Canon has warned that it may have to raise camera prices next year. The company shared the news in a Q&A session for its third-quarter 2026 financial results.
Component shortages
Canon first mentioned component shortages when asked about a predicted downturn in its medical equipment business. It said the shortage is affecting diagnostic imaging equipment across the board, including X-ray and MRI systems. Memory, hard drives and SSDs are some of the parts in short supply because of demand from AI and data centers.
Printing and Imaging
Next, Canon was asked whether shortages affect its other business segments. It said Printing and Imaging also face shortages, but the impact hasn’t been major because it responded proactively.
Imaging is the division behind EOS R mirrorless cameras, compact digital cameras and Cinema EOS professional video cameras.
Price increases
Shortages are expected to keep costs higher in 2027. Asked how it will respond, Canon said it’s using every possible means to secure the parts it needs for next year. It expects higher procurement costs. Its policy is to offset them with price increases from next year onward. Those increases will pass to wholesalers and end consumers.
Impact on sales
Canon also said it has already adjusted prices as costs rise. It will keep deciding how much to pass on from a long-term view. That means weighing the potential hit to sales volume against profitability. The statement gives some hope that Canon won’t pass on every added cost if it fears hurting sales.
Tariff impacts
Canon was asked why its projection for the impact of U.S. tariffs improved. The company said part of the reason is that the tariff fell from 15% to 12.5%.
Canon also said it cut the budget for strategic investments funded by tariff refunds. It hasn’t fully passed higher memory and raw material costs through in pricing. That confirms Canon has absorbed some memory price increases rather than passing all of them to consumers.
What we think
Last month we warned that RAM was going to cost more. Fujifilm also said it would raise prices in Japan. Back in August, Sony announced it was increasing the costs of its Cinema Line cameras. Now Canon is warning of price hikes in 2027 too.
The increases aren’t definite yet. Predictions are that component shortages will last a while, and AI and data centers keep driving costs up. If you’re planning to buy a new Canon camera, it might be better not to wait too long.
