BCN Awards: Canon sweeps the sales awards

[20Dave]

But, but, what about the Sony Tsunami?

It's called the Sonyami, and it's been going on for the many years that I've been lurking on these forums. Or so I've read...

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Sony has really moved up in the last 20 Years. They used to be under 4% of sales.

Canon has been a juggernaut because they embraced reasonably priced DSLRS early on with the D30, D60, and 10D then grabbed a huge chunk of the sales with the Digital Rebel which was affordable for a huge group of photographers. They already had a lot of lenses, and added IS to most of them long before Nikon went from the outdated D series to the G series.

The others have never managed to catch up, but Sony has had remarkable growth. I've been bit by poor quality Sony products over the past few decades, so I have not bit on their cameras, I did buy a unused Minolta DSLR with a damaged CF Card socket that I repaired. It took good photos, but I sold it a few months after repairing it. I bought a lot of various DSLR models on the local used market just to play with and then resell. It ever cost me anything, I always bought below market value. I was a Canon shooter all that time, I was just curious about all the brands, and when one was priced too low, I bought it. That included lenses and even film SLR's.

 

[Richard CR]

Sony has really moved up in the last 20 Years. They used to be under 4% of sales.

I"m not sure what stats you're pulling from but as far back as I can google had Sony around 12-18% of global sales when they just had the A-mount. that was around 2006-8, they took over minolta in 2005.

edit:

well i did find a source that states they were around 6% at 2006 which really was the year after they took over from minolta, not sure that really counts for much
2008 they were at 12%

ah .. found what i was looking for. not exactly your point, but a possibly more relevant one.

2009 Pre-mirrorless (the year before), Sony was sitting at 13%

as of 2018, Sony was sitting at around 13.3% overall markethshare globally.

They have grown this past year, but really it's just been this last year that they have exceeded their 2009 marketshare %.

I'm not exactly sure they really had this amazing growth in any case really - if they did it happened between 2006 and 2008.

 

[Stuart]

So this is sales figures in Japan.
BCN (Business Computer News), explains
The “BCN AWARD” is an annual (January 1st – December 31st) sales comparison of BCN, which collects the current sales data of large electronics wholesalers nationwide, PC specialty stores and Internet shops. It is a system for rewarding a manufacturer’s cumulative numbers.

The growth in canon mirrorless is exciting - is it a worldwide trend?

 

[jedy]

I"m not sure what stats you're pulling from but as far back as I can google had Sony around 12-18% of global sales when they just had the A-mount. that was around 2006-8, they took over minolta in 2005.

edit:

well i did find a source that states they were around 6% at 2006 which really was the year after they took over from minolta, not sure that really counts for much
2008 they were at 12%

ah .. found what i was looking for. not exactly your point, but a possibly more relevant one.

2009 Pre-mirrorless (the year before), Sony was sitting at 13%

as of 2018, Sony was sitting at around 13.3% overall markethshare globally.

They have grown this past year, but really it's just been this last year that they have exceeded their 2009 marketshare %.

I'm not exactly sure they really had this amazing growth in any case really - if they did it happened between 2006 and 2008.

All that matters is that Sony got Canon to take FF mirrorless seriously and not rely solely on FF DSLR’s. We’ll have to wait and see what mirrorless cameras Canon can deliver this year.

 

[Woody]

All that matters is that Sony got Canon to take FF mirrorless seriously and not rely solely on FF DSLR’s. We’ll have to wait and see what mirrorless cameras Canon can deliver this year.

I will like to see Canon offer small cheap lightweight R-mount lenses.

 

[FramerMCB]

I"m not sure what stats you're pulling from but as far back as I can google had Sony around 12-18% of global sales when they just had the A-mount. that was around 2006-8, they took over minolta in 2005.

edit:

well i did find a source that states they were around 6% at 2006 which really was the year after they took over from minolta, not sure that really counts for much
2008 they were at 12%

ah .. found what i was looking for. not exactly your point, but a possibly more relevant one.

2009 Pre-mirrorless (the year before), Sony was sitting at 13%

as of 2018, Sony was sitting at around 13.3% overall markethshare globally.

They have grown this past year, but really it's just been this last year that they have exceeded their 2009 marketshare %.

I'm not exactly sure they really had this amazing growth in any case really - if they did it happened between 2006 and 2008.

What Sony has had is remarkable equipment development and introduction into the marketplace. A 'cycle' intro time that Canon, Nikon, and manufacturers "can't" compete with. I say can't, but some of it is that the others prefer to keep their product reputation (and/or perception of) high or at least level. Sony on the other hand, seems to 'fast-track' stuff, whether all the bugs are worked out before it's released or not. (I know, Canon, Nikon, and others have also released stuff that firmware updates have had to fix various issues...) Or perhaps, I shouldn't use the term "bugs" vs. more mature products: Sony has done far better with the A7 III and now the Mk IV than with their previous intro's as far as having what many see and attest to being more mature (I should add the A9 and A9 Mk II here also).

I think a company that can maintain it's overall market position in an ever-shrinking market is doing pretty good. And if they are gaining market share, that really says they are introducing compelling offerings.

 

[fotodude]

Don’t think the Sony fan club will believe these numbers. To bad their takeover of the camera world fell short.

 

[woodman411]

... I'm not exactly sure they really had this amazing growth in any case really - if they did it happened between 2006 and 2008.

