Canon Europe says focus switches to RF lenses

The latest figures from CIPA (the Japanese Camera and Imaging Products Association) show the status of the interchangeable-lens camera market over the past three years. (Source: CIPA.)

The announcement comes in a year that has seen an on-going overall decline in the camera market (as shown in the graph above). Speaking in an interview with DigitalCameraWorld, Shepherd said:
“As you know, last year we launched the RF mount and EOS R system. To date we’ve launched ten critically acclaimed lenses, and as it’s a new system we plan to continue this, launching more RF lenses while still fully supporting the EF lens system. And of course, should the market demand it, we are ready to create new EF lenses. But for now, our focus is on RF.”

This should come as no surprise, given the obvious shift in market direction from DSLR to mirrorless, as shown in the latest CIPA graph. And even though many more fixed-lens compact cameras are sold, the value of this market sector is significantly less than the value of either the DSLR or mirrorless categories, as shown in the graphs below.

October 2019 marked a turning point where the volume of mirrorless ILCs outstripped DSLRs for the first time.

This graph shows how the market value of the mirrorless sector has comfortably outstripped that of DSLRs and compact fixed-lens cameras for more than a year. (Note: the peaks around April represent the spring/summer holiday period in Northern Hemisphere countries, while the October rise comes ahead of Christmas sales worldwide.)

Naturally, Canon hasn’t discontinued support for the EF mount, which is still strongly supported. Should demand arise for a particular lens that isn’t currently available, there’s no doubt that Canon would respond. However, the focus will be on the company’s mirrorless future and we can expect an updated lens roadmap by the time the CP+ show opens in late February.

Nikon is likely to follow a similar strategy and focus on its Z-Mount lenses.