Last week I told you that there is a worldwide hype and increase of sales of cheap digital cameras. So I checked the Amazon US rankings to see what’s selling hot. And I found plentiful of cameras I never heard of before:

Camkory:
The Camkory 44MP camera for kids is on top. They sell in a variety of colors for $39 only. This is bought by parents that want their kids to take pics without them owning a real smartphone.

Kodak:
Kodak FZ45 and Kodak FZ55 are also selling hot. They are hyped through social networks. Apparently because they are cheap and produce and “old look” image. Guys, ask your neighbor influence why this garbage is viral on TikTok :)

Dylanto:
There are also Dylanto Instant cameras for kids. They don’t use Fuji instant paper, they print on paper in crappy low quality and that’s it!

Oiadek:
Oiadek offers a super cheap vlogger camera. I guess this is also made for kids that dream to become Yotubers (what a sad world).

Canon:
You have to scroll way down to find the first more “serious” camera. And it’s the Canon Rebel T7 DSLR camera!

Kodak:
Kodak also sells this pinhole instant camera. Looks cute actually :)

Kodak:
Kodak also sells this WPZ2 rugged and waterproof camera.

Sony:
The first Sony camera in the top 100 is the Sony ZV-E10. And it’s also the best selling mirrorless system camera.

The wrap up:

• Sub $100 camera lead the ranking
• Kodak is doing extremely well with a ton of different models on top. Note that these are all from chinese manufacturers who licensed the “Kodak” brand name.
• Vlogger cameras are obviously selling well

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I know this sounds crazy and maybe even “clickbaity”. But Michael Leidel brought a list of arguments why this might be happening within the next years. In very short:

• The E-mount lens system is saturated

According to him, we are now close to a point where it becomes difficult to sell new lenses because we already have a ton of excellent lenses for all kinds of photographers. And even though the new generation lenses that are coming out now have actually improved in terms of image quality, af performance and size, we cannot expect this situation to remain that way for much longer.

And relying “only” on camera sales is not enough to keep a system profitable. To be clear, the author states that eventually this will happen to all systems. Canon, Nikon, and so on. But Sony is already at that tipping point, thanks to its much longer history.

What is the solution, according to him? Launch a completely new mount system, for which people have to buy a completely new set of lenses from scratch.

Now, what kind of editing system is needed has not been speculated by the author of the video. I can add my personal option: I see only two possibilities:

• Switch to a new medium format system
• Keep the E-mount but launch a new Full Frame camera with curved sensor technology.

A quick elaboration on my two “solutions”:

Going Medium Format:

The question is whether Sony should use the same “small” medium format used by Fujifilm GFX and Hasselblad XD cameras or opt for the larger format used by Phase One and Hasselblad digital backs. The “small” format is probably too close to full frame to offer any real advantage, while the larger medium format sensor has the disadvantage of having to handle extremely large lenses.

Curved sensor:

This would be the best solution to continue using the “sweet spot”: full frame sensors. Lenses would suddenly become a third smaller because they would no longer have to correct for angular distortions. A kind of medium format quality could be achieved without the disadvantages of larger cameras and their much larger lenses. The real challenge is production costs and yield. I don’t know how difficult it is to mass produce such a complex design.

Reality check: Sony E-mount is here to stay!

Sometimes it is fun to think about the possible big changes that might occur in the future. But in this rapidly changing world, it is impossible to make serious predictions about what the world will be like even in 3-4 years from now. Maybe artificial intelligence will kill photography anyway :)
My bet is that E-mount will be alive and kicking for a long time. Mainly because of the following reasons:

1. it’s integrated into a variety of different areas (vlogging, professional broadcasting, cine gear and so forth)
2. it’s an open mount system that welcomes innovation from third party manufacturers
3. Sony is the king in the sensor tech. This will make sure Sony cameras will be always top in class (like the Sony A9III)

So what is your opinion? What should Sony do to make sure that the camera industry will be doing well in 5-10 years?

BCNranking published the top 50 of the best selling cameras on the Japanese market for the month of May:

1. White Canon R50 double lens kit
2. Canon R10 with 18-150mm lens
3. Sony ZV-E10 with powerzoom kit lens
4. Black Canon R50 double lens kit
5. Sony ZV-E10 double lens kit
6. Nikon Z50 double lens kit
7. White Sony ZV-E10
8. Sony A6400 double lens kit
9. Canon Kiss X10 double lens kit
10. Nikon Z30 double lens kit
11. Panasonic G100
12. Canon RP with 24-105mm lens
13. Silver Sony A6400 double lens kit
14. Nikon Z30 with 16-50mm lens
15. Olympus E-PL7 double lens kit
16. White Canon R50 with 18-45mm lens
17. Nikon Zf
18. White Sony ZV-E10 double lens kit
19. Black Sony A7cII
20. Silver Sony A7cII
21. Sony A7IV with kit lens
22. Silver Sony A7cII with kit lens
23. Black Sony A7cII with kit lens
24. Black Canon R50 with 18-45mm lens
25. Panasonic G100 with kit lens
26. Canon R6II
27. Fujifilm X-H2 with 16-80mm
28. Sony A6700 with kit lens
29. Nikon ZFc with kit lens
30. Sony ZV-E10body only
31. Canon Kiss X10i
32. Nikon ZFc with 16-50mm kit lens
33. Canon EOS M2 double lens kit
34. Nikon D7500 with kit lens
35. Nikon Zf with 40mm lens
36. Nikon Z50 with 16-50mm lens
37. Sony ZV-E10 with powerzoom kit lens
38. Fujifilm X-T5
39. Canon Kiss X10i with double lens kit
40. Canon R10 with double lens kit
41. Olympus OM-10 IV with double lens kit
42. Canon R7 with 18-150mm lens
43. Sony A7IV body only
44. Olympus E-P7 with kit lens
45. Sony A6700 body only
46. Canon R8 with kit lens
47. Nikon Zfc with 28mm lens
48. Nikon D7500
49. Canon R10
50. Nikon Z8

A couple of things you learn from that ranking:

• Obviously cheaper cameras sell in larger quantities
• The Sony ZV-E10 really rules!
• You can still find some DSLR cameras in the top 50 :)
• Surprised to see that people still buy the Canon M cameras…it’s a dead end system!