The BCN Awards, based on exhaustive data on retail sales in Japan, provide a clear picture of the performance of the camera market in one of the most photography-crazy countries in the world. The latest results of the 2025 sales data, announced in early 2026, show interesting trends and surprises, including Kodak’s surprising rise to the top in a segment of the market.
DSLR Market Share: Canon Remains the Market Leader
Canon remains the leader in the DSLR segment, with a commanding 44.3% of the market share, followed by Nikon at 38%, and Ricoh at 17.7%. The three companies between them hold the entire DSLR segment, as there are no other major companies making DSLRs for the Japanese market. The DSLR segment is small, with only 13,357 units shipped between January and November last year, compared to the 410,000+ units of mirrorless cameras sold in the same period.
Mirrorless Market Share: Sony Remains Ahead, but Margin Narrows
Sony is the leader in the mirrorless segment, but now by a much smaller margin than before, holding a 2.5% point advantage over its closest rival, Canon. Sony’s share stands at around 29.9%, followed by Canon at 27.4%, and Nikon at 15.1%, a 1% point increase from last year. The combined share of these three companies stands at 72.4%, the lowest since 2017, as Fujifilm and others start to make their presence felt in this segment too. The Canon EOS R50 was the top-selling model in this segment, but Sony’s models were among the top 10 best-selling products.
Compact Camera Market Share: Kodak Steals the Show
The biggest news story comes from the integrated lens compact camera segment, also known as point-and-shoot cameras, where Kodak took the lead with a market share of 24%, its highest since 2021. Fujifilm took second place with a market share of 13.9%, followed by Kenko Tokina with a market share of 13.5%. Kodak's market lead can be attributed to its affordable and fun cameras such as the Pixpro ZZ55. Canon, traditionally a market leader in this segment, slipped to fourth place for the first time in more than two decades due to issues with its models such as the PowerShot G7 X Mark III and lackluster performance in the entry-level segment.
Video Cameras: DJI's Resounding Victory
DJI consolidated its market lead in the video camera segment with a market share of 64.7%, up significantly from 48.1% the previous year. DJI's Osmo Pocket series is driving sales in this segment.
Interchangeable Lenses:Third-Party Brands Dominate
Tamron leads the interchangeable lenses market with a market share of 23%, followed by Sigma with a market share of 17.8%, and Sony with a market share of 13.1%. Together these three brands account for close to 54% of the market. Canon's market share fell below 13.1%, and its closed system for RF lenses is likely to be impacted by the rise of third-party brands.
Closing Thoughts
Overall, the BCN ranking results for 2026 show that there is increased competition in most categories, particularly compact cameras and video cameras, where affordable and accessible cameras are gaining traction with consumers. While Canon and Sony continue to be market leaders in the higher-end segment, brands such as Kodak and DJI show that there is still room for innovation and surprises in the camera market in Japan.