Canon retained its #1 spot in Europe for 2007. The increasing competition from Sony, Nikon and Pentax, which is good for all of us photographers, really tightened the group at the top of the food chain though. Will it be enough to dethrone Canon?
We’ll see, but Canon remains the king for now.
Press Release
United Kingdom / Republic of Ireland, 27 February, 2008: Canon is proud to announce its position as Europe’s number 1 camera manufacturer for the 6th year running . New figures from research company GfK show that Canon attained the top position in both digital SLR and digital compact markets in 2007.
“2007 was an outstanding year for Canon in the growing European camera markets,” said Mogens Jensen, head of Canon Consumer Imaging, Europe. “Not only did the company maintain its number one position, it did so against a background of increasing competition. Canon’s superior image quality makes its cameras the natural choice for photographers of all levels.”
DSC: The ongoing trend
Thanks to a growing number of users who buy more than one camera – plus the increasingly common scenario where every family member owns a camera – 2007 saw continued growth in the European digital compact camera market. Canon’s extensive range of digital compact models has opened up this market to its widest audience yet – with the stylish IXUS 70 proving the world’s most popular digital compact in 2007.
D-SLR: Leading through innovation
Having introduced European consumers to the possibilities of D-SLR photography with the EOS 300D in 2003, Canon has continued to lead the way ever since. 2007 saw the EOS 400D remain Europe’s most popular consumer D-SLR model, with close to 700,000 units sold . This, together with the enduring popularity of Canon’s professional EOS-1 series cameras and EF lenses, has seen Canon’s leading position increase to a 48.7%5 share of the European D-SLR market.
2007 also marked two milestones in Canon’s SLR history: the 20th anniversary of the groundbreaking EOS system, and production of EOS film and digital SLR cameras passing the 30 million mark.