In what some might consider a rather surprising result considering the mixed reviews it’s had, the Canon EOS R has topped the November sales charts in one of the world’s biggest camera retailers. 

A couple of days ago, Map Camera, a shop based in the heart of Tokyo, released sales figures for new and used camera bodies for the month of November. A quick glance at the top 10 list certainly raised a few eyebrows for one main reason: the Canon EOS R was sitting high and mighty above its illustrious counterparts, including the Sony a7R III, the Sony a7 III, the Nikon Z6, and the Nikon Z7. 

It’s fair to say that the Canon EOS R didn’t exactly set the world alight upon first release, but as the months have passed, more and more positive user reviews have started to filter through, particularly from people who’ve actually gone out and bought the camera rather than just reviewing it for a couple days. Indeed, in an article I wrote last week, some of the comments from EOS R users were quite glowing to say the least, as was the video from that article. And the sales results from Map Camera lend support to that positivity. 

Now, you might be wondering about the veracity or reliability of the source, Map Camera. As a resident of Japan for 15 years, I can assure you that Map Camera is a behemoth in Japan’s photography world. In fact, it’s Japan’s largest retailer of used photography gear and offers fantastic rates for trades and upgrades to new releases. Thus, it has huge numbers passing through each day, because it caters to people wanting to buy, sell, or do both.

It’s an eight-floor wonderland within walking district of Shinjuku Station, where each floor is dedicated to particular manufacturers. If there’s a photography itch you need scratching, no matter how obscure, you can bet your bottom dollar that Map Camera will have a nail for your needs. This year alone, I’ve been three times to buy new and used gear, and whenever my friends come to Japan and ask me to help with their itinerary, I always reserve a few hours to walk around Map Camera. So, when they release their monthly sales numbers, they’re always worth looking at, because they are highly representative of the trends of Japanese photography consumers. 

I have deliberately linked to the Japanese page, because the auto-translate to English is absolute gobbledigook. But it’s simple enough to switch to English once you’re on the page. If you scroll down past the top 10 sales list of new cameras, you can also find the top 10 sales list of used cameras for November. There, you’ll see the Nikon D750, the Nikon D850, and the Nikon D810 make up the top three. It’s interesting to note that in the top 10 sales list of new cameras, seven are mirrorless cameras. However, in the top 10 list of used camera bodies, seven are DSLRs. Hardly coincidence and a sign of the times?

What do you make of the lists? Are you surprised by the results? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.