Would you have guessed that the OM System OM-3 would already be topping the sales charts?
The best-selling cameras in Japan, the birthplace of key brands like Canon and Nikon, is often a good indication of which cameras are the trendiest. But the latest list contains a few surprises – not least, which camera made it to the top spot: the OM System OM-3
Map Camera, a popular photography-focused retailer in Japan, has shared its list of the top ten cameras for March, a list that’s heavily dominated by retro bodies. And, with sales beginning on March 01, the OM System OM-3 is the camera to beat – pulling ahead of the best retro cameras from the likes of Fujifilm and Nikon.
OM's newest retro camera is designed to continue the classic styling and shooting philosophy of the PEN series, combined with the latest computational photography technology. Both retro and compact cameras are some of the biggest trends in the industry right now, and the OM System OM-3 offers both a classic style and a smaller mirrorless body.
While it’s not surprising for a retro, smaller mirrorless to take the top spot so quickly after launch, pricey Micro Four Thirds cameras tend to sit lower in the sales lists. The company’s flagship, the OM-1 Mark II, for example, never took the top sales spot, Map Camera said. But the camera’s small, retro design and computational photography tricks are proving popular, at least in Japan.
Many of the recently top-selling cameras have faced stock issues, especially those models that rose to the top quickly after launch like the OM-3. But Map Camera noted that the OM System OM-3 has plenty of supply.
The other key surprise on the list of the best-selling models is the Panasonic Lumix S1R II, which ranked seventh. The reason the S1R II’s ranking comes as a surprise is that the camera, announced in February, only started shipping on March 27 – which only gave the camera 5 days of sales to make that top ranking list. The S1R II, however, boasts both 44MP stills and 8K video in a competitively priced hybrid camera.
The second top-selling camera for the retailer is less of a surprise: The Nikon Z50 II, which was also in second place the previous month. The Z50 II has a number of things going for it, including an entry-level price point and a smaller body but it offers features like a viewfinder that the Nikon Z30 doesn’t have.
The Nikon Z 50 II’s full-frame sibling, the Nikon Z5 II, is expected to start shipping at the end of April, and Map Camera theorizes it could make an appearance on the April top rankings list.
Ricoh’s advanced compact cameras, the Ricoh GR IIIx and the GR III take the third and fifth place spots for March, respectively. Announced in 2019 and 2021, the cameras are slightly older models that are still seeing high sales numbers thanks to the resurging popularity of the compact camera.
However, Map Camera says that the company isn’t accepting new orders at this time. Similarly, many major photo retailers in the US also show the cameras as out of stock, including the newer HDF variants.
The Canon EOS R5 Mark II took the fourth place position for March, a pro-level camera that reviewer James Artiaus describes as “still the best damn camera you can buy.” The fact that a $4,000 camera ranks so high on Map Camera’s list of best sellers speaks to the retailer’s audience – it’s visited by serious photographers and not just consumers looking for a cheap camera.
The Sony a7C II took sixth in the sales ranking, a camera that’s arguably Sony’s most retro-looking with its rangefinder-style viewfinder and silver color option. The a7C II also puts Sony’s full-frame technology into a more compact design while also sitting at a lower price point than the brand’s high-end options.
Three retro-styled mirrorless cameras round out the last spots in the top ten rankings: The Nikon Z f, the Fujifilm X-M5, and the Fujifilm X-T50. The Nikon Z f has long been a fan favorite for mixing a retro style with a large full-frame sensor.
The X-M5, a compact vlogging-focused mirrorless camera, is hard to find in stock, and Map Camera says supply is unstable in Japan as well. The X-T50 has been out longer than the X-M5 and is more widely available but also more stills-focused than the more hybrid X-M5.
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