Camera World on Fire: New Gear, Big Updates and Bold Rumors (Sept 3-4, 2025)

• Nikon’s Retro Revival & Price Jolt: Nikon launched a new silver edition of its retro-style Zf full-frame camera, adding three chic color options and promising a “Film Grain” mode via firmware to give digital shots an analog feel nikon.com nikon.com. Meanwhile, a second U.S. price hike kicked in Sept. 1 – entry-level Nikons cost $100 more and the flagship Z9 jumped $400, leaving only two sub-$1,000 Nikon bodies (the aging Z30 and Z50) in the lineup digitalcameraworld.com digitalcameraworld.com. (Rumor: Nikon is reportedly prepping a video-focused “Zr” camera for a Sept. 10 reveal, essentially a Nikon Z6 III in a cine-style, EVF-less body using RED’s video tech nikonrumors.com.)
• Canon Teases New Cinema Camera: Canon is hyping an upcoming EOS Cinema camera launch on Sept. 9. A shadowy teaser shows a compact, boxy body with a front tally light and red “C” badge ts2.tech. Canon’s own tagline promises “a new way to capture the world,” fueling speculation this might be an EOS C50 – a small cine cam to challenge Sony’s FX3 ts2.tech. (Rumor: Canon’s mirrorless lineup is also poised for an update – insiders say an EOS R6 Mark III (≈30 MP) will be announced by mid-September to succeed the popular R6 II canonrumors.com.)
• Sony’s Major Firmware Upgrade: Sony’s pro video cams are getting smarter. In September, firmware v7.0 for the FX3 and v6.0 for FX30 will land, overhauling their interface with the new “BIG 6” quick menu (bringing settings like ISO, frame rate, LUT, ND filters into one easy screen) newsshooter.com newsshooter.com. The update also enables 1.5× anamorphic de-squeeze and adds Blackmagic RAW output via HDMI – effectively trickling high-end Venice/Burano features down to these compact cinema cameras newsshooter.com. (Rumor: Industry buzz hints that Sony may unveil a high-end FX8 cinema camera (possibly 12K) at IBC later this month, but no confirmation yet.)*
• Panasonic Fuses Video Categories: Panasonic unveiled the AK-UBX100, a 4K pro camera that merges a studio camera, a box camera, and a PTZ robotic cam into one unit. It uses a 2/3″ bayonet mount (B4) like broadcast cameras and was touted as “the future of video production” ts2.tech. Uniquely, the UBX100 features the world’s first fast autofocus system in a broadcast-style camera, using AI to nail focus quickly even with B4 lenses ts2.tech. It’s due out in Q4 2025 and aims to let studios replace multiple camera types with a single do-it-all model. In tandem, Panasonic launched a next-gen remote controller (AW-RP200) for multi-camera setups, with dual joysticks and programmable macro sequences to automate complex camera moves ts2.tech ts2.tech. Debuting at IBC 2025, the controller ships in early 2026, streamlining how one operator can drive many cameras.
• Fujifilm’s Long-Range Marvel: Fujifilm pulled back the curtain on a new SX Series camera built for extreme reach. This lens-integrated system packs a 32× zoom (12.5–400 mm) f/2.8 lens permanently attached to a 1/1.8-inch sensor ts2.tech. Weighing ~3.9 kg, the unit is portable for field use (it can even be vehicle-mounted) and features advanced stabilization and a haze-reduction mode to keep distant shots sharp ts2.tech. Fujifilm is pitching it for mobile surveillance and industrial inspection – places where you need “big lens” power without a tripod or tower. ts2.tech No consumer X-series cameras were announced in this period, but this SX model (to be shown at London’s DSEI security expo next week) underscores Fuji’s focus on niche pro imaging needs ts2.tech.
• Leica & L-Mount Alliance Updates: In the Leica realm, a beloved monochrome shooter may be riding into the sunset. Rumors from Japan say the Leica Q2 Monochrom is discontinued, with remaining stock quietly dwindling digitalcameraworld.com. That has Leica fans expecting a Q3 Monochrom soon – likely transplanting the Q3’s 60 MP sensor into a new B&W-only model, a move many call “inevitable, if not overdue.” digitalcameraworld.com On the lens side, Leica’s L-Mount alliance just expanded: Viltrox joined as the 10th member on Sept. 1, which should mean more third-party lenses for L-mount leica-camera.com. And perhaps the biggest wild card – DJI (known for drones) is rumored to launch its first full-frame camera on Sept. 15 with an L-mount. Leaks suggest a boxy, Sony FX3-style design with a corner EVF and even Hasselblad color tech, signaling DJI’s serious entry into mirrorless cameras if true digitalcameraworld.com.
• Sigma’s Lens Moves – Reworks & Rumors: Facing unprecedented demand, Sigma has dramatically changed course on one of its star lenses. The 14mm f/1.4 DG DN Art – a record-fast ultra-wide beloved by astro shooters – has been so hard to get that Sigma is now making it “special order only.” The company admitted to “significant delays in shipping” and announced it will rename the lens (to 14mm f/1.4 DG Art, dropping the “DN”) with a slight cosmetic update, and sell it on a made-to-order basis starting Sept. 4 petapixel.com petapixel.com. Instead of stocking shelves, Sigma will take limited orders (the first window runs Sept. 4–Oct. 31) then build those lenses for delivery by March 2026 petapixel.com. Along with this, the price got a small bump – from $1,759 to $1,839 (about +5%) – citing higher material and logistics costs petapixel.com petapixel.com. Sigma apologized to customers for the long waits, saying “going forward, we will transition to a made-to-order system” to catch up with demand petapixel.com. On the rumor mill: Sigma is teasing a big “Master of Optics” event on Sept. 9, where it’s expected to unveil three new lenses imaging-resource.com. Leaked details point to a long-awaited 135mm f/1.4 Art prime (the new “bokeh king”), a 20–200mm f/3.5–6.3 travel zoom, and a 35mm f/1.2 Art DG DN II update imaging-resource.com. A blurred teaser image showed three lens silhouettes, and insiders across Sony/Leica communities have essentially confirmed the focal lengths. If all goes to plan, this will be one of Sigma’s largest product roll-outs in years – stay tuned on Sept. 9.
• Blackmagic’s Price Bombshell: Blackmagic Design delivered a surprise for filmmakers by slashing prices on its high-end cinema cameras. The company announced steep cuts (up to $7,000 off) across its URSA Cine line of large-format cameras imaging-resource.com. For instance, the top-end URSA Cine 17K 65 + EVF kit fell from $31,495 to $24,495 overnight imaging-resource.com. This reversal comes after a period of rising costs – BMD raised some prices back in April due to tariffs imaging-resource.com. Now, Blackmagic says it managed to lower production costs by moving some manufacturing, and is passing the savings on to customers imaging-resource.com. “Since releasing the URSA Cine cameras last year, [we] have been working hard to lower production costs and can now pass those savings on to customers through lower prices,” the company stated imaging-resource.com. The new prices are in effect immediately via Blackmagic’s global dealers imaging-resource.com. This unusual mid-cycle price drop aims to make BMD’s large-format 12K and 17K cameras accessible to a broader range of productions, and undercuts rivals in the cine camera market.

