Is Sony REALLY #1 in Cameras? Yes, it matters. 

I'm a Fuji shooter, have shot on the X-T1 for years. When the time came for me to upgrade last year, the internet was still FLOODED with A7III review videos that I even considered to switch my entire system to Sony, just to keep up with the industry, even if that meant having less lenses early on. Then I looked at my needs, came back to reason and picked up an X-T2 that does everything I need to do (and then more) for a quarter of the price of an A7III, without the need to sacrifice my lenses. Morality : look at what your actual needs are, not what is the trending camera on the market

I own the a6000 and the a7iii because their back screen, rapid shutter speed option, ISO performance, and sensor stabilization and eye autofocus (on the a7) are vital to me since I'm partly disabled, I wear thick glasses, and I have shaky hands. I need those assistive features that allow me to quickly focus on eyes and capture things at fast shutter speeds. I vote with my wallet and in 2015 and 2018 Sony won my money because of these features at a reasonable price. Otherwise I don't care how Sony does because I know Sony doesn't care about how well I do. Sony is not on my website liking my photos. Sony is a corporation that puts itself first, which means I need to be a smart shopper and put myself first. Fanboyism only helps these companies, it doesn't help the consumer.

I have been a photographer for 50 years and have a degree in Photography but joined the Navy and finished 2 careers with Navy and Computer Science. Over all those years I have always used Nikon as my main camera and have 20 lens that still work in all my cameras. That is the reason I stay with Nikon and shop for features I think I need. In the digital age I have gone from D100, to D300s, to D700 to D810 to D850 and to D5. I have waited for mirrorless to mature and see the advantage now. So I am now waiting for the Z9 and very happy with Nikon, I am not interested in the hot product and use the camera as a tool. Each brand has their advantage if I felt a change would help the photography I am doing I would change but first look at the money loss in selling good glass to move to another brand. I think Tony is correct and the new trend is to get a user to buy the camera so they get stuck with a system and new lens. The lens prices are going through the roof and I think that is why the big three is trying to get people into their brand.

Went from Canon 6D to Sony A7iii and never looked back. Now I have the A7Siii... Very happy with these choices.

I don't regret switching from Canon FF to Olympus/OM.S MFT. My back and knees thank me every time I grab the photography bag due to sizeable lens difference. What many consumers don't understand is when you switch sensor sizes, you must adjust your photography technique accordingly in order to receive equivalent results. In my humble opinion, this is why systems 'get a bad rap', because the consumer tries to apply FF techniques to an APSC or MFT sensor and vice-versa. I'm able to achieve 13x19 professional print sizes with a 20mb sensor; master your gear (whatever it is) and you will achieve professional results. Expensive gear simply makes that task easier, but professional results can be achieved with any gear provided you have the knowledge and experience to leverage its strengths and minimize its weaknesses.

I am living for the “takes off glasses authoritatively” moment. 🤣🤣🤣🤣👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

I love my Fuji X-T3, it’s an amazing run around the streets camera but I just picked up an A7IV and it is truly amazing. I’m very much an amateur, and it makes even my shots look good. I think you can’t go wrong with finding what works for you, and what just feels right in your hands. So far, I’m over the moon happy with both of my choices

I once purchased a Minolta and that decision still drives my selections today from Minolta and film, to transparent mirror digital on to mirror less today - “ from the minds of Minolta “

hh bioe well im not a pro but a very passionate severely sight impaired/blind photographer and into wildlife im currently using nikon mirrorless for other styles like landscape macro long exposure etc but have just chose for wildlife to use alongside it is the sony Alpha 9 with battery grip and sony 200-600, whats your opinion on it

I did the right thing in 2019. Went with Sony instead of my craze - Pentax. I have a whole range of lens options to choose from. I have 3 lenses. None first party, but give same quality and a fraction of the price and have same specs.

You could have also mentioned about what company manufactures what companies' sensor.

So where does Lieca and Hasselblad fit in terms of the need for market share, profitability and survivability? What difference does market share make as long as the market share that you have is profitably.

Well, it's a great video to show that you can make the numbers say what you want them to say by cherry picking all the data. Like a few others have mentioned, I'm going to buy the camera that best meets my needs, not a camera just because it's the number one brand or model.

