The Biggest Camera News from the World’s Biggest Photography Show (So Far)

Year in and year out, the photo industry’s biggest trade show is Photokina. It annually takes place in Cologne, Germany, and it’s basically like CES but just focused solely on photography. Pretty much all the big camera companies have presences there, and this year’s show – running from September 26 to 29 – is no different. Since it’s taking place in Europe, you can be forgiven if you’re in the States and a little behind the news cycle. Here’s a quick primer to get you caught up to speed.

Ricoh GR III

Ricoh officially announced that it was developing the next-generation of its GRII camera, which many photographers have had a soft spot for for years. The new and upcoming Ricoh GRIII APS-C camera will have a 24-megapixel image sensor, which is a significantly higher resolution than the GII’s 16-megapixel image sensor. The overall design of the GRIII won’t look that much different than its predecessor, but it’ll have a three-inch LCD touchscreen and feature a USB-C port for faster video output.

Panasonic’s First Full-Frame Mirrorless Cameras, the Lumix S1 and S1R

Panasonic announced its first full-frame mirrorless cameras – the 47-megapixel Lumix S1 and 24-megapixel S1R – to rival Nikon’s Z6/Z7, Canon’s EOS R and, of course, Sony’s a7III and a7RIII. The Panasonic Lumix S1 and S1R will be unique, howeverm because they’ll use Leica’s full-frame-L mount SL system. Essentially, they’ll be able to utilize Leica’s pretty robust offerings of SL lenses and adapters that are already available. As for the actual cameras, the Lumix S1 is the high-end option while the S1R is the less pricey alternative. And aside from having the same lens mounting system, the two cameras share a lot of other features, including built-in image stabilization, high-resolution electronic viewfinder and a three-axis tilt LCD screen. Both cameras will be perfectly adept at video, too, able to film 4K at 60fps, 10-bit 4:2:2 video. The Lumix S1 with its larger, high-resolution sensor will be a more enticing – and expensive – option for serious photography. The cameras are expected to be released “sometime in 2019.”

Kodak Ektachrome is Now Shipping

Back in 2017, Kodak announced it was going to bring back its Ektachrome color reversal film back – and over a year later, it’s finally happening. Kodak revealed this week that its Ektachrome will start shipping distributors soon. For analog photographers, the Ektachrome Film E100 (initially in 135/36x) will be available almost immediately, while Ektachrome 7294 for Super 8 movie film will be available in October. Kodak also stated that film for its “Ektachrome products in the 16mm format will follow later this year.”

Sigma Announces Five New Lenses

Sigma already announced five new lenses at Photokina. There most significant is probably the Sigma 60-600mm f/4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM, which is a behemoth for sports photographers; it’s actually the world’s first 10x optical telephoto zoom lens with a tele end of 600mm. Then there’s its large-aperture telephoto zoom lens, the Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 DG OS HSM, that’s designed for sports photography. There are two art lenses: the Sigma 28mm f/1.4 DG HSM, which is a wide-angle prime lens, and the Sigma 40mm f/1.4 DG HSM, which is a low-light lens with maximum aperture. And finally there’s its portrait lens, the Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN, that specializes in bokeh and taking super sharp photos.

Fujifilm GFX 50R

The Fujifilm GFX 50R is a rangefinder-style, medium format mirrorless camera with a 50-megapixel image senor. It’s pretty exciting camera as it essentially takes what is best from the GFX 50S and packs it into smaller (albeit, no much) and more affordable camera – after some first impressions, The Verge‘s Vlad Savov called it the “biggest and baddest street camera yet.”

Leica S3, Its New 64MP Medium-Format DSLR

Leica has unveiled the successor to its S2 medium-format DSLR – the new S3. It has a huge 64-megapixel sensor, compared to the S2’s 37-megapixel senor, and will ultize Leica’s S lens system. Additionally, the new S3 will feature 3fps burst shooting and it’ll be able to shoot 4K video.

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