2026 BCN awards
BCN Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo, announced the winners in the camera category for 2026. BCN collects POS sales data from most retail stores in Japan (January to December, 2025). Here is the latest ranking:
Mirrorless cameras:
- Sony: 29.9%
- Canon: 27.4%
- Nikon: 15.1%
DSLR cameras:
- Canon: 44.3%
- Nikon: 38%
- Ricoh/Pentax: 17.7%
Digital compact cameras with an integrated lens:
- Kodak: 24%
- Fujifilm: 13.9%
- Kenko Tokina: 13.3%
Action cameras:
- DJI: 40.1%
- Arashi Vision: 37.9%
- GoPro: 18.9%
Video cameras:
- DJI: 64.7%
- Panasonic: 18.9%
- Sony: 11.1%
Interchangeable lenses
- Tamron: 23%
- Sigma: 17.8%
- Sony: 13.1%
Overall Trends and Insights
- Mirrorless Growth vs. DSLR Decline: Mirrorless rankings show a fragmented but vibrant market, with Sony holding strong. DSLR sales are likely shrinking, as evidenced by lower overall volumes implied in historical data (e.g., Canon’s 2025 DSLR share was 69.4%, but no 2026 figure available). Nikon remains competitive in both but could benefit from more aggressive Z-system marketing.
- Non-Traditional Brands Rising: DJI’s double win in video and action categories signals a shift to versatile, tech-integrated devices over pure camera hardware. This could pressure traditional brands like Nikon to innovate in video features.
- Lens Market Dynamics: Third-party lenses leading points to price sensitivity in Japan. For Nikon fans, this means opportunities to pair Z-mount bodies with affordable Tamron or Sigma glass, potentially boosting system adoption.
- Nikon-Specific Analysis: Nikon appears in three categories (DSLR 2nd, mirrorless 3rd, binoculars 3rd), a respectable showing amid intense competition. Compared to 2025 (where Nikon was 3rd in mirrorless and 2nd in DSLR), there’s consistency, but to climb higher, focusing on entry-level mirrorless or hybrid video capabilities could help. No appearance in lens top three suggests Nikon’s native optics are premium-positioned, not volume leaders.
These awards reflect Japanese retail trends, which may differ globally due to regional preferences (e.g., instant cameras are popular in Asia).
Past rankings can be found here and here:
The latest Nikon market share in Japan according to BCN: Nikon is moving up
2024 BCN awards announced (camera market share in Japanese retail stores)
The 2023 BCN awards are out
The 2022 BCN awards are out (camera market share in Japanese retail stores)
Source: BCNaward (press release) via NikonRumors