I'm still happy rocking my Canon 90D + Sigma 18-35. It doesn't disappoint when I need it, I don't see why I should go for anything else right now (apart from a lot of hype and external noise). I held a Sony A7III + 100mm STM lens once. Brilliant, but WAYYYYYYYYYYYY out of my budget

McDonalds is the largest toy manufacturer due to the toys in the happy meals... Doesn't mean my kid wants a happy meal toy for Christmas, just as I don't want a Sony Happy Meal Camera.

I still don't regret going the Pentax route. I don't do sports photography or video, so a great stills camera is perfect for me and vintage manual lenses for it are cheap.

i think they all make good cameras in their own ways, and its understandable Sony being #1 producer of full frame mirrorless cameras since they brought out the technology years back, its new tech that has changed the industry for the better in many ways and in some peoples many ways not, from the price increase, in the end its what you the consumer wants or are comfortable with, i have used Sony from the beginning suggested by a friends father who was a photographer who owned Konica/Minolta gear his entire career and swear by it and i have never had any issues with my Sony gear and just upgraded to my first mirrorless body the A7 iv and bought the adapter to continue to use all my A- mounts lenses i own and all the features work with the adapter, so far so good, great video Tony, it is still a tough market when your up against the likes of Canon or Nikon they have been around along time 👍

Such a good video, thanks!! Helpful to hear the meta analysis at the end as well.

thanks tony, best post in a longtime. something useful for everyone. you are correct. who is #1 is based on who you ask and who is asking. nothing more needs to be said. no need to be remorseful about a former purchase decision (my first camera was a 1968 minolta srt-101 and now shoot a sony a1). the real question is what camera is best for YOU, and that is answered by what you are using the camera for. for some people the camera is a moneymaker, for some just pure enjoyment, with a whole bunch of people in between. i'm in the latter group an the a1 is making me very happy indeed (shooting mostly wildlife).

Excellent video Tony, lots of data and hard work went into this one. Greatly appreciated.

I jumped ship from canon rf system to the Sony system and have never looked back. Sony is absolutely incredible!! Tony, love the content as always!! You’re a legend 😊🙏💪🤙

Until mirrorless models become more affordable DSLRS still have their place. The average person can't afford to spend thousands upgrading to the latest mirrorless systems and with used DSLRS like the Nikon D850 or the Pentax K1 costing a lot less and still offering good image quality, most people will hold off upgrading or buy a decent quality used DSLR. The latest mirrorless models from Canon, Nikon and Sony are way out of the price range of most people, so they are now catering for a much smaller market The risk is that the cost to upgrade becomes to much for the average photographer and more hold on to their current kit for a few years or advances in image quality and subject tracking reach a peak and new models only have minor improvements making them harder to sell.

I choose a camera brand not because others choose it. I made that decision on my own findings and not because others choose it too and it is the largest brand or has the most lenses. I choose Sony because it worked better for me then Canon and Nikon.

ABSOLUTELY. I think the best camera is what I need instead of what I want and what my budget can offer. Yes, upgradable and adaptation is a thing that needs to consider but if I am happy with what I have, let me be happy with it. But one thing for sure, if I have all the money in the world, I would not be able to buy the perfect camera because there is none. They dont make one. We just needs to pick what we need and be happy.

An interesting stat to include is which brand is used the most (not just bought). I think sites like Flickr might run some comparisons.

In 2013 I bought a Samsung mirrorless camera and some lenses. I was very happy with the quality for my needs back then: the camera interface was better than even some of today's other brands, etc. The NX1 was a 28 MP APS-C camera with weather sealing, 4K, gorgeous super AMOLED tilt touchscreen, WiFi, Bluetooth and many other features. However, a couple of years later Samsung just stopped producing more gear. They never said they were going out of business or anything, they just quietly didn't make any more cameras or lenses anymore; maybe their market share was too small, maybe they didn't sell as many units as planned or as needed to survive, who knows. Even if I was happy with my camera and lenses, I had to emigrate to another system when I needed to upgrade my gear. So you guys who are happy now with your Pentax, Olympus, etc cameras, may have to think what would you do if in five years those brands don't exist anymore and all your cameras and lenses you had invested so much money in have no future.

