Well this is interesting

[Don Fischer]

I've posted factory tour videos in recent years and it's pretty clear that lenses in particular need a lot of human intervention. Grinding and polishing are "largely" automated, but conformity checks are done at a lot of stages, and that is still a judgement call. I think I have seen camera body manufacturing by Sigma -- search the forum for it. I don't think I've mentioned it, but I have done factory type work for automotive engine rebuilding. I've done head stripping, camshaft grinding, valve cleaning and re-grinding and cylinder re-boring, and more. There are "judgment calls" that have to be made all over the place. The camera stuff looks pretty straight forward, but I'll bet there are more "judgment calls" -- particularly in the early runs, than you might expect.

I just checked. I posted a link to a video showing Sigma FP camera body manufacturing some time ago. Again, it shows the smooth working of the factory. What I'm saying is that I'll bet things don't always go so smoothly, and there are probably still "judgement calls" involved.

Agreed! I believe every manufacturing company in the world put out a deficient product now and then!

 

[VidThreeNorth]

According to a released report by Japan Camera Industry Association (JCIA), By the end of the 2024 fiscal year, the modern Big Five—ranked by camera-and-lens revenue—look like this:

• Canon Inc. - ¥937.4 billion

This reference had me confused, so I checked and there is no such thing as "Japan Camera Industry Association JCIA". Whomever you quoted probably mis-referenced "CIPA", which is what I quoted. In the long run, it won't matter because if you search for the JCIA reference, through Google, it'll point you to CIPA anyway. . . .

 

[VidThreeNorth]

"What the heck?"

I was looking more closely at the 2025 CIPA numbers (up to and including October 2025) and found a surprise. This year seems to have been particularly strong in "fixed lens cameras". Interchangeable lens cameras sales were actually sort of "flat". Why would that happen? I expected fixed lens cameras to be "flat" and maybe "sinking a bit" -- replaced by cellphone sales. I can't make sense of it.

 

[smoke665]

This reference had me confused, so I checked and there is no such thing as "Japan Camera Industry Association JCIA". Whomever you quoted probably mis-referenced "CIPA", which is what I quoted. In the long run, it won't matter because if you search for the JCIA reference, through Google, it'll point you to CIPA anyway. . . .

JCIA was the original organization founded in 1954, it was succeeded by the CIPA in 2002. JCIA standards were adopted/modified by CIPA to be more representative of global manufacturers. The two acronyms are still used somewhat interchangeably.

"What the heck?"

I was looking more closely at the 2025 CIPA numbers (up to and including October 2025) and found a surprise. This year seems to have been particularly strong in "fixed lens cameras". Interchangeable lens cameras sales were actually sort of "flat". Why would that happen? I expected fixed lens cameras to be "flat" and maybe "sinking a bit" -- replaced by cellphone sales. I can't make sense of it.

Their small size, premium quality, and cheaper price than interchangeable lens models is appealing to a young demographic.

 

[alyatony08]

According to a released report by Japan Camera Industry Association (JCIA), By the end of the 2024 fiscal year, the modern Big Five—ranked by camera-and-lens revenue—look like this:

• Canon Inc. - ¥937.4 billion
  Imaging Systems Division: cameras + lenses (sec.gov + global.canon + cined.com).
• Sony Group (Minolta legacy) - ¥609 billion
  Photo and video cameras within the ET & S segment.
• Fujifilm Holdings - ¥540 billion
  Imaging Solutions (Instax + X/GFX).
• Nikon Corporation - ¥295.4 billion
  Imaging Products Business (Z-series).
• Ricoh Imaging - ¥35.8 billion

that's good