Camera rumors 2017: the biggest and best camera rumors around

Camera rumors for 2017 are, inevitably, in the news every day, even with CES 2018 just a few months away and Photokina 2018 a year away. But, with a finger on the pulse of the latest industry rumors and trends, and with a bit of our own tech acumen, we’ll look at what the biggest companies in the camera industry may be cooking up.

We’ve culled through all of the latest camera rumors, from wild speculation to the most convincing leaks, and brought you the biggest and the best. With these rumors, we can start to get a picture of what major camera manufacturers might be aiming to release, and what thirsty photographers will be able to get their hands on in the near future.

Let’s look at all of the rumors circling around for each of the major camera manufacturers, from Canon to Olympus.

Canon rumors: We have already seen the EOS-1D X Mark II, EOS 5D Mark IV and EOS 6D Mark II, what else are we possibly going to get? Canon's recently released the EOS M5, but will we see a full-frame mirrorless device from Canon?

Nikon rumors: The Nikon D850 is finally here, but could we also see an update to the underappreciated retro-inspired Df? The Nikon D750 could do with an update, too.

Sony rumors: We've just had the release of the Alpha A9, so we could possibly see a 70MP+ sensor in an Alpha A7R III next.

Fujifilm rumors: Fuji's been very busy recently – we've had the GFX 50S, X-T20and X100F, while last year saw the fantastic X-T2 and X-Pro2, but we could see the 24MP sensor make its way into updates for the X70 and X-E2S?

Olympus rumors: There are rumors we could maybe see a replacement to the brand's fantastic OM-D E-M10 II.

Panasonic rumors: With a slew of announcements at Photokina including the long awaited Lumix GH5, things are a little quiet at the moment.

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Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark III

Canon's premium PowerShot compact camera could get an overhaul

Predicted specs: New APS-C size sensor | 24-120mm zoom lens | Dual Pixel CMOS AF

CanonRumors has uncovered some hints that there could be a new PowerShot G1 X Mark III on the way. With the Mark II now being well over three and a half years old, it does seem very feasible. If the rumors are, in fact, true, the spec will take a huge leap ahead as well. Instead of the weirdly-sized 1.5-inch sensor, the Mark III is probably going to get the same 24.2MP APS-C CMOS sensor that's found in cameras like the EOS Rebel T7i (EOS 800D), while it'll also get the most recent DIGIC 7 image processor and Dual Pixel CMOS AF. Zoom range is anticipated to remain the same at 24-120mm, but the jury's still out on whether we'll see a built-in EVF or not.

Canon full-frame mirrorless camera

If the rumors are true, Canon is working on a full-frame mirrorless camera

Predicted specs: The sensor from the 1D X Mark II or 5D Mark IV | Existing lens mount

CanonRumors is also reporting rumors that Canon is developing a mirrorless full-frame camera, and the good news is that it's likely to use an existing lens mount, which is in all likelihood causing the engineers at Canon some major headaches.

Nikon D760

A gentle upgrade over the ageing D750 would strengthen Nikon’s FX offerings

Predicted specs: Full-frame 36.3MP sensor | 4K video recording | Tilting touchscreen

The D750 has grown into becoming a well-loved and affordable full-frame choice in Nikon’s lineup, but now that it's over two years old and could really use a boost to compete against a handful of more recent full-frame arrivals. Nikon Rumors has reported that a Honduran newspaper – of all places – has reported that a D760 is imminent, so what could this mean? If the D820 is released with even more pixels, could we be seeing the D760 take advantage of the 36.3MP sensor to supplant the current 24MP chip? A high shutter speed of 1/8,000sec could be in the cards, which is likely because the D750’s maximum 1/4,000sec shutter speed is an understandable compromise to help it to be more affordably priced, but a compromise regardless.

It would be surprising to have such a camera release without 4K video recording, especially after the 4K-enabled D500 and D5. It’s also possible that it will have a tilting display like the D750, but Nikon would doubtlessly want this to match its D500 sibling in implementing touch sensitivity, too.

Nikon Df II

Perhaps Nikon will turn its retro-styled FX SLR into a retro-styled FX CSC?

Predicted specs: Mirrorless design | Class-leading electronic viewfinder | Nikon F-mount

Everyone got very excited about the DF when it was announced, but its high price and relatively low pixel count in comparison to the D810 made it more of a luxury item. The traditional controls also aren't quite as well executed as on Fuji's X-T1, which was released at about the same time.

It's feasible that the Df II will only correct the handling issues of the Df and have a higher resolution sensor – maybe even using the D5's 20MP sensor. However, it's no secret that Nikon has lost some of its market share to Sony and its Alpha 7-series of full-frame retro-styled compact system cameras, and the company needs to have a comeback.

