_; }
 	const Size &resolution() const { return resolution_; }
 
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ private:
 
 	ImageFormats formats_;
 	Size resolution_;
-	std::vector<unsigned int> mbusCodes_;
+	std::set<unsigned int> mbusCodes_;
 	std::vector<Size> sizes_;
 
 	ControlList properties_;
diff --git a/include/libcamera/internal/formats.h b/include/libcamera/internal/formats.h
index 4b172efc6588d374..e8aa555dcbe99350 100644
--- a/include/libcamera/internal/formats.h
+++ b/include/libcamera/internal/formats.h
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ public:
 	int addFormat(unsigned int format, const std::vector<SizeRange> &sizes);
 
 	bool isEmpty() const;
-	std::vector<unsigned int> formats() const;
+	std::set<unsigned int> formats() const;
 	const std::vector<SizeRange> &sizes(unsigned int format) const;
 	const std::map<unsigned int, std::vector<SizeRange>> &data() const;
 
diff --git a/src/libcamera/camera_sensor.cpp b/src/libcamera/camera_sensor.cpp
index b14b4051dca606b9..5ab50de660534f3f 100644
--- a/src/libcamera/camera_sensor.cpp
+++ b/src/libcamera/camera_sensor.cpp
@@ -251,7 +251,6 @@ int CameraSensor::init()
 	}
 
 	mbusCodes_ = formats_.formats();
-	std::sort(mbusCodes_.begin(), mbusCodes_.end());
 
 	for (const auto &format : formats_.data()) {
 		const std::vector<SizeRange> &ranges = format.second;
diff --git a/src/libcamera/formats.cpp b/src/libcamera/formats.cpp
index 1272de29c802c539..6234fd98f3e2002c 100644
--- a/src/libcamera/formats.cpp
+++ b/src/libcamera/formats.cpp
@@ -68,14 +68,13 @@ bool ImageFormats::isEmpty() const
  * \brief Retrieve a list of all supported image formats
  * \return List of pixel formats or media bus codes
  */
-std::vector<unsigned int> ImageFormats::formats() const
+std::set<unsigned int> ImageFormats::formats() const
 {
-	std::vector<unsigned int> formats;
-	formats.reserve(data_.size());
+	std::set<unsigned int> formats;
 
 	/* \todo: Should this be cached instead of computed each time? */
 	for (auto const &it : data_)
-		formats.push_back(it.first);
+		formats.insert(it.first);
 
 	return formats;
 }
diff --git a/src/libcamera/pipeline/ipu3/ipu3.cpp b/src/libcamera/pipeline/ipu3/ipu3.cpp
index 5544288b14f739c0..1a59de0c58975b3c 100644
--- a/src/libcamera/pipeline/ipu3/ipu3.cpp
+++ b/src/libcamera/pipeline/ipu3/ipu3.cpp
@@ -1441,15 +1441,12 @@ int CIO2Device::init(const MediaDevice *media, unsigned int index)
 	/*
 	 * Make sure the sensor produces at least one format compatible with
 	 * the CIO2 requirements.
-	 *
-	 * utils::set_overlap requires the ranges to be sorted, keep the
-	 * cio2Codes vector sorted in ascending order.
 	 */
-	const std::vector<unsigned int> cio2Codes{ MEDIA_BUS_FMT_SBGGR10_1X10,
-						   MEDIA_BUS_FMT_SGRBG10_1X10,
-						   MEDIA_BUS_FMT_SGBRG10_1X10,
-						   MEDIA_BUS_FMT_SRGGB10_1X10 };
-	const std::vector<unsigned int> &sensorCodes = sensor_->mbusCodes();
+	const std::set<unsigned int> cio2Codes{ MEDIA_BUS_FMT_SBGGR10_1X10,
+						MEDIA_BUS_FMT_SGRBG10_1X10,
+						MEDIA_BUS_FMT_SGBRG10_1X10,
+						MEDIA_BUS_FMT_SRGGB10_1X10 };
+	const std::set<unsigned int> &sensorCodes = sensor_->mbusCodes();
 	if (!utils::set_overlap(sensorCodes.begin(), sensorCodes.end(),
 				cio2Codes.begin(), cio2Codes.end())) {
 		LOG(IPU3, Error)
diff --git a/test/camera-sensor.cpp b/test/camera-sensor.cpp
index 8c7fd1d2d4445db3..146b1b7d6c294fdb 100644
--- a/test/camera-sensor.cpp
+++ b/test/camera-sensor.cpp
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ protected:
 			return TestFail;
 		}
 
-		const std::vector<unsigned int> &codes = sensor_->mbusCodes();
+		const std::set<unsigned int> &codes = sensor_->mbusCodes();
 		auto iter = std::find(codes.begin(), codes.end(),
 				      MEDIA_BUS_FMT_ARGB8888_1X32);
 		if (iter == codes.end()) {