01/04/2008

THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

Nikon Corp. is certain to capture the title of leader in the rapidly growing domestic market for digital single-lens reflex cameras when final figures are tabulated for 2007, according to market researcher BCN Inc.

It will be the first time for the camera maker to rank No. 1 in the digital SLR camera market since 2005, when manufacturers started offering a variety of models.

BCN said Nikon seized the top post with a 43.3-percent share in the digital SLR camera market from January through November.

Its archrival Canon Inc. came in second at 39.9 percent, followed by Pentax Corp. at 6.3 percent.

BCN officials said they expect Nikon to stay on top for the entire year even after the December figures are added for the final tally.

Nikon has lured new customers, mainly women, by launching a series of affordable, entry-level models since December 2006.

They typically sell for between 60,000 yen and 80,000 yen, lower than rival products.

Canon has targeted and consequently won over baby boomers by enlisting actor Ken Watanabe in an ad campaign for its mid-range model released in August.

The company believes that baby boomers, even if they are using digital SLR cameras for the first time, are expecting functions beyond those of entry-level models.

Still, the latest figures from BCN show that Canon was not able to overtake Nikon.

Demand for digital SLR models has been growing among photo enthusiasts who are not satisfied with digital compact models.

In recent years, Japan's digital SLR camera market has been expanding by 30-50 percent annually, according to the Camera & Imaging Products Association.

In the first 10 months of 2007, manufacturers shipped about 850,000 units, more than double the 370,000 units that were shipped in all of 2004.(IHT/Asahi: January 4,2008)


http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200801040065.html

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Matthew Lin

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