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Posts Tagged ‘Japan’

BCN data shows mirrorless camera sales have dropped 50% YoY in Japan for March amidst COVID-19 pandemic

13 Apr
An illustration from BCN Retail showing the unit sales percentage, by manufacturer, of Canon (Blue), Olympus (Green) and Sony (Red).

It was only a matter of time before we started to see the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on camera sales, and today we’re getting our first glimpse at just how brutal the global pandemic has been on the camera industry.

BCN Retail, an analyst firm that collects daily sales data of mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras directly from online and in-person points of sale in the Japanese camera market, has shared the numbers from its March data, and it’s not pretty. While January and February saw a year-over-year (YoY) decline of 9.9 percent and 23.5 percent, respectively, March saw a decrease of 50.5 percent (compared to March 2019).

This decrease is well above the relatively consistent 15–20 percent YoY decrease we’ve seen over the past few years and goes to show just how hard the coronavirus pandemic is affecting sales, even if BCN’s data is only a relatively small sample size.

As far as sales volume goes, BCN says Canon, Olympus and Sony have all dropped YoY, while Fujifilm stands alone as the only manufacturer to increase its share of the market.

A chart showing the most popular cameras in the Japanese market, based on BCN Retail’s data.

BCN also shares what cameras have performed best, based on sales volume, with the Canon EOS M50 barely edging out the Olympus Pen E-PL9. Sony’s a6400 rounds out the top three, with the a6000 still coming in fifth, despite being six years old.

It’s safe to assume these numbers are just the tip of the iceberg as near-global stay-at-home mandates and quarantines continue in an effort to #flattenthecurve of the COVID-19 pandemic. CIPA’s data won’t be here for a while, but it will likely tell a similar story at a much larger scale.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Sigma Japan confirms the release date for its L-mount 40mm F1.4, 105mm F1.4 ‘Art’ lenses

08 Dec

Sigma Japan has confirmed (machine-translated)the L-mount versions of its 40mm F1.4 DG HSM and 105mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lenses, will start shipping on December 20, 2019.

Sigma says the control algorithm for the two lenses has been optimized to ensure full AF drive and body communication functionality for L-mount camera systems.

The two lenses will retail for roughly the same price as their Canon EF, Nikon F, Sigma SA and Sony E mount counterparts. B&H currently has the 40mm F1.4 DG HSM for L-mount and 105mm F1.4 DG HSM for L-mount available to pre-order for $ 1,399 and $ 1,599, respectively.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Sony overtakes Canon and Nikon to dominate the full-frame camera market in Japan

03 Dec

Sony has overtaken Canon and Nikon to claim the top slot for full-frame camera market share in Japan, according to BCN Ranking. Sony showed growth in the overall full-frame, APS-C and fixed-lens digital camera categories from November 2018 to October 2019, as well.

Ultimately, Sony saw its total full-frame camera market share in Japan increase from 31.6% to 38%, while Canon was bumped down to second place at 36% market share compared to last year’s 37.8%. Nikon came in at 24% of the full-frame market, a decrease from last year’s 29.1%.

As the figure below shows, Sony dominated both unit sales (dark blue) and total value sales (light blue) across all three camera categories. Canon and Nikon were down across the board with the exception of a slight 6.6% full-frame unit sales increase from Canon over the past year.

Nikon saw the most severe decreases in unit and value sales across the board, experiencing more than a 30% drop in value sales in the APS-C market, among other things. In comparison, Sony experienced a more than 44% increase in value sales in the same category over the past year.

BCN notes full-frame mirrorless and DSLR sales comprise of just 10% of the overall camera market, which is largely dominated by APS-C mirrorless and DSLR cameras.

The company also notes that Canon and Nikon’s slow move into the full-frame mirrorless market has given Sony a headstart; only time will tell whether the company manages to hold its lead as competition heats up.

In 2018, Sony stated intentions of becoming the ‘top brand in the overall camera market,’ a goal it has made considerable progress in achieving. As DPReview reported in May, Sony took the #2 spot from Nikon in the interchangeable lens camera market last year with 23% of the market share (based on revenue).

Sony said at the time that it had claimed 24% of the overall global still camera market in its fiscal year 2018, an increase of 4% compared to its global market share in 2017. Meanwhile, Nikon’s struggles were reflected in its most recent quarterly financial report; the company revised down its Imaging Products revenue outlook for the fiscal year ending in March 2020 due to shrinking sales.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Nikon Japan says it’s temporarily ceasing 58mm F0.95 S Noct pre-orders due to demand

01 Nov

Nikon Japan has announced (translated) it’s temporarily suspending pre-orders for its new Nikkor Z 58mm F0.95 S Noct lens citing greater demand than the supply chain can currently handle.

In a press release published earlier today, Nikon Japan says it has ‘decided to suspend pre-orders,’ according to a machine-translated press release. ‘It is expected that it will take a considerable amount of time to deliver the product because we received many orders exceeding expectations.’

The press release goes on to say Nikon Japan is ‘working to resume orders, but the number of production of these products is limited due to the need for advanced manufacturing technology, and it may take time to resume orders.’

Nikon Japan concludes by apologizing for the inconvenience and saying it will further notify consumers when pre-orders resume.

At the moment, this appears to be a region-specific limitation, as other retailers around the globe still have the 58mm F0.95 S Noct available to pre-order. At the time of posting this, Adorama, B&H, Wex and Calumet still have pre-orders up. Neither Adorama nor Wex list an estimated shipping date, but B&H currently says the expected availability is November 27, 2019 and Calumet expects the first units to start shipping November 7, 2019.

