Canon Q2/2017 financial results: “mirrorless camera grew more than 70% compared to the same period last year”

 
Canon published their financial results for the second quarter of 2017 and they have some good results to show thanks to their latest EOS M6 mirrorless camera:

Within the Imaging System Business Unit, although sales volume of interchangeable-lens digital cameras declined compared with the previous year, owing to the shrinking market, unit sales of compact-system cameras, including the newly launched EOS M6, increased from the same period of previous year, allowing Canon to maintain the top share in major countries in Europe, the U.S. and Japan. As for digital compact cameras, while sales volume declined amid the shrinking market, sales of high-value-added models enjoyed solid demand, supported by healthy demand for the newly launched G9 X Mark II, part of the high-image-quality PowerShot G-series lineup.

For interchangeable-lens digital cameras, although demand continues to decrease primarily in developed countries, the pace of decline is gradually decelerating. Projections for digital compact cameras, despite solid demand for high-value-added models, indicate continued market contraction, centered mainly on low-priced models.

In this quarter as well, sales remained strong, particularly for mirrorless cameras. Within this trend, we grew sales of the EOS M6, a new mirrorless camera that has been highly rated not only for its high image quality, but also for its compact and lightweight form factor. This camera was designed to capture demand from people who, for example, are considering a step up to a camera with more features and better performance. Including this factor, first half unit sales of mirrorless camera grew more than 70% compared to the same period last year, leading to overall sales growth for interchangeable-lens cameras.

Additional information:

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What else is new?

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This week’s recap from the rumors and addicts blogs:

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First Nikon D850 pictures leaked online

NikonRumors just published the first two leaked pictures of the Nikon D850 DSLR camera:

Here are the rumored Nikon D850 specifications:

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New: Rode VideoMic Pro Plus on-camera shotgun microphone


Rode announced the pricing ($299) and expected shipping (mid-August) of their new VideoMic Pro Plus on-camera shotgun microphone (available for pre-order at B&H):

Press release:

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New discounts/coupon codes for Rocky Nook camera guides, Macphun Luminar and Nikon gear at KEH


Rocky Nook is offering 45% off their camera guides with coupon code CONQUER45 (this offer will end at 11:59pm PST on July 30th).


Macphun Luminar 72 hours flash sale ($20 off) – the lowest price so far (valid only Tuesday, July 25th – Thursday, July 27th):

  • $49 instead of $69 – for all the new users
  • $39 instead of $59 – for current Macphun users

Also: try for free the new Macphun Luminar for Windows (beta version).


Nikon sale at KEH: you can get 5% off cameras, 10% off lenses and 15% off accessories with code RUMORS-N07 or NIK07E at checkout (this offer is valid only for the next 24 hours).

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Additional information on the Irix ILA-FE2EF adapter for Sony E-mount


In September last year I reported about Irix coming up with a new Irix 45mm f/1.4 lens, Irix ILA-FE2EF adapter for Sony E-mount (for using Nikon and Canon lenses on E-mount cameras) and Irix filters (already announced). Here are some additional pictures and information on the Irix ILA-FE2EF adapter for Sony E-mount:

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There will not be a new 7artisans 50mm f/1.0 mirrorless lens



Last month I reported about a not yet announced 7Artisans / DJ-Optical 50mm f/1.0 mirrorless lens that appeared in one of the promo pictures (see this and this post).

I contacted the manufacturer directly and they confirmed that they do not have any plans to release such lens. They will be however releasing a new 7Artisans 35mm f/2 rangefinder coupled lens for Leica M-mount – see this post for some pictures of the new lens.

7Artisans lenses can be purchased at: Amazon USAmazon UKAmazon DEeBay US and eBay UK.

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What else is new?

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This week’s recap from the rumors and addicts blogs:

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Posted in Fuji, Leica, Nikon, Sony| Tagged | 2 Comments

Sony has a patent for an astronomical camera with a curved medium format sensor


Sony and several other companies (including Nikon) have already filed multiple patents for curved sensors or for lenses designed for curved sensors. Back in June Sony filed a patent (2017-102189 ) for an astronomical camera with a curved medium format sensor.

The first fully functional prototype of a 20MP full frame curved sensor by CEA-LETI was recently awarded prizes by the European Astronomical Society (EAS):

After ten years of effort to convince the astronomical community about the benefits offered by curved focal planes, the activity is now ongoing around the world, with academic developments at ESO, Stanford, MIT, but also at the industrial level with recent realizations from Sony and Microsoft.”

It is clear that curved sensors are mainly going to be first used for astronomy and it will be a while before (if ever) you see them in your local camera store.

Curved sensors have several advantages and benefits including requiring smaller/faster/simpler lenses and overall better corner to corner IQ (curved sensors provide correction of field curvature):

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Voigtlander APO-Macro Lanthar 65mm f/2 Aspherical E-mount lens officially released, US priced revealed (*UPDATED*)


voiglander-65mm-f2-macro-apo-lanthar-lens-for-sony-e-mount
voiglander-65mm-f2-macro-apo-lanthar-lens-design
Update: the US price of the lens is $1,059 and is now available for pre-order at B&H and Adorama.

Back in February at the 2017 CP+ show, Cosina announced the development of three new full frame Voigtlander lenses for Sony E-mount. The new lenses will have:

  • EXIF transmission to camera body
  • Support for five-axis image stabilization
  • Manual focus
  • 1/3 step aperture selection

One of the lenses, the Voigtlander APO-MACRO LANTHAR 65mm f/2 Aspherical E-mount lens is now officially released – shipping will start on August 10th in Japan.

The European price is 999 Euros. The US price is not officially released yet (check here for updates).

Some sample photos from the lens can be found here, here and here. The technical specifications of the lens:

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