2026 has been the weirdest year ever for camera releases. Here are the winners and losers so far…

Three months into 2026 I knew this year was a weird one. Most obviously, the first quarter had seen no new camera announcements or launches. That’s never happened in my 25 years of working for the specialist photo press. And when the drought eventually broke, what’s followed has been a mixed bag. So, with nights drawing in, I’ve been pondering the year’s winners and losers, by brand and camera/s, as well as noting it’s been a bit of a rollercoaster ride.

Even if the current memory crisis forces price rises, Canon is 2026’s clear winner. I’m basing that on industry data confirming its number one market position with a million unit year-on-year shipment increase. Volume and availability aside, helping maintain its pole position were new releases including the EOS R8 II, a Special Edition PowerShot G7 X Mark III, plus continued success of the full frame R6 Mark III and ‘video first’ R6 V. Canon also recently shared it’s ramping up compact camera production with the aim of achieving an ambitious 50% category growth. But I’ll be interested to see how external factors continue to impact.

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