Industry

Cactus, a brand once used by a wide range of photographers thanks to its low cost yet high-quality products, has ceased operations and closed its photographic equipment business. Strangely, it doesn't seem as though it notified all of its retail partners.

Backblaze, one of the leading cloud storage and backup companies, has just released information on its hard drive failure rates throughout 2020, revealing which models fared better than others.

The global smartphone sensor market was not slowed down by the pandemic, as a new report states the segment saw a total revenue of $15 billion in 2020 which is up 13% year over year. Sony still dominates the field, but its once ironclad grip has slipped slightly.

The used camera market is booming if a recent cash investment of £49.8 million (~$69 million) that MPB.com just raised is any indication. The company claims to "recirculate" about 300,000 pieces of equipment a year and expects to pass $139 million in revenue in 2021.

Nikon has bought a majority stake in the U.S. startup Morf3D, an aerospace supplier that has a list of high-profile customers internationally including Boeing. The Japanese camera company's investment comes ahead of an expected boom in small satellite production.

The camera industry may finally be stabilizing according to new data published by the Camera and Imaging Products Association (CIPA), as 2021 has is off to its best start since 2017.

There are rumblings of a major deal brewing in the world of photo-sharing social media platforms. The photo-sharing social media service Pinterest is reportedly in talks to acquire the photo-sharing app VSCO.

After two delays, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is gearing up to launch its Remote ID training entirely online starting on April 6. The online program is designed to make it easier for Part 107-certified pilots to renew their status without needing to pay for in-person testing.

A new study produced by Zenfolio delves into the current state of the photography industry from the perspective of active photographers. While addressing the decline of business in the last year, it also highlights 2021 and what segments are already seeing a recovery.

While 2020 wasn't a particularly good year for camera manufacturers overall, by the late fall and into the winter the sales number had rebounded, returning to more typical numbers. Through the year, the big three -- Sony, Canon, and Nikon -- unsurprisingly led total production numbers.

A rare collection of some of the world's earliest photographs is coming up for sale. Sotheby’s will be selling nearly 200 photos by 19th-century photography pioneer William Henry Fox Talbot at auction in New York next month.

Coworking company NeueHouse and the international photography museum Fotografiska have joined forces in an attempt to overcome the effects of the coronavirus pandemic that have rocked both industries.

David Alan Harvey, who has been at the center of controversy around images he took in 1989 which may or may not feature underage sex workers, has announced that he has resigned as a Magnum Photos photographer. Magnum had previously suspended Harvey for one year while it investigated a "confidential complaint."

Leica has quietly announced that it will be raising the prices across its entire product line by varying degrees, averaging around 2-5% on most items but getting as high as nearly 10% in the case of some of its cameras.

Ethics in photography is a topic that just keeps popping up. Whether it’s the latest dish on Magnum, or an argument about photographing the homeless, some days it seems you can’t turn around without stumbling across another disagreement.

Over the last few years, CP+ in Japan has grown in importance and significance in the camera industry. Unfortunately, this year's show -- which was planned to be in-person -- went fully digital due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, the show seems to have done surprisingly well.

BCN+R, one of the largest databases of electronics sales in Japan, has published a trends report from 2020. While the whole industry struggled, it reveals Nikon specifically is in a rough market position.

Earlier this week, Nikon rewarded their fans with the reveal that a flagship mirrorless camera that will surpass the D6 was coming to market this year. The Z9, as it is called, looks like it's going to be a killer camera -- but buying one is likely going to be a challenge.

A number of well-known National Geographic photographers have been targeted by an elaborate, high-value scam that involves an invitation to a fake event hosted by a women's charity that doesn't actually exist.

DPReview has published an interview with Nikon executives where the company is asked some very pointed questions about its strategy and future. In it, Nikon promises that a flagship Nikon Z camera, a mirrorless akin to the D6 DSLR, will come in 2021.

A collection of images by digital artist Beeple called "The First 5000 Days" is currently up for auction. It is the first fully-digital set of art pieces protected with a unique non-fungible token (NFT) that guarantees its authenticity and is currently bidding for $3 million.

Kenko Tokina has announced that it has entered a business alliance with Carl Zeiss in Japan. Starting on April 1, Tokina will take over the sales and repair of all Carl Zeiss interchangeable photo lenses.

Doom-and-gloom stories of the state of the camera market have been pretty common over the past year due to COVID-19. But what if the data used to determine the health of the industry was flawed?

The first preview of Android 12 has landed, and it brings news that the mobile operating system will have platform support for the AV1 Image File Format (AVIF), which has dramatically better image quality for the same file size when compared with image formats such as JPEG.

Nikon China recently invited members of the media to its headquarters in the region where the developers of the Z7 II answered many questions about the new camera and Nikon's future. After reading responses, Nikon expert Thom Hogan questions what Nikon has done to differentiate itself.

The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc across the economy, and one niche hit particularly hard has been the world of museums, which has seen ticket sales plummet due to lockdowns and people staying away from indoor spaces. Now the largest art museum in the US is facing a massive budget shortfall, and it's looking into selling art to pay bills.

Fior Markets, a self-described futuristic market intelligence company, is predicting a massive boom in underwater cameras. In its forecast, it's anticipating the market to reach a value of $15.3 billion by 2027.

In an interview with Asahi, the CTO of the newly-created OM Digital Solutions answered several questions about the company, its products, and its future. In it, why the imaging division was sold off, how long the company intends to keep the Olympus brand, and other details were revealed.

Susan Goldberg has been editor in chief at National Geographic for seven years. In the history of Nat Geo, which started in 1888, she is the 10th editor and the first woman. The yellow-bordered magazine, one of the most widely read magazines of all time, has always been known for its dramatic photography and is published in 35 languages.

Canon has announced that the company has eclipsed the mark of 150 million EF and RF lenses manufactured as of January 2021. The 150 millionth lens was an RF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM zoom.

CIPA, the Camera and Imaging Products Association, has published its final report of camera sales and volume for 2020 and the numbers confirm what was expected: the annual downward trend of the market has continued, with 2020's numbers further damaged by the COVID-19 pandemic. But it's not all bad news.

Have you ever wondered why different manufacturers' smartphone images have a certain "look" to them? In an interview with Engadget, Vice President and head of Samsung Mobile's visual software R&D Joshua Sungdae Cho explains how images are rendered now will change going forward.

Instagram is rolling out a new design for Stories on desktop to make the feature more immersive and easier to navigate. Users will be able to view stories in full-screen with a carousel containing previews of already-played and upcoming Stories.

Twitter has launched a new program called Birdwatch that puts the power to fight misinformation in the hands of the public. The goal is to have crowdsourced fact-checking that can help identify fake or misleading Tweet content, including photos.

Canon is preparing for a time when the digital camera market will only ship 10 million units annually, about 8.2% of the number shipped in 2010. With that in mind, the company is slimming down its production, sales, and product lineups going forward.

In the latest in the ongoing saga involving Magnum Photos, the company has made good on its promise to publish its previously-private Code of Conduct. In it, the company does not mention specifically child protection.

Reports emerged recently that the iPhone 12's camera can't be repaired well by third-party repair shops -- even swapping it for a genuine Apple camera module causes functionality issues. Now it seems Apple may soon officially warn iPhone owners when their device has a non-genuine camera.