Reviews |Photokina 2018: latest news and announcements live from Cologne

Photokina 2018: latest news and announcements live from Cologne

Camera Rumours 2016
News

Photokina 2018 is here! And this year more than ever the biannual (soon to be annual) photographic trade show in Cologne, Germany, is shaping up to be the biggest, and most important in its history. In the weeks prior to Photokina 2018 we already saw important new announcements from Canon and Nikon in the form of their first full-frame mirrorless cameras, and with the show just underway we’ve already seen more game-changers announced.

We kicked off this blog a few months ago musing on the new cameras we expect to see at Photokina 2018, and so far we think our crystal ball has done pretty well! Scroll down to see how our predictions turned out. In the meantime, below you can find our full show coverage for all the manufacturers at Photokina 2018.

Ricoh @ Photokina 2018

  • Ricoh kicked things off early on Day 1, announcing the development and specifications for a new iteration of its much-loved, high-concept compact camera, the Ricoh GRIII.

Panasonic @ Photokina 2018

Fujifilm @ Photokina 2018

Leica @ Photokina 2018

Sigma @ Photokina 2018

Other Photokina 2018 announcements

More manufacturers are poised to launch new products at Photokina, some of which could be true game changers.

Below were our picks for the 10 new cameras we thought we’d see at Photokina 2018. Having tested just about every camera on the market, we were pretty confident in these predictions. Nothing here was too wild… apart from maybe one, which has ended up being our best prediction yet!

10 new cameras we expect to see (and one we don’t)

01 Full-frame Nikon mirrorless camera

What hasn’t been said about the full-frame Nikon mirrorless camera. Nikon’s executives have flat out said their next mirrorless would be full-frame. Even Sony’s imaging chief has said it’s coming. One day it’s got a curved sensor, and the next it boasts a new lens mount. Or it doesn’t. We don’t know.

But we do know that it’s coming. And we’ll probably see it at Photokina 2018. If recent patents are anything to go by, we might see two models!

UPDATE

Nikon got in there first, weeks before Photokina 2018, and launched not one, but two full-frame mirrorless cameras, the Nikon Z7 and Nikon Z6.

Canon Black Friday Deals 2016: best offers on top cameras

02 Full-frame Canon mirrorless camera

Canon has been tighter-lipped about its mirrorless ambitions than Nikon, but that hasn’t stopped the photography press from working overtime to ascertain the company’s plans.

Musings of a full-frame Canon mirrorless camera gathered pace earlier this year when, again, Sony’s imaging chief said he expected one to be announced before the next CP+ show in February 2019. We then heard reports of prototypes in development and suggestions that professional users were already testing one.

In recent weeks, patents have been discovered with registries showing plans for not one, but two full-frame mirrorless cameras and estimated release dates of early 2019.

Based on this, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Canon announce its camera(s) as a development project at Photokina 2018, with a release date in early 2019. Panasonic followed this path with the GH5 at the last Photokina.

UPDATE

Like Nikon, Canon beat others to the punch and got its big announcement in pre-Photokina 2018. Unveiling the EOS R at one of the most unique launch events we’ve been to, the Canon EOS R promises to be the guts of a 5D Mark IV in a smaller body.

03 Ricoh GR-E or GR III

Ricoh is the brand that people continually underestimate. Many have wondered about its longevity, and yet it keeps ticking along. In the past 18 months it’s quietly released one of the best consumer 360 cameras on the market in the Theta V, while the Pentax brand recently updated the much-lauded K-1.

One of Ricoh’s most beloved cameras, though, is its GR range, and back in April everyone’s interest was piqued when someone from Ricoh’s product planning department said in an interview that the company was already developing the next GR camera.

This coincided with fresh rumours that a full-frame Ricoh GR-E was in the works, while Ricoh itself updated its GR Facebook page to hint at a GR III in time for Photokina 2018.

As improbable as it sounds, this is one of the safer bets on our list, in our opinion, and we can’t wait to see what’s in store.

UPDATE

Ricoh’s new GR was probably the second worst kept secret after the Nikon full-frame cameras. So we can’t congratulate ourselves too much on this one. Nevertheless, we’re quite excited to test the new Ricoh GRIII.

YI set to launch 4K Pixie drone

04 YI Pixie drone

Chalk this one up as another given. Back in April a leaked manual for a YI Pixie drone was found online, which listed its specs and set-up instructions. If it was a fake, it was a damn good one!

According to the manual the YI Pixie will record 4K video, as well as 1080p and 720p. Its camera will also offer a manual mode with ISO and White Balance settings.

No release date was listed in the manual, but Photokina 2018 sounds like as good a time as any!

UPDATE

As it happens, YI Technology isn’t at Photokina 2018 so this may be our first miss. We still think it will happen before the end of this year, though.

05 GoPro Hero7 Black

We’re unabashed GoPro fans here at Camera Jabber. The Hero Black action cameras are fantastic devices that will not only capture your adventures but are also quality options for your everyday photography.

Given the company’s recent struggles, some have wondered whether a GoPro Hero7 Black will happen. Given the company’s launch of the entry-level Hero camera earlier this year and a strict marketing plan aimed at shifting stock of its Hero5 and Hero6 cameras, we think a Hero7 Black is not only inevitable but that GoPro will be going big.

We’ve gone into detail about what we believe the GoPro Hero7 specs will be, and if only several of these come to fruition it will still make the Hero7 the dominant action camera to beat by quite a wide margin.

