Sigma to Absorb Costs, Won’t Increase US Prices Due to New 15% Tariff

Japan’s trade agreement with the United States includes an increase from the current 10% tariff to a new 15% tariff, and while both Canon and Fujifilm have either already raised prices or are planning to, Sigma says that it intends to absorb the 5% internally.

Tariffs are, effectively, an additional sales tax that typically gets passed on to the end consumer. For high-value, low-margin products like cameras and lenses, this is almost always the case, as seen when the 10% tariffs were implemented earlier this year. Every camera company was forced to increase prices, Sigma included.

But with the increase from 10% to 15%, Sigma is committing to absorbing that difference, breaking from the expected.

“As you may be aware, the U.S. government has announced a new 15% tariff on goods imported from Japan, which went into effect recently. While this presents additional cost pressures across the industry, we want to assure you that Sigma will not be implementing any further price increases at this time,” Mark Amir-Hamzeh, president of Sigma America, writes in an email to its retail partners and also shared with PetaPixel.

“In June, we proactively adjusted our pricing to account for the initial 10% tariff. After careful evaluation, we have decided to absorb the additional 5% increase internally, rather than pass it along to our customers and partners.”

Sigma says this decision reflects its continued commitment to supporting its dealer network and end users, maintaining market stability during “uncertain times,” and preserving long-term value and trust in the Sigma product line.

“We appreciate your continued partnership and support, and we remain focused on delivering exceptional products and service, even in the face of rising external challenges.”

This stance mirrors Sigma’s general approach to business, and its CEO, Kazuto Yamaki, has been vocal about how important his company is not only to customers but to the people who work for him.

“My father always told me to study hard and become a proper president of the company and take over the business,” Yamaki told PetaPixel in an interview earlier this year. “He was always patting my shoulder and said that you have a responsibility of 400 people and you have to study hard and work hard to become an excellent CEO… I see everything that is happening in the industry, especially artificial intelligence, and I want to ensure Sigma’s future.”

Sigma’s business model is a rarity in 2025. Not only is the company entirely based in Japan, but it also manufactures everything in-house in its factory in Aizu. Despite the fact that many of the steps are not automated and do require human hands, Sigma describes its factory as vertically integrated, which allows it to hit the high level of quality it strives for while also keeping prices low.

“Making lenses is becoming more and more complicated, and becoming really, really difficult, as the pixel count of [digital] cameras and film cameras are going up. So from a customer’s point of view, it’s easy to tell the difference of the lens performance. So, it’s getting more and more complicated and difficult to make a really high-quality lens… Having one facility and making all the lens parts in one location makes it easy to make consistent, quality products. If we buy cheaper parts from everywhere in the world, it should be very, very difficult. Honestly, I don’t know how we could do it. But, we polish every glass at our factory, we machine all parts at our factory, so we can make very consistent, high-quality camera lenses,” Yamaki explained to PetaPixel.

Yamaki has said that photography is important to him, and it was important to his father, because it is a hobby that makes people happy. Joy is a central pillar of how the company makes decisions. Increasing prices doesn’t bring joy.

Tariffs are bad for inflation, undermine jobs and inhibit innovation, and are shown to be a major contributor to economic decline. Sigma’s business arrangement and investment in itself appear to have given it the ability to be more flexible with pricing than competitors, allowing it to absorb an increase in U.S. tariff pricing so as not to put any more financial stress on its North American customers.

Image credits: Sigma