Nikon DSLR share almost equal to Canon’s, Canon still world #1 overall
The ripples of the digital camera revolution have not settled yet. CNET is reporting that according to IDC data on world camera sales, Canon is still number one overall, a lead it has retained continuously in recent years. However, in the most important DSLR category, Canon’s significant lead has all but been eroded by Nikon’s explosive progress.
In particular, the world DSLR pie of roughly 7.5 million units has gone by 42% to Canon, 40% to Nikon and the remaining to everyone else -with Sony being the most aggressive DSLR outsider. To get a feeling of Nikon’s progress, bear in mind that in 2006 Canon’s share was 46.7%, while Nikon was lower by one third at 33%. With the current trend, Nikon with its fast 71% growth will overtake Canon this year -Canon’s growth is stuck at 29%.
It is a significant change, as Canon has had the upper hand since the start of mass production of DSLR cameras. Nikon cannot be described as an DSLR underdog in any way, but up to 2006 it has struggled in catching up with Canon’s technical superiority and ability to consistently bring to market models that were always a little bit better in terms of noise, resolution and features. 2007 has however seen the arrival of the extremely competitive Nikon D3 and D300, in effect reversing previous trends and bringing Nikon’s DSLR division back to fully competitive form.
Overall, as the graph shows above, Canon is still number one with 18.8%, followed by Sony (16%), Kodak (9.6%), Samsung (9%), Nikon (8.4%) and Olympus (8.3%). Even here however, Canon is not as strong as it used to be, a result of the maturity of compact camera design and the fact that it is systematically trying to market models with higher profit margins.
So you might say, since the volume of DSLR cameras is so low overall, why is it so important? This is a subject that demands a post of its own, something that I will be able to prepare in a few days.
Link: CNET
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