[Parallax]

https://www.diyphotography.net/canon-shuts-down-factory-in-china-citing-unpr...-difficulties/

"Canon has announced the imminent shutdown of its main factory, the Zhuhai Factory based in Southern China. The factory was in operation for 32 years and was responsible for the manufacture of digital cameras, sensors, and lenses, the only such production base in the country."

[normhead]

In 2020, the Zhuhai factory produced 12.29 million lenses, additionally producing 1.03 million digital cameras and 94,000 digital video cameras. Indeed, closing the factory will mostly affect the compact camera market and affordable EF lenses such as the 50mm f/1.8, or ‘nifty-fifty’ as it’s fondly referred to.

The market is never wrong....

[UncleVanya]

The market is never wrong....

Indeed. In this case Canon is moving to more rapidly reduce affordable gear and shift focus to lower volume, higher profit margin items.

“ closing the factory will mostly affect the compact camera market and affordable EF lenses such as the 50mm f/1.8, or ‘nifty-fifty’ as it’s fondly referred to.”

The move is said to be due to smartphones eating into the cheaper gear market.

We have seen Pentax move more upscale over the past few years as well.

[Kevin B123]

The move is said to be due to smartphones eating into the cheaper gear market.

Indeed. Anecdotally, I was in Currys, a major electronics retailer in the UK and the other half decided she wanted a Lumix compact camera. The one on display was unpowered and when I enquired about it the sales assistant said those on display were the last compacts they had. They had no stock and were getting out of that segment, they will only have a few DSLR's in future.
I expect online retailers will take up the slack, but some on the spot buys (as this would have been) will dry up.

[UncleVanya]

Indeed. Anecdotally, I was in Currys, a major electronics retailer in the UK and the other half decided she wanted a Lumix compact camera. The one on display was unpowered and when I enquired about it the sales assistant said those on display were the last compacts they had. They had no stock and were getting out of that segment, they will only have a few DSLR's in future.
I expect online retailers will take up the slack, but some on the spot buys (as this would have been) will dry up.

The compact cameras offer so much better ergonomics and controls than smartphones. It’s a shame.

[normhead]

The compact cameras offer so much better ergonomics and controls than smartphones. It’s a shame.

But they are cameras. I have a pocket in my hiking pants specifically designed for my phone. Not so for my camera. There's also the ergonomics of carrying the camera to consider. And phone aren't really all that difficult. 99% of the time, when you are hiking, not shooting, phone ergonomics are better.

[KiloHotelphoto]

This really is no surprise, point and shoot cameras and the cheaper DSLR and kit lenses are not selling like they used to. People are just happy with phone pictures and for lots of things they can do a very good job. I was shocked last September when I was out in Yellowstone at how many people were just shooting with phones though.

I looked at where all my Canon gear was made and it was all in Japan, one lens the cheap RF 50 1.8 doesn't say on the lens where it was made though so it could be made in China.

[luftfluss]

“Demand for beginner and intermediate SLR cameras is strong overseas, so we plan to continue development and production for the time being,” (Canon CEO) Mitarai clarified at the time.

Canon Partially Shutters its Only China Camera Facility, May Fully Close It | PetaPixel

[Lev]

But they are cameras. I have a pocket in my hiking pants specifically designed for my phone. Not so for my camera. There's also the ergonomics of carrying the camera to consider. And phone aren't really all that difficult. 99% of the time, when you are hiking, not shooting, phone ergonomics are better.

I think that the ergonomics of the smartphones is already terrible even without using its camera

[UncleVanya]

But they are cameras. I have a pocket in my hiking pants specifically designed for my phone. Not so for my camera. There's also the ergonomics of carrying the camera to consider. And phone aren't really all that difficult. 99% of the time, when you are hiking, not shooting, phone ergonomics are better.

Here we’re at odds. I hike with a Sony RX100IV and my phone. Some of my hiking pants have a dedicated pocket for the phone but I wear a belt case for my rx100 and it is much easier to remove the camera, frame, and shoot an image than with my iPhone. I have tried multiple add on hardware to make phones easier to treat as a camera but none have lived up to the hype.

Yesterday I took these:

Dusk at Ezell Farm by -vanya_42nd-

Dusk at Ezell Farm by -vanya_42nd-

Dusk at Ezell Farm by -vanya_42nd-

Ezell Farm at dusk by -vanya_42nd-

I have tried using my iPhone in this place. I am almost always unable to realize my vision. Additionally the controls are pretty awful since the 645pro iPhone app went off the App Store. (I have tried several including Halide and ProCam but nothing is as good as the old program).

The best camera is what you have- but I find it worth bringing a 1” sensor 24-70 equivalent range with a fast aperture over not carrying it.

[normhead]

Here we’re at odds. I hike with a Sony RX100IV and my phone. Some of my hiking pants have a dedicated pocket for the phone but I wear a belt case for my rx100 and it is much easier to remove the camera, frame, and shoot an image than with my iPhone. I have tried multiple add on hardware to make phones easier to treat as a camera but none have lived up to the hype.

My belt case is for my pocket knife, lighter, compass, and short section of rope and sometimes my Opt 90W. But wearing belts is usually a no-starter hear. My 1 inch Lumix ZS100 in my jacket pocket is my preferred method if I want to take a camera. I would never suggest wearing an extra utility belt as a solution for anything, but making your pants fall down a lot faster.

[Paul the Sunman]

There has been a general trend of foreign companies leaving China in the past couple of years, especially Japanese companies. This is for a variety of reasons, including the operating environment, dysfunctional supply lines, Covid response, and trade wars. It sounds like Canon is not immune from these factors, which are further exacerbated by the camera market downturn.

[UncleVanya]

My belt case is for my pocket knife, lighter, compass, and short section of rope and sometimes my Opt 90W. But wearing belts is usually a no-starter hear. My 1 inch Lumix ZS100 in my jacket pocket is my preferred method if I want to take a camera. I would never suggest wearing an extra utility belt as a solution for anything, but making your pants fall down a lot faster.

Lol. I can’t keep my pants up without a belt. But in the right weather (yesterday for example) I do put the camera in my jacket pocket.

[MikeStnly]

They have also said they have made their last flagship DSLR.

Canon?s flagship DSLR line will end with the EOS-1D X Mark III, eventually - The Verge

[Michail_P]

Yet it is said that the production of DSLRs will probably continue at the Russian Canon line.