The blowout release of new cameras, the camera market ushered in a turning point?

Ray Technology

2024-05-14 22:51Posted in Guangdong science and technology creators

May can be said to be the month with the largest number of new product launches since 2024, in addition to the mobile phones that readers are most familiar with, the camera market for professional fields has also ushered in a large number of "new members". According to the leaks summarized on the Internet, it is currently certain that Nikon Z6iii, Panasonic S9 and Canon R5ii will be officially released this month, which means that we can see the launch of three new cameras in the next half a month.

OK Without further ado, let's go straight to the text.

 Nikon Z6iii: After four years of waiting, it's finally here

The Nikon Z6 series is Nikon's very cost-effective and very suitable product line for novices, but in recent years, Nikon has focused on high-end professional fields and lower-priced affordable markets, resulting in Nikon being blank in the mid-range camera market for a long time.

This also makes many Nikon users look forward to the update of the Z6 series, fortunately, some industry insiders revealed that Nikon Z6iii will be officially released before June, but the price may rise significantly compared to Z6ii, which also implies that Nikon Z6iii will usher in a wave of big upgrades in configuration, and some people even say that it is a small "Z8".

(Image source: Twitter)

So, what are the attractive configurations of the Nikon Little Z8?

First of all, the Nikon Z6iii will be equipped with a new 24.5 million pixel sensor, which at first glance looks the same as the Z6ii, but with the new process and the EXPEED 7 processor, it can bring higher latitude and image quality.

(Image source: Nikon JD.com's self-operated official flagship store)

Secondly, in terms of focusing system, the Z6iii is likely to be equipped with the same new focusing system as the Z8, and since the Z6iii has only 24.5 million pixels, the focusing speed will be faster than the Nikon Z8, which has 45.71 million pixels. This has already been confirmed with the Nikon ZF, which was launched by Nikon last year.

However, the biggest upgrade point of the Z6iii is not the camera, but the video. According to the disclosure,Z6iiisupport6K resolution full-size12-bit N-RAW recording and 240 frames1080p video shooting,You know6KThe uncompressed video specifications generally only appear on some positioning professional video players and top flagship cameras,This also means that Z6iii may be Nikon's first camera that focuses on video direction,The follow-up Z6 series should also be positioned by Nikon as the main video series。

In fact, this is not difficult to understand,Today's cameras are not like before, as long as you do a good job of taking a static photo,The performance of video performance is also particularly important,Sony can dominate the camera market just by virtue of the advantage of recording good video,Canon next door is also vigorously developing its own video business。 Nikon, as one of the three royal companies, naturally can't sit still, and it makes sense to divide the Z6 series into a product line that focuses on video direction.

(Image source: Nikon JD.com's self-operated official flagship store)

As for the final price, Xiaolei personally guesses that its price in China is about 16000 yuan, which is about 2800 yuan higher than the previous generation, but if the above announced configuration is true, then the price increase of 2800 yuan is still acceptable.

佳能R5ii：顶级旗舰，终于来袭

Canon, one of the top three, has a similar experience to Nikon, except that in the past few years, Canon has focused on the mid-range and entry-level camera market, and does not seem to have much interest in the high-end camera market. When Sony came up with the α1, α9, and α7m5, and Nikon took out the top flagships such as the Z9 and Z8, Canon seemed to be deaf to what was going on outside the window and still used the R5 released four years ago to fight against it.

(Image source: Canon official)

Although the Canon R5 is still a very powerful top-of-the-line mirrorless camera at the moment, it is a product of four years ago, and it is far inferior to Nikon Sony in terms of focus and system. However, fortunately, the Canon R5ii has been confirmed to be officially released at the end of May, and its price is predicted to be around 30,000 yuan.

In terms of configuration, the Canon R5ii will be equipped with a 45-megapixel stacked sensor, which can bring faster continuous shooting, faster image processing, and better low-light shooting capabilities compared to mainstream back-illuminated sensors, and will also have more significant advantages in dynamic range and color reproduction.

The focusing system is also one of the key upgrades of the R5ii, with the ultra-high-speed data reading capabilities of the stacked sensor and the AI dual-pixel autofocus technology brought by the dual DIGIC X-series image processors, the R5ii will be able to achieve a true professional level in eye focus and focusing on various objects.

