Impressions from visiting “CP+ 2026” held at Pacifico Yokohama in Yokohama Mirato Mirai in February 2026
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Table of contents
Exhibition Overview
- Exhibition Title: “CP+ (CP Plus) 2026”
- On-site Event: Thursday, February 26th – Sunday, March 1st, 2026. Opening Hours: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM (5:00 PM on the final day only).
- *On Thursday, February 26th only, admission is open until 12:00 PM for press, VIP guests, and Quick Passes.
- Online Event: Thursday, February 26th – Sunday, March 1st, 2026. Opening Day: 10:00 AM – Final Day: 11:59 PM
- *Online event archive period: Monday, March 2nd – Tuesday, March 31st.
- Location: Pacifico Yokohama
- Admission Fee: Free online registration required
The main exhibitors at this exhibition are as follows:
Thoughts: “The fatigue of manufacturers and the appeal of niche industries”
I think the highlight of CP+ in recent years is the contrast between the sense of fatigue felt by the large exhibitors and the energy of individual, small, and medium-sized exhibitors, and overseas exhibitors, all targeting niche markets.
Also, the number of male and female subjects for each manufacturer has been balanced. A few years ago, it was all about the situation, so I wonder if this is in line with the current trend. However, personally, I felt that perhaps 1% of the visitors on Thursday were women, participating independently rather than accompanied by a man. I noticed a lot of male visitors taking photos of female models.
When I visited on a Thursday afternoon, perhaps because it was a weekday, there were only a moderate number of people, and there was no wait to enter. Entry was via a QR code on your smartphone, so there was no need to line up at the ticket machine. Only those who specifically wanted to wear a pass should use the machine. Thursday and Friday probably weren’t as crowded, but I imagine Saturday and Sunday will be just as busy.
Since I didn’t listen to much of the lectures, I left the venue after about two hours.
Below are my impressions of each manufacturer.
FUJIFILM
I think the highlight of CP+ in recent years is the contrast between the sense of fatigue felt by the large exhibitors and the energy of individual, small, and medium-sized exhibitors, and overseas exhibitors, all targeting niche markets.
Also, the number of male and female subjects for each manufacturer has been balanced. A few years ago, it was all about the situation, so I wonder if this is in line with the current trend. However, personally, I felt that perhaps 1% of the visitors on Thursday were women, participating independently rather than accompanied by a man. I noticed a lot of male visitors taking photos of female models.
When I visited on a Thursday afternoon, perhaps because it was a weekday, there were only a moderate number of people, and there was no wait to enter. Entry was via a QR code on your smartphone, so there was no need to line up at the ticket machine. Only those who specifically wanted to wear a pass should use the machine. Thursday and Friday probably weren’t as crowded, but I imagine Saturday and Sunday will be just as busy.
Since I didn’t listen to much of the lectures, I left the venue after about two hours.
Below are my impressions of each manufacturer.
The instax Pal, released in 2023, was a refreshing change for me as a user with little sensitivity to toy cameras. Fujifilm is really good at creating products that sell in large numbers to the masses.
SIGMA
The Sigma booth was the perfect example of simplicity and sturdiness, and the subject of this test shot was an art object made from offcuts of aperture blades. I wondered if it had been commissioned by a contemporary artist, so I asked the exhibitor, but I didn’t know who the artist was.
In the corner where a large number of photo books are on display, you can sit in a chair and look at the books, but since the booth is crowded with people and is right next to the presentation booth, it’s not an opportunity to leisurely look at the books.
SIGMA continues to release new products while maintaining its cost-effective manufacturing methods. It has shifted to a high-end line, securing profits through higher prices and continuing the cycle of releasing new products.
SIGMA’s release frequency is overwhelmingly higher than that of other manufacturers, and Sigma appears to be the sole leader in the interchangeable lens market.
One of the great things about the camera industry is that users who don’t like Sigma have other options.
I watched the president’s presentation for 2026, but it only talked about lenses and there were no announcements of new camera products.
The trend in lenses over the past few years toward increased brightness appears to have come to an end with the recently announced 85mm f/1.2.
Sigma’s further efforts to increase added value include miniaturizing lens size. The first example is the SIGMA 35mm f/1.2 II, to be released in 2025. As shown in the table below, it is significantly more compact than the previous lens from seven years ago, despite having the same specifications.
Recent lenses tend to be large and heavy due to their high performance, so this move toward miniaturization is very welcome. However, prices are only going up.
| 35mm F1.2-II | VS | 35mm F1.2 | |
| Size (L mount) | φ81.0 × 111.4mm (574cm3) | ↓30% less（Volume） | φ87.8 × 136.2mm (825cm3) |
| Weight(Lマウント) | 755g | ↓30% less | 1,090g |
| Orice(Jp-Yen) | ¥247,500 (Online Shop) | ↑65% increase | Approximately ¥150,000 |
| Release year | 2026 | VS | 2019 |
TAMRON
Tamron always entertains us with interesting displays, and this time they had the DeLorean from Back to the Future. The gull-wing doors can be opened and closed, and even the interior is recreated, which is impressive.
