The CP+ photography trade show in Japan has been quietly raising its profile and gaining importance for manufacturers. Over the last several years we’ve seen several significant announcements at the show. Will CP+ 2020 follow the trend of past years?
We believe it will. CES came and went, and with Photokina now an annual event and losing some of its key exhibitors (at least for 2020), CP+ 2020 seems ripe for some big announcements.
New cameras we might see at CP+ 2020
Canon EOS R5
Raise your hand if you’d like 8K video recording at 30fps, 4K at 120fps, IBIS, 20fps burst shooting with the electronic shutter and 45-megapixel resolution?
The genuine consensus of everyone we talk to is: Canon, please take my money!
New rumours of the Canon EOS R5, an EOS R range all-rounder that blows past the specifications of all the current all-rounder full-frame cameras has set the photography community on fire.
What’s more, Canon Rumors, which revealed the specifications and is standing by its source, says we can expect the EOS R5 to be announced in February.
Remind us, when is CP+ 2020 again?
Canon EOS R L
Caveat: there is still a chance we could see this at Photokina 2020. In fact, we think that is the most likely outcome. But with the EOS R5 above likely announced at CP+ given the strong rumours, there’s a good possibility the also-rumoured R L could be revealed soon as well.
There have been a lot of rumours over the past year that Canon is developing a high-resolution EOS R body that will top the Sony A7R IV’s 61 megapixels.
It’s said that the supposed EOS R L will offer a 75-megapixel sensor, which is inching close to medium format territory.
Not much else is known, but if this is to be a high-resolution camera in the vein of the EOS 5DS and 5DS R, only mirrorless, we can expect a super high resolution mode that will use pixel shift technology to create images at up to 400 megapixels in resolution.
Fujifilm X100V
Fujifilm’s X-series has been hugely successful, and it was the X100 that started it all. The latest iteration is due an update, and the company might be shrewd and launch it at CP+ 2020 with an official release just before Photokina.
Predicting the letter of the latest X100 is always a crapshoot, as Fujifilm doesn’t follow the alphabet chronologically, but there seems to be a consensus around the X100V being next.
What can we expect from the Fujifilm X100V? The traditional exposure controls will stay and the APS-C format 26.1-megapixel X-Trans CMOS sensor and X Processor 4 are a safe bet.
Fujifilm might focus on modifying the body this time, making it smaller and lighter to bolster its reputation as one of the best travel cameras on the market. This may mean that the viewfinder, which until now has been a hybrid design that combines both an electronic and an optical finder, may just retain the electronic element.
Other safe bets include the addition of 4K video at 60fps and Fujifilm’s new Eye AF capability that it introduced with the X-T3 and X-Pro3.
Nikon D6
Already announced as a development project and with the Olympics looming in August, it seems a pretty safe bet that we will see an actual Nikon D6 in the wild before its originally predicted release date of Photokina 2020. Nikon may officially unveil it at CP+, which would give all of its professional users plenty of time to get accustomed to the new Nikon camera and learn how to use it well before the summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Nikon Z500
We’ve heard nothing on the rumour mill about this, but just looking at Nikon’s Z series, it seems like the obvious next step. Nikon has the flagship Z7 and Z6. It recently launched the enthusiast, APS-C-format Z50. What’s missing from its range is a D3500-equivalent, beginner mirrorless camera.
We’re guessing at names here, but Z500 or Z5000 would make sense. Nikon seems committed to developing mirrorless partners to its DSLR range, and with the D3500 being one of its best sellers, it seems highly likely that an entry-level Z camera is next in the pipeline.
Leica S3
OK, so maybe this is cheating a little. The medium format Leica S3 was technically announced last year; however, its release date was delayed until spring 2020. CP+ 2020 is just shy of the start of spring, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see Leica formally release the camera ahead of schedule.
The 64-megapixel medium format camera that records 4K Cinema video and employs the company’s new L mount.
Details are still trickling in live from Photokina 2018 where our team is reporting back from the press conference at the Leica stand.
The Leica S3 marks an upgrade in resolution over the S2, jumping from 37.5 megapixels to 64 million pixels. It also now offers 3fps continuous shooting.
However one of the big standout upgrades will surely be its video performance. The Leica S3 now offers both Cinema 4K and Full HD video that are un-cropped, using the whole of the sensor.