UPDATE

GoPro announced not one, but three new Hero7 cameras – the Black, Silver and White – just days before Photokina 2018. First impressions were this was a light refresh of the Hero6, but having watched some of the footage displaying its new stabilisation, we’re very excited to test this new action camera.

Sony camera rumours 2016

06 Sony A7S III

Over the past year Sony has methodically set about updating its highly regarded Alpha 7 range of cameras, introducing the A7R III last year, and then the A7 III to start off 2018. That just leaves the A7S II as the last Alpha 7 camera to be updated, and it seems a no-brainer that Sony would roll this out in time for the biggest photo trade show in Europe.

What’s more, Amazon quietly began selling pre-orders for a Sony A7S III manual on its German website a few months ago, with a release date for the end of July.

When, not if, the Sony A7S III comes we expect it will be capable of shooting Cinema 4K (4096 x 2160), if not 6K video. We also wouldn’t be surprised if Sony incorporates its stacked CMOS sensor technology, making this a formidable camera for videographers that can rival the Panasonic GH5.

We’ve gone into more detail here about what we think the Sony A7S III specs will be.

UPDATE

Nothing, as yet. But we want this to happen so so much.

07 Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III

Like Sony’s Alpha 7 range, Olympus has updated all of its OM-D cameras in the past couple years, beginning with the OM-D E-M1 II at Photokina 2016. Since then we’ve seen the OM-D E-M10 III, leaving just the OM-D E-M5 II as the sole camera in need of an update.

With the OM-D E-M5 Mark III we expect Olympus to take the camera more in the direction of videography. To start, we think we’ll see 4K video recording at 30fps and 1080p at 120fps. We also wouldn’t be surprised to see dual SD card slots, a built-in ND filter and log gamma curves for flat recording. We run down the other OM-D E-M5 III specs we’re likely to see here.

Will an Olympus OM-D E-M5 III be announced in time for Photokina 2018? The camera will definitely happen at some point, but Olympus has played this one very coy. We’ve seen no rumours or patents or misstatements in interviews to suggest it’s imminent. But with all the other manufacturers due for big launches at the show, it seems likely that Olympus will want to stay in the headlines as well.

UPDATE

Tumbleweeds so far. But Photokina 2018 isn’t over yet. Watch this space.

08 DJI Phantom 5

The DJI Phantom 5 with an on-board interchangeable lens camera was one of the internet’s hottest rumours a few months ago until DJI debunked the story entirely. The photos that went viral on Twitter were nothing but a Phantom 4 that was modified for an enterprise client ‘to serve specific application needs.’ Whatever that means.

This threw the Phantom 5 discussions into cold water. But we wouldn’t be surprised to see DJI make an announcement at Photokina 2018. The company is very clever with its marketing. And if Photokina 2018 is an opera of new groundbreaking technology, you can bet there will be a Phantom.

UPDATE

With the recent launch of the Mavic Pro 2, a Phantom 5 update probably isn’t likely so soon after. So this was another swing and a miss. But this will happen at some point.

09 Fujifilm GFX 50S II and 100S

Fujifilm stunned the photographic press at Photokina 2016 in bypassing full-frame altogether and launching the mirrorless medium format GFX 50S. The press was astonished, the reviews were glowing and the images have a natural richness of quality that can hold your attention.

In the near two years since the GFX line was launched, Fujifilm has rapidly beefed up its range of lenses and made no secret of its ambitions to grow the camera line further.

We reckon lightning can strike twice in the same place, so don’t be surprised to see Fujifilm launch not one, but two new medium format cameras – the GFX 50S II and 100S – at Photokina 2018. This might not be the surest bet on this list, but we’d be willing to put some money behind it. If we were betting people.

UPDATE

Apart from the S in the naming convention, we’ll call this bang on correct! Fujifilm’s new GFX 50R looks incredible with its lighter and smaller body design. But we’re very intrigued by the development announcement of the new rangefinder-style 102-megapixel GFX100.

Photokina 2016: 04 Panasonic GH5

10 Full-frame Panasonic camera

This is the wild card. This is the English World Cup squad. This is candidate Trump. Is a full-frame Panasonic camera going to happen at Photokina 2018? Prrrobably not. But we’d be super excited if it did!

And let’s not forget that Photokina 2018 will mark the 10th anniversary of Panasonic launching the Lumix G1, the World’s first mirrorless system camera. This year is also Panasonic’s 100th birthday so there are two reasons to celebrate and perhaps we’ll see something special announced.

The Panasonic GH5 is a much-loved camera for video, but the one knock against it has been its low-light capability. And this really comes down to its Micro Four Thirds sensor.

With its Lumix G series, Panasonic seems to be shifting to a priority on premium models and moving away from the budget, entry-level focus of years past. Wouldn’t a full-frame option give those Lumix G users another place to go within the Panasonic range?

Launching a full-frame camera with serious video chops and solid low-light stills capability would capture the attention of many professionals and catapult the company to the big time. And is it really so far-fetched when Panasonic has already been said to be creating a full-frame camera for Leica?

We’d put a little money on this one, but not too much. I mean, Trump could never win, could he?!

UPDATE

POOM! In hindsight, we wish we’d put money on this one! Nevertheless, Panasonic’s new S1 and S1R look like they could be the big game-changers that have been needed to come shake up the competition in the growing full-frame market. And with Leica and Sigma behind it, Panasonic could soon be a force to be reckoned with.