Re: Market shares for 35mm SLR pro or semi-pro

Ruman wrote:

> Gordon Moat wrote:
> > Ruman wrote:
> >
> > > Hi all,
> > > Please excuse my ignorance, but one of my friends recently told me that
> > > Nikon is pretty much the only brand pro or semi-pros use. However, I
> > > got a totally different picture while googling about the fact:
> > > 1. Sony - 21.5% market share (trending down) - 1.73 million cameras
> > > 2. Kodak - 18.3% market share (trending up) - 1.47 million cameras
> > > 3. Canon - 14.7% market share
> > > 4. Olympus - 11.8% market share
> > > 5. Fuji - 8.7% market share
> > > 6. HP - 7% market share
> > > 7. Nikon - 5.7% market share
> > > This statistics is for the total units shipped in the US alone, so not
> > > exactly in the same scope I guess.
> > > Can anyone tell me the market shares of pro/semi-pro 35mm SLR camera?
> > > Thanks in advance.
> >
> > Professionals are a very small part of the market. Film SLR sales are not
> > what they use to be overall, though it might be true that more Nikon film
> > SLRs have been used by professionals than other brands. With digital SLRs,
> > it would seem that Canon is maybe a bit more common amongst professionals,
> > though I don't know of any definite numbers.
>
> Thanks though, to you and others for replying me question.
>

Glad to be of help.

>
> >
> > Not sure what you mean by "semi-pro", unless that is an enthusiast, or
> > someone who occasionally sells an image.
>
> I know this might infuse more debate but I actually asked him, my
> friend, what he defines as semi-pro. According to him, "semi pro.. spot
> metering, moderate highspeed shutter (1/4000s min), moderate durable
> construction( metal construction), moderate flash synchro..(1/250 min),
> battery pack( vertical grip)" etc. are semi-pro quantifiers. And for
> "pro - spot metering, high speed shutter ( at least as high as 8000th
> of second), mirror lockup, durable construction (wheather sealed), high
> speed flash synchro( 1/8000 s) ..vertical horizontal grip and
> shutter..self diagnostic shutter, temperature proof shutter, changeable
> fucus screen..ETC..and lot more.."

Oh . . . I get it . . . he meant the camera gear, not the person . . . that's
different. I usually see such cameras termed as "Prosumer" models. Going over
those specifications, one should be careful what they wish for in a camera.
Spot metering is one of the most misused technologies around, and a good way to
quickly ruin images. It is not easy to properly use a spot meter, and many
beginners with such technology often make mistakes.

The durable construction is important to me, as are some of the other items
mentioned, but not entirely necessary items for getting compelling images. In
reality, a professional camera can be any camera that generates income for the
photographer. I have ran into more amateurs and enthusiasts with top level good
gear than I have seen professionals using, with the only possible exception
being certain lenses.

>
>
> > Regardless, the bulk of sales go
> > to consumers, not professionals. The numbers you found are overall figures
> > and mostly consumers. Probably less than 5% of camera sales go to
> > professionals.
>
> Yes, I am aware of the fact and already mentioned that in the op. I was
> wondering as the general consumer market share data shows Nikon at #07
> with such a small share - does that necessarily reflect a similar
> picture for the professional photographers community or not.

Not at all. While exact numbers are tough to find, top level Nikon sales have
not been too far behind Canon sales to professionals. If you only look at 35 mm
gear, then Nikon and Canon have consistently been the main choices over Contax,
Leica, Minolta, Olympus and Pentax for a couple decades. The digital SLR realm
has been a bit different, with Kodak taking the early lead in camera bodies,
until first Nikon with the D1 and then Canon offered competing products are
better price points.

>
> Unfortunately, I have not got the answer yet, this thread has turned
> more into a Nikon vs. Canon or Digital vs. Film debate.

Amongst current professionals using direct digital cameras, mostly 35 mm sized
SLRs, the main choices have been Canon, Kodak and Nikon. This is mainly due to
the support offered to professionals using those digital camera bodies. In the
last three years, Kodak digital SLR sales have been less than Canon and Nikon.
Exact numbers are hard to find, and Nikon and Canon have both only sold two or
three professional level bodies each year. Another tough way to judge this is
that some professionals do buy and use the lower and mid priced digital SLR
bodies, and even some mid range film SLR bodies.

Another professional choice is medium format and large format gear. Hasselblad
and Mamiya have the largest impact into professional medium format choices.
Large format is more a mixed bag, due to many choices, and that the gear often
lasts and works for many decades.

One reliable source has been rental gear information. Most rental places carry
Canon and Nikon gear in 35 mm or direct digital, and Hasselblad and Mamiya in
medium format. Few rental places offer gear outside of those brands. The
reality of being a professional is that gear often needs to be rented. In the
last tens years, I have seen Nikon gear remain somewhat stable in volume at
rental places, while the amount of Canon gear has increased. Usually this
involves lenses, but camera bodies are also available. In medium format, I have
seen a similar increase in Mamiya gear, with Hasselblad gear about at the same
levels, and only sometimes Pentax 67 items, or Contax 645. This implies that
rental places are offering the gear that is most in demand, which increasingly
seems to be Canon and Mamiya.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat
A G Studio

<http://www.allgstudio.com>

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Nikon vs Canon and the whole dSLR thing
    ... Interesting observation re mix of Canon and Nikon. ... amateur photographers all over the world. ... I changed fro Nikon to Canon in the mid 90's - Professionals for the last ...
    (rec.photo.digital)
  • Re: Micro-four thirds...
    ... Nikon and Canon are the two leading brands of professional-grade SLR cameras used by professionals all around the world. ...
    (rec.boats)
  • Re: Question about brand status.
    ... I chose Nikon because I craved the Nikon ... But Canon is great as well. ... First, they were the first with a high-resolution, full-frame, professional level digital body, and second, they have lenses that Nikon has no equivalent for. ... The latter caused a lot of professionals to change to Canon back in the days of film, and now they have a collection of very expensive lenses that they want to use on a digital body, with no change in the zoom range. ...
    (rec.photo.digital)
  • Re: Micro-four thirds...
    ... the guy told me that the local professionals use either Nikon or Canon cameras. ... Nikon and Canon are the two leading brands of professional-grade SLR cameras used by professionals all around the world. ...
    (rec.boats)
  • Re: Micro-four thirds...
    ... the guy told me that the local professionals use either Nikon or Canon cameras. ... Nikon and Canon are the two leading brands of professional-grade SLR cameras used by professionals all around the world. ...
    (rec.boats)