Compact cameras have been steadily making a comeback after being pushed to near extinction by the smartphone camera – but the brands that are excelling at the point-and-shoot’s return may not be the ones that you think. According to market research company BCN+R, the company with the largest share of the compact camera market in Japan right now is Kodak, followed by Fujifilm, Canon, Kenko Tokina, Panasonic, Ricoh, Sony, and OM System.
BCN+R tracks data from a majority of electronics retailers in Japan; but notably, the company doesn’t track specialist stores like Map Camera, so the company’s data is more of a look at the overall consumer market than stores that cater specifically to photographers. While the data only looks at a portion of the market, the numbers highlight some interesting trends.
According to BCN+R, the resurgence of point-and-shoot cameras as major brands focused instead on mirrorless cameras meant low-priced compact cameras were nearly disappearing, leaving only high-end models available. Cheap cameras like the Kodak PIXPRO FZ55 pushed the brand to the top seller for compacts in Japan. Kodak had more than 36% of the market share early in 2024, but BCN+R notes that a price increase on that camera allowed Canon to temporarily overtake Kodak. But, in the first two months of 2025, Kodak slipped back on the top.
It’s important to note, however, that Kodak licenses its brand name to other companies and the FZ55 is actually manufactured by JK Imaging Ltd. along with several other Kodak-branded cameras.
BCN+R credits Fujifilm’s rise to second place last month to the Instax Mini Evo, an inexpensive film-digital hybrid rather than the hard-to-find X100VI. The data company notes that Canon’s IXY 650, which is called the PowerShot ELPH 360 HS in the US and the IXUS 285 HS in Europe, significantly contributed to Canon’s sales. The Panasonic Lumix TZ99 helped push Panasonic from eighth to fifth place. (The compact camera from Kenko Tokina that made the list isn’t available worldwide.)
The data hints that budget-priced compact cameras are in high demand, at least among general consumers in Japan. Specialist camera stores like Map Camera, which cater more to photographers than general consumers, had more high-end compacts on its list of best-selling cameras for February, including the Fujifilm X100VI in first place, with the Ricoh GRIIx and GR III also in the top five. Budget-priced cameras aren’t absent from Map Camera’s numbers, however, with the TZ99 at number seven last month.
BCN+R also notes that the sales of interchangeable cameras have been declining in its data, although the category still accounts for more than 60% of the market when looking at value rather than the number of cameras shipped. One factor, the company suggests, is the rise in prices from inflation.
While the data from BCN+R only offers a look at data from a specific segment of the camera market, the numbers show an interesting skew towards budget cameras, suggesting the return of compact cameras isn’t exclusive to high-end models that offer better image quality than a smartphone.
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