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A busy show
We were at CP+ 2024 too, and last year the show was much quieter for new camera gear. 2025 is positively buzzing – just a morning in and we’ve already had a look at three new cameras and several new lenses from some of the biggest names in photography.
The PowerShot V1 compact vlogging camera and Sony 400-800mm F6.3-8 lens are drawing a lot of interest, but the likes of the Sigma BF, Lumix S1R II and Sigma 16-300mm lens are super impressive each in their own way.
We’ll be on the lookout for more new gear this afternoon, and hope to discover some hidden gems…
Sony’s super-wide prime lens
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We wouldn’t want to leave out the Sony 16mm F1.8 G lens. It’s nicely compact – we’ve had a feel for it with the Sony ZV-E1 – and comes with all the bells and whistles that today’s Sony lenses do; an aperture ring, minimal focus breathing, quiet and quick autofocus. But it’s the fast f/1.8 maximum aperture which makes it brilliant for low light situations, such as astrophotography and indoor video work. Oh, and it’s pretty cheap too… for a Sony lens.
Two new lenses at Sony’s stand
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Squeaking in a day before CP+ 2025, Sony made a global announcement for two new lenses, and we’ve got our eyes on both of these optics at Sony’s stand. Both E-mount lenses are made for Sony’s full-frame mirrorless, but they couldn’t be more different from each other…
…we have a compact and affordable Sony 16mm F1.8 G wide angle prime, and a hefty Sony 400-800mm F6.3-8 G OSS telephoto.
It’s the latter that of the two that is particularly interesting – so much so that people who want to try the Sony 400-800mm at the show need to a ticket and join a digital queue before being beckoned up to the balcony to give it a road test.
So what gives? Well, it has Sony’s most impressive reach of any Sony E-mount optic to date – in fact, it’s Sony first-ever lens to reach 800mm. We reckon it’s best for wildlife and sports subjects you can’t get close to, like birds and motorsports. There’s a severe lack of those subjects in the CP+ halls, mind…
Lumix S1R II musings
We’ve actually been able to get hands-on with the Lumix S1R II ahead of the CP+ show, back in the UK, and you can find out more about Panasonic’s flagship full-frame mirrorless camera in our hands-on Lumix S1R II review.
There’s plenty to like about the Lumix S1R II; it’s first-class for video and, depending where you are in the world, it is properly reasonable too – about half the price of the Sony A1 II (which we hope to get another play with later), 50% cheaper than the Canon EOS R5 Mark II, and roughly the same as a discounted Nikon Z8.
It might not be getting the same fanfare as Canon, but on capabilties alone, it deserves a proper look.
Panasonic’s best-ever Lumix?
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If there was an award for the most capable camera debuting at CP+ 2025, it would go to the Panasonic Lumix S1R II.
The flagship mirrorless camera was unveiled just two days before the CP+ and largely kept under wraps in the show’s lead up to CP+, and here it is at stand 88, home to an array of Panasonic gear for the next few days.
We already know the Lumix S1R II has a totally new 44MP full-frame sensor, and it will be the first full-frame camera with 8K ‘open gate’ video after a firmware update, plus 32-bit float audio recording via Panasonic’s XLR adaptor.
Panasonic tells us that the Lumix S1R II’s 8K video has 14EV of dynamic range when shooting 10-bit 8K movies at up to 30fps. This is a big upgrade from the Panasonic Lumix S1R if you major on video, but photographers might be happy to stick with the original S1R’s 47MP stills and top LCD.
The form factor of the Lumix S1R II looks really tidy – it’s evidently much smaller than the S1R and has more in common with the Lumix S5 II.
Set to rival the Sony ZV1-II?
From what we know so far, the PowerShot V1 is made for content creators. It can shoot 4K 10-bit video with Canon’s Log 3 color profile, and features a tidy 16-50mm F2.8-4.5 lens. It’s also compatible with external accessories such as a hotshoe microphones and flashes.
We’re told it packs Canon’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF II for the best autofocus performance of any Canon compact, and there’s a flip-out vars-angle screen for easy self-recording for selfies and vlogging.
