Trends are driving up the price of compact cameras – but the latest list of the best-selling interchangeable lens cameras in Japan is full of models that can be described either as affordable, compact or geared towards video.
BCN+R, a company that tracks sales data for tech products in Japan, has shared its list of the best-selling bodies for February – and not a single full-frame camera sits on the top 20. Instead, the list is dominated by more affordable models, compact mirrorless cameras and vlogging bodies. The camera making the biggest jump? The Nikon Z50 II, an affordable entry-level mirrorless that has jumped from near the bottom to the top 10.
The list of the best-selling cameras for February from BCN+R, notably, only includes sales data for Japan. The list is typically dominated by more affordable cameras. For example, the latest February 2025 data doesn't have a full-frame camera in the top 10, while only one full-frame camera made the top 10 in December 2024.
But while affordable cameras tend to dominate the BCN+R list, the Nikon Z50 II has jumped from 47th spot in January to the 10th place ranking. The camera, which started shipping in November 2024 but saw some delays in Japan, is one of Nikon’s more compact, affordable options. But unlike the Nikon Z30, which jumped up to the 3rd place spot in the February BCN+R rankings from 27th place, the Nikon Z50 II still has a viewfinder – and, as a 2024 release, made a big step forward in autofocus for Nikon’s more affordable crop sensor cameras.
The Nikon Z50 II isn’t the only recent release at the top of the rankings. The top 10 also includes August 2024's Sony ZV-E10 II in first place with the double lens kit and in seventh place for the single lens kit, and November 2024's Fujifilm X-M5 with a kit lens sitting in ninth place.
But those three cameras aren’t just more recent models – they also pack more video features. The ZV-E1 is geared towards vloggers, as is the Fujifilm X-M5. The Nikon Z50 II, meanwhile, has a spec list split for both stills and video.
Another thing the list of bestsellers has in common? A compact size. Point-and-shoot cameras are growing in popularity but also price, which makes the slightly larger but easier-to-find compact mirrorless cameras a tempting option.
The top 10 list also includes the Canon EOS R10 (second place), R50 (fifth place), and Sony a6400 (eighth place). A full-frame model doesn’t come into play until spot 28, with the Sony A7C II zoom lens kit – and, while that camera has a full-frame sensor, it’s also one of the more compact, affordable full-frame options.
While the list makes it clear that affordability, size and video specs are top features in Japan, the list may not be indicative of trends worldwide. For example, the CIPA worldwide data for January 2025 puts the number of cameras shipped worldwide at 106.7% of the same time last year, but that same data looking at Japan only sits at 83.1% – a decrease rather than an increase like the worldwide figures.
Notably, the cost of the cameras shipped to Japan is also lower than the number shipped at 78.1% of last year’s January figures, while worldwide that number grew at 113.2%.
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Want to see what all the hype is about? Read the Nikon Z50 II review, or browse the best cameras for beginners or the best vlogging cameras.
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