世論 What Japan Thinks

I hear a lot of good things about mirrorless SLR cameras as an entry point into the world of keen amateur photographer, so this survey from goo Research into the topic gives a good overview of why people are buying or wanting to buy them.

Demographics

Between the 14th and 18th of October 2011 1,083 members of the goo Research monitor group aged twenty or older completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 50.1% of the sample were male, 19.9% in their twenties, 20.3% in their thirties, 20.1% in their forties, 19.5% in their fifties, and 20.1% aged sixty or older.

I used to be quite keen on getting one, as my point and shoot is getting a bit dented, but now I’ve got my smartphone with a passable camera and instant connectivity, my compact camera is now gathering dust, and a mirrorless SLR just feels like too much bother!

Research results

Q1: Do you have a mirrorless SLR? (Sample size=1,083)

Yes (to SQ1)
4.2%
No (to SQ6)
95.8%

Men were more likely to have a mirrorless SLR than women, and for some reason both men and women in their forties had a significantly lower ownership percentages that every other age group.

Q1SQ1: Who are the makers of the mirrorless SLR cameras that you have? (Sample size=46, multiple answer)

Olympus	37.0%
Sony	37.0%
Panasonic	26.1%
Pentax	6.5%
Other	0.0%

Q1SQ2: What kind of camera has your mirrorless SLR camera become a replacement for? (Sample size=46)

Digital SLR	54.3%
Compact digital camera	37.0%
Mobile phone camera	2.2%
Smartphone camera	0.0%
Isn’t a replacement	6.5%

Q1SQ3: Why did you choose a mirrorless SLR camera? (Sample size=46, multiple answer)

Small and light	78.3%
High functionality	56.5%
Reasonable price	39.1%
Easy to use	23.9%
Liked the design, style, colour	21.7%
Maker, brand image	13.0%
Big seller	8.7%
Good television advertisement, promotional character	0.0%
Other	0.0%

Q1SQ4: How satisfied are you with your current mirrorless SLR camera? (Sample size=46)

Completely satisfied (to SQ5)	34.8%
Somewhat satisfied (to SQ5)	52.2%
Can’t say (to end of survey)	4.3%
Somewhat dissatisfied (to end of survey)	8.7%
Completed dissatisfied (to end of survey)	0.0%

Q1SQ5: Why are you satisfied with your current mirrorless SLR camera? (Sample size=40, multiple answer)

Can take beautiful photographs	77.5%
Small and light and easy to carry around	75.0%
Can interchange lenses and take a wide range of photographs	60.0%
Body design is good	20.0%
Reasonable price	20.0%
Easy to use	10.0%
Other	0.0%

The survey is now complete for those with mirrorless SLR cameras.

Q1SQ6: Are you thinking about buying a mirrorless SLR camera? (Sample size=1,037)

Thinking of buying (to SQ7)	31.8%
Not thinking of buying (to end of survey)	27.0%
Don’t know (to end of survey)	41.2%

Interestingly, older men were more interested in buying than younger men, but younger women were more interested than older women.

Q1SQ7: What maker’s mirrorless SLR camera are you most likely to buy? (Sample size=330)

Nikon	32.7%
Olympus	30.6%
Sony	15.2%
Panasonic	9.7%
Fujifilm	4.5%
Pentax	3.6%
Other	3.6%

Olympus was more popular with younger people, Nikon with older. Stand-out figures were that Sony was the most popular brand for men in their forties, but for women in their forties, Panasonic came in a credible second place.

Q1SQ8: What kind of camera would your mirrorless SLR camera become a replacement for? (Sample size=330)

Compact digital camera	56.1%
Digital SLR	37.0%
Mobile phone camera	2.7%
Smartphone camera	0.3%
Wouldn’t be a replacement	3.9%

Q1SQ9: Why would you choose a mirrorless SLR camera? (Sample size=330, multiple answer)

High functionality	74.2%
Small and light	63.9%
Reasonable price	23.3%
Easy to use	23.3%
Like the design, style, colour	13.0%
Maker, brand image	7.3%
Big seller	6.3%
Good television advertisement, promotional character	0.9%