That’s the clear signal coming from a newly published Japanese patent. But the real story is not just that Canon is exploring this category—the pocket gimbal camera market. If you’ve used a DJI Osmo Pocket or similar camera, you already know the feeling.
You flip the camera from facing forward to selfie mode. The gimbal rotates smoothly… The pocket gimbal camera is a complete package for vloggers, offering a nice, steady gimbal with a camera module that makes the entire content creation process much easier than holding and vlogging with traditional cameras. And that’s why in some of the countries around the globe the pocket gimbal camera sales has rechaed to its peak and almost covered 50% of the video camera market share.
What the Patent Actually Shows
Published as JP2025171609A (filed May 2024, published November 2025), the patent describes a compact imaging device mounted on a 3-axis gimbal. The system can change shooting direction while the user is still holding the camera — the classic pocket-gimbal form factor.
Here’s the interesting part:
The moment the camera starts rotating toward the photographer (selfie mode), it automatically stops down the aperture to a predetermined position. This increases depth of field before the flip is even complete. Once the rotation finishes, the camera can detect the subject faster and switch into high-speed autofocus, followed by continuous tracking.
In simple terms, Canon is trying to make the transition from normal shooting to selfie mode feel almost instant and reliable.
A Clear Shift in Design
Canon is working on a pocket gimbal camera, and this time the design that has surfaced looks completely different from the pocket gimbal camera that surfaced in earlier patents, since the earlier prototypes that we had seen used interchangeable mirrorless cameras mounted on a gimbal to create the look of an advanced pocket gimbal camera with an interchangeable lens. However, that was almost a year ago. The patent that we have spotted today is completely different from those, and in this patent we can clearly see a pocket gimbal camera prototype that looks very similar to the DJI Pocket 3 or the upcoming DJI Pocket 4. You can also say it resembles the upcoming Insta360 Luna Ultra. Since all these cameras have a single camera module, and the patent that we have seen from Canon also appears to have a single camera module, nothing like the Insta360 Luna Ultra Pro or DJI Pocket 4 Pro with a dual camera module is visible for now.
One thing is sure: Canon is serious about this pocket gimbal camera, and the data sheet that we have already published on our website shows that more than 50% of the video camera market is now covered by these pocket gimbal cameras, with the majority of the market share currently in the hands of DJI. However, due to the ban imposed on DJI in the United States in December 2025, DJI has not been able to introduce new cameras, specifically pocket gimbal cameras, in the United States. Because of this situation, Insta360 is gaining a significant advantage and expanding its consumer market base by introducing the Insta360 Luna Ultra, and in the next few months we are also expected to see the Insta360 Luna Pro.
To take advantage of the situation, Canon may be in a hurry to ensure that it fits the expectations of consumers by introducing a design and concept that people are already familiar with. After looking at this specific patent, there is a very high probability that Canon could introduce a pocket-style gimbal camera, possibly in late 2026 or maybe in 2027, since expecting a patent to become a real product within just a few months, especially from Canon, is not something we should expect. Canon usually takes 2 to 3 years to turn a patent into a real product, but this time, depending on the market situation and market demand, they may have to complete the process much faster than they usually do.
Final Thoughts
The consistency of Canon’s recent filings, combined with the current market gap created by the DJI situation in the US, makes this development worth watching closely. Whether Canon can move faster than its usual timeline remains to be seen, but the direction is becoming clearer.
We’ll continue to track further patents and any official updates.
The article “Canon Is Working on a Pocket Gimbal Camera – And This Latest Patent Reveals Something Interesting” was written by thenewcamera.com team at 9:55 am, Monday, 20 July 2026, Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). | You can also follow us on Our Official Social Media Handles FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM > more live Camera News + Canon Rumors 24X7
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