Industry Update: Camera, Gear, and Event Delays and Cancellations

The COVID-19 Outbreak: What It Means for Camera and Gear Releases, and Other Industry Events

Since December 2019, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has spread rapidly across the globe, affecting over 100,000 people. While many news sources are covering the health and humanitarian aspects of this catastrophe, we’re here to give you the latest on how the outbreak is affecting the film and video industry.

With major events like SXSW, NAB, and E3 canceled, and big name manufacturers like Nikon and Sony delaying releases, it’s clear that the virus is having a significant impact on the industry. But what exactly does this mean for camera and gear releases, and other industry events? Let’s take a closer look.

Camera Announcements and Releases

Nikon announced a delay in the release of their upcoming D6 sports camera.

The biggest news so far is Nikon’s announcement of the delayed release of their upcoming D6 sports camera. While this may be more noticeable for photographers and the upcoming summer Olympics in Japan, the Nikon D6 is still a promising camera for videographers and multipurpose professionals with its 20.8 MP sensor and 4K UHD video.

There are also rumors of delays for both Sony and Canon, with reports suggesting that Sony was planning to launch both their new Sony a7S III and Sony a7 IV at last month’s CP+ (which was ultimately cancelled due to health concerns). No word yet on the scope of the delays or when either camera will make it back on track for 2020. Canon is still on schedule with their Canon EOS-1D X mk III, but the CF Express Card Reader, which was supposed to be included with the camera, will have to ship at a later, unspecified date.

Here is a full list of camera delays:

• Nikon D6: delayed
• Sony a7S III: unconfirmed
• Sony a7 IV: unconfirmed
• Canon EOS-1D X III: card reader delayed

Tech and Gear

Image of the delayed Nikkor AF-S 120-300mm f/2.8 lens (via Nikon).

The tech industry in Asia has been working hard to prevent the outbreak from causing major shutdowns or significant delays, but until reports change, concerns about parts shortages or reduced workforces remain. Nikon has also been reported to have to delay the announcement of a new Nikkor AF-S 120-300mm f/2.8 lens until at least late-March now.

Meanwhile, major industry players like Apple have reported that some of their iPhone manufacturers have had to close or partially close some plants. Samsung has also suffered both delays and poor numbers due to the coronavirus with their Galaxy S20 smartphone, which had been targeting the pocket video market with its “8K Video Snap” technology.

Conferences and Events

Image from the 2019 SXSW Film Festival (via Wikicommons).

The biggest impact felt across the film and video industry has been the delays and cancellations of several major conferences. The surprise, and nearly last-minute, cancellation of the entire SXSW conference and festival, which included one of the world’s largest film festivals, as well as tech, education, and music sectors, was a major blow.

Industry trade shows that many brands rely on for their major announcements have also been cancelled, including the CP+ expo in Japan, Adobe Summit in Las Vegas, and Facebook’s annual Global Marketing Summit in San Francisco.

E3, one of the world’s largest video game and entertainment expos, just announced they are cancelling their 2020 event on March 11th, holding back their conference scheduled for Early June of this year. This is one of the more surprising announcements, since most of the large events that have been cancelled were being held in either March, April, or early May. This may be indicative of how long professionals believe the virus will still be infectious and prone to spreading.

One of the biggest industry conferences, NAB, cancelled the same day as E3, citing concerns for health and safety as the reason for closing the nearly 100-year old event. The event, scheduled for Apr. 18-22nd in Las Vegas, had their largest vendors, such as Adobe, AVID, and Western Digital, drop out before their announcement to cancel, which may have influenced their decision to cancel the conference all together. Here’s what their cancellation message had to say about it:

For nearly 100 years, NAB Show has provided superior value and the best possible experience for exhibitors and attendees. We knew that if we could not deliver on those expectations, we would not move forward. More importantly, keeping the community safe and healthy is NAB’s highest priority; therefore, we are deferring to the developing consensus from public health authorities on the challenges posed by coronavirus.

Here is a full list of the statuses of industry conferences and events:

• Adobe Summit: online only
• CP+: cancelled
• Facebook Global Marketing Summit: cancelled
• Google I/O: cancelled
• NAB: cancelled
• SXSW: cancelled
• E3: cancelled

Cover image via Anton Gvozdikov.

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