A guitar that pays homage to the guitar that appears in the movie.
The following is a quote from the venue’s description:
The Eviphone Back to the Future ES-345 is based on the Gibson ES-345, famously played by Marty McFly in the movie Back to the Future.
I thought it was real, but it wasn’t.
COSINA
There weren’t any particularly eye-catching exhibits at this exhibition, but there were three lenses that were M-mount compatible: the APO-SKOPAR 75mm F2.8 and APO-LANTHAR 90mm F4, and a NOKTON classic 35mm F1.4 lens for Nikon Z mount and Canon RF mount. There was also a huge flower arrangement object in the center of the booth, which served as a subject for testing the lenses.
KENKO TOKINA
The exterior of a new lens and sample images were on display. It’s billed as “One Lens no like No Other,” so I’m a little curious to see what its specifications will be, but the lens specifications aren’t being hidden; rather, it’s likely because the maximum aperture and zoom range that will be the lens specifications at the time of release haven’t been finalized.
From the lens’s appearance, it’s assumed to be a wide-angle zoom lens for mirrorless cameras, given the size of the front element and the fact that a filter cannot be attached to it, with an internal zoom. Since it’s described as a “lens like no other,” perhaps it will be compatible with 35mm full-frame (full-size) cameras at the widest end, starting from around 10mm?
PANASONIC
This is Panasonic, a camera manufacturer whose position is inevitably half-hearted.
On display was the LUMIX S9 in titanium color, a compact and lightweight 35mm full-frame camera with decent camera specifications. The lens is the same color, giving it a sophisticated look.
However, I always think that if I buy this, I’ll erase the LUMIX logo on the front. I know this is none of my business, but every time I see a Panasonic camera, I think they should do something about the LUMIX brand itself. It may be too late, but I hope they’ll rebrand it at some point.
OM-SYSTEM
The OM-SYSTEM is also lacking in new products, and since the Olympus era, the choice of body colors has been a matter of personal preference, so I would like to see a wider product lineup, but this seems difficult as long as they are bound by the Micro Four Thirds format.
CANON,NIKON,SONY
Each company’s exhibits are just an extension of what they’ve done before, so there’s nothing particularly interesting about them.
Canon exhibited VR, but it doesn’t seem to be selling very well on the market.
I’ve always thought that VR won’t catch on to the general public until the culture of wearing headsets disappears.
OTHER
One product that caught my eye was LAOWA’s Stereo Zoom FF14-60mm T3.6. I’ve seen quite a few prime stereo lenses for VR photography, but this was my first time seeing a stereo lens with a built-in zoom.
Prime stereo lenses only require aperture and focus adjustments, making them relatively easy to control from the camera; there are no physical controls on the lens itself.
However, because this lens is made by LAOWA, a company that specializes in lenses, it can be difficult to control the aperture and focus from the camera unless it conforms to each manufacturer’s specifications. Furthermore, some cameras do not have an electronic zoom mechanism, making it even more difficult to control the zoom from the camera itself.
Therefore, this lens avoids these difficulties by being a manual lens.
This is reflected in the lens’s exterior, with rings on each lens for manually operating the lens: aperture, zoom, and focus rings, from closest to the camera.
Because it is a stereo lens, moving each control ring independently would not produce a decent VR image, so the left and right rings are connected internally, so it is assumed that turning one turns the other. However, while it looks like two zoom lenses bundled together, they are physically connected internally, making for an interesting and forceful packaging solution.
There are many screw holes in the lens barrel, so it is likely to be mounted in a cage for use, but it is a fairly heavy lens, measuring 25 x 17 x 9 cm and weighing 4.1 kg, and it would seem quite difficult to manually operate all three rings while shooting video, but it is an interesting product.
In addition, in Japan, cameras are so synonymous with cats that there is an unspoken understanding that anything with a cat attached will sell, and there are a large number of cat-themed products on display.
Summary
The camera industry has been overtaken by smartphones, and the equipment is no longer new, so one might question the need to attend, but there is still something to see if you do go. Personally, it’s held in an easy-to-get-to location, so I hope they continue to do their best.
Among the major manufacturers, RICOH/PENTAX left a few years ago, but no other companies have followed suit, which shows that the event is positioned as one that has a certain appeal to companies.
From the perspective of maintaining the event’s continuity, it can be said that the system built by the organizers is functioning well.
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Photo Equipment
- SONY α NEX-C3 +CANON EF 40mm +Metabones SpeedBooster Ultra-0.71x
Update history
- 2026.2.27
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