Sony Is Mirrorless King. For Now.

Celebrate while you can. Which is exactly what Sony is doing by purchasing and releasing the results of the research from the The NPD Group on their “Retail Tracking Service, U.S., Detachable Lens Camera, Mirrorless Detachable Lens, Based on Dollars, Annual 2021” report.

Of course, Sony has been pretty much the only serious full-frame mirrorless player in town for the past couple of years, so the data in the report is not unexpected. Canon and Nikon have only recently got their act together, reluctantly letting go of their profitable DSLR business, and throwing themselves all-in into mirrorless technology in a desperate effort to catch up and dethrone Sony.

So, while Sony can still brag for a while, a glance back over its shoulders (it’s mirrorless, so it cannot quite glance into its rear-view mirror — get it?) will show both Canon and Nikon getting mighty close, if not already slowly inching ahead technologically. Will these technology advancements be mirrored (pun intended) in sales volume? Time should quickly tell us in the 2022 NPD numbers. Wonder which company will purchase and publish those numbers?

Sony is now the Mirrorless King. It is totally right for it to bask and enjoy its well-deserved success. We congratulate Sony and wish it will continue to innovate and lead. But a little caution is also de rigueur. You know what the king’s enemies do with the king… Bragging will only enrage them. I can almost hear the executives in the two competing companies shaking this report in the air and urging their engineers to work harder and faster. We eagerly await the Canon EOS R1 (and R2, I think) and the Nikon Z 8 (I think).

PRESS RELEASE

Sony Electronics’ is the No. 1 Mirrorless Camera Brand and No. 1 Mirrorless Lens Brand for 2021 in North America

2021 Marks the 8th Consecutive Year that Sony Holds the #1 Share in Full-Frame Mirrorless

SAN DIEGO, CA – February 16, 2022 – Sony Electronics Inc. – a worldwide leader in digital imaging– continues to lead the industry in bringing mirrorless technology to the world. Following a year of innovative product introductions such as the Alpha 1, Sony Electronics announced today that it was the number one mirrorless camera brandⁱ and full-frame mirrorless camera brand in 2021ⁱⁱ.  This past year also marks the 8^th consecutive year Sony has held the #1 position in full-frame mirrorless camerasⁱ.  And lastly, Sony has announced it was the number one mirrorless lens brand in 2021ⁱⁱⁱ as well.

The success of the lineup of full-frame cameras, including the Alpha 7S, Alpha 7R and Alpha 9 series, has been paramount to Sony’s strong sales numbers. These have been complemented by the popularity of the Alpha 7 III, which continued to be the No. 1 selling full-frame interchangeable lens camera line for the 4^th year in a row^iv. For lenses, Sony’s full lineup of 65 different E-mount models highlighted by their flagship G Master™ series continues to drive industry growth.

Additionally, newer innovations such as the new Alpha 7 IV have started to set early sales records.  For the week of December 19-25, 2021, the Alpha 7 IV had the highest single-week sales of any mirrorless interchangeable lens camera line in the last four years^v.

“We are always listening to our customers’ feedback, advancing our innovation and creating the best possible tools for all types of content creators,” said Yang Cheng, Vice President, Imaging Solutions, Sony Electronics Inc. “Finding new ways to empower our community is our top priority and we are honored that so many continue to choose Sony to tell their stories and bring their creative visions to life.”

A variety of additional stories and exciting new content shot with Sony products can be found at www.alphauniverse.com, Sony’s community site to educate, inspire and showcase work from fans and customers of the Sony Alpha brand.

ⁱ Source: The NPD Group/Retail Tracking Service, U.S., Detachable Lens Camera, Mirrorless Detachable Lens, Based on Dollars, Annual 2021.
ⁱⁱ Source: The NPD Group/Retail Tracking Service, U.S., Detachable Lens Camera, Sensor Size: Full Frame, Mirrorless Detachable Lens, Annual 2021.
ⁱⁱⁱ Source: Sony Internal Research, U.S., Lenses Filters Adapters and Caps, Imaging Accessory Type: Prime Lens and Zoom Lens, Lens Mount Type: Canon EF-M, Canon RF, Sony E-Mount, Fujifilm G, Fujifilm X, Hasselblad, Leica, L-Mount, Nikon 1, Nikon Z, Leica M, Jan 2021-Dec. 2021.
^iv Source: The NPD Group/Retail Tracking Service, U.S., Detachable Lens Camera, Sensor Size: Full Frame, Camera Family, Based on Units, Annual 2021, Annual 2020, Annual 2019, Annual 2018.
^v Source: The NPD Group/Weekly Retail Tracking Service, U.S., Detachable Lens Camera, Digital Lens Type: Mirrorless Detachable Lens, Camera Family, Based on Dollars, Jan 2018-Dec 2021.

About Sony Electronics Inc.
Sony Electronics is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America and an affiliate of Sony Group Corporation (Japan), one of the most comprehensive entertainment companies in the world, with a portfolio that encompasses electronics, music, motion pictures, mobile, gaming, robotics and financial services. Headquartered in San Diego, California, Sony Electronics is a leader in electronics for the consumer and professional markets. Operations include research and development, engineering, sales, marketing, distribution and customer service. Sony Electronics creates products that innovate and inspire generations, such as the award-winning Alpha Interchangeable Lens Cameras and revolutionary high-resolution audio products. Sony is also a leading manufacturer of end-to-end solutions from 4K professional broadcast and A/V equipment to industry leading 4K and 8K Ultra HD TVs. Visit http://www.sony.com/news for more information.

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