The coronavirus pandemic has affected the camera sales, which, to be honest, was quite expected. However, it’s surprising just how massive the drop is. According to the latest report, the mirrorless camera sales in Japan was slashed by whopping 75% this April compared to the same period last year.
Canon’s latest financial report shows a massive 25% drop in sales
Canon has published the financial results of the first quarter of 2020, and as it was probably expected – they’re not good. The results show that the sales have dropped by 25% in the Q1 of 2020. Of course, there’s an obvious cause of such poor results: the coronavirus.
Mirrorless sales in Japan drop by 50% due to coronavirus pandemic
The current coronavirus pandemic has had an impact on all businesses, and camera sales are not an exception. According to the recent reports, the mirrorless sales in Japan have dropped by approximately 50% in March 2020 compared to the same period last year.
Olympus overtakes Nikon, Fuji, Canon and Sony to top mirrorless sales in Japan
Well, this is interesting. According to the latest report from BCNRetail, Olympus has ousted Nikon, Canon, Sony and Fuji to top the sales in Japan for the month of February, thanks to pretty significant sales of the Olympus PEN E-PL9, taking 11.1% of the share and the OM-D E-M10 Mark III grabbing a further 5.2%.
The graph above shows mirrorless sales share in Japan by total number of units sold. Amongst the top ten camera spots, Sony claimed four of them, with Canon taking a further two, and Nikon & Fuji taking one each.
Are smartphones really to blame for declining camera sales? Or is it something else?
We often hear smartphones are to blame for the massive decline in camera sales over the last few years. And while they have no doubt played a major part for a lot of general consumers, is it really enough to see the huge drops we’ve seen?
Photographer Robin Wong isn’t so sure. He recently published the video above along with a blog post looking into other reasons why the market may be dwindling. The man may have a point.
Sony beats out Nikon to take the number 2 spot in camera sales
Well, it was bound to happen, wasn’t it? Nikon has been slacking on the mirrorless front and Nikkei now reports that they are projected to take 3rd place behind Sony in camera sales for this fiscal year. In a year where Nikon is set to record their first loss, at around $92 million (way down from their initial projections of $110 million profit), this isn’t good news for the company.
Five photography items under $50 that you need in your camera bag
It might be a little bit early to start thinking about stocking stuffers for the photographer in your life, or perhaps to even treat yourself. But while everybody’s in a buying mood, it’s worth thinking about doing now so you’re not driving around on Christmas Eve looking for somewhere open that still has something worth getting.
So, here are some of the low budget items that we use all the time for our photography, either for DIYP coverage or for our personal work. It is by no means an exhaustive list of the inexpensive products we use, but these have been the most valuable to us. So, get them for yourself while you’re in a buying mood, or start buying your photographer friends their little Christmas gifts now!
B&H releases a statement disputing allegations of sales tax fraud by NY Attorney General
B&H recently made headlines after being accused by the New York Attorney General’s office of being short on sales tax by at least seven million dollars over the past 13 years. They allege that B&H intentionally miscalculated sales tax in order to make their prices look more attractive to customers to outsell the competition.
A statement has now been issued by B&H spokesperson, Jeff Gerstel, disputing these claims, stating that their approach is the same way the entire consumer electronics retail industry works, and that the AG just wants to tax New Yorkers on money they haven’t spent.
B&H shares rebates with customers, gets a lawsuit in return
The Verge reports that the New York Attorney General believes retailer B&H has dodged over $7,000,000 in taxes in a lawsuit filed recently. It’s all to do with the “Instant Rebate” offers, which are common amongst online retailers these days. The suit claims that B&H has “cheated” the NY sales tax and that they “chose profits over principles”. The investigation and lawsuit come as a response to a whistleblower they say approached them in January 2016.
The Sigma FP tops the sales board for Japanese retail giant Yodabashi Camera
Well, this is a bit of a surprise. Sigma appears to have finally made a camera that’s a sales hit. At least for Japanese retailer Yodabashi Camera. Yodabashi Camera is one of the largest camera retailers in Japan, with online sales second only to Amazon. Their latest report says that for the last two weeks in October, the Sigma FP was their most sold camera, ousting Sony from the top spot.
