Another week, another affordable compact camera that’s hard to find. Less than one week after the launch of the Canon PowerShot V1, Canon Japan has issued a statement that the compact camera has received more orders than expected, which means delivery could take longer than expected. The announcement is yet another example of why the camera industry needs more affordable large sensor compacts – and fast.
The Canon PowerShot V1 is a vlogging camera poised to take on the likes of the Sony ZV line, putting a sensor that’s not quite as big as Micro Four Thirds inside of a compact camera. At launch, the V1 is only rolling out to Asian territories. But if, like other cameras, the Asia rollout is just a precursor to widespread availability, the 148,500 Yen price, which still translates to under $1,000 / £800 / AU$1,600 and the booming compact market suggests the V1 could be a popular product.
The announcement from Canon Japan, which was first spotted by Canon Rumors, suggests I’m not far off. While Canon didn’t say how much higher the pre-orders are than expected, it seems to indicate the V1 is already showing big potential in Japan. In the same announcement, Canon said that it paused orders of the PowerShot G7 X Mark III and PowerShot SX740HS as well.
But the V1 isn’t the only camera that appears to be in demand. Nikon Japan released a similar statement about the bridge zoom P1100 camera as well. And despite being more than a year old, the trending Fujifilm X100VI is still hard to find in stock at list price.
Of course, demand for compact cameras may not exactly translate into trends that photographers are looking for. Gen Z is buying old single megapixel digicams, while influencers have flocked to cameras like the G7X series. The rising popularity of compact cameras in an era where many manufacturers don’t prioritize the genre means that even some stills photographers have even been eyeing the vlogging cameras because they are small but offer a large sensor and a reasonable price point.
The growth of the compact camera market could be driven by the general consumer realizing that there are still some benefits to a camera that isn’t connected to a distracting internet rabbit hole, or a camera that still offers real zoom. The demand likely isn’t from photographers, or at least isn’t just from photographers.
Whether or not compacts like the V1 are being bought up by general consumers, influencers, or photographers, the demand for compact cameras makes it pretty clear: brands need to start making more compact cameras – and fast. While some of these compacts are clearly not geared for pro and hobbyist photographers, compact cameras clearly still have a place, whether that’s in the hands of influencers realizing how distorted a wide-angle selfie camera really is or Gen Zers that actually want to snap memories without added screen time.
My hope is that the trend towards compact cameras that aren’t smartphones help the major camera brands build more resources that can then be put back into developing more cool gear, both for the average person and for serious photographers alike.
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