New Sony E-mount camera might be unveiled soon

Sony will allegedly hold a product launch event in the near future and sources are stating that the company will announce a new E-mount mirrorless camera alongside the price for the new 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens for FE-mount cameras.

The high-end A6300 has been unveiled by Sony earlier in 2016 as a mirrorless camera designed to replace the A6000. Alongside this E-mount shooter, the PlayStation maker has also introduced a trio of FE-mount optics.

One lens does not have a price tag, nor a release date so far, therefore the Japanese manufacturer is expected to reveal these details in the not-so-distant future.

Multiple sources are reporting that they have received invitations to an E-mount-related event. The sources are pretty sure that the availability details of the new FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens will become official.

However, they feel like something more is coming, as the invitation is talking about a “major showcase”. As the NAB Show 2016 is coming soon, there are some rumors suggesting that a camera will also be unveiled at the same event.

New Sony E-mount camera to be revealed soon along with FE 70-200mm f/2.8 lens’ availability details

One of the three new lenses introduced alongside the A6300 is the aforementioned FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS. It is the only one whose launch information remains unknown until now.

While it seems like the announcement of another E-mount camera with an APS-C sensor is unlikely, we should not rule out the launch of an E-mount camera with a full-frame sensor (a FE-mount shooter). This idea would make sense because the 70-200mm f/2.8 optic has been created for such devices.

Sony introduced the A7S II in September 2015 and the A7R II during the summer of 2015. It would be too soon to replace them, but the A7 II has been around since late 2014. This means that it would not be so surprising to see the Mark III version revealed this spring.

In the past we have heard gossip talks about the high-end A9 and low-end A5 FE-mount MILCs. Unfortunately, no new details have been leaked, so we can rule out these possibilities for now.

Finally, the National Association of Broadcasters Show 2016 is an event focused on videography gear. Since we are getting closer to it, the rumor mill is stating that an E-mount camcorder could be revealed and it could be among the first devices to offer 8K video recording. Whatever it may be, keep an eye on our website for further details!

Canon EOS 5D X rumored to replace 5D Mark III this April

Canon is once again rumored to be working on a new EOS 5D-series DSLR. This time, sources are reporting that the device will replace the 5D Mark III at the NAB Show 2016 and that it will be named 5D X.

A trusted source has recently claimed that Canon is working on a new 5D-series camera that will be capable of recording 4K videos. Unfortunately, the insider has been unable to provide more specifications, while stating that the DSLR will become official after the release of the EOS 1D X Mark II.

The good thing is that there are more sources out there and that they have begun talking. Canon might be trying hard to keep everything under a wrap, but leaks happen and it seems like the upcoming unit is indeed the successor to the 5D Mark III.

Canon’s upcoming 5D-series DSLR will replace the 5D Mark III

Although this was expected by pretty much everyone, it is nice to get assurances from people familiar with the matter. The next 5D-series camera will replace the 5D Mark III and will feature a “moderate” megapixel amount, therefore ruling out the possibility of succeeding the 5DS and 5DS R models.

Another confirmation is the fact that it will record videos at 4K resolution and that there will be only one version. This means that there will not be a videography unit, which was previously rumored to be called 5D C.

By the looks of it, the DSLR will be called Canon EOS 5D X. It will employ the same autofocus system found in the 1D X Mark II, that consists of 61 focus points (41 cross-type points).

Canon EOS 5D X is coming around the NAB Show 2016

The specs list of the camera will begin to take shape soon. It appears that the shooter will support both Canon Log and Wide DR gamma. As for storage capabilities, the DSLR will feature a CFast card slot, albeit an SD slot will also be available.

Getting back to the megapixel count, there are conflicting reports about it. Some say that it will be set at 28 megapixels, while others are stating that it will be clocked at 24 megapixels.

Either way, it will become official this April, around the start of the National Association of Broadcasters Show 2016. The event begins on April 16 and we are inviting you to stay tuned

Camera and lens shipments dropped again in 2015

The Camera & Imaging Products Association has published the digital camera and lens sales report for 2015, showing that shipments of both cameras and lenses have dropped in 2015 compared to 2014.

It is that time of the year again. Companies are revealing their camera and lens shipments, while the Camera & Imaging Products Association (CIPA) is raking up the numbers and compiling a report to see how many units have been shipped throughout the past year.

