Camera rumors 2017: the biggest and best camera rumors around

In 2017, it’s almost impossible to avoid new camera rumors coming out of the woodwork every single day, even with CES 2018 just a few months away and Photokina 2018 less than a year out. But, with a finger on the pulse of the latest industry trends and rumors, and with a bit of our own tech knowledge, we’ll look at what the biggest names in the camera industry may be dreaming up.

We’ve culled through every single one 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 piece together a rough picture of products that major camera companies might be aiming to release, and what thirsty photographers will be able to get their hands on in the near future.

Now, it’s time to really dive into all of the juiciest camera rumors from every major manufacturer, from Canon to Olympus.

Canon rumors: Canon's been pretty busy this year, launching the likes of the EOS 6D Mark II, EOS Rebel T7i (EOS 800D) and PowerShot G1 X Mark III, what else can we expect?

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

Sony rumors: Sony's just announced the Alpha A7R III, so are we likely to see updates to the Alpha A7 II and A7S II?

Fujifilm rumors: Fuji's been extremely active this year, launching the GFX 50S, X-T20, X100F and X-E3. That only leaves the X70 to get the 24MP treatment.

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

Panasonic rumors: It's been a pretty quiet year for Panasonic, but there are rumors starting to circulate we might see a Lumix G9 - a more photographer-focused Lumix GH5.

The best cameras you can buy right now

Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II

Could Canon's overlooked 1-inch compact be about to get a refresh?

Predicted specs: Updated 1-inch sensor | DIGIC 7 image processor | Existing lens mount

Canon's just updated its top-of-the-range PowerShot G1 X Mark III, and with recent updates to the G7 X Mark II and G9 X Mark II, that leaves the G5 X and G3 X as the oldest models in the range.

We reckon a new PowerShot G5 X Mark II will feature a modest tweak to the design, taking some of the design cues from the G1 X Mark III, while it should get an updated 20MP 1-inch sensor and the latest DIGIC 7 image processor.

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 reporting gossip that Canon is making a mirrorless full-frame camera, and the best thing is that it's probably going to use an existing lens mount, which is in all likelihood causing the engineers at Canon some major problems.

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

Over the last three years or so, the D750 became a renowned and inexpensive full-frame choice in Nikon’s stable, but it came out more than three years ago and could really use an update to compete with a number of more recent full-frame arrivals. Nikon Rumors has reported that a Honduran newspaper – of all places – has reported that a D760 is incoming, so what could this mean? If the D820 is released with even more pixels, could we be seeing the D760 make use of the 36.3MP sensor to replace the current 24MP chip? A high shutter speed of 1/8,000sec might be in the cards, which is probable because the D750’s maximum 1/4,000sec shutter speed is an understandable compromise to help it to be more reasonably priced, but a compromise regardless.

It wouldn’t be likely that such a camera would launch without 4K video recording, especially after the 4K-enabled D500 and D5. It’s also likely that it will have a tilting display like the D750, but Nikon would probably want this to match its D500 sibling in including 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 understandably excited about the DF when it was announced, but its high price and relatively low pixel count compared to the D810 made it more of a luxury item. The traditional controls also aren't quite as well implemented as on Fuji's X-T1, which was launched at about the same time.

It's feasible that the Df II will only fix the handling problems of the Df and have a higher resolution sensor – maybe even using the D5's 20MP sensor. Still, 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 Nikon really needs to get back into competition.

Rumors have been floating around for a while that Nikon has a full-frame mirrorless camera 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 inclusion of an electronic viewfinder.

With 2017 being Nikon's centenary year, we could still see Nikon launching the DF II before the end of the 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 way back at the beginning of April 2015, and we haven't seen any sign of a new model since then.

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 be surrendering?

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

Now we've seen the launch of Sony's new megapixel monster, the Alpha A7R III, could we now see an update to the Alpha A7 II?

We reckon it'll share the same updated body as the A7R III, which means it'll take on a number of handling refinements, including a dedicated AF joystick, AF-On button and touchscreen interface.

It could also mean that the new camera will benefit from some trickle-down technology from the Alpha A9, including the excellent full-frame 24MP sensor and BIONZ X image processor. That could mean a serious speed increase too - maybe not the 20fps burst shooting speed of the Alpha A9, but maybe easily above 10fps.

We'd be surprised if the Alpha 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 - perhaps the same 399-point phase-detect AF system (with 425 contrast-detect points) system used by the A7R III.

Fuji X200

Fujifilm X70S

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

Fujifilm's flagship compact, the X100F, is our pick of the current crop of compact cameras, but what's next for Fuji's other compact, the X70?

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 Fujifilm'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 X70S to focus more quickly than the X70, with better low-light responses.

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.

Panasonic Lumix G9

Could we see a more stills-orientated camera from Panasonic that borrows a lot of tech from the Lumix GH5?

Predicted specs: 20.3MP Micro Four Thirds sensor | Stripped-down video options compared to the GH5 | Top-plate LCD

Panasonic's flagship mirrorless camera, the Lumix GH5, is an excellent camera that's loved by videographers for its movie-making features. This has meant that it's perhaps been overlooked by stills photographers.

Rumors are starting to circulating however on 43rumors.com that we could see a Lumix G9. Taking the core features of the GH5, but with less emphasis on video and a number of new features to appeal to still photographers.

This means we're expecting to see the same 20.3MP Micro Four Thirds sensor as the GH5, but there's talk that we might see a new 80MP shooting mode, with the G9 stitching multiple shoots together, along with a staggering 60fps burst shooting.

There's also speculation that we could see the inclusion of a top-plate LCD. We'll have to wait and see.