All camera manufacturers hit by new USA tariffs up to 46%
Important note: We are not talking about politics here, but simply about the economic impact of the new tariffs on camera gear.
Here is how tariffs will affect cameras and lenses produced in different countries:
Japan: 24%
China 34%
Vietnam: 46%
Thailand 36%
EU: 20%
All current camera and lens manufacturers do produce cameras and lenses in those countries. This sounds like a big blow to the entire industry.
🇺🇸 Cameras Made (or Assembled) in the USA
🏆 1. RED Digital Cinema
• Made in California (Irvine)
•High-end digital cinema cameras used in Hollywood (e.g., RED Komodo, V-RAPTOR).
•Designed, manufactured, and assembled in the U.S.
•Mostly used for filmmaking, not consumer photography.
🏆 2. Blackmagic Design (select products)
• While Blackmagic is Australian, some camera assembly for U.S. sales happens locally.
•Example: URSA Mini Pro series.
•Not fully U.S.-made, but components or customization may be done domestically.
🏆 3. Military, Industrial & Scientific Cameras
•Brands like FLIR, Teledyne DALSA, and Vision Research produce high-speed, thermal, or industrial-grade cameras.
•Often made or assembled in the U.S. for aerospace, defense, or research.
đźš« Not U.S.-Made: Consumer Brands
Most consumer-focused brands do NOT manufacture in the U.S., including:
•Canon – Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand, and China
•Nikon – Thailand and Japan
•Sony – Thailand and China
•Fujifilm – Japan and China
•Panasonic – China and Malaysia
•OM System (Olympus) – Vietnam and China
•Leica – Germany and Portugal (not USA)
Just announced: New Viltrox 50mm f/2.0 AIR lens
Viltrox announced a 200g light Full Frame 50mm f/2.0 lens you can preorder this lens on Amazon, Pergear.
Reviews can be read at SonyAlphaBlog and Dustin Abbott. And here are some youtuber reviews:
Canon announced the new R50V and new V1 cameras
Canon just announced the new R50V and V1 cameras you can reorder now at BHphoto (Click here). An introduction can be read on Explora.
Viltrox teases the launch of a mysterious new product on March 27
Viltrox China just posted this teaser for a “One More Thing” coming on March 27:
Any idea what this might be?
New Zhongyi Optics 55mm f/2.8 1-5x macro will be announced on March 28
Here are the specs:
Mount: Nikon F, Canon EF, Pentax PK, Sony E, Nikon Z, Canon RF, Panasonic L, Fuji X, Fuji GFX, Hasselblad XCD
Lens size: φ67mm*87mm (Nikon F) 1x φ67mm*162mm (Nikon F) 5x
Filter size: φ58mm
Working distance (distance from object to first lens): 65mm (magnification 5x) -150mm (magnification 1x)
Weight (including tripod ring): 690g (F mount) – 750g (GFX mount).
Lens structure: 13 lenses in 8 groups, 2nd and 5th lenses ED. 8 aperture blades
With aurora On sale at 8 a.m. on March 28, 2025
Daily retail price: 2,880 yuan; New week discount: 2,680 yuan.
via Weibo
Canon is the best-selling brand among Chinese bird photographers
China is probably the most important market for camera manufacturers. And when it comes to Chinese bird photographers, this was the camera market share in 2024:
And here the top 10 best selling camera:
- Canon EOS R5 (11.75%)
- Sony α1 (10.23%)
- Nikon Z9 (9.12%)
- Canon EOS R3 (7.78%)
- Nikon Z8 (6.06%)
- Canon EOS R7 (5.79%)
- Canon EOS-1DX Mark III (5.16%)
- Canon EOS-1DX Mark II (4.05%)
- Nikon D850 (3.17%)
- Sony α9II (2.96%)
via Weibo