BCN Retail, the Japanese electronics industry retailers' association, has released a report on sales data of various consumer electronic products up to December 2024, and it shows that camera sales are in rude health, led by the resurgence in compact cameras.
The report details sales of computers, televisions and cameras, and shows that in December 2024, overall camera sales were up by 123.7% compared to the same time in 2023. In the above graph, cameras are represented in yellow, showing that they generally increased year-on-year, with a dip in early fall where sales fell significantly below the previous year's level, and regained momentum once again in November and December, where they significantly exceeded last year's level.
Compact cameras with built-in lenses showed the strongest growth, with sales volume in December 2024 up an astonishing 132.7% higher than the previous year. However, sales of interchangeable lens cameras were only slightly up compared to December 2023, at 101%.
The report goes on to reveal that Canon led the camera market overall in December, with a 25.5% unit sales share. Fujifilm were in second place with a 18.6% market share, and Kenko Tokina rose to third place for the first time with a market share of 11.8%. Kodak had a market share of 10.4%, and Sony was in fifth place with a 9.7% share.
The uptick in sales comes after a few uncertain years in the camera market, which saw a downturn that begin in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, and suggests that the market is finally beginning to normalize in the post-COVID era.
The report was compiled from actual sales data from 2,400 electronics retailers and online shops nationwide throughout Japan.
To see what all the fuss is all about, see our guide to the best compact cameras.