What's with the "Grandma" thing. I'm one.

In my country if you go to a Technology/ big box appliance store the display cabinets are full of small cameras, Only a few full frame on display.

Where is the Yashica TL Electro X with the Vivitar 135 2.8?

Hi there. Very interesting video and findings. But regarding the Pana Lumix S5, using "Lumix S5" and "Worldwide" as a keyword on "Google Trends" it shows a different result.

I have been using a Pentax K1ii as a pro photographer and it has been a fabulous camera delivering great results and has great ergonomics. I needed to have a second camera in my bag, whilst I could have bought a backup Pentax body it would not have the upgrade path. After a lot of research I decided to switch to Canon R5 and for budget reasons Sigma lens. I looked at the Sony RIV but did not feel as comfortable to handle or have the articulation screen. Having previously bought into Pentax and saw their market share dwindle I had the same concern with Nikon’s future. I also understand that my Sigma lens are useable on a Sony withe the convertor. Back in the day, the man in the camera shop Wouk be the person to advise you, now there is I for motion overload making it harder to make decisions.

Great business analysis! And spot on in many cases. As a local professional explained to me, “there’s a lot of noise out there about who’s in the lead. But I own 5 year old DSLRs, they are an extension of my arm and I get fantastic results that my clients demand. There’s a lot of very expensive equipment out there making very lousy compositions. Ultimately, it’s needs vs results. I’ll let everybody else chase the technology and lose a ton of money. In the meantime, I focus on results - and I get them with what I have.”

I like how each camera manufacturer can pick and choose the different categories they are the top in and use that to claim they are number one. Really it shows that they are both in a heated battle for the best, which makes the customers the real winners in everything.

It's an interesting analysis. The first time I was wondered about Canon really having a 50% share was in 2020 when I spent a week in Grand Tetons and Yellowstone. When I did hikes in Grand Tetons to Delta Lake and Cascade Canyon it was like everyone only had Sony cameras. Then, I ran into some photography workshops and noticed most 60+ all had either Canon or Nikon and the young seemed to have mostly Sony or Fuji. Then, in Yellowstone again same story. Young people seem to have Sony and casual shooters and the old generation all have mostly Canon.

love your research/passion in cameras and sharing this information, thank you!

Make a vid for beginners who got their first semi expensive camera. Which 3 first lenses should they get regardless of brand. Is it one zoom, 1 macro, 1 wide angle..what is the basic setup? I just bought a fujifilm xt4 used for $1800, its really expensive for my economy, but i have no clue what type of lenses I should get. I know i want to film a lot, not fast action, not sport, just film friends and the city. but i want great auto focus. I also know I want to take pics of the city, what's best for that. I dont want to take pics of ppl as much as take pics of the city itself.

There are three makers of DSLRs so it is easy to be the third. In Japan DSLRs are rather rare but still when I combined the percentages to CIPA statistics I got Canon 134000, Sony 97000, OM 39000, Pentax 4900. Nikon DSLRs were 28000 but mirroless one can only guess, maybe 30000. That for Japan.

The Camera that has held its value the longest is the 2014 A6000. It is still selling right now for $1000 with the 16-50pz and the 55-210.

i got my sony a5000 with a 16-50 lens for only 8 usd at a thriftshop, so yes, sony is number one

I watched the video again (and I know a bit about the source stats), and your "mirror-less" ILC stats do not separate Canon M series from Canon R series. If you look at the top model stats (which you carefully did -- good work) you find that Sony a7iii outsells Canon R. That's an important indicator. The M series is not compatible with R series. At this point, you cannot adapt a lens in either direction. They might as well be completely different brands. But Sony E-mount lenses work on both APS-C and Full Frame bodies. I might not want to use a half frame lens on the A7Siii, unless I am making a 1080p video, but all the other combinations are useful. And worldwide, Canon is probably _still_ selling more M series than R series, let alone catching Sony Full-Frame sales. So, if you look at "mount" sales, Sony E-mount is probably the top selling overall mount/"camera system".

