The DSLR market is down 18% overall from 2023 to 2024, however, there is still one brand that is selling hundreds of thousands of DSLRs, and that is Canon, who account for 91% of the DSLR market, with Nikon a distant second, and Pentax significantly lower down.

Canon has, of course, switched to mirrorless cameras, like every other brand (excluding Pentax), but it remains surprising that Canon are still shipping so many DSLR models, especially as the last new DSLRs they released were introduced back in 2020, with the Canon Rebel T8i / EOS 850D and EOS-1D X Mark III. Other big sellers are Canon’s budget DSLRs, which are often cheaper than Canon’s mirrorless models.

Here are the worldwide camera shipment figures for 2023 and 2024 from Nikkei/DCLife:

DSLRs20232024Year-on-yearChange
Canon 920,000790,00086%down 14%
Nikon 130,00070,00054%down 46%
Pentax 10,00010,000100%no change
Overall1,060,000870,00082%down 18% overall

Despite strong numbers from Canon, which are still down right impressive, this is in contrast to the mirrorless camera market which sells 5 cameras for ever 1 DSLR sold, with Canon selling over 2 million mirrorless models in 2024. It will be interesting to see how the market changes in 2025, when figures are released.

Canon’s budget DSLR cameras include the Canon Rebel T7 / EOS 2000D, a camera that is often available for under $500 / £500 with a kit lens, making it one of the most affordable interchangeable lens cameras available, as most mirrorless cameras often cost a lot more.

At AP, I’m always left wondering how much of a wise investment a DSLR is, especially as Canon (and Nikon) are never going to release new lenses for this system, as they have entirely switched to releasing new mirrorless cameras and lenses. However, if price is a factor, and the lens you want is available (either new or second-hand), then a DSLR can still provide excellent images.

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Sources: DCLife.jp, via Nikonrumors.