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First image of the new Laowa 180mm f/4.5 Full Frame autofocus macro lens

Laowa has announced the release of its new AF180mm F4.5 1.5x macro autofocus lens on September 15th. It features a Canon EF SLR mount, and Canon EOS-RF users can use an EF-RF adapter to achieve autofocus. It also supports Sony E/Nikon Z mounts (autofocus) and Canon RF/Leica L mounts (manual focus). The lens weighs only about 400 grams.

First leaked Nikon Zr images!

Here are the leaked Nikon Zr images. The camera will be announced on September 10 at 7:30 London time.

Nikon Zr specs:

  • 24MP partially stacked sensor
  • 6k all intra
  • IBIS
  • one SD and on micro SD card slot
  • Announcement on Sept 10

Nikon’s Steady Rise: Mirrorless Shipments Up 100K Units Per Year

The Nikkei Industry Map Financial Yearbook includes detailed shipment data for Japanese mirrorless camera manufacturers, offering an exact breakdown of the global camera market:

2024

  1. Canon: 2.05 million units
  2. Sony: 1.63 million units
  3. Nikon: 760,000 units
  4. Fujifilm: 490,000 units
  5. Panasonic: 160,000 units
  6. OM Digital: 130,000 units

2023

  1. Canon: 1.96 million units
  2. Sony: 1.53 million units
  3. Nikon: 630,000 units
  4. Fujifilm: 380,000 units
  5. Panasonic: 140,000 units
  6. OM Digital: 120,000 units

2022

  1. Canon: 1.54 million units
  2. Sony: 1.25 million units
  3. Nikon: 530,000 units
  4. Fujifilm: 360,000 units
  5. Panasonic: 140,000 units
  6. OM Digital: 140,000 units

2021

  1. Sony: 1.4 million units
  2. Canon: 1.17 million units
  3. Fujifilm: 400,000 units
  4. Nikon: 290,000 units
  5. OM Digital: 200,000 units
  6. Panasonic: 180,000 units

Mirrorless Market Trends (2021–2025)
The figures discussed here refer specifically to mirrorless camera shipments, excluding DSLRs and compact digital cameras. From 2021 through 2025, the data shows a clear upward trend in the mirrorless market.
Nikon, in particular, has steadily increased its shipments—gaining roughly 100,000 units each year.

According to the Nikkei Industry Map, Canon reclaimed the top spot from Sony in 2022. By 2024, Canon’s mirrorless shipments alone surpassed 2 million units, solidifying its dominance. Sony remains stable but hasn’t shown much aggressive growth recently. Perhaps it’s time for Sony to move beyond incremental updates and introduce more innovative, cutting-edge models.

Fujifilm rebounded past 400,000 units in 2024, while Panasonic and OM Digital continue to trail behind the top four manufacturers.

Canon Stays Strong — Compact Digital Cameras Update
Canon not only led in mirrorless and DSLR shipments in 2024, but it’s also gearing up to take the lead in the compact digital camera segment. Currently, Sony holds the top position with 470,000 units shipped, followed closely by Canon at 430,000 units.

Canon has announced plans to boost production of compact digital cameras starting January 2025, and its new PowerShot V1 model is already on the way. This could enable Canon to overtake Sony in the compact segment and achieve a “triple crown”: leading in mirrorless, DSLR, and compact digital camera shipments.

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via DClife

The Italian Job: Luxottica might become major shareholder of Nikon!

The Nikon ZF Italian edition 🙂

Bloomberg reports:

Nikon Corp.’s shares surged 21% after Bloomberg reported that EssilorLuxottica SA, the maker of Ray-Ban sunglasses, is exploring a potential deal to increase its stake in the Japanese optical equipment manufacturer.

The Franco-Italian company is considering a move to boost its Nikon stake to around 20%, people familiar with the matter said. They asked not to be identified because the information is private. It currently has a nearly 9% holding in Nikon, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Luxottica Group S.p.A. is an Italian eyewear multinational corporation headquartered in Milan. This could open the door for Italian design influence on future Nikon products 🙂

But of course, Luxottica isn’t just interested in cameras — they’re playing a long game in optics, wearables, and medical tech. Nikon offers world-class precision engineering, and a deeper stake gives them access, influence, and synergy.