Believe It or Not
We're almost three months into 2026, and the camera industry has only released ONE new camera. As someone who's been shooting for twenty years, I've never seen anything like this.
Amateur Photographer put it pretty bluntly — they've been in the business for 25 years and have never seen such a quiet start to the year. Canon dropped a compact camera at the beginning of the year, and then... nothing. Sony, Nikon, and Fujifilm have all gone quiet, like they coordinated it.
Read more: Camera Rumors 2026
Canon: Hang On, They're Still Here
But Canon did give us something at CP+ 2025. Executive Manabu Kato was clear: "APS-C is very important to us and we will continue to invest in it." If that's true, the R7 Mark II should definitely be coming. The R7 was released in June 2022, and based on Canon's typical 3-4 year refresh cycle, we'd likely see the R7 Mark II in the second half of 2026. For wildlife and sports shooters, that 1.6x crop advantage is still pretty appealing.
What's Going On With the Industry?
Fstoppers had an interesting analysis — they said the camera industry is at a crossroads in 2026. On one hand, cameras we've been waiting for are finally coming. On the other hand, some cameras we've been hoping for might never appear. The Nikon Z9 II and Sony A7 V are on the "might release" list, but nobody knows when.
My Take
If you have a working camera right now, my advice is: don't chase, seriously don't chase. Camera performance has been overkill for years now. An A7 IV or R6 III will still be perfectly fine five years from now. Instead of waiting for uncertain new releases, go out and shoot more. Technique matters more than gear — I keep saying it but it's true.
Of course, if you're looking to upgrade, keep an eye on the second half of 2026. After new releases, the previous generation usually drops in price — that's actually a better time to buy.
That's it for now. I'll report back when there's more news.