Sony has continued to widen its lead as the dominant mirrorless camera maker, increasing its mirrorless sales an impressive 66% over the last year. Over that same period, worldwide DSLR sales dropped another 15%, while mirrorless gained 16.5%.
This is all according to the latest NPD Group metrics, released just this morning. “Growth in the mirrorless segment shows this new technology and form factor are resonating with consumers,” said Ben Arnold, executive director, The NPD Group. “Going forward, mirrorless will continue to command a greater share of the interchangeable lens camera category.”
[REWIND: How Sony Stole My Heart From Fuji]
An interesting piece of the puzzle, and a great sign for Sony, is how they are resonating with younger -more active- photographers, which represent the largest demographic ditching the mirror for Sony mirrorless cameras. This echos the overall ILC metrics in demographics, showing that most people picking up an ILC for the first time are in their late twenties or early thirties.
The latest data shows that over 11% of first time ILC buyers are under the age of 35, up from 54% approximately two years ago. Key motivating factors for their photography include travel and family, which fit well with Sony’s mirrorless offerings like the A6000.
Overall, it’s apparent that the DSLR market is in decline, while the Mirrorless market continues to grow. Sony will continue to be a leader in the mirrorless market, while other strong brands like Fuji, Panasonic, and Olympus will improve as well. The interesting piece here will be when Canon and Nikon finally wakes up and realize their current mirrorless strategies are not ideal.
But until that day, the mirrorless market is Sony’s and they are taking advantage of their position in this growing camera segment.
What are your thoughts on this news out of Sony? Do you think they can continue to be the top mirrorless brand as more and more impressive mirrorless offerings come to the table? Leave a comment below and let us know what you think!
[via Sony]
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