Expert Insights & Quotes

• Canon (Teaser): “A new way to capture the world.” – Canon’s tagline for its Sept. 9 EOS Cinema launch ts2.tech, signaling this camera will offer something genuinely different in form or function. Observers note the teaser image “shows what looks like a video-focused camera with a boxy design… potentially a [Sony] FX30 killer” ts2.tech – high praise that has cinematographers buzzing.
• Nikon (Market Watch): “Nikon’s budget models have increased by $100, while the flagship Z9 has jumped by $400.” – Digital Camera World’s Hillary Grigonis, on the concrete impact of Nikon’s tariff-induced price hike digitalcameraworld.com. She points out that as a result only two sub-$1k Nikon bodies remain, both several years old digitalcameraworld.com. Her take: Nikon urgently “needs a new Z30 more than ever” to keep entry-level users onboard digitalcameraworld.com.
• Sigma (Customer Update): “We are experiencing significant delays in shipping… Going forward, we will transition to a made-to-order system.” – Sigma’s frank admission regarding the 14mm f/1.4 Art lens backlog petapixel.com. Tech writer Jeremy Gray noted the lens had “been difficult for photographers to purchase” since launch petapixel.com, and applauded Sigma’s move to adjust course rather than compromise on quality or leave customers hanging.
• Blackmagic (Pricing Strategy): “Since releasing the URSA Cine cameras last year, [the company] has been working hard to lower production costs and can now pass those savings on to customers…” – Blackmagic Design’s statement on why it could suddenly drop URSA prices after years of increases imaging-resource.com. This underscores a wider trend: as tariffs and supply chain issues drive prices up industry-wide, companies that find efficiency gains are using them to regain competitive edge (to the benefit of creators’ wallets).
• DJI (New Entrant Commentary): “Full-frame, corner-mounted electronic viewfinder, and a boxy FX3-like design… The latest rumors suggest we could be just days away from a major reveal.” – Photography writer Kim Bunermann, putting the DJI camera whispers into perspective digitalcameraworld.com. Experts say DJI has the tech know-how (and joined the L-Mount alliance in 2022) to make a serious pro camera digitalcameraworld.com. If the Sept. 15 reveal pans out, DJI could “have everything it needs” – from gimbal expertise to Hasselblad color science – to disrupt the mirrorless video camera market digitalcameraworld.com.

Sources: This report draws on official press releases (Nikon, Panasonic, Sigma, Blackmagic), credible industry news sites and expert analyses nikon.com petapixel.com ts2.tech digitalcameraworld.com, ensuring an accurate and up-to-date roundup of the latest developments in cameras, lenses and video gear as of early September 2025.