CP+, held in Yokohama, Japan, every February and early March, is the largest camera-related show that occurs now. Photokina used to be it for photography, so much so, that camera and lens releases were often released in August and early September just to get ready for the Photokina buzz. But for reasons beyond my pay grade, Photokina decided to do a series of weird moves that killed it as a trade show. RIP.
A lot happened at CP+ this year, so we wanted to give a quick rundown of what happened, who released what and what we thought about it all.
Lens Announcements and Releases at CP+ 2025
This year, the show saw a breathtaking number of announcements and releases from third-party manufacturers. These manufacturers primarily released lenses for Sony, L alliance, Nikon Z, and Fujifilm.
Viltrox
Viltrox announced four new lenses this CP+, including two of the newer LAB Pro variants. Vilrox is starting to branch out quite a bit on its lenses. I did use the initial Viltrox APS-C AF lenses on the EOS-M system, and they were decent. They weren’t up to Sigma’s standards, but they were capable and far less expensive. As with most lens companies, I would expect Viltrox to improve both the quality and quantity of their lenses over time. Most optical companies tend to get better over time, just like Sigma did.
The two LAB Pro lenses, the AF 35mm F1.2 and the AF 85mm F1.4, are currently made for the Sony FE mount only. The AF 35mm F1.2 is also Vitrox’s first F1.2 fast lens.
The two Vitrox Air lenses, the 25mm F1.7, are announced for the Fujifilm X, Nikon Z, and Sony E mount. These lenses are low cost, under $200 in price and feature a leadscrew STM type of focus motor. They are also very compact and lightweight with the 25mm F1.7 weighing 170g and the
Also, Viltrox announced the AF 50mm F2.0 Air, which is a full-frame lens that will be available for the Sony E mount and Nikon Z mount and also to use as an APS-C lens on the Fujifilm X-mount. We don’t have too many details on the AF 50mm F2.0 Air outside of the fact that it’s coming “soon”.
Sony
Sony had a fairly quiet CP+ event but still announced two lenses, one of them quite impressive.
The Sony FE 400-800mm F6.3-8 G is an impressive inner zoom lens and the first Sony alpha lens in the 400-800mm range. Say what you want about Sony and its gear, but Sony has nothing at all on the table when it comes to its professional-grade lenses. They have excellent optics.
I would expect the same from the Sony FE 400-800mm F6.3-8 G. The Sony FE 400-800mm F6.3-8 G has dual linear motors and is weather-sealed. Sony assures us that it’s teleconverter friendly and able to handle up to 2x teleconverters for a possible 800-1600mm zoom lens.
This lens, possibly because of its internal focus and zoom, weighs around 1lb more than the nearest Canon competitor, the Canon RF 200-800mm F6.3-9 lens at 5.5 lbs.
The other Sony lens is the Sony FE 16mm F1.8 G, a fast ultra-wide zoom lens that appears to function well for both video and still applications. Also very interesting for this 16mm fast lens is the fact that it accepts filters – 67mm in fact.
Something of a rarity for ultra-wide lenses these days. Even though the lens is small, it supports 2 auto focus motors and the ability to AF track at 120 fps. It also has a low amount of focus breathing, and it is also an internal focus.
I know some of you are interested in astro-landscapes where a 16mm full frame lens with extremely fast aperture is compelling, but the initial reports of this lens show that getting the lens to be as compact as possible and with a front element design compact as well has reduced it’s effectiveness for astro landscape with corner softness and astigmatism showing up as heavy coma aberrations in the corners.
Zeiss
We knew that Zeiss was getting back into the consumer lens market before CP+ as they started to tease us in February. So it was with great anticipation that we waited for Zeiss’s official announcement of the return of the Otis brand of Lenses in the Zeiss Otus ML 85mm F1.4 and the Otus ML 50mm F1.4.
Zeiss Otus are basically Zeiss’s way of flexing their optical chops by saying these lenses are as good as it gets. They don’t need any corrections, because the lenses themselves are that good.
Of course, as we have described here before, great optical quality comes with a compromise that includes some combination of size, weight, and cost.
Zeiss released two monster Otus branded lenses that promise to be near APO (apochromatically corrected) for aberrations. This means these lenses are as good as it gets when Zeiss can toss out that wording.
The lenses are available for the Canon RF, Sony FE, and Nikon Z mounts.
Sigma
Sigma was busy! So busy that one lens they released for the RF-S I completely missed. We will talk more about the interesting BF camera, but for now, let’s talk lenses.
First up is a very quiet release of a lens that is supported for the RF mount! Let’s all rejoice.