In the flesh, it looks a little larger than the Canon’s trending G7 X Mark III, which we believe will remain on sale, and it also appears to have ventilation holes around body, much like we’ve seen on Canon’s EOS R5 Mark II, so could this video-first camera have some cooling features for decent record times?
Our first impressions? The PowerShot V1 most obvious rival is Sony’s ZV-1 II. We’ll be sure to get a proper hands-on of the V1 as soon as we can after the show.
Unfortunately there’s no sign of the rumoured Canon EOS R6 Mark III here. It’s the PowerShot V1 that’s the star of the show here.
Time for us to move on again…
Canon’s compact vlogging camera, the PowerShot V1
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Next up on our CP+ tour…it’s Canon.
It’s a week ago today that Canon put out a teaser trailer announcing its brand-new PowerShot V1 vlogging compact. Sadly for most of the world, it’s only available in Japan… for now. Good news for the lucky few including us… it debuts here at CP+ where the general public can catch a first glimpse…and it’s seemingly drawing the biggest crowd.
People that made a beeline for the Canon stand when the show doors opened are hogging the V1, so we’re admiring it from a distance for now.
We’ve already written some news about the V1 – although we didn’t have a full picture of what it can do yet. One thing’s for sure, it’s a dinky, pocketable vlogging camera that’s getting plenty of interest here.
Sigma’s travel lens with world’s biggest optical zoom range
In the 300-600mm lens’ shadow? A new 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS superzoom lens, which boasts an incredible zoom range, that should make it ideal for travel photography. Apparently it has the biggest optical zoom range of any mirrorless lens – a mega 18.8x zoom. It may not steal the headlines in the same way as the BF camera and 300-600mm lens, but this could just be our favourite of the three new Sigma products.
It’s available for L-mount, Sony E, Fujifilm X and also Canon RF – taking Sigma’s tally of APS-C lenses for Canon RF now to a total of seven. Sadly, there’s still no news on any third-party lenses for Canon’s full-frame RF-mount cameras…yet.
All three of Sigma’s products are available to see and try at CP on stand 89.
Sigma’s monster 300-600mm f/4 pro super-telephoto lens
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While Sigma caught us off guard with the BF camera at Monday’s unveiling, there were way more rumors about a new lens. Those rumors ultimately proved unfounded, with many people speculating a fixed 800mm lens – we got two lenses instead; the 300-600mm f/4 DG OS for full-frame cameras, and the 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS for APS-C, and they’re here at Sigma’s stand.
It’s the super-telephoto zoom that’s getting the most attention – it’s monstrously big! It’s a pricey lens for pros available for L-mount and Sony’s E-mount cameras, and which is said to be the same size and weight as a 600mm f/4 lens, but with the advantage of having that wider reach. It also delivers up to 5.5 stops of optical image stabilization.
It’s a heavy thing, mind – cue the show-offs touting the lens. This feels like being in the gym. Think we’ll look for something smaller…
A radically minimalist Sigma BF
First stop, Sigma!
For camera enthusiasts, Sigma made waves this week with its new BF full-frame camera, plus two impressive new lenses, as well as a whole new look with a rebranded Sigma logo. The company doesn’t appear to be wasting any time either and is proudly displaying all three for the general public to see at the Sigma stand in this year’s CP+. Let’s look at the Sigma BF first…
…starting with its rather quirky and unique design and feature set. We’re told the metal body is made from a single aluminum ingot over 7 hours, while the user interface is properly stripped back – reminding us a little of the Leica CL. Sigma’s compact 24MP full-frame camera has already caused quite a stir online in the past few days, and now guests at CP+ are seeing what all the fuss is about.
Welcome to our CP+ 2025 live coverage
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We’re at CP+ 2025, psyched to see what new camera gear in store for us. For the general public, this is the first chance to get a look at new gear already announced this week, including the Canon PowerShot V1 vlogging compact, the radically minimalist Sigma BF, and Sony’s monster 400-800mm super-telephoto zoom lens.
We’ve already had hands-on time with some of this gear, but it will be interesting to see which cameras and lenses draw the biggest crowds, and we’re hoping to find some lesser-known treats.
This is the ideal place for the likes of third-party lens manufacturers to showcvase their latest optics, such as Cosina / Voigtlander. Without further ado, let’s dive in!