I only shoot film and the companies that made all my cameras do not exist anymore. Zero market share. It really isn't that bad, all of them still work and will be repairable for decades to come.

Thanks, Tony, for the insight. How about looking at sales of smart phones and see how that correlates with the drop in real camera sales.

It's delightful to hear Tony's meticulous attention to detail: explaining exactly what the numbers mean in each case. Even if I weren't interested in cameras, I would enjoy this conscientious presentation. -- Also, it makes me happy that I'm all Canon.

14:57 - Boost those shadows on that waveform, Olympus is super underexposed and hanging out at the noise floor ;)

Such a great insight, my first camera was a Zenith E as a young teenager (hope I’m allowed to say that) but then when my daughters were at school I was lucky enough to have a Canon Eos about 1991 (can’t remember the model) but didn’t trust autofocus!) But now have a Fuji xt2 and a Panasonic G9, the Fuji is so tactile so don’t have to dive into menu’s etc, the G9 for video is awesome with the firmware updates. I refuse to follow trends as to what is popular, and obviously financially now (due to the pandemic) I will jump to a Sony A7R II or if finances allow an A7RIII. As things stand right now during an economic crisis, we need to make the most of our equipment and just go out there and create beautiful and memorable images. Thank you for another great video.

The only Sony that interested me was one of their last CCD models - the A390. Got it used for $100 or so. Stopped buying new gear almost 9 years ago. Even my old but good D70 still does well in normal conditions. Maybe I'm gonna go for a little used Pentax K1 someday. Cheers!

As a dabbler, I have a mix of camera brands and I usually get one good zoom lens for each camera. FF is too heavy and expensive for my needs, but I have one. APS-C and M43 are good enough for me. Cameras have pretty much peaked at how good they can get within each category so my camera-buying days are mostly done. Incremental changes are not worth the money.

Great and entertaining! Bravo Tony!

I went to Sony store to buy a new Sony A7iv last week in Thailand. They did not have the unit. It is in short supply and not available to buy now.

Tony covering the camera arms race. Epic stuff

I picked up the Panasonic S1H because it outperformed the Canon R and Sony a7iii in many ways; but if only the R5, a1, or a7iv were available back then I would have picked out one of those instead. Now I have a bag of nice L-mount glass, and have to pray for autofocus in a future L-mount body so I don't have to replace all that nice glass.

hi Tony, i have a canon eos r6, i traded my eos r for it, i traded my 90d for the r, i traded my 80d for the 90d… etc… i like canon as you can tell, i’m not a professional, just a hobbyist.. nice video once again, i watch all your stuff, it’s very interesting… where can i get one of those insulated coffee mugs from? thanks for your input.. liked.. again.

The rankings are about what I expected, Sony basicly doesn't make any DSLRs and that segment still sells well at the entry level end. I think for new buyers of a Mirrorless camera Sony comes up on top though due to a great lens selection from not just Sony but from 3rd parties as well. Canon has made great strides catching up to Sony with the R6 and 5 but those bodies are pretty pricey also the RF 3rd party support is basicly non-existent unless you are willing to adapt lenes and while the Canon RF L Glass is great, it also has a price tag that puts it out of reach of most non-working photographer's. While on Sony E Mount you can get the Tamron Trinity for around the same price as the RF 70-200, is its a good as the L or GM glass? No but for someone starting out I think its better use of Money to start out with the Tamron or Sigma F2.8 zooms. The Sony E-Mount has good quality native glass at more attainable price points then any of their competitors and when most genres of photography benefit more from good glass over a better camera body that is a big advantage for Sony.

Used both sony and canon and when i shoot a wedding, i alway alway bring both, there are different need for these camera, sony a7r3 for portrait and canon r3 for anything else

Great analysis!

A very enjoyable video thanks Yes sales and market share are important for profit and R&D That was very interesting about the Pentax I'll give you my rankings in a few days I think Nikon is ahead of Canon in full frame mirrorless sales

Clear and honest assessment.

I purchased a Pentax K1 MK1 a few years ago. I have shot Pentax since my first DSLR my trusty K1000. Last year I jumped ship to Sony purchasing an a7RII. I haven't pulled the Pentax out of its case in about a year.

interesting overview - TY Tony

I found this really interesting, thanks Tony.