One wouldn't have known this based on all the misleading pro-Sony headlines implying tremendous Sony growth and domination, some sad examples (I avoid these sites unless I accidentally click on them in the news headlines):

Why Sony still dominates the full-frame camera market

Before Canon and Nikon even launched their all-new full-frame mirrorless camera systems, I figured they'd have a tough time against the entrenched leader, Sony. They needed to be very aggressive with the pricing and features, something neither company tends to do. But the opportunity was there...

www.engadget.com

Canon Was Blinded by Sony and the 'Mirrorless Revolution'

Based on a number of conversations I’ve had and a few minor polls I’ve conducted, most people seem to believe that Canon made the right decision by

petapixel.com

Sony overtakes Canon and Nikon to lead the full-frame camera market in Japan

According to retail analyst BCN Ranking, Sony has overtaken Canon and Nikon to claim the top spot the full-frame camera market in Japan.

www.dpreview.com

 

[Richard CR]

One wouldn't have known this based on all the misleading pro-Sony headlines implying tremendous Sony growth and domination, some sad examples (I avoid these sites unless I accidentally click on them in the news headlines):

well they have had growth in those areas, but that's such a small subset of the market.

Consider that in japan around 500,000 or so mirrorless cameras shipped in 2019. around 10% or less of that was full frame. we're talking 40-50K cameras in the entire year. While full frame is profitable, it's not 10 times more profitable. So mirrorless full frame is a nothing burger.

As far as the full frame in total;

Now consider that the market in japan is basically split three ways for full frame in japan (70,000 total full frame cameras, and split that so we're talking around 23,000 cameras per company)

That's basically what Sony fans are creaming their pants over. around 23,000 cameras. that's it.

Also,

While BCN is statistically accurate as a whole - you will start to get inaccuracies when looking at very small subsets of the data. BCN themselves are getting themselves into areas of reporting they probably should be reporting on.

Side note.. i've always been amused to hear fans (especially sony it seems) brag about how much profit sony makes from their cameras (none of it provable)

I mean, you're basically bragging that Sony gouged you by charging you more than they should have.

 

[woodman411]

Side note.. i've always been amused to hear fans (especially sony it seems) brag about how much profit sony makes from their cameras (none of it provable)

I mean, you're basically bragging that Sony gouged you by charging you more than they should have.

I never I understood this point either. And Sony probably makes more profit because they shifted their production to China, Nikon to Thailand. Canon stayed true to their roots and supports their local economy by building most of their bodies and lenses in Japan (some in Taiwan, mostly lower-end products).

 

[Kit.]

I mean, you're basically bragging that Sony gouged you by charging you more than they should have.

That's called "conspicuous consumption".

 

[mb66energy]

I think that DPAF was one of the smartest moves of Canon during the digital age: They started late in the mirrorless segment but the DPAF makes the use of AF so natural - the M50 is the first camera I get sharp macro shots with (strong) off center AF points how I WOULD LIKE them and not how the camera decided to set the focus. And furthermore the M50 is fast, has very useful video capabilities - I just miss a 2nd wheel and maybe 2 or 3 buttons for direct manipulation of settings. The latter problem is solved with the EOS RP while this one suffers from its tiny battery (If a radionuclide battery were available I would use it except ... maybe the sensor and my right hand would suffer from radiation and heat emissions).

And I think a lot of todays Canon users had two, five or 8 lenses and while it were not the most expensive lenses e.g. I have I was in the Canon system and it is nice to see that I can use the in the future. Just some of my old FD lenses will be used on the RP: 4/17, 2.8/28 S.C., 1.4/50 S.S.C. and 2.5/135 S.C. o.k., I will stop here because that is NO Canon-only feature!

 

[tnargs]

Why does the bottom chart show Panasonic 'disappearing' after 2014? Seems broken to me.

 

[Richard CR]

All that matters is that Sony got Canon to take FF mirrorless seriously and not rely solely on FF DSLR’s. We’ll have to wait and see what mirrorless cameras Canon can deliver this year.

I doubt Sony did. It was a logical progression from Canon. I suspect it was more in response to Nikon and the Z lineup.

I mean they started working on mirrorless in 2010.. came out with the M's in 2012. and came out with full frame, only after, they managed to move their full frame assembly down to 300nm and produce DPAF. After Canon came out with the 1DX,5D and 6D with DPAF sensors, it was obvious that mirrorless was the logical next step.

while sony is interesting, let's be real - they had a 13% marketshare or less when Canon started working on full frame mirrorless.

 

[jedy]

I doubt Sony did. It was a logical progression from Canon. I suspect it was more in response to Nikon and the Z lineup.

I mean they started working on mirrorless in 2010.. came out with the M's in 2012. and came out with full frame, only after, they managed to move their full frame assembly down to 300nm and produce DPAF. After Canon came out with the 1DX,5D and 6D with DPAF sensors, it was obvious that mirrorless was the logical next step.

while sony is interesting, let's be real - they had a 13% marketshare or less when Canon started working on full frame mirrorless.

I was talking about FF mirrorless though, not Canon’s consumer aps-c cameras. The fact remains, Canon had been loosing videographers/photographers (not event/sports though) to the mirrorless competition and the success of the A7 line surely must have pushed Canon into FF mirrorless sooner as they seemed quite content to dominate with DSLR’S for a long time whilst people, especially on this site, were crying out for a FF mirrorless. Surely you can not deny this had an impact.

 

[epic.one]

I t

Thanks @canonnews.

One thing I did find interesting is that after being #2 in lenses for the past three years, Sigma fell off the radar this year. I'm guessing a couple of reasons could be that they really didn't release any blockbusters this year (the 60-600mm not generating the excitement of the earlier superzooms) and the new mounts by Canon and Nikon may have limited their sales.

It's too bad they don't distinguish between crop and full frame (at least it doesn't appear to me that they do). I would imagine that Canon's crop sensor mirrorless accounts for a high percentage of total mirrorless sales (just as crop sensors account for the bulk of DSLR sales).

All in all, good on Canon.

I think Sigma is a victim of their own success. The people who wanted their lenses already have them.
This of course means they will start a line for RF and Z mounts any day now.