The DSLR might be dying, but it’s not dead – Canon is still producing hundreds of thousands of these cameras every year

Old camera gear on secondhand store at The Photograph & Video Show — (Image credit: Chris George / Digital Camera World)

The DSLR market may be dying, but Canon seems to be the camera’s life support right now. While the company has already moved decisively toward mirrorless cameras, new industry figures reveal that it’s still producing DSLRs in surprisingly large numbers.

According to data from market research firm Techno System Research (TSR), published in Toyo Keizai's Company Shikiho Industry Map 2027, Canon produced approximately 580,000 DSLRs in 2025.

That dwarfed production by the other two active DSLR manufacturers, Nikon (which produced 60,000) and Pentax (which produced just 10,000).

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Overall, Canon’s figure represented almost 90% of the 650,000 DSLRs produced by the manufacturing triumvirate combined, despite the company's DSLR lineup having shrunk drastically in recent years.

In 2021, the company announced that it would no longer develop new DSLR models – and the only models remaining on sale are the flagship Canon EOS-1D X Mark III, mid-level EOS 5D Mark IV and entry-level Canon EOS Rebel T7 / 2000D.

Canon EOS-1D X Mark III — The former flagship 1D X Mark III is one of the last DSLRs standing (Image credit: Digital Camera World)

While Canon recently confirmed the discontinuation of the EOS 5D Mark IV – after the recent TSR data was collated – it’s unclear whether it will stop production of new EOS-1D X Mark III and EOS Rebel T7 / 2000D units any time soon.

After all, Go Tokura, Canon's executive vice president, confirmed to our editor-in-chief, James Artaius, at CP+ earlier this year that the company is continuing mass production of DSLRs while sales remain strong.

However, Canon’s 580,000 figure also represents a substantial decline from the previous year. TSR data puts Canon’s 2024 DSLR production at approximately 790,000 units, a 27% year-on-year fall.

Nevertheless, Canon's continued output demonstrates that the DSLR market has not disappeared entirely – and that there is apparently still enough demand for it to keep production lines running despite its near-total focus on mirrorless development.

TSR's figures are production estimates rather than retail sales or shipments. The company's Digital Still Camera Production Statistics research is published quarterly and tracks camera production by manufacturer and camera type.

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I’m a writer, journalist and photographer who joined Digital Camera World in 2026. I started out in editorial in 2021 and my words have spanned sustainability, careers advice, travel and tourism, and photography – the latter two being my passions.

I first picked up a camera in my early twenties having had an interest in photography from a young age. Since then, I’ve worked on a freelance basis, mostly internationally in the travel and tourism sector. You’ll usually find me out on a hike shooting landscapes and adventure shots in my free time.