Camera Prices Could Rise in 2027. Buy on a Plan, Not on a Panic.
What did Canon actually say?
On its third-quarter 2026 earnings call, Canon changed its outlook on memory. Earlier this year it expected memory prices to begin easing in the second half of 2027. Now it says it does not expect them to fall next year at all. The company has already secured the memory it needs for 2026, but it expects to pay more for components in 2027, and its stated policy is to offset higher costs through price increases.
This is conditional, not a price list. Canon already raised some prices in July in response to rising costs, though it did not say which products or markets were affected. It says it will weigh further increases against their effect on sales, and its full-year 2026 results early next year will be the next checkpoint.
Why is memory pushing camera prices?
Memory is not a minor part inside a modern camera. High-speed continuous shooting, pre-capture modes, and subject-tracking algorithms all lean on fast, plentiful memory. As artificial intelligence demand has driven memory prices up, camera makers are competing for the same production capacity as data center operators, which are far larger buyers.
What should you do with a purchase on your list?
Start with the work, not the warning. If a body or lens unlocks paid work you are already turning down, a possible 2027 increase is a real cost of waiting. If it is only a nicer version of what you already shoot well with, the warning changes nothing. Check what your current body already does, price the used market, and write down the one job the new purchase must do.
Why it matters for you
Gear news usually asks you to feel something: excitement, envy, urgency. This story asks you to decide something instead. Canon sells more interchangeable-lens cameras than any other maker, so its pricing will be watched across the industry, but no earnings call can tell you whether you need a new camera. Your next three months of shooting can. Make the plan now, and let a possible 2027 increase be the tiebreaker for a purchase you had already justified, never the reason for one you had not.