Apple turns 50 and Nikon parts with robots – the photo news of week

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Anyone who picked up their camera this week might have done so with a device that would never have existed without Apple. The Cupertino company is celebrating its 50th birthday – and even though Apple is strictly speaking not a camera company, hardly any other company has changed the way we photograph so lastingly. Reason enough to take a look back – and at what else has happened in the world of photography.

50 Years of Apple: From Macintosh to Camera Killer

It must be said clearly: Apple has co-written at least every chapter of digital photography. With the Macintosh II and Photoshop, the darkroom moved to the (digital) desk from 1987 onwards. The QuickTake from 1994 – eight pictures in 640 × 480, imagine that today – made the idea of a filmless camera mainstream, even if the image quality was more reminiscent of Impressionism than photorealism. And then, in 2007, came the iPhone.

As is well known, Steve Jobs presented three devices at the time that were in fact one. He didn't even mention the camera – and yet the iPhone quickly became the most used camera in the world. Not because it was the best, but because it was always with you. "The best camera is the one you have with you" – this famous saying, often attributed to Chase Jarvis, only became truly true with the smartphone.

What came after is well known: The App Store made smartphone photography explode in 2008, iCloud freed images from the individual device in 2011, and Live Photos blurred the line between photo and video in 2015. And today, computational photography, night mode, and ProRAW ensure that even amateurs can take pictures that used to require a bag full of equipment. Will Apple make the last system camera superfluous in the next 50 years too? In any case, camera manufacturers are working hard to prevent that.

OM Digital Solutions: The CEO Takes Over

Speaking of camera manufacturers fighting for survival, at OM Digital Solutions, the company behind OM System cameras (formerly Olympus), something remarkable has happened. CEO Shigemi Sugimoto, a former Olympus manager, has acquired the majority stake in the company, thus gaining full management control. The press release states that this is intended to enable "more agile and flexible decision-making".

Corporate law is rarely the stuff of photographers' dreams. But here it gets exciting: Sugimoto is taking a highly unusual personal risk in Japanese corporate culture. You don't buy into a company if you believe it's about to go under. On the contrary – at CP+ 2026, OM System representatives were unusually talkative, hinted at a new PEN camera, and appeared surprisingly optimistic overall.

In fact, OM System has been anything but idle lately: In 2025, the OM-3 and OM-5 II were launched, along with four new lenses, including the completely newly developed M.Zuiko 50-200mm f/2.8 IS Pro. At the beginning of 2026, the OM-3 Astro, specialized in astrophotography, followed. What exactly happened to the stake of previous investor Japan Industrial Partners (JIP) remains somewhat nebulous. Nevertheless, for fans of the Micro Four Thirds system, the news should be a good sign: those who personally put money on the table usually have a plan.

Nikon Sells Its Robot Subsidiary MRMC

While someone is investing at OM System, Nikon is exiting elsewhere. The company has announced (PDF) that it is selling its British subsidiary Mark Roberts Motion Control (MRMC) to the investment firm Blandford Capital. MRMC, acquired by Nikon in 2016, specializes in robot-controlled camera systems – those impressive remote-controlled cameras seen at football World Cups or in baseball stadiums, where a Nikon Z9 with a 100-400mm lens is panned by a robotic arm.

Nikon justifies the sale with a "review of the business portfolio" – a phrase that radiates about as much warmth in press releases as lightning in daylight. Apparently, Nikon wants to focus more on its core business, which since the acquisition of Red last year also includes professional cinema cameras. The fact that it is simultaneously divesting its robotics division, which would have fit perfectly with the Red cameras, especially in the broadcast and live sports sectors, seems surprising at first glance. Perhaps the synergy between British robotics and Japanese camera technology was not as great in practice as hoped. In any case, MRMC will likely continue to pan its robot arms under the new owner – just without the golden Nikon ring.

A Declaration of Love to the Old Box

In a week full of company news and anniversaries, it's good to pause and think about what photography is all about at its core: going out with a camera and taking pictures. On Fstoppers, a photographer published a touching tribute to his Canon EOS 6D – a camera that has been on the market since 2012 and is apparently still working for him. Despite peeling rubber, a missing mode dial cover, and an estimated six-figure shutter count.

The 6D was never the fastest, never the one with the best autofocus, and its continuous shooting rate made sports photographers yawn even back then. But it did its job – in sand, snow, rain, and after various drops. The author compares it to the first car one ever owned: you remember every trip, even if the paint is long gone.

In times when new camera models seem to be introduced monthly and the specification sheets keep getting longer, this is a welcome reminder: The best camera is not only the one you have with you – but also the one you really know. And occasionally, a glorified paperweight is also priceless.

Recommendation for the Weekend

If, after all the company news, you're desiring something visual: On the occasion of Apple's anniversary, it's worth taking another look at Steve Jobs' 2007 iPhone keynote – it's freely available on YouTube. Not only because of the historic moment, but also because it's a great way to observe how a single device shook up an entire industry. And because the camera of the first iPhone, with its two megapixels and no autofocus, should make every smartphone photographer feel deeply grateful today.

(tho)