That was a well-balanced and informative video. However, as someone who has been a passionate photography enthusiast for years and who is also old enough to be a grandma, I resent you using “grandma” as someone who goes to Best Buy to purchase a cheap easy-to-use camera. You did it twice, Tony!

I must be an outlier: my favourite cameras are Fuji, Panasonic, and Olympus. From someone happily in the bottom 6%…

Excellent information.

Best choice i made was buying a sony a6000 last year brand new. Later that year i understood that a6000 was cancelled before i made my purchase. As a beginner and amateur i really dont see any other suitable choice except Sony a6000 or Canon eos m50 . Wide variety of lenses even tho a bit more expensive than the competitors but still very very pleased with the a6000.

When I started out with an SLR camera it was a Minolta and it was amazing!! I feel in love with its focus peaking cross hair! Fast forward to today, I've been using Canon for over 14 years and prefer its menu system over any other camera. But now I question Canon's decisions on when they will release their new FF. I'm seriously on the fence for Sony A7iv. Since I don't own a mirrorless camera, I think this is the year for me.

As a Pentaxian, I'd like to say, "RAWR! GRIPE GRIPE! BLARGH!" But really, I got a K-3 back in 2013 and it's been a great camera and I've taken some great shots and learned a lot about photography (thanks in part to you). But the K-3 is getting older and I've been tossing the idea around of getting a new camera. The K-3 III looks to be a fantastic camera but at $2000 is it a wise purchase with the current state of Pentax? And that's the $50 question. Get the new K-3 which looks fantastic or jump ship to another vendor and invest in new lenses. So the "#1 camera manufacturer" status is fairly important when looking jumping ship so I found this pretty enlightening. Thanks once again for the great content. Maybe I'll make my mind up soon....but probably not.

om-1 with be the reason i stay with om systems or go to sony. Waiting to see reviews on it to decent.

Tony do these projections mean PR and marketing of it all..... and who's buying what? Does it judge the performance and the goodness or badness of the actual performance of the cameras? I guess what you said is important. The more money a company has the more goes into developing.

Please help! Planning to switch systems to either Canon or Sony. I would love to have fast glass and like the Canon lens rumors I read about, but is that just wishful thinking? Sony has a pretty solid lens lineup at the moment. Looking to make that long term investment. Please help. Thank you! Great video!

I have been wondering about phone camera sales lately -- beyond Apple. Next to Apple, Samsung would probably be next biggest (or maybe even bigger?), and then, I would guess Huawei. I doubt if Canon reaches even Samsung unit sales levels lately. Sony is in the "camera phone" market. Their products seem to be aimed at a different market than Apple. They did not go into this from their camera heritage, but rather from their audio heritage. But from a long term brand value view, it might turn out particularly good for them. They are benefitting from "corporate synergy".

A hobbyist not a pro!! To start the rankings like you say are for every model sold. I started digital in 2010 with the T2i BUT when no firmware updates and it disappeared from the canon site I had to change (it still works fine). But the new Sony A7 models came out that had on camera apps, $25 adapters that let you use any lens you have like Canon FD (still use) and EF and EF-S to name just a few. To make things better was IBIS with the mark ii's along with Bright Monitoring (no one ever mentions). Back then it was research in magazines and now the flood on youtube. Also in north america the camera stores disappeared but some like Best Buy let you touch and feel but in most any other store Canon and Nikon are the only ones on the selves. Like you say it is a team thing and your decision at first is where you stay. Lastly everyone walking as a cell phone camera like the old brownie but like a polaroid for the social media where prints are not needed. The Real camera is of little interest, due to complications to learn, any more and sells are falling like a rock. We no longer get 12 or 35 prints a roll but maybe 1 out of 500 mainly from the cell phone. Canon and Nikon are behind the ball going to mirrorless and needing new glass to boot. I feel my decision was like going back to the future, I am now so far ahead of any out in the field with every Sony lens telephoto/prime and the A7iii in just 7 years everyone else just starting with thier new $$$. Did I mention you no longer hear the clicking of cameras and fewer flashes at the White House or a golf course, who started that?

