Canon Inc. said Monday it expects two new cameras to help it reclaim the title of Japan's largest producer of digital single-lens reflex models by yearend.
The company forecasts it will lead Japan's digital SLR market by shipments this year with a share of more than 43 percent, said Koji Ashizawa, senior managing director of Canon Marketing Japan Inc., the unit handling domestic sales.
In the first half, Nikon Corp. led the market with 47.5 percent, followed by Canon's 36.5 percent, Tokyo-based researcher BCN said.
Canon on Monday estimated shipments of the Japanese digital SLR camera market at 900,000 to 950,000 units this year, rising from 720,000 last year.
In 2006, Canon had a 44.6 percent share of the domestic digital SLR market, followed by Nikon with 33.6 percent, BCN said.
Canon will sell the EOS 40D model targeted at hobbyists from Aug. 31, priced at 150,000 yen excluding lenses, the Tokyo-based company said. It will begin sales of the EOS-1Ds Mark III, aimed at professionals, from late November.