2025 makes good reading for the camera industry, especially Fujifilm
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The global shipment numbers for digital cameras sold in 2025 are in from Nikkei Inc (see boxout) and they make for encouraging reading for the industry as a whole. But the news is particularly good if you're a fan of Canon or Fujifilm.
Nikkei Inc is Japan’s premier financial media group and the country’s equivalent to the Wall Street Journal or Financial Times. Its annual Major Products and Services Share survey is a definitive industry report tracking global market share across dozens of tech and manufacturing sectors — including digital cameras. These estimates are considered the gold standard for global accuracy, and its digital cameras data provides breakdowns by brand.
The biggest growth in shipments since the dawn of the smartphone was led by Canon once more, which tops the table with 4.5 million units (a huge increase of approximately one million more units year-on-year), while Sony maintained second place with 2.42 million shipments, following a much smaller increase.
It's a change in rankings, however, that catches the eye — Fujifilm leapfrogged Nikon to complete the top three; while Nikon's shipments saw a small dip, Fujifilm's grew significantly to surpass one million units, shipping 1.16 million versus 740,000 the year before (and 430,000 units the year before that).
Panasonic also enjoyed a major leap in shipments for 2025 to keep hold of position #5, while Ricoh Imaging stole sixth from OM Digital, thanks to the launch of its flagship premium compact, the GR IV.
You'll notice there's no mention of Leica or Hasselblad. That's because the numbers are for Japanese camera manufacturers only, which do in fact make up the vast majority of global digital camera sales.
I've listed the data for the last three years, below, but what can we can learn from the numbers?
The brands are listed below in order of camera shipments (and market share), with the year-on-year change in market share for 2025 in bold. You can find this data compiled at Mirrorless Rumors.
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Canon – 4.5 million units (45.7%, +2.5%)Sony – 2.42 million units (24.6%, -3.9%)Fujifilm– 1.16 million units (11.8%, +2.8%)Nikon – 880,000 units (8.9%, -2.8%)Panasonic – 430,000 units (4.4%, +1%)Ricoh Imaging – 210,000 units (2.1%, +1.3%)OM Digital – 150,000 units (1.5%, -0.4%)
Canon – 3,53 million units (43.2%)Sony – 2.33 million units (28.5%)Nikon – 960,000 units (11.7%)Fujifilm – 740,000 units (9.0%)Panasonic – 280,000 units (3.4%)OM Digital – 160,000 units (1.9%)Ricoh Imaging – 70,000 units (0.8%)
Canon – 3.34 million units (46.5%)Sony – 2 million units (27.9%)Nikon – 810,000 units (11.3%)Fujifilm – 430,000 units (6.0%)Panasonic – 260,000 units (3.6%)OM Digital – 180,000 units (2.5%)Ricoh Imaging – 60,000 units (0.8%)
To start with, it's important to understand that the numbers are for shipments only, and do not indicate revenue. Some brands specialize in pricey high-end gear, others cover a broader spectrum, meaning revenue rankings could be different.