Rumors have been floating around for a while that Nikon has a full-frame mirrorless model coming soon, and the Df design has the potential to be an ideal starting point – albeit with a few major changes, like the removal of the mirror and the implementation of an electronic viewfinder.

With 2017 being Nikon's centenary year, we could see Nikon releasing the DF II this year.

Nikon 1 J%

Nikon 1 system

Will we ever see another Nikon 1 mirrorless camera again?

The last Nikon 1 system camera was the 1 J5, announced back at the beginning of April 2015, and we haven't seen sight or sound of a new model since.

The arrival of Nikon's new range of DL compact cameras at the beginning of last year, all featuring 1.0-inch, 21MP sensors, with specifications that seemed to cast a shadow of the current 1 system offerings, with many people questioning the need for Nikon's current mirrorless offering now these compacts had arrived.

These models though, after over a year of delays have been cancelled, but there hasn't been a whiff of a 1 system rumor in ages either. Could Nikon be quietly admitting defeat?

Sony Alpha

Sony Alpha A9R

Could Sony launch a high-end pro-spec mirrorless flagship camera?

Predicted specs: Full-frame 70-80MP sensor | Same body as Alpha A9

With the arrival of the fabulous looking 24MP, 20fps Alpha 9, what can we expect next from Sony?

While the full-frame 42MP Alpha 7R II is clearly still has one of the best sensors available, we can't help but speculate that Sony are going to try and get even more pixels on a full-frame sensor, potentially almost doubling the resolution offered by the A7R II and pitting it against medium format cameras.

Put this sensor in the Alpha A9's body with its more polished control layout and the Alpha A9R could be a monster of a camera.

Sony Alpha A7 III

Rumors are growing that we could see an update to Sony's enthusiast full-frame mirrorless camera

Predicted specs: Full-frame 24MP sensor | Joystick AF control | Advanced AF system

Rumors are starting to pick-up that we'll see an update to the Alpha A7 II, and one that'll benefit from the trickle-down of technology from the Alpha 9.

That means we could see the 24MP sensor make its way into a more affordable body, and while we don't expect to see it capable of rattling off 20fps to rival the A9, we should see a serious speed increase too.

We'd also be surprised if the A7 III gets the same awesome 693-point AF system as the A9, but again, we'd expect to see a big leap over the AF system in the A7 II. To quickly toggle between AF points, expect Sony to give the A7 III the same mini joystick that's on the A9.

Fuji X200

Fujifilm X70F

A new sensor and processing engine, plus an improved AF system look on the cards for Fujifilm's pocket premium compact camera

Predicted specs: 24MP APS-C format sensor | 28mm equivalent lens | Improved AF system

We've just had the X100F announced with a number of new improvements, so we can expect Fujifilm to turn its attention to the X70 update next.

We'd be incredibly surprised if it doesn't get a resolution upgrade, increasing the pixel count from 16 million to 24 million as we've seen with Fuji's other recent announcements.

We reckon Fujifilm will stick with the 28mm equivalent prime lens, but it might be tempted to up the ante a little by increasing the maximum aperture from f/2.8 to f/2 for even better low light performance and depth of field control, but it may 'just' use a new optical design or coatings to boost performance.

Or perhaps we'll see multiple versions - maybe one with a fast 50mm f/1.8 equivalent optic.

Fujifilm has been working hard on improving the autofocus systems in its cameras, and this seems likely to continue, so we can expect the X70F to focus more quickly than the X70, with better low-light responses.

Fujifilm X-E3

A moderate update to Fujifilm affordable rangefinder-style mirrorless camera

Predicted specs: 24MP APS-C format sensor | Touchscreen | 4K video capture

The current rangefinder-styled X-E2S sits alongside the popular X-T10 in the Fujifilm mirrorless range. While one of the newer models, it's the odd-one-out when it comes to its sensor, utilising the ageing 16MP chip, so we'd expect a X-E3 with a 24MP sensor to fall into line with the rest of the range.

AF is likely to be tweaked for snappier performance, while we could see a touchscreen and 4K video capture.

Olympus OM-D E-M10 III

It's still one of our favorite mirrorless cameras, but the E-M10 II is almost two years old now. Will we see a refreshed model soon?

Predicted specs: 16MP Micro Four Thirds sensor | Core features to remain the same | 4K video

The Olympus OM-D E-M10 II is one of our favorite mirrorless cameras - it's a compact powerhouse of a camera with great handling and spec, but it's now almost two years old now and with the likes of Fujifilm's X-T20 giving it some stiff competition, we would be surprized to see a Mark III model.

43rumors.com is reporting that we'll see one very soon, and has even got hold of what it believes to be the specification. From the looks of it, the core specification will remain the same, with the E-M10 III featuring the same 16MP resolution and excellent 5-axis image stabilization, though we're likely to see 4K video capture. Focusing could also get a bump up to 121 points.