Last December, amid an ongoing chip shortage, Sony Japan announced that it was stopping production of its a6400 APS-C mirrorless camera. Although the chip shortage is still affecting consumer electronics production around the world, it appears that the supply chain is less limited than at its peak, as Sony Japan has confirmed that it will resume production of its a6400 camera system.
In an update posted yesterday, May 26, 2022 on the announcement page, Sony Japan said it would resume accepting orders from [its] Order of distributors and customers in Sony Store tomorrow, May 27, 2022. There is no word on how long it will take retailers and consumers to see the A6400 camera bodies available for purchase, but Sony Japan has been able to buy the necessary components for all consumer electronics manufacturers to back up and run production after a turbulent year.
A screen capture of the update shared on the Sony Japan website. |
In addition to the global shortage of semiconductors, the fire at AKM Semiconductor, an audio chip maker in Nobeoka, Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan, is thought to have severely affected camera makers, although it is unclear whether that particular event affected Sony’s camera production.
An overview following a three-day fire at the AKM semiconductor plant, captured and used by Nicogorio with permission. |
According to Inside imaging, AKM Semiconductor has developed audio chip components for ‘most Japanese camera makers’, with components that can influence analog-to-digital converter (ADCs) camera production. The fire burned uncontrollably for three days and effectively destroyed the entire factory. No injuries were reported and all 400 workers were reported to have been evacuated unharmed, but it was expected to take at least six months to repair and possibly more time to regain full production capacity.
Whatever the reason Sony has stopped production, it seems the problem has been resolved enough to resume production of the a6400. Sony also stopped production of all A7 II series cameras at the time, but made no mention of resuming production of those models.