Point-and-shoots aren’t the only photo gear rebounding after a steep drop-off in 2019 – according to the latest numbers from Japan, interchangeable lens shipments are at the highest in more than five years for the first four months of the year.
The insight comes from the Camera Imaging Products Association, an organization tracking camera data from Japanese camera brands including Sony, Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm, OM System, and Panasonic, as well as lens makers like Sigma, Tamron, and Zeiss. Tokina also joined the list of CIPA members this year.
According to CIPA, in the first four months of 2026, these brands shipped more than 3.2 million interchangeable lenses. Looking back across the same January to April timeframe, that’s the best numbers that lenses have had since 2019, when 4.4 million lenses were shipped in that same four-month span.
That echoes the rebound of the camera industry, as 2025 was the best year for digital camera shipments since 2019, and the numbers have continued to climb in 2026, outside of a slight dip in February.
The combination of COVID-19 shutdowns and supply chain struggles amid the growth of the smartphone camera had a severe impact on the camera industry, and while 2026’s numbers are the highest in more than five years, the latest lens numbers are still more than a million less than in 2019.
In the first four months of 2026, brands have shipped around 3.2 million interchangeable lenses, a 106.3 percent change from the same time frame last year. At the same time, brands shipped about 2.08 interchangeable-lens bodies, suggesting there are still a healthy number of photographers shooting with more than a kit lens.
Lenses meant for cameras with sensors smaller than full frame see the highest numbers for 2026 so far – echoing camera trends, as the smaller sensor category is the entry-level and more budget-friendly option that tends to attract a higher number of users. In the first four months of the year, those crop sensor format lenses numbered more than 1.8 million, a 111.6 percent change from the same time last year in shipments.
Lenses for full-frame cameras (and larger formats, including medium format) numbered around 1.4 million, which is only a slight change from the same time frame last year, at a 100.2 percent change.
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