Canon is to stop developing new compact and SLR film cameras and devote its entire development programme to digital products, the Japanese camera company said today.

Canon isn't getting out of analogue photography entirely. A company spokesman told the Reuters news agency that it would continue to manufacture and sell its existing film cameras. Demand is falling, however, and there must surely come a time when Canon decides enough is enough. That it's developing no new film cameras suggests it believes that time isn't too far off.

In March, Konica Minolta withdrew from both analogue and digital photography markets, restricting its activity to the camera development work it does for Sony. Nikon has said it will only produce high-end professional film cameras, and Olympus has said it is focusing on digital SLR cameras. ®