Panasonic expects CSCs to outsell DSLRs 'very shortly'

Panasonic GF3
Panasonic expects UK sales of CSCs to grow further this year

A spokesperson from Panasonic UK has affirmed his belief that compact system camera sales in the UK will eventually follow the same trend as in Japan and outsell traditional DSLRs.

Currently, UK sales figures suggest that almost one in three of interchangeable lens cameras sold is a CSC.

At the moment, with the exception of Canon, all the main camera brands produce at least one mirrorless camera.

Asked if Panasonic was pleased with the number of manufacturers currently in the market, Barney Sykes from Panasonic UK said, "Panasonic is built on a history of competition, and we believe very strongly it's very important in the market - the more brands that are in it, the more it's going to drive us and make us better."

Panasonic was the first manufacturer to produce mirrorless cameras, starting in 2008 with the first G series camera. It is has since managed to retain its number one position in the market, despite increased competition from a number of rivals.

Sykes continued, "It's rumoured Canon will join this year, and all these manufacturers give the system credibility, that it is the future."

In 2011, it was revealed that for the first time CSCs had managed to outsell DSLRs in Japan, rising to 51%.

"We follow quite closely the Japanese market with our trends, we're about a year or so behind, so for Japan to have already have compact system cameras outselling DSLRs is a big statement.

"It's a big message, it obviously shows that there's a huge amount of confidence in the system, we expect very shortly the same thing will happen in the UK," Sykes continued.

Last week, Sony also told us that it was confident that CSC sales would continue to rise in the coming months, while Olympus has said that the UK is leading the trend when compared with the rest of Europe.

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Amy Davies

Amy has been writing about cameras, photography and associated tech since 2009. Amy was once part of the photography testing team for Future Publishing working across TechRadar, Digital Camera, PhotoPlus, N Photo and Photography Week. For her photography, she has won awards and has been exhibited. She often partakes in unusual projects - including one intense year where she used a different camera every single day. Amy is currently the Features Editor at Amateur Photographer magazine, and in her increasingly little spare time works across a number of high-profile publications including Wired, Stuff, Digital Camera World, Expert Reviews, and just a little off-tangent, PetsRadar. 

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