Nikkei: “Canon Shifts Focus from SLR to Mirrorless Cameras”

According to the report from Nikkei, Canon will shift more of its focus from SLR to mirrorless cameras, a change in strategy spurred by sharp growth in the market.

The company boasts a commanding share of the global single-lens reflex market but was reluctant to enter the mirrorless field over concerns about cannibalizing SLR sales.

A latecomer to the mirrorless market, Canon released its first model in 2012 under the EOS M brand. The company held 23% of the domestic market for these cameras in 2017, ranking second behind Olympus. It aims for the top spot with the new offering.

With mirrorless cameras rapidly gaining popularity and rivals like Sony breaking into SLRs, Canon decided it must “actively roll out products for a growth market even if there is some cannibalization,” Sakata said.

The Japanese market for interchangeable lens cameras recorded a 10.1% drop in sales for SLRs last year while mirrorless varieties soared 29.2%. Mirrorless cameras also account for half of the interchangeable lens market in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore.

Sakata did not say much about the possibility of Canon releasing a high-end mirrorless camera. “We will look at the timing and consider it,” he said.

So, it is highly likely that the Canon Full Frame Mirrorless Camera will be announced this year.