Canon Rumored To Be Entering “Retro” Camera Market Due To Popularity
News | By Stephan Jukic | March 22, 2024
As vintage-looking aesthetics, and in some cases even functionality, gain popularity in the camera world, Canon is considering making a splash.
Currently, Fujifilm and Nikon dominate the market for cameras with a distinctly vintage look, even though many of them hide ultra-modern specs and features under their retro covers.
Moreover, both of these brands have seen exceptional sales of their vintage-designed devices.
In some cases, cameras have even emerged to offer not only a vintage look but also a fusion of analog photographic functions mixed with modern digital technologies.
This has in part been due to the surging popularity of old film cameras and their creative results on social media and elsewhere.
Now Canon, a company obsessed with being a leader in the camera market, has started hinting at its own entry into making mirrorless cameras that look old.
One possible device for starting Canon in this market could be a fixed lens camera model with a vintage look and modern features.
Several months ago, the site Canon Rumors blurbed about a recent interest by Canon in retro camera designs.
These could partly acknowledge the obvious interest among Canon’s target consumer market in retro-looking cameras, but they also might be an indicator of plans to introduce such a camera by the company.
It’s rumored that this device could be a fairly simple APS-C model with a possible fixed lens and a distinctly retro external look.
It’s even rumored by the site Fstoppers that Canon held an internal presentation into the retro camera market in which this APS-C camera project was discussed.
These are just rumors so far, but they have plenty of plausibility in the current market. Fujfilm’s notably retro-looking cameras sell extremely well and their recently released X100VI has generated near hysteria among buyers eager to get their hands on a unit.
Fujifilm’s retro-tinged X100VI has been an instant best-seller
In part, this is because of that brand’s reputation for quality performance, but it’s also partly due to Fuji’s marketing of very specific device aesthetics.
Nikon, recognizing the same thing, has also gotten into the game with the recent release of its Zf camera, which offers fully modern, extremely powerful digital specs, all packed neatly into a very deeply retro-looking body.
Nikon’s very retro-looking Zf camera was also popular
It only makes sense that Canon explore this same market considering its plans to hold the leadership spot in the world camera market.
As for the rumored APS-C camera having only a fixed lens, I’d bet that if it does emerge, it will be an interchangeable lens model instead, just like Fuji and Nikon’s retro editions. Why go halfway if you’re going to take a plunge like this?
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Stephan Jukic is a technology and photography journalist and experimental photographer who spends his time living in both Canada and Mexico. He loves cross-cultural street photo exploration and creating fine art photo compositions.
