Rumors Recap: Nikon Z, Canon Full Frame Mirrorless, Sony a7s III, and DJI Mavic Pro II

Rumors Recap: Nikon Z, Canon Full Frame Mirrorless, Sony a7s III, and DJI Mavic Pro II

Nikon will officially announce its new Z mount full frame mirrorless system in a few days while Canon and Sony are expected to follow with major product release. Meanwhile, DJI should unveil a new version of the Mavic Pro.

2018 is going to be an exceptional year in terms of product release. Not only that but several manufacturers are coming with big technological breakthrough such new mounts and full frame mirrorless cameras. If you missed the previous episodes, here is a recap of the main announcements and rumors.

Nikon Z Full Frame Mirrorless Camera Announcement

It’s official and the company even created a countdown page on its website. On August 23, Nikon will release its first full frame mirrorless camera with the new Z mount and an adapter for legacy lenses. According to the latest rumors, there will be two cameras:

  • Nikon Z6: high speed, low light model (24MP)
  • Nikon Z7: high-resolution model (45MP)


The new Nikon mirrorless lenses could be called Z-Nikkor. The first optics should be the 24-70mm f/4, 50mm f/1.8, and some wide angles prime lenses. Later on, Nikon will release an ultra-fast Z-Noct-Nikkor 58mm f/0.95 lens.

Canon Full Frame Mirrorless Camera Rumor

After years of hibernation, it seems that Canon is finally waking up and may react to the Sony and Nikon assault. But unlike Nikon, Canon didn’t make any official statement and the rumors are scarce at this point. However, after many disappointing product releases such as the Canon 5D Mark IV and the Canon 6D Mark II, we noticed several subtle signs that Canon may finally start living in 2018 instead of recycling old technology at a premium price.

The rumors are not solid yet but Canon might introduce something in September, possibly ahead of the Photokina trade show. However, another "solid" source says "that no official announcement in regards to a full frame mirrorless camera from Canon will happen before Photokina next month" adding that October seems more likely. It could be a full frame mirrorless camera but we can’t exclude the possibility of a simple video camera or a lens announcement.

A7s III and Sony Response Rumor

Over the past two years, Sony released a lot of cutting-edge cameras such as the a7R III, the a9, and more recently the a7 III. The low light monster a7S II is due for replacement and the editor of Sony Alpha Rumors heard that “people close to Sony” were told that Sony was not “unprepared” by Canon and Nikon’s FF mirrorless launch. The same people also heard from Sony managers that they can “expect a serious answer after the Canon/Nikon announcements.” Perhaps the Sony a7s III might not be the only camera release in 2018. The Japanese firm could also propose another body to compete directly with Canon and Nikon mirrorless.

As for the cropped sensor camera, the Sony a6700 might be released before the end of the year but no solid specifications have surfaced yet.

DJI Mavic Pro II Announcement and Phantom 5 Rumor

Up in the air, DJI is also expected to unveil its new Mavic Pro II on August 23. The Chinese drone manufacturer officially postponed a big event on July 18 in New York and some say this change of plan was caused by a production issue. DJI wants to be sure to have enough production capacity to meet the demand of its new drone instead of delaying deliveries for months as with the original Mavic Pro.

According to the latest leaks, the Mavic Pro II should come with a one-inch sensor and another variant fitted with a smaller sensor and an optical zoom.

Beyond the Mavic Pro II, the Phantom 5 is also due for replacement and several image leaks revealed an interchangeable lens system with four f/2.8 prime lenses: 15mm, 24mm, 35mm, and 50mm. The images seem convincing despite DJI’s denial.

Oliver Kmia's picture

Oliver Kmia is specialized in time-lapse, hyperlapse, and aerial videography. He also works with several drone manufacturers as a marketing and technical consultant. He is the lead brand ambassador of Hello Kitty camera, his favorite piece of equipment. Most people think Oliver is an idiot and they are probably right.

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14 Comments

I do find it slightly amusing that you put a whole paragraph slagging Canon for "hibernating" even though they have been producing mirrorless cameras for years but nothing about Nikon not producing anything other than the same old camera with Sony sensors.

