Nikon Tops Another Sales Chart for 2023

Following yesterday’s coverage of Map Camera’s best-selling lenses of 2023 roundup, the popular Japanese camera retailer has also published a breakdown of last year’s 10 most popular new and used cameras.

Just as Nikon topped the lens sales charts with its Nikkor Z 24-120mm f/4 S lens, the iconic camera company also captured the top position for new camera sales last year with the popular Nikon Z8. It is no surprise that customers in Japan have gravitated toward the Z8, as it has proved compelling to photographers worldwide and was also the runaway “Camera of the Year” winner in the PetaPixel Awards. In his review, Chris Niccolls called the Z8 the best camera for most photographers. It seems that many agree.

While Canon didn’t deliver a particularly stellar performance in lens sales at Map Camera in 2023, the company’s excellent R6 Mark II camera grabbed second place for new camera sales. The R6 II is followed by the only other Nikon camera released this year, the retro-inspired Zf.

Following the Z8, R6 II, and Zf are a trio of Sony cameras, the a7R V, a7 IV, and new a7C II. Only one other camera released in 2023 made the year’s sales charts, the Panasonic Lumix S5 II in ninth place. It would be interesting to see how the S5 IIX fared, as given that the two cameras are almost identical in features and price, it’s possible that the S5 IIX variant cannibalized some of the S5 II’s sales.

In terms of used camera sales, the Sony a7 III was the most popular choice, followed by the Sony a7 IV and the Fujifilm X-S10, which also placed on the new camera sales chart in eighth place. Fujifilm also landed on the used camera rankings, with the X-T4 in fourth place.

Nikon and Canon each factored in the used rankings with some older cameras, including the Canon EOS R6 (seventh place), Nikon Z6 (eighth), Nikon Zfc (ninth), and Z6 II (10th).

Something else worth noting is that the Ricoh GR IIIx premium compact camera was the seventh-most popular new camera in 2023 at Map Camera, while the older GR III, which is identical save for a shorter built-in lens, finished the year in the sixth spot on the used camera sales charts. Both cameras are available brand-new still and coexist in Ricoh Pentax’s lineup, which is an interesting divergence.

Compared to Map Camera’s 2022 best-selling camera rankings, there are some familiar faces, including the a7 IV, the best-selling camera in 2022, and the X-T5, which dropped from fifth to 10th year over year. Disappearing from the list altogether, among others, are the OM System OM-1, Nikon Z9, and Canon EOS R3, three flagship cameras sporting stacked image sensors. This year, the only camera with a stacked sensor to crack the top 10 is the best-selling camera, the Z8, which includes the same image sensor as the Nikon Z9.

Will the upcoming Sony a9 III be able to make Map Camera’s best-selling cameras list for 2024? The camera’s global shutter sensor is incredible, especially for sports and action photography.