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2026 BCN Awards: Kodak Surges Ahead in Japan’s Compact Camera Market
Canon does well too
The BCN Awards, which are based on detailed sales data from the Japanese market, give us a clear picture of the state of the camera market in one of the most photo-loving nations on the planet. The latest awards for the 2025 sales year, announced in early 2026, show some surprises. Kodak has emerged as the leader in some segments.
DSLR Segment: Canon Remains the Undisputed Leader
Canon is still the leader in the shrinking market for DSLR cameras with a share of 44.3%. This is followed by Nikon with 38%, and Ricoh with 17.7%. Between them, these three brands dominate the entire segment since no other brand is currently making DSLRs for the Japanese market. The total volume of the segment is also low at only 13,357 units sold between January and November.
Mirrorless Segment: Sony Remains Ahead but with a Narrow Lead
Sony is the leader in the mirrorless market segment but with a much narrower lead than it had earlier. It is now only 2.5% ahead of its next competitor, Canon. Sony has a share of ~29.9%, while Canon has ~27.4%. Canon has gained around 5% over the previous year. Nikon is at a distant third with 15.1%, gaining around 1% over the previous year. Together, the top three brands account for only 72.4% of the market, the lowest since 2017. The best-selling mirrorless camera was the Canon EOS R50. Sony accounted for the most units of the top ten but the Canon EOS R50 was the top seller.
Compact Cameras: Kodak Surges Ahead
The biggest news comes from the Integrated Lens (Compact/Point & Shoot) segment, where Kodak dominated with 24% market share, its highest share in this segment since 2021. Fujifilm was second with 13.9% (-0.1 points), followed by Kenko Tokina with 13.5%. Kodak's success is thanks to its affordable cameras like the Pixpro ZZ55, designed to be “fun cameras.” Canon, which has dominated this segment for decades, slipped out of the top three for the first time in over two decades, as it struggles with issues like supply chain problems with its PowerShot G7 X Mark III, as well as lackluster product launches in the entry-level segment.
Video Cameras: DJI's Overwhelming Victory
DJI has further consolidated its position as the leading brand in the Video Cameras segment with an impressive 64.7% share, up significantly from 48.1% the previous year. The Osmo Pocket series continues to be a success for DJI, outselling Panasonic, Sony, and others in this segment.
Interchangeable Lenses: Third-Party Brands Take the Lead
Tamron is leading the Interchangeable Lens market with 23%, followed by Sigma with 17.8% and Sony with 13.1%. The top three brands account for close to 54% of the market, indicating a fragmented market. Canon's share is now less than 13.1%, which raises concerns regarding Canon's closed RF-mount system, especially with third-party brands gaining ground.
Thoughts
Overall, the 2026 BCN results confirm that the Japanese camera market is experiencing an increase in competition, particularly in compact cameras and video cameras, where affordable cameras are gaining ground. Although brands like Canon and Sony are still strong in high-end segments, brands like Kodak and DJI are proving that there is still room for surprises in Japan's camera market.
Richard @ CanonNews
Richard has been using Canon cameras since the 1990s, with his first being the now legendary EOS-3. Since then, Richard has continued to use Canon cameras and now focuses mostly on infrared photography. Richard is the founder and editor of CanonNews since 2017, and has worked as a writer on CanonRumors and other websites in the past.
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