Thanks for sharing

The best selling camera of all time is the Canon AE-1 at 5.7M units not the Sony A7III.

Some good insight.

Isn’t Sony as a company worth more than any other of the camera companies? I think they will have longevity and the ability to continue R&D.

You’re videos are the best !

I was in the Canon camp for years, until they froze their sensor tech at circa 2010. I got tired of waiting. I do cityscapes at night, neon motels, in short: I am the guy who can put that Sony DR to work. Going against the grain I’m still leveraging my Canon L glass, using it on an A7Riv with an A7Riii for backup. I also shoot film. A lot of film, mostly medium format, developed at home. Incidentally, the A7Riv and Sony 90 make a great film scanner. Shooting a variety of film cameras has made it easy to jump from system to system, I’m not married to any of brand. Back to film: it offers a unique look, be it color negative in harsh desert light or Velvia at the blue hour. When Fuji announced the GFX100S with its nostalgic negative film emulation, I was intrigued. If you know details of what Fuji is doing, you know they are leveraging the extensive film transfer function work they did for their lab scanners of the 90s/00s. The 6x7 aspect ratio, the “Stephen Shore New American Color” mode, the Sony DR because its a Sony sensor, and plenty of pixels to feed my Pro2000: Fuji managed to sell me a camera I did not need, because they are doing what no one else has done. There’s your 5.7%. I thought their film profiles were a gimmick until I saw the results. Nostalgic Negative in particular suits my vanishing roadside America/desert Southwest photography perfectly. It isn’t fast. It’d be a dumb choice for video. But it fills a niche, delivering unique images and helping me document things that are vanishing rapidly.

People here saying “I choose the camera not because it’s popular with others” clearly don’t get the point Tony is making..! He explained everything perfectly with numbers and proper understanding of them. I suggest y’all to watch it again 👍

I photoshoot people with a friend of mine. I use a fuji xt20 while my friend uses a sony a7c. the subjects tend to prefer the qualities and aesthetics of the photos that come out of my fuji xt20

I agree that share is important for multiple reasons, mostly related to longevity, supply, parts, culture, style, support, reassurance etc. Also it's understandable that most will naturally be drawn to 'support their own tribe'. I, like many, feel I'm rational can decide for myself and am not a slave to, or a follower of, fashion. But like many can be delusional. Ultimately 'each to their own tribe' and belief set. Most only need to justify their own actions and decisions to themselves, so if one is happy with where they are then that's fine with me. I'm happy for those photographers who are happy with their own brand and kit choices and feel no compunction to justify anything to others. For any folk interested and still reading (won't be many ha ha) I'm now a Sony user, love my kit and choices, was also happy with earlier 'system' choices and changes made. Olympus to Nikon to Sony over 40+ years. Each brand considered carefully then decided as the best fit with my then current needs and priorities. In general absolutely no regrets.

Your Analysis is detailed and fair, I really appreciate that! As for predicting the future ... who thought of Sony becoming the market leader for ILC cameras 10 years ago? Their Mirrorless approach from the very start and their cutting edge intelligent Autofocus development changed the professional camera industry. But I see the other manufacturers catch up in big leaps, Sony is getting sorrounded by strong competitors. In the end most professional and amateur photographers will take a close look at detailed reviews as they have done ever since - before making the final decision. After all you are investing a great deal of money to get the camera that supports you best, while still fitting your (financial) pockets. Of course there is some brand loyalty and reason to stay in the same ecosystem. Until a more capable and affordable camera changes our mind. But there is one thing your Data shows: Exceptionally good cameras rise slowly and stay for a long period of time. Like the A6000 series, or the A7iii. Only time will tell which manufacturer will be able to produce the next hit and change the industry once more. In a shrinking market.

I totally relate, years ago I bought Pentax k10d instead of canon and I had to buy canon M50 to be able to use for videos now.

Sony makes a large amount of the cameras in phones. You kinda need to define it with more detail. Anyone can make an argument when you're using vague terms that are left to interpretation.

I heard on another channel somewhere that Cannon sold most Units but Sony made more $$$. So that appears to agree with your data.

