If you’re looking for a comparison of Lumix vs Canon cameras then you’re not the only one.
In this post, we will try to settle once and for all if Lumix is better than Canon or vice versa based on sales data and actual usage by the community.
Some of the stats might shock you.
Note: Lumix is the brand name given to Panasonic’s digital cameras so Lumix and Panasonic can be used interchangeably in this context.
💡 If you just want a quick answer then here you go…
Canon is much more popular than Lumix when it comes to digital cameras but you can’t go wrong with either Lumix or Canon cameras.
Both brands have high-quality cameras that can do the job for anyone if they’ve picked the right camera for their needs.
Matching the camera specifications to your use case is going to be the most important thing, and picking a certain brand is rarely important.
Table of Contents
Market Share
The number of units sold and market share is a good indicator of the quality of a brand because it shows that consumers trust the products of a given brand.
So let’s look at the market shares in the digital camera market.
Looking at 2020, there is data gathered by Techno Research Systems which was released through Nikkei Asia. You can see some of this data via mirrorless rumours.
According to this data, in 2020 there were 8.85 million units of digital cameras sold.
The market shares of the biggest manufacturers are as follows:
- Canon 47.9％
- Sony 22.1%
- Nikon 13.7%
- Fujifilm 5.6%
- Panasonic 4.4%
As you can see Canon reigns supreme with a massive 47.9% of the total market share, whereas Panasonic only has 4.4% of the market.
To put this into perspective, Canon has more than 10 times the market share of Panasonic when it comes to digital cameras.
This includes all types of digital cameras so the market shares may vary depending on what segment you look at.
If you were just looking at market share and total units sold, then you would assume that Canon is better than Lumix as the market has decided they deserve to have the highest market share.
Flickr Users
Flickr is a site where users can upload their photos and they can include data such as the lens and camera they were taken on.
This is a good way of seeing active users of cameras in circulation as they won’t just include new sales of cameras.
People keep cameras for multiple years and continue to use them for a long time because digital cameras do last a long time.
We looked at data for the most popular Panasonic and Canon cameras used in the Flickr community to compare the two sets of data (the data is a snapshot taken on 7th December 2022).
Popular Canon cameras in the Flickr community:
Looking at the data above, you can see that the top 5 most popular Canon cameras have a total number of average daily users of 2407.
You will also notice that the top 5 consists of 3 DSLR camera models and 2 mirrorless camera models.
Now let’s have a look at the same data for Panasonic Lumix cameras.
Popular Panasonic cameras in the Flickr community:
Looking at the data above, you can see that the top 5 most popular Panasonic cameras have a total number of average daily users of 256.
You will also notice that the top 5 consists of 3 point-and-shoot camera models and 2 mirrorless camera models.
Key Take Aways
These Flickr user statistics show that there are almost 10 times as many people using the top 5 Canon models as there are using the top 5 Panasonic Lumix models.
This reflects the data from earlier about the total market share being about 10 times more for Canon.
Both have the same amount of mirrorless cameras in the top 5 (2 models for each brand).
It’s interesting to note that there are no point-and-shoot cameras in the top 5 for Canon, but there are 3 point-and-shoot cameras in the top 5 for Panasonic.
For Canon, there are 3 DSLR models instead.
This could suggest that Panasonic cameras are more known for point-and-shoot cameras since these are amongst the most popular.
At the same time, you could also argue that Canon is more known for its DSLRs since these are amongst the most popular models.
From my personal experience, the idea that Canon is known for its DSLRs is definitely true.
When it comes to Panasonic however, it’s hard to say.
I know that nobody has ever tried to sell me the idea that Panasonic is the king of point-and-shoots…
Let’s have a look at some more data to see if we can get a clearer picture in terms of popularity within the community.
DP Review Statistics
DP Review (Digital Photography Review) is another photography website that allows users to say what camera they use so people can see the most popular cameras used by the community.
We looked at lists for the top 10 ‘most owned’ cameras which are generated from the DP Review community’s gear lists.
We looked at one list for interchangeable lens cameras (this includes DSLRs and mirrorless cameras) and one list for compact cameras.
Note: The lists are accurate as of 7th December 2022.
Interchangeable Lens Cameras
In the list of most owned interchangeable lens cameras, there were the 4 following Canon models:
- Canon EOS 5D Mark III
- Canon EOS 7D
- Canon EOS 6D
- Canon EOS 5D Mark II
None of the top 10 most owned interchangeable lens cameras was a Panasonic Lumix camera.
Compact Cameras
In the list of most owned compact cameras, none were Canon cameras.
On the other hand, 2 of the top 10 most owned compact cameras were Panasonic Lumix cameras. They are as follows:
- Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000
- Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100
Key Take Aways
The user statistics from DP Review seem to mirror the Flickr user statistics.
Canon DSLRs feature as some of the most popular models but Panasonic makes a mark in the market for compact cameras.
One caveat when looking at these lists is that some of the cameras are quite old so they might not reflect new models.
This is because it takes a while for new models to reach peak popularity, fall off in sales, and then eventually get discontinued before you can properly judge how successful they are.
For example, the two compact Lumix models above are both from 2014 and they probably don’t reflect the quality of more modern models.
The same goes for interchangeable lens cameras as the Canon cameras in the top 10 interchangeable lens cameras are all from 2012 or earlier.
Looking at more up-to-date information would be more useful in comparing the two brands if you are looking at buying a new camera (or even just a more recent second-hand camera).
Still, the lists give you an idea of the popularity of the two brands.
Usage and Sales
So we know that when it comes to total sales, usage and market share, Canon cameras are about 10 times as popular as Panasonic Lumix cameras.
But what about the actual quality of the cameras in terms of images, video and sound?
Quality
In terms of quality, Lumix and Canon (and most of the leading camera manufacturers) can be said to be ‘mostly’ the same.
It’s hard to say one brand is better than another because there are so many different camera models in each brand at different parts of the market.
For example, you could say a full-frame Panasonic DSLR is better than a compact Canon camera, but that’s a useless comparison because they are different camera types.
A better question would be to ask whether a specific Panasonic model is better than another specific Canon model which has the same intended user type.
For example, it would be fairer to compare two full-frame DSLRs against each other.
The Verdict… It’s Personal Taste
At the end of the day, it’s up to personal taste and you can’t really go wrong with either brand.
This is especially true if you are a beginner in photography because the small things that could make a slight difference just won’t be important enough for you.
The main things to look at are what you are using the camera for and what you prefer.
Look for the specifications required for your type of photography or videography and you’re sure to find cameras from both Lumix and Canon that match your needs.
Of course, if you already have a bunch of Lumix lenses or Canon lenses then it makes this decision easier because you might as well pick the brand that you’ve already been using.
If you’re getting your first digital camera and have no prior knowledge then don’t worry about it too much.
Just get something that matches your needs and feels good in your hands, trust me you’ll be fine.