Canon vs Sony vs Nikon vs EVERYONE: Who will survive??

Tony & Chelsea Northrup check the state of the camera industry in 2022, comparing Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic, Fujifilm and Olympus to see who's winning, who's innovating and who won't survive!

0:00 Introduction
0:17 Squarespace Promo
0:44 Market share rankings
4:40 Pentax Ricoh cameras
6:02 Olympus/OM-Systems cameras
8:30 Panasonic Lumix cameras
11:43 Fujifilm GFX and X-mount cameras
15:56 Squarespace Promo
17:20 Nikon cameras
21:54 Sony alpha cameras
24:54 Canon cameras
27:16 Summary
28:57 Squarespace promo

[CanonDMkII]

I sincerely believe that Canon's decision to lock out third party lens manufacturers will ultimately be their downfall. I say this having used and loved their cameras for over twenty years. Sony really has the edge here.

[williamkranski]

I am a Nikon user, I think not enough was said about their glass. I think the lenses they have released are phenomenal and are a huge selling point for them. I do definitely think that the auto focus system on the Z series is behind Sony and Canon. I believe they can catch up with it, as they continue to make strides. I am hoping that bodies catch up to the competition, because their lenses are phenomenal. Competition is good, we all win with competition!

[morgenholz]

Nikon is the Harley Davidson of cameras.

[Vulturetanki]

The one that's not surviving is my wallet. Actually I'm the type of poor that doesn't even need a wallet since it has no money to put inside it :')

[nerrelloader]

I know a US-based photographer who sold her Canon gear, switching to Olympus. She absolutely loves Olympus, particularly for macro insects which she takes hand held with such sharpness I am constantly amazed, as well as beautiful landscape work.

[paperazzo]

There are actually people switching from Canon, Nikon etc. Full Frame manufacturers to OM System. Not necessarily for the camera but for the whole system and especially the lenses. MFT lenses are not only smaller and lighter than their full frame counterparts, but regarding long focal lengths, they are also way cheaper. So especially outdoor wildlife photographers are interested in the system and many drop their heavy expensive gear for the much smaller, lighter and less costly OM system.
Also Olympus has had features in their cameras already for years which are now praised when introduced in models of other manufacturers, such as "PreBurst" at the Canon EOS R6 Mark II, which is well known by Olympus users as "Pre Capture" for years.

[joetrent]

Interesting to know Sony listen and even take on board negative opinions rather than just boycotting those people. This certainly is one of their major strengths.

[brianeibisch]

The thing that made Nikon in the past, is that, there is an enormous amount of glass for their F mount system. This F mount system went for about sixty years!! I think people should watch out for Nikon because not only can the new Z mount have F mount glass adapted AND work well but that Nikon is licensing their Z mount tech to third party providers, to produce even more glass moving into the future. The beauty of having all these different lens permutations is that the discerning photographer can get the perfect glass for the job in hand. Also, Nikon has spent a lot of the last 15 months or so making large prime lenses and big zoom telephotos that, I as a hobbyist, could never afford but ones that the Professional Photographic Elites can. So smaller production lines, making higher profit gear, for the people who advertise Nikon … for free, the greatest photographers on Earth!! That is a long term winning strategy.

[xoverland]

I have 40 years in broadcasting. Please! Chelsea and Tony. Address the camera or address each other - not nothing. In your mid shots you are taking into space. Who else is in the room? Who are you talking to? This is so off-putting and breaks basic broadcasting rules. Talk to people in the room or talk to the camera (the audience). Nothing else.

[markusbolliger]

Once you have invested in a system it becomes very expensive to change horses. My horse is named Nikon, and I will stay there. I prefer the ergonomics and the handling of the Z- bodies, and I love their lenses, which are outstanding. If you know the quirks of the autofocus system you will forget that it works somewhat better with the Sony or Canon bodies. You always have to die one death.

