Photo: our predictions for the year 2015 - Les Numériques
Technologies that we will find in 2015
We already explained this in detail during our review of Photokina 2014, we haven't changed our minds since: 2014 was a pivotal year . Admittedly, there were fewer flamboyant announcements than in 2013, but the general rise to the top of the range will not have escaped anyone. With the exception of Nikon and Kodak, which still considers entry-level compacts as a buoyant market (for different reasons), all manufacturers have cleaned up on this side to favor expert compacts. The breath of fresh air blown by the Sony RX100 in 2012 has finally paid off and everyone has lined up in their own way.
The pixel and zoom races are expected to see a lull thanks to users becoming more demanding of acceptable image quality. We might even see some sensors deflate compared to their elders. The large APS-C and 24x36 mm sensors still have room to flirt with 30 and 60 Mpx respectively.
4K video is expected to become massively mainstream. Panasonic, for the time being, is the only one to offer it at all levels (smartphone, compact expert, bridge, hybrid), with internal recording, but the others (Sony and Canon in the lead) should quickly follow. The lack of broadcast support (compatible screens and TVs) should quickly be circumvented as the price of 4K displays has melted in one year. With CES 2015 and the winter sales looming, it's a safe bet that $300 4K TVs will become legion. Still in video, 360° recording should also take off, provided that the applications follow.
Finally, how can we not talk about selfies? As far as we are concerned: they go out of our minds. We can't take it anymore! Unfortunately for us, a certain Asian country (China) is very fond of these 2.0 self-portraits. “Impossible to sell in China without a selfie function” the manufacturers repeat to us over and over. Let's take the matter philosophically: after all, this will have enabled the accelerated generalization of adjustable, touch screens, Wi-Fi and NFC...
Digital cameras expected for 2015, brand by brand
Canon
Barring any reversal, Canon will continue its remarkable efforts to boost its compacts: construction quality, quality of image, ease of use, efficiency, aggressive quality/price ratio, a winning recipe that we support 100%. Perhaps even an expert bridge, of the same caliber as the Sony RX10 and Panasonic FZ1000, will see the light of day, but it is above all on the side of cameras with interchangeable lenses that the firm is expected. On the hybrid side, the EOS-M Mark III should start on an entirely new basis, with an emphasis on the quality/price ratio, like this year's G7X. On the reflex side, the relative lethargy of 2014 (only two reflexes, the EOS 1200D and 7D Mark II) should be followed by a festival: EOS 5D Mark IV (with 4K recording), EOS 6D Mark II (rotating and touch screen), EOS 750D (the democratic 4K?), EOS 100D Mark II... there is no shortage of candidates for renewal.