Scroll through the camera news of the past few weeks and you could be forgiven for thinking the big manufacturers prefer publishing financial results more than launching new cameras. CIPA charts. Nikkei filings. Canon, Nikon and Fujifilm results, one after another. Buried in all that data, though, is a rather calmer story than the headlines suggest…
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Sigma announces two new L-mount lenses: 20-60mm f/2.8-4 and 85mm f/1.2
Sigma has announced two new L-mount lenses for full-frame mirrorless cameras, alongside matching Sony E-mount versions. The 20-60mm F2.8-4 DG | Contemporary is a standard zoom weighing 385g in L-mount form. The 85mm F1.2 DG | Art is, Sigma says, its brightest lens yet at this focal length, and, the company claims, “the smallest and lightest weight in its class for an 85mm F1.2” autofocus lens. Both go on sale on 30 September 2026.
Leica reports revenue dip in 2025/26 financial year
Leica Camera Group has reported revenue of €573 million for the 2025/26 financial year, down 3.8% on the previous year’s all-time high of €596 million. The company points to a familiar set of headwinds behind the fall: geopolitical uncertainty, unfavourable exchange rates and stricter customs regulations across its international markets. Despite the dip, Leica says its Photo division remained the main driver of revenue, with the Mobile division continuing to grow strongly and Sports Optics demand holding steady. Watches and accessories, home cinema projectors and spectacle lenses also moved in the right direction, according to the company.
Has Leica really called time on the megapixel wars?
Leica’s vice president of global marketing has just said something no camera maker usually confirms. Andrea Pacella told Chris George, writing for Digital Camera World, that the megapixel race has ended. That’s a bold claim from a company long needled for charging a premium while boasting about resolution. So I looked for a second opinion, and found two — Photography Life and PetaPixel — each telling a rather different story . . .
Leica 35 APO-Summicron-M: When M lenses learned to focus close
Newcomers to rangefinder photography are always surprised that M-mount lenses have a very long minimum focus distance, usually 70cm and sometimes 100cm. Most modern AF lenses will happily focus down to 30cm or less, yet with an M-mount lens, ancient or modern, you run out of road much earlier, viewing a subject you can’t bring any closer without abandoning the rangefinder entirely. Now, however, there is a solution: Leica’s close-focusing M lenses, but only in combination with an electronic viewfinder. After trying one you may wonder how you ever managed with that 70cm restriction — or even 100cm on older lenses and, even, the modern f/0.95 Noctilux.
New: Leica revives its Cold War spy lens as the Summicron-M 66 f/2
Leica has gone back to one of the odder corners of its history for its newest lens. The Summicron-M 66 f/2 reworks the Elcan 66mm f/2, an optic built in secret in the late 1960s for covert US Navy photography and disguised to pass as an ordinary lens. Fewer than 200 of the originals were ever made. Leica is now offering that same 66mm focal length to enthusiasts for the first time.
Introducing Mike Chudley: From skateboarder to street photography star
Mike Chudley’s rise as a street photographer has been remarkably swift – so much so that he still has “pinch-me” moments as he finds himself in places he didn’t expect to visit and amongst people he never imagined he would have the opportunity to meet. So, how did this young photographer make his way into a circle of renowned street photographers and build such an impressive social media presence? Let’s find out.
The Bentley Boys: Brooklands, Bentleys and a Beethoven surprise
Not a day passes without something of interest happening at the old Brooklands racetrack in Surrey. As regular readers know, the Brooklands Museum is one of my favourite photographic test locations. I choose it because there is always something new to see, but also because of the constancy of the subject — useful for comparison purposes — and the accessibility. For me, though, one of the main attractions is the people. You meet the most fascinating characters at Brooklands.
Coirón: Six years in Chile, following the lives of ageing gauchos
Pie Aerts’ book is a long-form documentary project, photographed over six years in the Chilean region of Magallanes, following Puesteros (Gauchos), who live and work alone, for months at a time across vast private ranches. Pie Alerts’ images were all shot on 120 silver-halide film, and are nothing short of stunning.
Review: Panasonic Lumix S 100mm f/2.8 Macro
In June this year, Leica announced the APO-Macro-Elmarit-SL 100mm f/2.8. It’s a modern full-metal, £2,110 L-Mount macro lens which revives a famous R-Mount design from 1987. Appropriately, then, this brief overview looks at a well-regarded competitor which came to the market almost two and a half years earlier than the Leica. The Lumix S 100mm f/2.8 Macro is a genuine alternative, with some provisos, at under half the price of the price. Is the saving worthwhile?
Not a Replica of the Leica Classic: The Mandler 7-Element 35mm f/2 reimagined
Life has a strange way of offering up new opportunities. It started with a discussion between two photographers comparing their different versions of the same lens, a 35mm ASPH Summicron. It ended with a broken lens hood, a good replacement, and a long conversation with the co-founder of a new Chinese company called Mandler making homage versions of classic Leica lenses.
Viltrox Chip Review: A tiny marvel for L-Mount shooters hungry for a pancake
It’s hard to imagine how a company could bring something truly fresh to the already extensive line up of full-frame, L-Mount lenses. But that’s just what Viltrox have done with their latest introduction: the Viltrox Chip lens. It’s tiny, it’s sharp, it’s autofocus, and it’s cheap! Let’s take a closer look.
The Welcome Break, the pause button, and the art of staying stationary
We all observe life around us but some of us are better than others. Some of our best-known photographers have become masters at capturing life in public places; from Henri Cartier-Bresson to Gary Winogrand to Vivian Maier to Elliott Erwitt and Martin Parr. They turned “everyday” life and the mundane into an art form of human interest. Now you can add Oliver Bennett to that list.
Fujifilm X70 Review: A forgotten compact camera
Last week I was chatting to Andy Sands, owner of my local camera dealer, Chiswick Camera Centre. On that occasion, our topic was the boom in compact cameras such as the Fujifilm X100VI, the Panasonic L10, and the Ricoh GR IV. Suddenly, he rummaged in a box behind the counter and produced two Fujifilm X70 cameras, one black, one silver. I’d completely forgotten about this little camera, so when he offered to lend them to me, I was delighted. The only snag was that they are dummy demo cameras, but they are good enough for a bit of product photography. Nonetheless, this set me thinking about what might have been.
Capturing sketches of Spain with a Leica Q3
I have taken holidays in Spain several times in the past and visited Madrid and Barcelona for work. But those trips were many years ago. I probably had my old Olympus OM2 with the standard 50mm f/1.8 lens and that was it. What could I capture on this trip in one fairly small province to give a flavour of what it’s like there? I’m short handing the article “Sketches of Spain” because you can never fully capture a country in one broad brushstroke and one colour.