It's fair to say that most of the week's camera news was dominated by the Black Friday / Cyber Monday / Cyber Week / sale that never ends – but there were still some pretty sizable happenings that didn't involve discounts and deals.
It's been a noteworthy week for Canon, which overtook Sony in their native mirrorless market and also knighted Samyang as part of the RF autofocus club.
Both Arri and Profoto launched major new products, and we also saw the unveiling of the latest Pirelli Calendar (sorry, I refuse to call it "The Cal").
These are the five biggest camera news stories of the week…
Canon usurps Sony in Japan
The latest figures from Japanese electronics retail body BCN Retail report that Canon has overtaken its rival Sony in the Japanese mirrorless camera market for the first time in five months. It's the slenderest of leads, though, with Canon claiming 30.5% market share while Sony has 30%, so there's just half a percent in it.
Nikon is a distant third, with 14.5%, while Fujifilm comes in fourth place, with 10.7%. The remaining 14.3% is shared by all the other camera manufacturers, including OM System (formerly Olympus) and Panasonic.
The figures measure manufacturers' sales volume share during October 2024, and is based on point-of-sales data from electronics retailers and online stores throughout the land of the rising sun. It is the first time that Canon has topped the list since May 2024. As it's based on sales volume rather than sales value, it favors lower-end, high-volume products, typically with smaller APS-C sensors, rather than full-frame models…
Full story: Canon overtakes Sony to become top-selling camera brand in Japan
Latest Pirelli Calendar is refreshing and revealing
The Pirelli Calendar, now known as The Cal, is infamous as a symbol of elite photography and a platform for commentary on modern culture, and the 51st edition has just been unveiled.
The 2025 edition was shot by renowned fashion and portrait photographer Ethan James Green and features an array of well-known contemporary figures including John Boyega, Hunter Schafer, Padma Lakshmi, and Vincent Cassel. In keeping with previous iconic editions of the calendar, Green plays with nudity and explores what beauty means today.
For only the third time in the calendar's history, the photographer Ethan James Green also places himself as a subject, enhancing the message and this year's core project concept of 'celebrating the body and the self'. Green says, "I put myself in the Calendar because the only person I could tell to be completely nude was myself"…
Full story: The Pirelli Calendar 2025 is revealed as The Cal heads back to the beach
Samyang reveals its first autofocus Canon RF lens
Samyang has unveiled two brand new lens models – one kicking off a brand new Prima series of optics, and the other the company’s first foray into making lenses for Canon’s RF-S mount.
Samyang has quickly become a firm favorite manufacturer of camera lenses among photographers and videographers for its incredibly competitive prices, without sacrificing quality – and Samyang glass continually scores top marks in our reviews and lab tests.
Marking Samyang’s first RF-S mount lens, the AF 12mm f/2 RF-S is tailored for Canon's APS-C mirrorless cameras – and in fact, it is now the widest-angle autofocus lens available in the Canon RF-S lineup. The lens is designed to appeal to photographers specializing in landscapes, architecture, astrophotography, and travel – perfectly suited to cameras like the Canon EOS R7 or Canon EOS R100…
Full story: Samyang launches its first-ever Canon RF-S lens – and introduces its brand-new Prima series
After 10 years, Arri reveals the Alexa 65 successor
After a decade of filmmaker feedback, cinema camera giant Arri has announced something extraordinary: the Arri Alexa 265, a game-changing 65mm camera that’s small, lightweight, and packed with innovation – and will certainly take the top spot of best cinema cameras in the market.
Designed as the successor to the Alexa 65 (which is celebrating its 10th birthday), the Alexa 265 brings the stunning image quality of large-format cinematography into a form factor that fits anywhere – and I mean anywhere.
At just 3.3 kg, the Alexa 265 is less than a third of the weight of its predecessor, yet it houses a sensor three times as large as the compact Alexa 35. With a body only slightly larger, this camera is ready to tackle the tightest of spaces, from drone mounts to stabilizers, while still delivering breathtaking 65mm visuals…
Full story: Arri unveils new Alexa 265 cinema camera which will revolutionize 65mm filmmaking forever
Profoto has raised the bar once again with the launch of the Profoto Pro-B3, a powerful new battery-powered monolight engineered to freeze action and endure the toughest shooting conditions. Designed with the world’s most demanding photographers in mind, the Pro-B3 is poised to become the go-to choice for those who need reliable, high-performance lighting – no matter where their work takes them.
Profoto has long been known for creating some of the best photography lighting equipment in the industry, from compact on-camera flashes to larger, high-output off-camera strobes. The Pro-B3 firmly falls into the latter category, offering everything you need in an on-location lighting kit. Whether you’re capturing high-speed action, working in remote locations, or dealing with unpredictable conditions, the Pro-B3 has you covered.
Developed for the world’s top action and extreme sports photographers, the Pro-B3 features an impressive 750Ws of flash power and is ready to handle the most demanding lighting scenarios. Its fast recycling times – ranging from 0.01 to 2.3 seconds – ensures that you never miss a moment, while its ultra-short flash duration of up to 1/75,000s enables you to freeze motion with razor-sharp clarity, eliminating motion blur from fast-moving subjects…
Full story: Profoto launches the Pro-B3 – the 'ultimate on-location flash'
