The Fujifilm X100VI, Nikon Coolpix S6900 in pink, and Canon Powershot G7X are all pocketable cameras with one thing in common: their popularity has blown up in 2024 thanks to influencers, especially on TikTok, and you’ll need patience and a deep wallet if you want to get your hands on one of these trending cameras.
I’ve been in the camera game since before now-‘vintage’ cameras like the Nikon Coolpix S6900 first went on sale, and I’m loving the new-found popularity, particularly among young audiences, of retro-styled point-and-shoots and premium compacts, and even film photography.
Yet, even as Zoomers embrace point-and-shoots, they don’t have a lot of choice when it comes to new gear. Perhaps that’s the point, and it’s all about vintage retro camera gear instead, which if true is great news for the secondhand market.
I can’t help but think, though, that if the trending cameras for the last two or three years are almost always point-and-shoots and premium compacts, where are Canon, Sony, Nikon and Panasonic? These leading brands are nowhere to be seen, with the only notable launch in these markets being the Panasonic Lumix Z99 / TZ99, which feels anything but new, being a refresh of a 2016 model.
Are these brands out of touch with young audiences, or do they feel that the opportunity isn’t worth pursuing right now? As someone who loves new camera gear, I’d like to think neither is true, and that 2025 is the year we can expect to see new point-and-shoots from the big four. The launch of new pocketable cameras with the latest tech is an exciting prospect, and here’s what I’d like to see – but first, a quick recap of how the camera market has evolved to this point.
U-turn needed?
Adapt or die – that’s the challenge for big brands. And that’s why, when smartphones started taking a huge bite out of camera sales, especially point-and-shoots, a few years ago the likes of Canon, Sony, Nikon and Panasonic shifted focus to high-end gear, launching premium compacts such as the Sony RX100-series.
Those four leading brands are now looking up the chain to high-end camera gear, especially hybrid mirrorless cameras that are capable enough to impress both pro photographers and filmmakers. Consequently, it’s the historically closed-off film-production market that’s evolving, with Nikon stunning the filmmaking industry when it bought out RED Digital Cameras.
Smartphones continue to decimate the low-end camera market, meaning it’s slim pickings if you’re looking for a new camera in 2024 for less than $1,000 / £1,000. However, it appears that there are opportunities for brands to cash in on the compact camera trend. The Fujifilm X00VI was 2024’s success story, the Ricoh GR III series is embraced by seasoned photographers, while the best-selling camera in Japan throughout 2024 is a cheap Kodak point-and-shoot, the simple PixPro FZ55, which is no match for your phone in terms of image quality.
The best camera phones are generally better than point-and-shoot cameras, but the curious thing is that that doesn’t seem to have deterred younger audiences from embracing them. So what can we learn? I think it’s that camera appeal is often about ‘feeling’ rather than outright quality (although the latter helps) and there’s a demand for dedicated cameras that offer a pure and unencumbered shooting experience because they’re disconnected.
Let’s imagine then that there’s incentive enough for big brands to go with small cameras once again – though I’m not convinced there is, at least not yet. Here are some of the most likely contenders, and what I’d like to see them offer.
Will 2025 be the year of the pocketable point-and-shoot?
I’d love to see an eighth iteration of the Sony RX100 series. The RX100 VII is five years old now, and Sony has done a lot since then, so a new model could be a seriously powerful pocket camera. What’s more likely, however, is a successor to 2016’s RX1R II – Sony’s pricier full-frame premium compact with a fixed 35mm lens. That series was hamstrung by its sky-high pricing (it wasn’t much cheaper than its Leica rival), but if Sony could make a next-gen model that’s priced a little closer to the Fujfilm X100VI, while adding a little retro flare, it’ll be a hit.
Canon could cash in on the new-found popularity of its Powershot G7X-series with a new G7X IV. Again, the most recent model, the G7X III, is several years old now, and Canon could make a fourth generation model much more powerful simply by utilizing existing tech from its latest cameras.
While I’m talking about Canon, it ventured into left-field with the Powershot V10 last year, a pocketable vlogging camera with built-in kickstand, the design of which was reminiscent of the Coolpix S6900, even if it was for video rather than photography. I can really see affordable Coolpix S6900-inspired point-and-shoots in various colors being particularly popular, even if such cameras were to use dated tech and offered questionable image quality.
I remember testing the Nikon Coolpix A in Scotland more than 10 years ago – a lesser-known premium compact akin to and predating the Ricoh GR III, with a fixed 28mm lens and 16MP APS-C sensor. I’d be saying “take my money” if Nikon was to produce a modern-day successor to the Coolpix A.
Likewise, if Panasonic was to make a compact like the Lumix S9 mirrorless camera, but with a fixed lens, for around the same as the Fujifilm X100 VI, it would be a nailed-on winner. Panasonic also used to make some of the best point-and-shoots that regularly featured in our buying guides, such as the Lumix ZS200 / TZ200 and Lumix LX100 II, which sadly are no longer available new. Updated versions could be superb, especially if they feature new tech – unlike the recent and similar Leica D-Lux 8, which was a mere Lux-7 refresh, or the new Lumix ZS99 / TZ99, which launched in December with USB-C charging, but with otherwise dated tech.
And let’s not forget other brands. OM System could get in the game soon – after all, it’s been three years since it bought Olympus, which should be enough time to have developed something new, if its product development teams have indeed been active behind closed doors since day one. There’s plenty of demand from fans for a new Pen F-style camera – how about a premium point-and-shoot in the same mold?
Pentax can continue scratching the itch for film photography lovers with new models following the launch of its wonderful half-frame Pentax 17, and Fujifilm fans could rightly dream for an all-new film camera from the retro camera maker.
I think there are enough opportunities for any brand to cash in with a sub $1,000 / £1,000 point-and-shoot digital or film camera, or re-enter the premium compact camera market with something below the $2,000 / £2,000 mark. Will 2025 be the year? Fingers crossed. If not, I hope vintage and retro gear keeps trending, and giving some fantastic older cameras a new lease of life.