Every February, Yokohama quietly turns into the center of gravity for the global imaging world, and in 2026 it will happen again when the CP+ Camera & Photo Imaging Show opens its doors at Pacifico Yokohama from Thursday, February 26 through Sunday, March 1. CP+ is not just another camera fair, it’s one of those rare events where the entire ecosystem of photography and imaging technology gathers in one place, from the biggest Japanese manufacturers to niche accessory makers, software companies, printers, and experimental imaging startups. Walking the halls usually feels like flipping through the next two years of photography’s future in fast-forward, with prototypes, just-announced gear, and quiet hints of what’s coming next.

The show floor is typically dense, noisy in the best possible way, and full of that specific energy that only camera people generate when they are allowed to touch things before everyone else. Major global brands and Japanese giants alike use CP+ as a stage for new camera bodies, lenses, sensors, and video tools, while smaller exhibitors often steal the attention with clever accessories, bags, lighting solutions, and printing innovations that solve very real problems photographers complain about all year long. It’s also one of the few shows where photo and video coexist naturally, reflecting how blurred that line has become, with mirrorless systems, hybrid shooters, and content creators all shopping in the same aisles, sometimes for the same gear, which still feels slightly strange but also inevitable.

Beyond the exhibition floor, CP+ is known for its packed schedule of workshops, talks, and hands-on sessions that turn the event into a temporary photography school. Industry veterans, working photographers, engineers, and educators lead seminars on everything from optical design and color science to workflow efficiency, printing, and visual storytelling. The hands-on areas are often the most crowded, because nothing replaces actually mounting a lens, feeling the balance of a body, or testing autofocus in real light, not under studio perfection but under the messy, human conditions photographers actually work in. For professionals, it’s a place to test future tools before making expensive decisions; for enthusiasts, it’s pure inspiration, a reminder of why this obsession with glass, sensors, and light started in the first place.

Yokohama itself plays a quiet but important role in the experience. Pacifico Yokohama sits right by the water, and stepping outside between halls means fresh air, wide views of the harbor, and the odd moment of calm before diving back into specs, demos, and conversations. CP+ has always felt slightly more relaxed than some Western trade shows, less aggressive, more curious, with a distinctly Japanese sense of order layered over the excitement. If photography is part of how you think, work, or see the world, CP+ 2026 is not just a trade show to attend, it’s a checkpoint, a moment to recalibrate, take notes, and leave with your head full of ideas and your camera bag suddenly feeling a bit outdated, which is probably the point.

• event
• trade show
• photography
• gear
• camera
• lens