It's been a week dominated by 'prestige' camera news everywhere you look. Not only did Canon's new flagship go on sale, Sony tried to steal its rival's thunder by revealing that its own flagship would be imminently announced.
Fujifilm also shook things up, announcing its first ever cinema camera – which is also a medium format cine camera. Except that Fujifilm insists on calling it a "film camera" not a "cinema camera" 🙄
The prestige continued with Voigtländer celebrating its 25th anniversary, by launching a limited edition lens, while the photographer that won US$200,000 from HIPA – the most prestigious photo contest in the world – used a 12-year-old DSLR with kit lens to take the shot.
These are the five biggest camera news stories of the week…
Canon's flagship EOS R1 goes on sale
It may have slipped your mind, given that it was four months since the announcement, but the Canon EOS R1 – the company's brand new flagship camera – is on sale right now.
Just to remind you – and just in case you're buying into the nonsense from YouTubers who haven't used it that this is "just an R3 Mark II" – the EOS R1 is the most advanced camera on the planet right now.
I'll admit, on paper, it's easy not to see that – because you really do need to have used this camera (and I have) to reveal its power. For example, its native 24.2MP resolution may not sound like much, but you can upscale any image to 96MP – in camera, with no loss of image quality…
Full story: In case you forgot, the world's most advanced camera goes on sale today
Sony's flagship A1 II will be announced on Tuesday
In a shock move, Sony spoiled its own surprise by revealing that the flagship Sony A1 II will be announced on Tuesday – which, intentionally or not, rains on the parade of the Canon EOS R1, the competing flagship camera that went on sale this past week.
As predicted, the Sony Creative Space event will indeed host a major new camera launch. The company revealed that its new flagship body, the Sony A1 II, will be announced on November 19 at 09:00 EST / 14:00 BST / November 20 at 01:00 AEDT.
"Learn more about the Alpha 1 II on our Livestream," proclaims the Alpha Universe website, linking to the announcement holding page on YouTube (which you can see below). At the same time, retailer B&H has published its preorder page for the camera…
Full story: SHOTS FIRED: Sony rains on Canon's R1 launch by revealing the A1 II
Fujifilm announces medium format cinema camera
Fujifilm has announced that it is actively developing its first-ever camera dedicated to filmmaking, using a 102MP medium format sensor, with a potential release date as early as next year.
In 2017 Fujifilm revolutionized the digital medium format camera with the original GFX 50S, providing a more versatile body that took the format out of the studio and into the real world. The company has now announced that it will use the same approach and GFX system design to develop its first filmmaking camera – the Fujifilm GFX Eterna.
The release of the GFX 100 II late last year introduced a new sensor and processor combo that further enhanced the medium format monster's ability to capture both higher-speed action and impressive video. The same combination of the GFX 102MP CMOS II HS sensor and X-Processor 5 will be the building blocks for the GFX Eterna, providing a whopping sensor size 1.7x larger than 35mm…
Full story: GAME CHANGER: Fujifilm just announced plans for its first cinema camera… and it's medium format
Voigtländer celebrates 25th anniversary with limited lens
Voigtländer is one of the oldest lens makers in the world making lenses in Germany since 1756. Since 1999 the Voigtländer name has been licensed for lenses and hand-crafted in Japan by optics specialist Cosina, and this new release signifies the 25th anniversary of the relationship.
The Voigtländer APO-Lanthar 50mm f/3.5 VM Limited is named after the vintage Leica M-mount lenses the brand is known for and will be released in December 2024 for VM-mount for Leica rangefinders. The classic and compact design provides the perfect harmony of old and new with the aesthetic of a vintage manual focus lens with modern optical quality.
For those shooting with a Leica rangefinder, you'll be no stranger to the balance between mechanical craftsmanship and aesthetic beauty. The all-metal body is based on the classic rangefinder lenses popular in the 1950s, a heyday for the format and popularised in this period by street photographers worldwide. The textured metal provides a tactile analog feel when manually focusing, enabling precise and accurate adjustments…
Full story: Cosina celebrates the 25th anniversary of its Voigtlander brand with a retro 50mm lens
$200,000 photo award won by 12-year-old DSLR and kit lens
After winning $200,000 in the world's richest photo competition, HIPA Sustainability winner Liping Cao hopes his photo of a lake in Australia will raise awareness of climate change and environmental pollution.
Quiet Power shows a wind farm on the shores of Lake George, New South Wales, under some moody clouds and is an interesting juxtaposition of the power of nature and renewable energy.
Using his Canon EOS 5D Mark III and its kit lens – an EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM – Liping captured the frame in colour and converted it to black and white during editing…
Full story: World's biggest photo prize was won using a 12-year-old DSLR and a kit lens
You might be interested in the best Canon cameras, along with the best Sony cameras and the best Fujifilm cameras.
