After the rumor of a few days ago, suggesting Canon may give up their sensor labs and factories, I got a new, yet similar rumor.

This time a slightly more plausible scenario is suggested. I would like to reproduce the original text:

There is an internal Canon strategy paper which says that under the current market trends the company ought to lower its total ownership cost of its sensor fabs by selling off its small-sensor manufacturing business, by small it means anything smaller than APS-C. Sensor manufacturing capability for sizes equal or larger than APS-C will be retained. There is no executive approval yet for this plan, but it’s likely to go ahead if the current market trends continue for a year or so.

Whatever you might think of this rumor, it is less unlikely than it might appear. If you have a look at Canon’s latest financial results, you’ll see what we all know since a while: smartphone photography is eating away the profits made with small sensor cameras (i.e. compact cameras). Hence, there might well be a scenario where Canon decides that manufacturing sensors smaller than APS-C has a total cost that’s too high. Canon is already featuring Sony sensors on some of their 1″ sensor Powershot cameras.

So, if the assumptions we made above have some plausibility, then Canon might give up producing small sensors, and start to purchase such sensors from Sony (given how well they perform). It will likely depend by how pragmatic Canon is as a company.

What do you think…?

I got a tip from a new source, stating that Canon is actively testing a third-party full-frame sensor on a DSLR, along with a Canon sensor. If true, it could be a Sony sensor. This is the text of the mail I got:

I hear that Canon is considering to sell off its sensor fab and acquire from other manufacturers the sensors of its future cameras. Furthermore, I learn that an EOS camera currently in testing is being tested with two different sensors, one made by Canon and the other one made by another sensor manufacturer.

If it wasn’t for the “Canon is considering to sell off its sensor fab” I would have took this rumor more seriously. But so it is only a CW1 rumor to me. However, Canon did already feature third-party sensors on the Powershot cameras with 1″ sensor, and they always stated they would use the best sensor on the market, regardless of who manufactures it.

It is not the first time we are told Canon may abandon their sensor business and adopt third-party sensors (1 | 2 | 3). Nevertheless, I think this rumor is nothing but a hoax. What do you think?