Photokina 2018 is the photo industry's biggest show. Taking place in Cologne, Germany, this huge photography expo fills the vast Koelnmesse exhibition center, and it's where all the major manufacturers showcase their latest products, taking the wraps off new cameras, lenses and other kit.
We've seen a number of cameras launched in the run-up to Photokina 2018, including the Nikon Z7 and Z6, Canon EOS R and Fujifilm X-T3, as manufacturers look to get maximum exposure for their new products, without getting lost in the blizzard of announcements at the show.
However, Photokina 2018 is still going to see a host of exciting new cameras, lenses and accessories unveiled, and the TechRadar team is on the ground in Cologne to bring you up-to-the minute news stories, product launches, hands-on reviews and images from the show. Stay tuned…
Panasonic Lumix S1R and S1
By far the biggest news at Photokina 2018 is the announcement of Panasonic's new full-frame mirrorless Lumix S1R and S1 cameras. They're the brand's first full-frame mirrorless cameras, while the company has also announced an alliance with Leica and Sigma, which sees the 47MP S1R and 24MP S1 use Leica's established L-Mount lens mount. Panasonic has also taken the wraps off three new lenses for the system: a 50mm f/1.4, a 24-105mm and 70-200mm.
Fujifilm GFX 50R
Fujifilm announced the X-T3 just before Photokina 2018, but held the news of the medium-format GFX 50R back until its press conference at the show. The new rangefinder-style camera shares much of the same internal specification of the GFX 50S, but in a more compact design.
The L-Mount alliance
To tie-in with the news of Panasonic's S1R and S1 full-frame mirrorless cameras, Panasonic, Leica and Sigma have announced a strategic partnership at Photokina 2018. Known as the ‘L-Mount Alliance’, the collaboration enables Panasonic and Sigma to make use of the L-Mount lens mount developed by Leica for their own systems, and to offer both cameras and lenses utilizing this lens mount.
Ricoh GR III
Ricoh Imaging has confirmed that it will be exhibiting its GR III compact camera at Photokina 2018. The company had already confirmed earlier in the year that it would be working on a follow-up to 2015's GR II model, and while Ricoh is still holding a few things back, it does reveal key specs for the new release.
Leica S3
German camera-maker Leica has used its press conference at Photokina 2018 to announce a new 64MP S3 medium-format camera. The S3 is an evolution on the S2 design that's been around since 2011, but with resolution taking a massive step up from 37.5MP to 64MP.
Nikon Z6 and Z7
Nikon was the first to get the ball rolling in the build up to Photokina 2018 with the announcement of its first full-frame mirrorless cameras, the 24MP Z6 and 45MP Z7 back in August. That's not all, as shortly after Nikon also took the wraps off the D3500 entry-level mirrorless camera and the compact 500mm f/5.6 telephoto prime lens.
- Read more: Nikon Z7 review
Canon EOS R
The news of Nikon's Z6 and Z7 full-frame cameras was followed by Canon's announcement of its own 30MP full-frame mirrorless camera, the EOS R. That's been followed by the PowerShot SX70 HS bridge camera that packs a 65x optical zoom
- Read more: Canon EOS R review