Some more interesting data:
OVERALL BREAKDOWN OF PARTICIPATING UNITS:
2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 - Nikon: (2018) 52.0%; (2017) 30.6%; (2016) 27.2%; (2015) 18.4%
- Canon: (2018) 30.2%; (2017) 55.5%; (2016) 63.6%; 2015-60.5%
- Fujifilm: (2018) 5.2%; (2017) 8.3%; (2016) 2.3%; (2015) 0.0%
- Sony: (2018) 5.2%; (2017) 0.0%: (2016) 2.3%; (2015) 0.0%
For discriminating professionals, Nikon has done a judo throw to Canon, a complete reversal from last year, tossing Canon on their heads and taking the lead. For professionals at least, who know what they need, Canon appears to be the brand on the steady decline, while Nikon is on the steady rise, due to their technological leads,
in everything that is most important, when live and impromptu:
- Critical AF Acquisition;
- Extreme High Iso capability;
- Extreme Base Iso Capability;
- Lens Excellence (no adapter needed) and Selection;
- Ruggedness and proven reliability;
- Pro Support.
All the rest is fluff, really. Mirrorless has some fluff, but essentially
there's nothing solid to the mirrorless offerings at this point, with their minimal professional representation confirming this point. Just a smattering of a gimmick or two, while lacking a solid platform for those whose entire livelihood depends on uncompromising results. "Novices" and "fanciers" may not know the difference, but those who put their heart and soul into what they do, notice.
Anyway, the D5 and D810 figured prominently in the statistics ... but the D850 (being a shoe-in for G.O.A.T.) was unavailable until the year's end ... so
next year's results should be even more telling
Could we be seeing a New Era for Nikon ... one where professionals re-embrace the class leader? (The consumer herd will surely follow.)
If we're to believe the writings of
this article, Nikon (while being the innovation leader in many respects) made some strategic vision blunders, losing its overall sales leadership role to Canon.
For the last 10 years, however, Canon has basically wallowed in technological mediocrity, while Nikon (again-and-again) has led the way in extreme performance. (I know, because I personally dumped all my Canon gear to move forward with Nikon).
It appears that many professionals are now doing likewise. That's my take on what the numbers represent.
