Canon’s trendy compact camera that blew up on social media? It’s finally coming back after Canon Japan ups production

(Image credit: Chris George / Digital Camera World)

The compact camera trend accelerated demand far higher than the amount of cameras still manufactured after smartphone photography took over – but Canon is officially resuming one of its trendiest compact cameras. Canon Japan announced that it has resumed taking orders for the Canon PowerShot G7X Mark III and the SX740 HS.

The announcement comes shortly after Canon shared with investors that it would increase the production of compact cameras to help keep up with demand. While Canon only has a handful of stills-focused compact cameras perpetually out of stock, the investor announcement didn’t officially indicate which cameras, nor how quickly production would resume.

Now, Canon Japan says that orders for the G7 X Mark III and SX740 HS resumed on August 01. While Canon’s US and UK webstores still list the G7 X Mark III as out of stock, the resumption of orders in Japan, where Canon is headquartered, hints that production has officially increased and the camera could potentially be readily available in other locations.

Canon Japan, however, indicates that it could be some time yet before customers in Japan receive their orders. “We began accepting orders for the PowerShot G7 X Mark III and PowerShot SX740 HS today, but since we resumed accepting orders, we have received a large number of orders,” the statement from Canon Japan, translated by Google, reads. “As a result, it may take longer than usual for your product to be delivered. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and thank you for your understanding.”

The Canon G7X Mark III launched in 2019. But a recent uptick in trends for compact cameras made even older models hard to find. The Canon G7 X Mark III is one such model, particularly after the camera went viral among influencers.

Much of the G7 X Mark III’s popularity is due to the combination of a one-inch sensor with a 4.2x f/1.8-2.8 zoom lens. Many large-sensored compacts use a fixed lens without zoom. The G7 X III’s one-inch sensor isn’t as large as APS-C compacts like the Fujifilm X100VI, but it is larger than many other compact cameras with zoom, like the Panasonic TZ99 / ZS99. The Canon PowerShot V1 offers a zoom lens, but it’s geared more towards video than stills. (My favorite G7 X Mark III alternative is the Leica D-Lux 8, which has a larger APS-C sensor and still has zoom).

The limited number of cameras and the accelerated demand from the camera’s influencer fame has led to higher third-party and used prices for the compact camera. In the US, the camera lists on Amazon for nearly double the $849 list price, while Amazon UK has the camera for £1,219, up from a £819 list price.

Resuming production of the popular compact camera should help shoppers find the camera closer to list price. It’s uncertain, however, when or even if Canon will reopen orders in the US and UK. Increased tariffs could complicate availability in the US.

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