In Sony’s 2024 Corporate Report, the company explains the performance of all its sectors, including its camera business. Sony has claimed yet again that it has achieved the number one market share in the full-frame interchangeable lens market.
This isn’t the first time Sony has made such a claim — having said it sold the most full-frame mirrorless cameras back in 2022. Shortly after Sony’s proclamation, Canon said it was the number one digital camera company and led mirrorless camera sales, too.
While those claims in 2022 were based on data from NPD, Sony’s new claim is based on internal data. In a footnote, Sony says it achieved the number one market share based on internal data from the 2023 fiscal year.
That is interesting information, but as Sony Alpha Rumors observes, there’s much more to Sony’s new corporate report than a claim of being number one.
Sony also notes that its lenses are a more profitable business than its interchangeable lens cameras. However, it says that both segments have less growth potential than its cinema camera business. Sony also cites “sports” as an area of potential growth related to the company’s broader imaging technology. Sony’s proprietary Hawk-Eye video technology is used for 70% of global soccer leagues, and Sony tech is being rolled out in other sports leagues, including the NFL.
Sony also touched on its image sensor business, which is related to but separate from its camera business. Sony-made image sensors, used by a diverse range of cameras and smartphones, had a 53% global market share by revenue in 2023, up from 49% in 2022.
Earlier this year, PetaPixel reported on Sony’s ambitions to own 60% of the global image sensor market by the end of 2025, a target the company maintains is realistic. This also ties in with the company’s expectation that smartphone image sensor size will continue to increase over the next few years, especially concerning secondary and tertiary camera modules.
Sony says it has invested 1.5 trillion yen ($10.6 billion) in its CMOS image sensor technology over the past six years. These capital expenditures have contributed to many technological advancements, including the global shutter image sensor used in the new Sony a9 III camera, which Sony says has already been instrumental in capturing photos at global events.
“It is of ever-greater significance for creators behind the lens to capture the real world ‘as it is.’ CMOS image sensors are also used in verifying the authenticity of an image to ensure that it consists of a real subject shot by a real person using a camera,” Sony explains.
Sony touts its continued support for the C2PA standard. Sony has added C2PA tools to some of its flagship cameras for select users and plans to roll them out to more people soon.
“Addressing the issue of fabricated images and AI-generated fake images spreading worldwide is a grave challenge, especially on the journalistic frontline in terms of transparency and credibility,” Sony explains. “To address such issues, the Entertainment, Technology, and Services (ET&S) segment complies with C2PA specifications and provides its Camera Authenticity Solution to verify image authenticity for media professionals, made possible using Sony’s in-camera digital signature technology. This technology is expected to be introduced to a few select news agencies first, then incrementally expanded to be offered to all of them.”
Overall, Sony is financially healthy. The image sensor sector, in particular, continues to perform well, driven by consistently increasing demand for smartphone sensors.
Image credits: Header photo created using assets licensed via Depositphotos.