While some people had hoped that shipments will remain at 2014 levels in 2015, it seems like there is still room to decrease further. Unfortunately, camera and lens sales have dropped once again in 2015 and there are little to no encouraging signs for the digital imaging market.

CIPA reveals report detailing camera and lens shipments in 2015

The latest CIPA report is showing that almost 35.4 million cameras were shipped from January to December 2015. This amount is 18.5% lower than the total of digital shooters shipped throughout 2014, when they reached more than 43.4 million units.

The worst month of the year was December. Digital camera manufacturers recorded a huge drop in sales in the last month of 2015, as only 2.1 million units were shipped. Considering the fact that 3.2 million cameras were sold in December 2014, it means that year-over-year shipments dropped by more than 35% in December 2015.

On the other hand, the best month of 2015 was October, when over 3.7 million units were sold. Nevertheless, it was still a 17.5% drop compared to October 2014, when 4.5 million cameras were shipped.

Compact camera segment continued to shrink at an alarming rate

As usual, compact cameras underperformed. CIPA’s report shows that shipments of fixed-lens cameras reached 22.3 million units in 2015, a 24.5% drop compared to 2014, when 29.5 million compacts were shipped.

Fixed-lens camera sales have been particularly poor in December 2015. Only 1.2 million units were shipped, which amounts to a drop of 45.1%. When it comes to a region, this type of cameras performed badly in Asia throughout the whole year, as shipments decreased by 35.9% year-over-year.

It is worth noting that compacts have not done so bad in Europe. The sales dropped by 14.3% in this region, however, they have done far worse in other parts of the world.

CIPA has revealed that shipments dropped by 25.6% in Japan and by 29.6% in the Americas. Furthermore, they dropped by 35.9% in the rest of Asia (except Japan) and by 38.5% in other areas of the globe.

By the looks of it, compact camera shipments will continue to drop dramatically in 2016, despite the fact that Nikon has just revealed three new premium models earlier this year.

DSLR sales down, mirrorless camera shipments up

Shipments of digital interchangeable lens camera dropped, too. However, the drop has not reached compact camera levels. A little over 13 million units were sold in 2015, 5.7% fewer than in 2014, when 13.8 million units were shipped.

Out of the 13 million interchangeable lens cameras, 9.7 million were SLRs. The report confirms that the amount is 8% lower than in 2014, as 10.5 million SLRs were shipped by camera makers during that period.

Perhaps the only good news is coming from the mirrorless segment. CIPA has confirmed that 3.3 million MILCs have been sold in 2015, which means that sales increased by 1.7% compared to the 3.2 million unit sold a year before.

Still, mirrorless camera sales continued to drop in Japan. Fewer than 650,000 units were shipped in this area, amounting to a decrease of approximately 10% year-over-year. However, shipments increased by 2.1% in Europe, by 10.8% in the Americas, and by 5.1% in other parts of Asia (except Japan).

The worst month of 2015 for all interchangeable lens cameras was January. Digital imaging companies sold only about 826,000 units during this month, following a YoY drop of 8.5%.

Interchangeable lenses also performed worse in 2015 than in 2014

The final category of the report consists of interchangeable lenses. CIPA revealed that companies shipped 5.5% fewer optics between January and December 2015 compared to the same period in 2014, meaning that sales have decreased about as much as the ones of interchangeable lens cameras.

The total amount of lenses sold in 2015 reached 21.6 million units, so the drop is not as big as the one in 2014 compared to 2013. Back in 2014, almost 23 million lenses were sold across the globe.

Getting back to 2015, data shows that 15.9 million units were designed for cameras sensors smaller than 35mm. Most of them were sold in Asia, as shipments topped 7.3 million, while in Europe and the Americas sales got past the 4 million mark in each region.

Some positive signs are coming from lenses developed for the full-frame format. In Japan, Europe, and the Americas shipments have increased by 7.4%, 2.2%, and 0.9%, respectively. Moreover, sales grew in other areas except Asia, Europe, and the Americas by an impressive 32%.

Unfortunately, it was not enough, as overall shipments reached only 5.6 million units, meaning that they dropped by 3.2% in 2015 vs. 2014.