The global digital camera market continued its recovery from a years-long downturn in 2025: according to the latest Nikkei Industry Map 2027 report, total sales reached 9.5 million units, up from 8.7 million the previous year. Against this backdrop, the balance of power among the major Japanese manufacturers shifted noticeably — Canon not only held onto first place but significantly widened its lead over competitors, while the third position saw the season's biggest reshuffle.
Canon Widens Its Gap, Sony Loses Share
Canon increased its global market share from 43.2% to 45.7%, and its camera sales volume grew from 3.53 million to 4.5 million units over the year. Sony took second place again, selling 2.42 million cameras compared with 2.33 million a year earlier, but its market share fell from 28.5% to 24.6%. As a result, the gap between the leader and the runner-up became even more pronounced: Canon sold nearly twice as many cameras as Sony.
Fujifilm Enters the Top Three for the First Time, Nikon Drops to Fourth
The biggest surprise was the reshuffle at third place. Fujifilm grew its sales from 740,000 to 1.16 million cameras, and its market share rose from 9% to 11.8%, allowing the company to overtake Nikon. Nikon's sales in 2025 fell by roughly 80,000 units — to 880,000 — and its share shrank from 11.7% to 8.9%, dropping the manufacturer to fourth place. Fujifilm's growth was driven by strong demand for several models: the company is still struggling to keep up supply of the X100VI, while the X-M5 and X-E5 models faced shortages and delays. The Nikkei statistics presumably also include digital cameras from the Instax line, including the Instax Wide Evo.
The Tail of the Ranking: Panasonic, Ricoh Imaging, and OM System
Panasonic took fifth place with roughly 430,000 cameras and a 4.4% share, increasing its shipments by about 150,000 units. Ricoh Imaging showed even more impressive momentum: the manufacturer climbed from seventh to sixth position, raising its shipments to 210,000 cameras, with its share growing from 0.8% to 2.1% — sales volume roughly tripled, likely driven by the popularity of the compact GR IV camera. OM System rounds out the ranking, shipping around 150,000 cameras compared with 160,000 a year earlier and slipping from sixth to seventh place.
Statistical Limitations and Overall Takeaway
It is important to note that Nikkei's statistics cover only publicly listed Japanese companies: Leica and Hasselblad are not included, and the data do not reflect Sigma's sales because the company is not publicly listed. Therefore, the figures presented should not be taken as a complete picture of the entire global market. Nevertheless, the results point to an ongoing recovery in the segment, with the most notable structural change being the strengthening of Canon's and Fujifilm's positions alongside a decline in Sony's and Nikon's share.