Is Sony eventually including their Smartphone cameras in this statistics?

I was Canon for most of my photography years I loved Canon and still do! but as time went on I became interested in mirrorless they were said to be "lighter" which was my main interests so I purchased the Sony A6000 😍 I love the little guy and use it a LOT so light and the photos it produces are stunning. I then wanted a full frame mirrorless heard such great reviews on the Sony A7iii but knew the A7IV was going to come out but didn't know when? I didn't want to spend a fortune on a more pro model simply because I don't shoot professional and don't plan to do so at this time..so I sold all my Canon gear ( that was a hard hit 😪) and purchased the A7iii. I love it but it's not any lighter then my 6D was 😆 which was disappointing but it is great camera!

Sadly interchangeable lens cameras are going to be a specialized market and become very expensive.

5:27 Did he really say Fujifilm doesn't have a high Megapixel Camera.. 100MP GFX: "Am i a joke to you?"

You forgot to figure in the cost changing lenses going from DSLR to mirrorless. You might as well a change brands.

The reason why I disagree with Tony’s hypothesis is that cameras already outperform their users. That has been the case for at least 8 years. So many people have the expensive and latest Sony/canon cameras and they don’t take advantage of that technology. It’s mostly amateurs buying the equipment. Not pros. Especially when it comes to video. I think the rapidly shrinking market share reflects that. MOST people don’t care about the newest and best cameras and the issue is that camera companies keep catering to an INCREDIBLY small vocal minority. If they want the volume of sales to grow they need to figure out what the average person wants. The biggest market share is almost irrelevant because the market is constantly shrinking. A great case study is Fuji. You can’t buy a Fuji x100v right now. They are sold out consistently. It’s small. It has great jpegs, it does things a smartphone can’t. And it’s relatively affordable for the performance.

What if my grand ma is a professional photograper shooting with the Z9?

Still happy with my d810, at some point I'm sure I'll go nikon mirrorless so I can still use my old glass

I think youre missing 1 good source, Flickr. They provide the average daily users by camera model, which is valuable because its not weighted by price or by units but by usage. At the end of the day it shows who is collecting gear vs getting out there and shooting. The latter being more useful for a company as amazing peer advertising. It doesnt paint an entirely different story, with the top brands being: Apple, Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, Olympus, Panasonic. Presumably Sony and Panasonic do worse being better video cameras historically, making them underrepresented on a photo only site. What I found even more valuable was the top model in each brand Apple - iPhone 7 - 1272 avg daily users (adu) Canon - 5D mk III - 763 adu Nikon - D750 - 781 adu Sony - A7III - 465 adu Fujifilm - XT2 - 205 adu What I think you should be doing is scraping instagram hashtags for their usage rate. How often are people tagging each brand per day? At the end of the day, 1 unit in the hand of a popular influencer has more value than 100 locked away in a closet.

36 years Canon SLR/dSLR shooter, switched to Sony Mirrorless 10 years ago and never look back!

I will soon by an R6 a gh6 an R3 and an r5c and z9 :) I don't care about brands, but If would have to choose 1, I would choose Canon rf of course..

Surprised you didnt mention the Canon R6 because the sales of this must be considerable.

Panasonic is the autofocus away. If they also deliver a more seemless and bugfree tethering/wifi/streaming package they would be no1 in fullframe. The options are already there, but in rudimentary beta testing form. If you do cfexpress b, the camera has to be able to write faster: S1. All manufacturers: Get rid of the hotshoe! It is ancient tech with a weak mount. Better a screw in (xlr like) connection on the side so you can flash even when you have a baseballcap on. This would of course create extra sales with forced cage buying to mount the flash. On the other hand phones with internal flash triggers would further eat camera market share. Go go apple! Phone photo and flash, mac editing, mac dating, mac genome and apple mrna technology could create a new species of consumers.

All that matters is that third party lenses now are mostly E mount because of volume and the Nikon Z mount has been thrown under the bus.

Would be interesting to see Google, Apple, Samsung or some other big new player entering the ILC market

Is the A7iii the most important camera of the last decade? It really changed everything for Sony