While I kid a bit about that, this lens I’m a little curious about because Canon doesn’t have any kit lenses that start at 16mm so if the quality is decent from 16mm to 150mm or so, then this lens could be a win. That being said, an 18x zoom always has some compromises, so don’t expect miracles. But if you want an all-in-one travel zoom that handles everything from wide to telephoto and can live with the optical compromises, this may be the lens for you.
Sigma states that this lens is also dust and splash resistant, offering some protection against accidental water drops. It is interestingly designed to reduce focus breathing and contains a very complex 20-element and 14-group lens construction. It does all that in a compact 625g lens. This is much heavier than the Canon RF-S 18-150mm lens but has double the zoom range. This lens is available for the Sony E, L, Fujifilm X, and the Canon RF mounts.
Sigma also released a professional lens, the 300-600mm F4 DG OS, which is a massive lens, without a massive price at a shockingly low $5,999 (yes, I know $5,999 isn’t inexpensive for everyone). When you consider that a Sony FE 600mm F4 GM OSS lens retails for $12,998 – this is why it’s a shockingly low price. The Sigma 300-600mm F4 includes internal focus and zoom, a drop-in filter holder, and weather-sealed magnesium alloy construction, and it is just impressive for what you get for $6000.
This lens is available for the Sony FE mount and also the L-Mount.
Well done Sigma.
OM System
The OM System has started this year with a bang and a lot of enthusiasm specially around the release of the OM-3 camera system. It’s interesting, but in the past I would never consider a micro 43’s camera because of the image quality compromises of a small sensor, but these days a modern micro 43’s sensor isnt’ that far off from the image quality of a EOS R or RP based full frame sensor. So if you were cool with that level of image quality, then you can do a lot with the current m43’s camera systems.
OM System Zuiko lenses have long been a favourite of mine since the EF days because the OM1 and OM2 mount film lenses could be adapted to the EF mount. They were small, compact, light, and optically good.
Olympus and now OM Sytem have carried that legacy forward to even today with their Zuiko lineup, and I’m all here for that.
OM SYtem annouicned three lenses, one new and two refreshes.
The two refreshes were the 17mm and 25mm F11.8 prime lenses. These are simply refreshes, as they have the same optical formulae, just with weather sealing and the removal of the manual focus clutch. The Mark II lenses also gain a new Zero anti reflective coating.
At the same time as the two primes, OM Sytem also announced the update to the OM System M.Zuiko Digital 100-400mm F5.0-6.3 IS. This update went a little further than the primes, offering synchronized IS across the lens and the camera body to improve stabilization, improved weather sealing, and a flourine coating to the front element to help the front element remain clear from fingerprints, dust, or water droplets.
OM System announced all these lenses back on February 6th, 2025, before CP+. The two prime lenses are available now to purchase, and the OM System M.Zuiko Digital 100-400mm F5.0-6.3 IS II is currently only available to preorder.
Nikon
Nikon just released one lens during the ramp up to CP+ on Feburary 5th, 2025. That was the Nikkor 35mm F1.2 bemoth of a lens. It’s big, heavy, pricey and beautiful. It’s complex at 17 elements and 15 groups and carries a eye watering $2800 USD price tag. The lens has a variety of coatings for flare and ghosting and is weathersealed against the elements.
A little surprising to me, is the use of stepping motor for auto focus, I presume for video purposes, instead of the faster silent wave motor (SWM – the same as USM for us Canon users).
I’m sure this will be a top selling professional lens for Nikon users.
Camera Releases and Announcements for CP+ 2025
Panasonic Lumix DC-S1RII
Panasonic released it’s update to the high resolution S1R and it’s a worthy competitor to Canon’s own R5 Mark II. Basic features include a 44MP sensor that is capable of 40 fps RAW
Panasonic is known for it’s video chops and this camera does not disappoint with 8K video up to 30p, ProRes and ProRes RAW capture. Interestingly this camera also supports recording to external SSD, something I wish more would. The camera can also record audio in 32-bit float audio via an optional XLR 2 adapter.
For stills, the camera also supports multi-shot high res mode up to 177MP for still life photography where the camera can take multiple images and then combine them to increase the resolution.
Features include;
- 44.3MP Full-Frame CMOS Sensor
- Lightweight Design, 25% Lighter than S1R
- 8K 30p & 4K 120p 10-Bit Video Recording
- 6.4K Open Gate Shooting
- Up to 40 fps Raw Shooting with AF-C/AF-S
- 5.76m-Dot 0.78x-Magnification OLED LVF
- Phase Hybrid AF with AI Tracking
- 8-stop, 5-axis IBIS; Active I.S.
- ISO 80-102400
- SD Card Slot & CFexpress Type B Slot
It’s available around late March for an estimated price of around $3300.
