Some observations on cameras in the wild in Japan

[pdk42]

As I’ve been walking around Japan I’ve been glancing at the kit other people are using. I guess it’s an occupational hazard of being a bit of a gear head! Of course, it’s a very unscientific survey, but I thought you might find it interesting.

- There are more people carrying “real cameras” than I see in other parts of the world. I know there are a lot of tourists here, but there are also a lot of Japanese carrying serious cameras too so it’s not just a foreign tourist thing.

- I’ve hardly seen a LUMIX ILC camera at all and those I have seen have been m43. I can’t recall seeing an S5 or S5ii.

- In fact, I’ve seen more Leicas than Panasonic ILC cameras. The red dot is clearly popular here! I’ve seen several people carrying a Q and a few M models too.

- Even more surprisingly, I’ve seen more Pentax than LUMIX. I can’t remember the last time I saw anyone wielding a Pentax in the UK!

- By far the most common ILC camera to be seen is a Sony. And it seems the most popular amongst them is the A7C/Cii/CR. Someone at Panasonic should seriously re-evaluate the potential market for a seriously compact FF body that’s got an EVF!

- Olympus cameras are more commonly seen than I recall in the UK. I’ve seen a lot of Pen models as well as EM5 and EM10 models.

- After Sony, Canon is very popular, Nikon less so - but both more evident than LUMIX.

So that’s a quick report from your roving reporter in Japan!

 

[Pete_W]

By far the most common ILC camera to be seen is a Sony. And it seems the most popular amongst them is the A7C/Cii/CR. Someone at Panasonic should seriously re-evaluate the potential market for a seriously compact FF body that’s got an EVF!

Well, you never know!

The LUMIX Lab app prompted me a few days ago to complete a survey based on being an S9 owner. It was quite comprehensive and asked if I felt that an EVF was important, and mechanical shutter, etc.

Hopefully they will get some good feedback from users.

 

[Jonathan-Mac]

From what I remember of my trip to Japan in 2017 I'd agree with everything you've observed there now, so it doesn't sound like much has changed. I did see some film cameras and a Pentax or two, in fact Japan remains the only place I've ever seen a Pentax Limited lens in the wild (a 31mm f/1.8 on a K-3, I had my 35/2.8 Limited on my K-3).

Have you been into any of the large electronics retailers to drool over the huge selection of gear there?