The death of ‘perfect’ photos? Why 2026’s major new cameras are wildly retro

Two monochrome-only compacts and a Super 8-style instant camera – what's going on?

15 Feb 2026, 01:00 · TechRadar

Features By Timothy Coleman published 15 February 2026

(Image credit: Tim Coleman)

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We’re six weeks into 2026 and there have been three major camera launches so far; the Leica Q3 Monochrom, Ricoh GR IV Monochrome and Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo Cinema.

That’s two pricey black-and-white-only compact cameras and a Super 8-style instant camera…that also shoots video.

In one sense, I’m hardly surprised. Compact camera shipments for 2025 rose by 30% year-on-year, driving the first real overall growth in camera shipments for many years.

And judging by 2025's top-selling cameras, there's seemingly a continued hunger for simple retro tech too – Fujifilm remains a popular pick with its X100VI, and older Canon PowerShot compacts are perpetually sold out.

Mirrorless cameras are doing well too, mind you – shipments also grew in 2025, with the numbers suggesting beginner APS-C models are driving sales, and the small Sony A7 C II is selling well especially in Japan.

However, there’s a growing sense that experience-led camera design over outright capabilities – in other words how a camera makes us feel – is what's winning through.

Instagram chief Adam Mosseri posted in January that: 'The camera companies are betting on the wrong aesethetic. They're competing to make everyone look like a pro photographer from 2015. But in a world where AI can generate flawless imagery, the professional look becomes the tell."

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