May 26, 2006 – Reuters media service reported that Canon Inc. is considering shutting down its single lens reflex film camera production because of slumping sales. The story broke yesterday and for a few hours the headline read, “Canon to Halt Development of Film Cameras.” The story has since been revised to reveal that the manufacturer is only thinking about it.
Canon is the world’s largest digital camera maker and has seen success with its PowerShot line of compact digital cameras. It has also manufactured several digital single lens reflex cameras and was even one of the first camera makers to produce an affordable DSLR with the introduction of the Canon EOS Digital Rebel.
According to Reuters, a Canon spokesman said the company “would consider whether it needs to continue developing both compact and single lens reflex film models because the markets for both are shrinking.” This statement comes just weeks after Nikon Corporation announced that they will shrink their film camera line to almost nothing.
Canon will continue selling its film cameras and will make the final call after analyzing sales and demand.