We have contacted Nikon to see if this pre-order limitation will affect any other region. We will update the article accordingly if we receive a response.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Sony Japan says the RX10 IV will soon receive real-time Animal Eye-AF via firmware update

29 Oct

Sony Japan has announced its RX10 IV superzoom bridge-camera will receive the company’s Animal Eye-AF feature via an upcoming firmware update.

The impending firmware will add real-time Animal Eye-AF support for still images, improve the reliability of the real-time Eye-AF already present in the camera and overall improve general stability. No definitive date has been given for the update, but Sony says it should be out before the end of the year.

Translated press release:

RX10IV main unit software update schedule

Target product: “DSC-RX10M4”

Software update contents:

1. Real-time pupil AF support for animals (still images only)
2. Real-time pupil AF operability improvement (Support for half-pressing the shutter button)
3. Improved operational stability

Scheduled release date for software updates: Scheduled for 2019

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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It is now illegal to drink and drone in Japan

15 Jun

Japan’s parliament passed a law this week outlawing the operation of a drone while under the influence of alcohol. If authorities catch anyone flying an unmanned aerial vehicle while intoxicated, offenders will face up to a year in prison and a fine of 300,000 yen (roughly $ 2,763.00). ‘We believe operating drones after consuming alcohol is as serious as (drink) driving,’ a Japanese transport ministry official told the AFP news agency.

This latest legislation was passed to also address the growing popularity of drones coupled with the reckless and illegal activity taking place in the country’s more tourist-friendly areas. Dangerous stunts, which have become more common, including quickly plunging a drone towards crowds, can result in a fine of up to 500,000 yen ($ 4,607).

Areas where drones are now banned include a distance within 985 feet of Japan’s armed forces, U.S. military personnel, and ‘defense-related facilities’ without prior permission from the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. The new restrictions follow an earlier ban on approaching nuclear power plants, Japan’s parliament buildings, and the prime minister’s office. Stadiums and other sites hosting the forthcoming 2020 Olympic festivities are also off-limits.

The new law covers drones weighing more than 200g (close to half a pound). Operating a drone in Japan does not require a license. However, remote pilots much abide by a series of regulations including:

  • Staying below 150 meters (492 feet)
  • Avoiding airports
  • Avoiding crowded areas
  • Only flying during daylight
  • Keeping the drone in sight at all times

Anyone who is caught violating any of the established regulations could face a fine of up to 500,000 yen (or $ 4,607).

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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DPReview TV: Shooting with the Fujifilm 200mm F2 in Japan

13 Jun

While on assignment in Japan, Chris and Jordan had a couple days to shoot with the Fujifilm XF 200mm F2 telephoto lens, which Chris nicknamed ‘The Big White Sharp’. To make things more interesting, Jordan filmed this entire episode using the new Fujifilm GFX 100 medium format camera.

Get new episodes of DPReview TV every week by subscribing to our YouTube channel!

  • Introduction
  • Greetings from Japan
  • Samples
  • Design and handling
  • Sharpness
  • Autofocus
  • Video performance
  • Who's it for?
  • Wrap-up

Sample gallery from this episode:

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Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Sample gallery: Fujifilm GFX 100 in Japan

31 May

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While in Japan for the Fujifilm GFX 100 launch event this week, our DPReview TV team had the opportunity to spend a couple days taking photos on the streets of Tokyo. Check out some of their favorite images from this new medium format camera – and find out what they think of it if you haven’t already seen the video.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Fujifilm Japan to increase color film prices by 30%

10 May

Fujiifilm Japan has announced that from the beginning of June it will increase the price it charges distribution companies for some of its color films. Fujifilm says the it has tried to absorb rising material and distribution costs itself, but has been forced to raise prices by 30%.

A list of the films that will be affected by the price increase.

The films that will be subject to the price rise include color negative and positive emulsions, in roll and cut sheet formats. The rises in Japan will come into force on 1st June, but the statement suggests prices rises have already been made in other parts of the world. How these manufacturer price increases will feed down to the consumer is still up in the air.

Manufacturer information:

About price revision of photographic film products

FUJIFILM Corporation (President: Kenji Sono) will carry out a price revision of the photographic film products provided to distribution companies, including photo studios, on June 1, 2019 in Japan (* 1).

While raw materials and distribution costs for photographic films continue to rise, Fujifilm has endeavored to absorb costs such as improvement in production efficiency and cost reductions in order to stably supply high-quality photographic films to the market.
However, it will be difficult to absorb only by corporate efforts, such as further increases in distribution costs and rising prices of some raw materials, and we will raise prices for photographic film products as described below.

1. Target product:
2. Details of price revision: 30% increase in price planned
3. Implementation date: June 1, 2019

* 1 Overseas, prices are being raised gradually from April 1 this year in each country.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Sony a7 III sales beat combined efforts of Canon and Nikon in Japan

03 May

Business information service BCN has released its latest data that shows Sony is so far ahead of the competition in Japan that in April its a7 III sold more than all the other top five full-frame mirrorless camera bodies combined. The growth of Sony a7 lll sales coincided with a dramatic drop in sales of the Canon EOS RP and only low volume sales for the EOS R and Nikon’s Z6. The Nikon Z7 doesn’t feature in the chart of the top five full frame mirrorless models, as the a7 ll takes the 5th spot.

The data shows the EOS RP performing well in the middle of March, but it declined quite quickly thereafter.

In some senses the results aren’t that surprising as Sony has a much more established user base and a much wider native lens selection than either Canon or Nikon for full frame mirrorless models; not to mention both Canon and Nikon are serving early adopters in this market. What might seem surprising though is that the a7 III is quite a bit more expensive than the EOS RP – proving that perhaps the market isn’t as price-sensitive as many expect.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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