Sigma BF
This is by far the most interesting camera of the show. This isn’t the first time Sigma has gone off the beaten path and made a camera that caused everyone to re-evaluate their life choices, and here we are again.
I’m a total fanboy of Sigma’s odd little cameras, so don’t get me wrong. I used a Sigma DP1 Merrill for years. My experience has been that you go through periods of self-loathing and looking at yourself in the mirror to question why you are using the camera. But you take a look at the final images and you then quickly realize why you put up with the laundry list of quirks.
I told Craig about my adventures with that camera, he just shook his head and ordered me another beer.
Now let’s back to this year. Sigma has announced the Sigma BF, which according to CEO Kazuto Yamaki, stands for “Beautiful Foolishness”. It comes from The Book of Tea, A Japanese Harmony of Art, Culture, and the Simple Life, written by Okakura Kakuzō in 1906.
It’s a small brick of a camera hewn out of a sold brick of aluminum and scoffs at the concept of using SD cards. Yes, that’s right. It features over 200GB of internal storage for your photos, no cards are needed. The interface is straightforward and simple.
Like the Merrill and Quatro cameras of the past, this camera makes you stop and consider the possibilities and almost everyone just wants to try one to see how it really works. Me included.
Features include;
- 24.6MP Full-Frame BSI CMOS Sensor
- Radically Simple, Unibody Camera
- Hybrid Phase & Contrast Detection AF
- ISO 100-102400
- 6K30, Full HD 120p Video
- 230GB Internal Memory
- Haptic-Responsive Controls
- 13 Color Modes
- 3.15″ 2.1m-Dot Rear Touchscreen
- L-Mount Compatibility
This camera is currently on preorder for $1999 and is expected to be available in late April.
Canon PowerShot V1
There is one brand that has been conspicuously quiet so far in this article, and that is Canon. Canon before the show though did announce the PowerShot V1, the return of the Powershot, with a beast of a compact camera made for serious video and stills photography. The only “compact” camera that sports an active cooling arrangement with a fan and vents so that it can record video for long durations of time without turning into a cinderblock.
This if course gives the PowerShot V1 its larger size, and weight, but it’s video chops are top notch for a small integrated lens camera.
The PowerShot V1 has not been released globally but was only announced and released in Japan, China and a few other select Asian countries. Rumor has it that Canon wanted to focus on Asia first before opening it up globally. Make sure to check out our Canon PowerShot V1 preview where we go into the details of this little camera in far more detail.
OM System OM-3
The best looking camera of the show in my opinion goes to the OM System OM-3, which sports classical styling of Olympus cameras of the past brought forward to today’s technology. It features a stacked 20MP Micro 43’s sensor that is capable of shooting at 50fps with full autofocus and 120fps with locked in focus.
The OM-3 also has a “Creative Dial” that is taken from the PEN line which quickly allows you to switch between color modes including monochrome.
As we mentioned before in this article, today’s micro 43’s sensors are capable performers, while they may not reach the ultimate image quality heights of Sony or Canon’s top full frame sensors, you don’t have to go back far in time to find comparable image quality in a full frame.
Features include;
- 20MP Stacked BSI Live MOS MFT Sensor
- TruePic X Engine
- 3.0″ 1.62m-Dot Swivel Touchscreen LCD
- 2.36m-Dot OLED Electronic Viewfinder
- 5-Axis In-Body Image Stabilization
- Computational Photography Button
- High-Res Shot, Live ND & Composite Modes
- IP53 Weather-Sealed & Freezeproof Design
- Single UHS-II SD Card Slot
The OM-3 camera is available now for $1999.
Nikon Coolpix P1100
The Nikon Coolpix is one of those ridiculous integrated lens cameras that was created when telephoto zoom length was a selling feature and Nikon went full ludicrous mode. The Nikon Coolpix P1100 features a zoom range that goes all the way to 3000mm (yes, you are reading that correctly), Nikon refreshed this model to come out in time for CP+ 2025.
The camera itself weighs 3.1lbs, redefining the genre which usually is dominated by small and compact cameras.
This updated version of the now discontinued P1000 has USB-C socket and a small amount of minor changes from the prior version.
The features of this camera include
- 16MP BSI CMOS Sensor
- NIKKOR 24-3000mm Lens (35mm Equivalent)
- EXPEED Image Processor
- Aperture Range: f/2.8-8
- ISO 100-6400
- Adoption of a USB-C Connector
- Dual Detect Optical VR IS
- Bird-Watching and Moon Mode Dial
- UHD 4K Video Recording
- Records Super Lapse & Time-Lapse Movies
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