Newly released global shipping information for the mirrorless camera and DSLR markets, shows increased sales from 2023 to 2024 for mirrorless cameras from Canon, Sony, Nikon, Fujifilm, Panasonic and OM Digital (Olympus), with an overall growth of 10%. In comparison DSLR sales are down 18% overall, with only Canon, Nikon and Pentax still in the DSLR market.

Mirrorless cameras now outsell DSLRs by a factor of 5, with 5.22million mirrorless cameras shipped in 2024. In comparison 870,000 DSLRs were shipping in the same time period. This data is from 2024, so it will be interesting to see how the market data has changed in 2025, as DSLRs become increasingly difficult to buy, especially new.

20232024Year-on-yearChange
Mirrorless4,760,0005,220,000110%up 10% overall
DSLR1,060,000870,00082%down 18% overall

It’s also debatable how much Canon and Nikon are committed to the DSLR market, with no new models from these brands for roughly 5 years. Because of this, the most likely route to purchase for DSLRs, is likely to be on the second-hand market, where you can get high-end models for bargain prices. Pentax are the only brand that say they are still focused on the DSLR market.

Considering how much focus is now placed on mirrorless camera, with new cameras, and new lenses being released every year, from all brands, it makes sense to invest in these, especially if you care about warranty, and future releases. Mirrorless cameras have continued to evolve into high-speed, high-resolution models with the latest AI and auto-focus technology, with image quality improvements that are difficult to ignore.

Even though the mirrorless camera market is growing, with 5.22 million sales in 2024, this is nothing compared to the smartphone market, where it’s reported that 1.22 billion units were sold (source).

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Sources: DCLife.jp, via Nikonrumors.