[thekeytoairpower]

How Sony wins, two words: Sigma and Tamron

[stuartriley]

My only difference between what you’ve said and the elephant in the room is Canon to not let third party companies make accessories for their RF line. I personally dropped Canon from my business and sold all of the Canon gear I had accumulated. Nikon an Sony are not afraid of sharing their products with others in helping make their products more popular and affordable.😮

[dpslivinski]

Good presentation and discussion. I have been a hobbyist photographer for 40 years. I shoot 20-25 events annually that I get paid for but mostly just for fun. I have owned Minolta, Nikon, Canon, and now Olympus. I typically find that even with the rapidly changing technology, I stay with a system for 10 -12 years minimum. I currently own an Olympus EM1 MIII and EM1 MII with 6 pro lenses. Although expensive, significantly less expensive than what a similar Canon or Sony system would have cost. I shoot high school sports, pet and family portraits (Outdoors) primarily when getting paid. I shoot grand kids, my own pets, and backyard wildlife for fun. I have found that the results I am able to achieve is excellent compared to friends shooting much more expensive kits. Not saying I get better results, simply it would be very difficult to pick out what prints came from me vs some of my photographer friends! With this being said, I like technology as much as anyone. If I had an unlimited budget, I would definitely have a FF system as well. My EM1 MIII with my Olympus 300mm telephoto is an incredible kit at an affordable price!!

[rreichar]

Always interesting when you guys do this every year. For what it’s worth I bought an OM-1 and am seriously considering selling my Canon gear. I hate (really hate) carrying around lots of gear. I mostly shoot birds and I have an occasionally sore right shoulder as well so the smaller the gear the better. The OM-1 focuses faster and better than any of the mirrorless Canon gear that I have. I haven’t found a way to do dual back button focus on the OM-1 like I can on the Canon mirrorless bodies. I don’t mind the slight hit in IQ from the smaller sensor and being limited to 20mp. I do worry about the company’s longevity though. I don’t have much brand loyalty these days. I will buy what works for my use case.

[charlesjames]

I think this one was spot on. One reason that Canon is #1 and changes slower is that they are the preferred camera for working Pro photographers. This market wants the new tech but not have to change their workflow. They don't want to learn a new menu system or button layout. Buy the new camera. Switch the cards and shoot the next day. Reliable with good color science that requires little to no editing straight out of camera. Lens options and compatibility also play a role for the loyal canon buyers,

[fransboer]

Hello, I am a professional Photographer for about 45 years. In the seventy's and eighties I worked with Nikon(F2, F3, F4 etc. In that time nobody worked with Canon. But when the autofocus and digital systems were coming all my collega's switched to Canon. Nikon was too late with good digital camera's. So I went also to EOS 1 ds 1, 11, 111 and EOS D1 mark 1v. Those camera's were very expensive(7900 euro body) and the weight of the body with a lens was about ca 2 kg was always an issue. In the earlier days you could invest in high end camera's because the body's did not lost much value. But with the quick evaluations of camera's and systems at the moment this is over. So I decided to stop with that high end systems and am going to go for the om system. I have tested that camera and it is amazing what Om Systems has done with that camera. Especially the small lenses are great to work with. and the price is not the biggest problem. So when there is after a few years new one with newer specs I buy a new one.(viva Micro Four Thirds). So, maybe I am one of the few photographers who switch from Canon to MFT. as you say. I like the system.

[brentj]

It seems the Canon strategy is/will be to put out exceptional cameras at exceptional price points (for what you are getting vs Sony) but make up for any reduced margins on cameras with captive market on the Lens offerings. In other words, lure customer in with camera and then gain lifetime of exception margins on lenses that can only be bought through Canon. Thoughts Tony and Chelsea?

[SPetersonImages]

I've shot Pentax my whole life, starting with the Super Program Plus back in the film days to the current K1 Mark ii. 2 months ago I saw the light that they are taking the route of a slow death as they refuse to update to mirrorless and competitive new models. I have been selling off all my Pentax gear and recently picked up a Panasonic S5 and absolutely love it! I feel bad because in it's day Pentax made some fantastic cameras, unfortunately Pentax has lost their why.

[albedopoint]

You forgot to mention Canon’s blocking of third party glass. That rules them out for me.

[MikeF]

Starting shooting with Pentax as a hobby with my son because of the weather proofing. Started with the K-50s and now the K-70s It's a hobby that brings us together and we enjoy the photos they produce for the car and air shows we attend. I may eventually add another brand, but I don't see ever getting rid of Pentax.