Nikon's entry level D3100 was the biggest selling SLR in Japan during 2011, with Canon's Kiss X4 (EOS 550D) coming in second and the Canon Kiss X5 (EOS 600D) in third place.
It's easier to discover the best-selling electronics in Japan, as the Japanese have official rankings for items such as cameras. In the ranking which shows DSLR and interchangeable lens camera sales over the past 12 months, it is still the DSLR that is king.
That said, beginner, entry-level cameras are making the biggest sales, with the top three cameras being budget SLRs from Canon and Nikon.
Mirrorless appearances
Interestingly, however, compact system cameras (CSCs) from Panasonic, Sony and Olympus are also featured heavily in the top 20, with the Panasonic GF2 sitting the highest in 4th place.
The Sony NEX-5 and Olympus PEN E-PL2 could also be found in the top 10, while two other Olympus models, two Sony models and another Panasonic made up the rest of the list.
Of the DSLRs in the list, unsurprisingly it's Canon and Nikon models that dominate, however Sony's a55 also appears just below the Pentax K-r.
It will be interesting to see how the 2012 best-sellers list compares, as more compact system cameras are due for release this year, while Nikon also launched its own system, the Nikon 1 V1 and J1.
Top ten best-selling DSLRs and hybrids (in Japan)
1. Nikon D3100
2. Canon EOS Kiss X4 (550D)
3. Canon EOS Kiss X5 (600D)
4. Panasonic Lumix GF2
5. Canon EOS 60D
6. Sony NEX-5
7. Nikon D7000
8. Olympus PEN E-PL2
9. Nikon D90
10. Nikon D5100
via NikonRumours