Um Nikon 1 system was mirrorless.

And they have been "hibernating" since that relative failure. ;) Canon has actually been innovative, look at dual pixel AF which in a mirrorless camera is a pretty solid feature. I just find it funny that everyone bashes Canon but Nikon has not innovated anything, they get all their advances in sensor performance...which comes from Sony. Just don't get the Canon hate.

Please the Nikon 1 features were great 20fps etc. The point was they have had experience with Mirrorless. I call the Nikon 1 series a beta test before Jumping into Full Frame.

Canon only has Dual AF nothing else stands out. The Nikon D850 kills everything Canon has at the moment.

So a camera that they stopped updating, and don't even make anymore was great and that proves they were getting ready for a mirrorless release what...5 years later? Mean while Canon has been making and selling mirrorless cameras, including new models, and yet they are "hibernating". Canon is the mirroless leader in some markets, I don't call that "hibernating". I am not saying that the D850 is not a great camera but other than the sensor, which is not their tech or innovation, what features does Nikon bring to the table that is new and groundbreaking?

Outside of the Nikon 1 I am not saying any of these companies make a bad product, actually the opposite. They all make some pretty impressive options.

Besides accurate AF, Video and Live View you right!

I don't know where you get your knowledge about the Nikon sensors from? Nikon designed their sensors itself. Some of these are proceduced in Sony factorys, as Nikon doesn't own a chip factory. That doesn't mean it's a Sony sensor. And Nikon also let produce some sensors in different factorys than Sony.

The EOS M line is not really advanced and they are APS-C. The first EOS-M camera had huge AF issues, the latest M50 is crippled (horrible battery life, huge crop in 4k, etc.) and Canon still haven't heard about sensor stabilization... Finally, six years after the introduction of its mirrorless segment, it seems that Canon never seriously considered the EF-M mount. Most of the few lenses available today are slow zooms except for the unique 22mm f/2 prime lens.
So yeah, they do have a mirroless option but it's pathetic in comparison to Fuji, Sony and M43.

As for Nikon they do have amazing DSLRs. The D850 is incredible in comparison to the 5D Mark IV. As for the sensor I couldn't care less who manufactures it. Patents are useless if they are not implemented. Perhaps Canon should also opt for Sony sensors if they can't make a decent one... (even thought the 5D4 is ok).
The DPAF is great but it's mainly a video tool and Canon crippled all its video features (1.7x crop on 4k video on the 5D4, no 4k on the 6Dmk2, disabled DPAF on the M50...).

And by the way, I'm a Canon shooter. I don't like Sony camera that much (UI, colors, lack of robustness). If Canon comes with a great mirrorless camera I'll be the first one to buy it. Otherwise I'll continue to shoot with my good old 6D and 5D3 until I switch to Sony or Nikon. I really don't care about brands. Camera are just tools.

BTW, you just did it again. Bash Canon, that has been putting out mirrorless for years even though they don't appeal to you, but say Nikon has a great DSLR. How is that Nikon 1 doing again? Again, just don't get the Canon bashing and hate while ignoring others failures.

Yeah, I'll do it again if Canon keeps releasing subpar camera at premium price.

Its not the camera but the photographer...extremely outstanding images have and continue to be made with Canon cameras maybe that's why there the number one selling brand worldwide by a long shot.
After shooting for over 50 years I found the brand doesn't matter except for isolated photographic situations where one camera can do a good job and the other cant period.

In fact without AF, LV, Auto Iso, Auto bracketing, even a meter you can if you know how make an image.

It's official. August 23, 2018 all existing DSLR cameras will no longer produce acceptable photographs. The mind blowing features that they brought to the market when they were released and people sold their old equipment for will become inoperable.

Oliver no reflection on your nice article. The craze about Nikon and Cannon's mirrorless cameras is.....well crazy.

I don't know how we managed to take pictures until now. But all that is going to change on the 23d. I may finally take acceptable images with my fancy mirrorless. Creativity and skills are all about gears, don't be mistaken Douglas! ;)