Authored by Admin · daily · researched and written by the Kurzia AI
Wednesday 4 November 2026 · Issue 19 · 5 min read
2026's backorder problem, Sirui's Aurora wides, Nikon ZR v2 firmware and a $150 waterproof Kodak
What's hot
Nearly half of 2026's big camera launches hit backorders. Digital Camera World tallied this year's significant launches and found five of eleven went onto backorder in at least one region shortly after release, among them the Sigma FP2, OM System PEN, Lumix L10, Sony FX5 and Ricoh GR IV Monochrome. Japanese retailer Map Camera now says its sales are down because makers are supplying fewer bodies and new models are arriving later than planned. Canon, Sony, Nikon and Fujifilm have all warned investors about climbing memory costs.
For a weekend shooter this is a timing problem more than a taste problem: pre-order day is increasingly the only day stock exists, and the gear you put off buying this winter may cost more next year. Canon told investors it would raise camera prices in 2027 if material costs stay high, and admitted its plan to build more compacts will miss its target because of supply shortages. Digital Camera World
New gear
Sirui Aurora 15mm f/1.6 and 24mm f/1.4 — two full-frame autofocus wide primes, already shown working at the IBC show, which sonyalpharumors says arrive on 9 November for Sony FE. Fast wides are the pricey corner of any kit, and Sirui has spent the autumn undercutting everyone, so these are worth watching before you commit to a first-party 24mm. Photo Rumors tells it slightly differently: pre-orders open 9 November on Sirui's own site, with the formal announcement for E, Z and L mounts on 16 November. sonyalpharumors
Meike AF 50mm f/1.4 — a standard fast fifty for Sony E, Nikon Z and L mount, expected to weigh around 600 g and to be released before the end of 2026. A budget f/1.4 normal is the lens most hobbyists actually use after the kit zoom, and three mounts means it is relevant whichever system sits in your bag. Unconfirmed: sonyalpharumors has the details from Weibo, with no price and no firm date; Photo Rumors separately points to Meike's own site for updates. sonyalpharumors
Yongnuo 18mm f/2.8 S DF VCM — now officially announced for Sony E-mount and heading to Amazon and B&H, the headline item in Photo Rumors' sweep of upcoming Chinese optics. This is where the interesting cheap glass turns up first, and the roundup is a faster way to track it than following five brands separately. Also on the list: the Brightin Star APO M 35mm f/1.7 ASPH for Leica M reaching retail after its Kickstarter, and a Mr.Ding electronic-focus adapter putting Contax G lenses on L mount. Photo Rumors
Kodak Pixpro P1 — a $149.99 waterproof compact now selling on Amazon in the US, built around a 13-megapixel back-illuminated sensor and a fixed 26mm-equivalent f/2.0 lens. It is the knockabout second camera that stops you taking a phone or an expensive body to the pool, and at this money the compromises are easy to forgive. Waterproof to 5 metres, shockproof to 1 metre, 1080p video at up to 60 fps, a 2.8-inch screen that flips through 180 degrees and a ring light with three colour temperatures. Digital Camera World
Nikon ZR firmware v2.0 — brings Red's Log3G10 curve to the camera's H.265 recording, where until now that curve has only been available if you shot R3D NE raw. If the ZR has been on your shortlist as a video-leaning second body, log in a normal-sized file makes it far more usable on a hobbyist's card and drive budget. The update also adds control over high-ISO noise reduction when shooting log in H.265, plus processing against black-level flicker in dark scenes; it is due before year end, with no exact date. DPReview
What people are saying
Panasonic Lumix S1RII — reviewed at length by Christopher Frost: 44 megapixels and 8K for about $3,300, on a sensor that is not stacked and so reads out slowly, warping fast subjects under electronic shutter. It is a clean illustration of the choice now facing anyone shopping high resolution, since Panasonic sells speed and pixels as two different bodies rather than one flagship. Frost logs 10 fps mechanical with continuous autofocus and 40 fps electronic with a buffer of roughly 70 raw files, in a 795 g weather-sealed body. Fstoppers
“almost electronic gimbal quality”
Bring back bridge cameras, with bigger sensors. An Amateur Photographer columnist argues the superzoom still does something neither a phone nor a mirrorless kit does, and that the Sony RX10 V and Nikon Coolpix P1100 should not be the only options left. Worth reading if you have ever priced a long telephoto for occasional wildlife or sports: one sealed all-in-one is the cheap answer, and the column is honest that the maths has shifted against it. His condition is that any revival use 1.0-inch type sensors rather than the 1/2.3-inch chips in the P1100 and Panasonic's FZ82D/FZ80D. Amateur Photographer
Industry news
Nikon holiday rebates — Nikon's holiday sneak peek lifts the Z8 to $1,100 off, another $100 deeper, while the Z7 II holds at $800 off and the Z 400mm f/2.8 TC at $2,000 off.
DxO optics modules — DxO added 472 modules, covering the OM System PEN, Sony's FE 100-400mm f/5.6-8 with both teleconverters, Tamron's 12-20mm in Z and FE, and the Ricoh GW-4 on the GR IV.
Canon macro patent — A newly published Canon patent covers redesigned macro optics reaching life-size 1.0x magnification; nothing is announced, and the RF line currently has four macro lenses.
Canon DM-E10D — Canon will sell the 59 g DM-E10D mono microphone in late December at ¥29,700, drawing power and sending audio through the multi-accessory shoe with no cable or battery.
Sony A7S III hack — A Reddit user switched on Variable Shutter and BIG6 on the A7S III using a USB exploit that runs code as root without altering the camera's firmware.
One takeaway
Decide inside this rebate window, not after it. Two things in this issue point the same way: bodies are getting harder to keep in stock, and the discounts on current bodies are getting deeper, not shallower. So pick the one camera or lens you actually want, watch its rebate rather than the launch calendar, and treat a pre-order date on a cheap third-party prime as the day to act. Waiting for a 2027 replacement risks paying more for something you cannot find. Nikon Rumors