Canon just released the PowerShot V1 on Asian markets. There is yet no plan to launch this model in NorthAmerica and Europe. As we all know fixed lens compact cameras are selling hot in Asia and less so in western countries.

This is the google translated text from the original Japanese press release:

Canon will launch the PowerShot V1 compact digital camera in late April 2025, which enables users to easily take full-fledged video and still images.

The PowerShot V1 is the second compact digital camera in the PowerShot V series that allows users to enjoy full-scale video recording, following the PowerShot V10 Vlog camera (launched in June 2023). The camera is equipped with a 1.4-inch CMOS sensor, which has approximately twice the area of the 1.0-inch sensor used in regular compact digital cameras, to achieve high image quality and high sensitivity.The camera covers a zoom range equivalent to a focal length of approximately 16 mm to 50 mm*1 in the 35 mm format, and can be used for selfies with multiple people, It can be used for a wide range of scenes, including selfies with multiple people, snapshots and vlogs. It also combines the features demanded by creators, such as high-performance AF and a variety of shooting modes, with a compact body, making it possible to take full-fledged video and still images in an easy-to-use manner. Canon will continue to expand the range of models that offer both full-fledged video and still-image shooting to meet the needs of a diverse range of users.

Main features
A camera with an integrated lens that combines full-fledged shooting performance with a compact body
The combination of a 1.4-inch CMOS sensor with an effective pixel count of up to approximately 22.3 megapixels*2 and the DIGIC X imaging engine – the first compact digital camera from Canon – achieves a maximum normal ISO sensitivity of 32 000 (when shooting still images). In addition, Canon’s unique Dual Pixel CMOS AF II for PowerShot*3 AF system delivers high-speed, high-precision AF. Furthermore, the Pupil Detection*4 function enables the camera to detect the pupils of animals, whose movements are difficult to predict, in addition to people, making it easy to focus on the subject during shooting. The camera’s full-fledged photographic performance is condensed into a compact body, making it easy to take along and enjoy shooting, even when travelling.

Video recording functions that enable a high degree of freedom in video expression, such as the inclusion of a cooling fan.
The camera is equipped with an internal cooling fan to efficiently dissipate heat and reduce the impact of rising temperatures on the shooting time during video recording. In addition to 4K crop/60P video recording, the camera is compatible with Canon Log 3, which enables shooting with rich 10-bit gradations and excellent colour reproduction. Furthermore, shooting modes such as ‘Review Video’, which is suitable for product reviews, and ‘Image Stabilisation Video’*5, which is effective for hand-held shooting, enable comfortable video recording.

High-speed continuous shooting at up to approx. 30 frames/second to keep the subject in focus and still-image shooting functions for a variety of expressions.
With the electronic shutter speed of up to approx. 30 frames/second, the camera is capable of continuous shooting at a maximum speed of approx. 30 frames/second, allowing you to capture fast-moving subjects. The camera is also equipped with a number of functions to realise rich photographic expression, such as the Advanced A+ mode, which automatically recognises scenes and supports difficult-to-shoot scenes such as night scenes and backlighting, and Creative Filters, which enable impressive shots such as diorama- and toy camera-style shots.

1 During movie recording, focal length equivalent to approx. 17 mm to 52 mm in 35 mm format.
2 When shooting still images. During movie recording: Maximum effective pixel count of approx. 18.7 megapixels. Effective pixel count may decrease due to image processing.
3 The maximum distance-measurable area is approximately 90% of the maximum horizontal distance and 90% of the maximum vertical distance.
4 Subjects to be detected include the eyes of people and animals (dogs and cats). Birds and horses cannot be detected.
5 When Auto horizontal correction is set to On, the Image Stabilisation Movie setting is not available.

Above: Leaked Panasonic S1rII info

This is when to expect the official product presentations:

Sigma: Feb 25, 1pm Berlin time (maybe a new 800mm f/6.3)
Zeiss: Feb 25, 2pm Berlin time (Otus 50 and 85mm f/1.4 RF-E-Z mount lenses)
Panasonic: Feb 25, 3pm Berlin time (Lumix S1rII, 44MP, 40fps, 8k)
Sony: Feb 26, 3pm Berlin time (16mm f/1.8 G and 400-800mm f/6.3-8.0 G)

Also Cosina, Viltorx and other lens manufacturers will announce new lenses between Feb 25 and Feb 26.

What you see here is the first image of the Zeiss Otus 50mm f/1.4 lens (preorders open here soon). This is the RF mount version, and as you know E-mount version will be available too. It’s definitely going to be manual focus only and I speculate the price will be around $4,000 like the original OTUS DSLR lens series.

Announcement will happen on February 25 at 13:00 London time!

Lensvid analyzed the official CIPA shipment data and concluded:

2024 was the first year since 2017 where we have seen a year-to-year increase in the number of cameras sold/shipped globally – from 7.8 million in 2023 to 8.3 – an increase of over 6%.

And they attempted a forecast:

Looking ahead to 2025 we don’t expect big changes. If anything we believe that unless some big global changes occur this year (again), we are going to see mostly more of the same with possibly a slight increase in sales (especially with mirrorless cameras at the expense of DSLRs) and maybe even an increase in compact cameras thanks to the interest in the X100 line from Fujifilm (and possibly a new RX1 replacement) and some of the instant cameras (even basic compacts have seen a renewed interest, especially in Japan).

Six years ago, Zeiss announced the last ‘photo-orientated’ lens…it was this massive $4,000 masterpiece. After that, Zeiss only produced industrial, film and smartphone lenses and no more joy for us “pure” photographers. But finally Zeiss posted this official teaser on Instagram which gives us new hopes that we might get a new lens (or lenses) at the CP+ show:

A SonyAlphaRumors source reported this:

Half a year ago, a guy I know who works for Zeiss in PR (and was also involved in marketing for the unfortunately failed ZX1) told me Zeiss is bringing out new lenses in a few months. Now if you look at zeiss imaging on instagram they are teasing something with an owl, so I guess it might be something Otus line related. May guess is an Otus line for mirrorless cameras as E-Mount and the like.

So it definitely sounds like we are getting new photo-oriented Zeiss lenses soon!

Topaz announced the new Photo Ai 3.5 (Click here) and the new Gigapixel 8.2 (Click here) updates.

Press text

We’re excited to announce another major update to Photo AI with a new take on our lighting enhancement, a new way to run Super Focus on any machine, crash recovery, and more!

• We’re announcing a version 2 of Adjust Lighting which is vastly improved to deliver a more natural, vibrant, and reliable results across the board.
• Now anyone can run Super Focus in the cloud at lightning speed on any device, even if you don’t have a good GPU.
• And for those who can, Super Focus now runs 40% faster on Apple devices. This combines with our previous speed boosts – it is now faster than ever.
• If you encounter a crash with Photo AI, your session and work is now saved with crash recovery so you can get back to creating beautiful images.

The Gigapixel v.8.2 update now has batch Cloud Rendering, faster speeds on Mac, improvements to the Redefine model, and more.

• High creativity Redefine Cloud Rendering result improvements
• Batch process multiple images at once with Cloud Rendering
• Redefine is now 2x faster on Mac (latest MacOS 14 or 15 required for use)
• Upscale images based on their longest side