(Image source: Canon official)

Of course, as Canon's highest-positioned series, the R5ii will naturally have an epic upgrade in terms of video, and it is reported that it supports 8K60p/4K120p ultra-high-spec video recording. But I wonder if this generation of R5ii can do a better job in heat dissipation? After all, the R5 generation has had a lot of "jokes" because of frequent excitement.

In addition, the Canon R5ii also supports a 400-million-pixel shaker mode, 8 levels of stabilization, 60 high-speed continuous shooting frames per second, and more physical buttons on the body.

(Image source: Canon official)

There is no need to worry about the performance of the R5ii, although Canon has no achievements in the high-end market in the past two years, the precipitation in the mid-range and entry-level markets has given them enough experience, so that they can better understand what kind of camera the market needs, not to mention Canon's own R&D strength should not be underestimated, and the advent of the R5ii will inevitably make Sony and Nikon "shocked".

Panasonic S9: I want to take a bite of the cake of the high-value camera

Unlike the previous two, Panasonic's upcoming Lumix S9 is positioned as a portable full-frame camera, and the word "portable" determines that it is far inferior to the likes of the Z6iii and R5ii. However, the advantages of portable cameras are also obvious, the small size can greatly improve the probability of users taking out the door, and it can also be more refined in terms of appearance design, and it will not be as "big and three thick" as the flagship model.

(Image source: Twitter)

It is reported that the Lumix S9 has canceled the EVF electronic viewfinder on the top of the camera, which can greatly reduce the volume of the fuselage, and even some industry insiders revealed that its volume is smaller than that of Fujifilm X100VI, which may be one of the smallest full-frame cameras on the market at present.

(Image source: Twitter)

In terms of configuration, the Panasonic Lumix S9 is equipped with the same 24 million pixel sensor as the S5M2, and thanks to the new focusing system and new processor, Panasonic's difficulty in focusing has become a thing of the past. In addition, the Lumix S9 will also be equipped with a self-adjustable LUT knob, which allows users to set the relevant parameters in the early stage and save them, and only need to rotate the knob to quickly switch the LUT parameters when shooting, which is a proper gospel for users who like to shoot volg.

In terms of price, the external network revealed that its price is cheaper than PanasonicS5M2300US dollars (equivalent to 2170 yuan), combined with PanasonicS5M2The official price is 10998 yuan, then the price of Lumix S9 is likely to be around 8000-8500 yuan. Not to mention the price in the full-frame camera market, even if you put it in the half-frame market, it can kill all sides.

(Image source: Panasonic official)

However, Panasonic's current shortcomings are also obvious, compared to Misanjia and Fuji, Panasonic's camera lens group lineup is much weaker, which is also one of the important factors that many users have been reluctant to choose Panasonic camera. After all, a camera brand that doesn't even have a perfect lens group can expect it to bring many good lenses in the future?

Is the professional camera market up or down?

Perhaps the vast majority of readers did not expect that the popularity of expensive professional cameras in the past two years has far exceeded the imagination of the market. According to data from Japan's International Camera and Imaging Products Association (CIPA), the total global digital camera shipments in 2023 will be 7.72 million units, a year-on-year decrease of 3.6%, but the total shipment amount is equivalent to about 35 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 4.9%, achieving positive growth for three consecutive years. At the same time, the global digital camera industry shipped 1.565 million units to China, a year-on-year increase of 24.7%, and the total sales amount was equivalent to about 9 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 24.6%.

However, it is worth mentioning that the average unit price of the camera market is rising, which is of course related to the price increase strategy adopted by manufacturers to offset the decline in shipments. To put it simply, camera manufacturers are launching as many high-end and mid-range cameras as possible in order to maintain their profits, and the frequency of updates for entry-level cameras has dropped significantly compared to the previous two years. But don't forget, the pricing of cameras is not affordable in the first place, and the vast majority of consumers are reluctant to pay more than 10,000 or tens of thousands of dollars to buy a professional camera.

(Image source: JD.com)

The camera market is getting more and more high-end, and there is less and less attention to the consumer's spending level, which is not a good thing. If the camera market is still centered on high-end and mid-range cameras in 2024, then it is not surprising that many consumers may choose "high-quality and inexpensive" second-hand cameras, and the camera market shipments will also usher in a wave of decline.

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