Canon hesitates and APS-C aims high – the photo news of week 12/26

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One sometimes has to rub one's eyes: The compact camera market is booming, sales in Japan more than doubled in 2025, and of all companies, Canon – a company that once enthralled millions with its PowerShot series – has largely watched the proceedings from the sidelines so far. Instead of a truly new compact, there was recently a barely changed PowerShot and, for the 30th birthday of the PowerShot brand, a limited anniversary edition of the G7 X Mark III – in other words, the prettier version of a camera from 2019. That's roughly like a bakery baking the same cake again for its company anniversary, just with differently colored icing.

We see the boom – but slowly

At least: At CP+, Canon let it be known that they have indeed registered the growing demand. Manabu Kato, Executive Officer at Canon's Imaging division, phrases it diplomatically: The market for fixed-focal-length cameras is “significantly livelier,” primarily thanks to the video boom and young buyers who appreciate the value of a real camera over a smartphone. Canon distinguishes between young users who enjoy owning a camera and those for whom it is primarily about using it – an insight that is intended to flow into product development.

The PowerShot V1, Canon's vlogging-oriented compact from 2025, shows where the journey could go, but it is clearly tailored to video creators. A truly photo-oriented successor to the G7 X Mark III? “We are currently considering which successor models will come,” says Kato. He doesn't get more specific. Competitors like Sigma with the BF or Fujifilm with the “X half” show that the market is currently rewarding those who are brave. Canon has the engineering prowess and brand appeal – now all that's missing is the courage to use them.

Fun as a business model

Speaking of courage: Fujifilm seems to have an inexhaustible supply of it right now. Whether it's the X half – a premium “toy camera” that hardly any other manufacturer would have brought to market like this – the Instax Mini Evo Cinema, which actually captures videos in instant photo format, or the GFX100RF as a medium-format compact: Fujifilm is currently delivering a fireworks display of products that is second to none in the industry.

Yuji Igarashi, General Manager of the Professional Imaging Group at Fujifilm, emphasized at CP+ 2026 that behind the apparent experimental spirit lies hard market research. “We don't have the luxury of just experimenting,” says Igarashi. But – and this is the crucial difference from many other manufacturers – Fujifilm dares to listen to its own data, even if the results suggest unconventional products.

The word that came up repeatedly in the conversation: "Fun,” meaning enjoyment. For Fujifilm, this is not a marketing buzzword, but a declared corporate mission. “What we want to achieve as a company is to ensure that photography culture is preserved for the foreseeable future,” says Igarashi. “If we don't continue to offer something exciting, something fun, people will no longer be interested in photography. That would be a nightmare for us.”

Imagine a Canon or Sony manager using the word “fun” multiple times in an interview. With Fujifilm, it doesn't sound like a PR strategy, but like honest conviction. And the sales figures prove the company right: Some Fujifilm cameras have been chronically sold out for months.

Does anyone still need full-frame?

No fewer than two articles this week independently asked whether full-frame cameras are still necessary for most photographers – and came to a surprisingly clear conclusion: probably not.

Mark Wiemels calculates in detail at Fstoppers what many have already suspected: A Sony a6700 (APS-C) saves around 210 euros compared to the a7C II, and even 1,760 euros compared to the a7R V. And the savings multiply with lenses: A Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 for APS-C costs around 510 euros, its full-frame counterpart just under 1,350 euros. Calculated on a fixed budget, this often means the difference between just a kit lens and a kit lens plus a good prime lens.

But it's not just about money. APS-C systems are around 40 percent lighter, and – according to Wiemels' pragmatic argument – the lighter camera is the one you actually take with you. Physically, smaller sensors also benefit from better image stabilization, less rolling shutter, and cooler operating temperatures during long video recordings. And the former trump card of full-frame, better noise performance at high ISO values? AI-based noise reduction tools have largely neutralized that. Anyone who then screws on an f/1.2 lens like the Viltrox 27mm f/1.2 or 75mm f/1.2 onto the APS-C body will hardly see any difference to full-frame in practice.

At Amateur Photographer, Gavin Stoker argues similarly, but also points to Fujifilm's 40.2-megapixel X-Trans CMOS 5 HR sensor, which is found in cameras like the X-H2 and X-T5 and delivers image quality that meets professional demands. And for those who actually need more sensor area, Fujifilm's GFX series offers medium format at prices that used to be charged for high-end full-frame.

Of course, there's a catch, as a commenter on Fstoppers aptly puts it: “A camera is only as useful as the lenses available for it.” The selection of APS-C lenses still lags behind the full-frame offering, even for dedicated systems like Fujifilm's X. Mounting full-frame glass on APS-C quickly negates the cost and size advantages. But the trend is clear: the gap is closing, and faster than many expected.

What it all means

This week's news essentially tells a coherent story: The photography industry is reorganizing. Canon, once the market leader in compact cameras, is still finding its place in the new market. Fujifilm has found its – with a mix of data analysis and the courage to build cameras that should primarily do one thing: bring joy. And the debate about sensor sizes is shifting: The question is no longer “full-frame or nothing,” but “What do I really need?”

For photographers, this is good news. Because whether you belong to the “joy of owning” or the “joy of using” faction – the selection has rarely been better. You just have to dare not always reach for the biggest and most expensive. Sometimes the best camera is the one you actually put in your pocket and take with you. And sometimes it's even the one that's the most fun.

(tho)