India accounts for around 3 per cent of Nikon’s global revenue and this number is expected to cross 5 per cent by the end of next fiscal, said Kimito Uemura, the company’s Singapore-based general manager, International Marketing Division. He was speaking to The Indian Express here after the launch of the company’s new flagship camera, the D4S, on Wednesday. Uemura said the country was one of the major growth markets along with China, which accounts for as much as 10 per cent of Nikon’s global revenues. Nikon India managing director Hiroshi Takashina said Nikon was the top player in the DSLR market with a 55 per cent market share. “In India, 3 lakh DSLRs were sold this year, compared to the 2.4 lakh units last year. That is about 25 per cent year-on-year growth, which is good especially in the time of recession,” he explained. The company is expecting 30 per cent growth in the coming fiscal. On whether, the improving quality of smartphone cameras was impacting the sales of compact cameras, Takashina said, “The sensor size of mobile phone cameras is very small. It is at times just 1/20th of a regular camera, so the capability is very limited and this shows when you are shooting in low light or fast moving subjects. It also shows when you are trying to print the images.” Nikon believes these users will come back to the regular camera for their photography needs. The company claims a 33 per cent market share in the compact camera segment and expects to grow to 38 per cent in the coming year. “We will tackle all segments. Our cheapest one now costs just Rs 4,990. This shows this segment is very important for us.” Nikon has also launched its new entry level camera, the D3300, in India.
