“The DSLR segment rose by almost 10% compared to 2012. On the other hand, compact camera [sales] fell by 20% on 2012,” Petronius Secareanu, general manager of camera maker Canon’s representative office in Romania, told ZF. He added the DSLR market stood at about 30,000 units in 2013.
The price of a compact camera starts from 200 lei to 300 lei (EUR45-EUR67), while the price of a DSLR kit (camera and one lens) starts from RON1,500.
Canon’s market share in Romania stood at 30% to 40% on the DSLR segment, and at 15% to 17% on the compact camera segment.
Canon’s main competitors on the DSLR segment are Nikon, Pentax and Sony and its main compact camera rivals are Samsung, Olympus and Fujifilm.
The compact camera sales decline trend will continue this year, as well, because of the launch of smartphones with improved cameras, but the DSLR segment will continue to increase because the Romanian market has not reached maturity yet, Secareanu said.
Under the circumstances, Canon plans to boost its share of the DSLR market in Romania to match its level in other countries.
“Our target is market share growth in Romania because Canon’s market share in other more mature countries is above 40% on the DSLR segment at least and we are not at this level here,” the executive said.
The company will largely rely on entry level DSLRs to gain market share on the segment, because they account for 75% of the total DSLR market.
The Japanese-held camera maker launched the Canon EOS1200D camera in Romania on Thursday. The new camera is aimed at beginners looking to move up from compact cameras. The new DSLR will become available in March.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)