Is Nikon cool again? Korean Gen Zers make up over 61% of the Big N’s domestic mirrorless sales

Let’s face it, millennials haven’t been kind to Nikon. Since they started ‘adulting’, these ‘doggo’-loving, skinny-jean clad Potterheads have been extolling the virtues of their ‘totes amazeballs’ Sony and Fujifilm mirrorless cameras, while branding Nikons *ahem* potatoes… But according to a report by South Korean news outlet The JoongAng, youngsters (in Korea at least) made up the majority percentage of Nikon mirrorless camera sales as of November 2025.

Data from Nikon Imaging Korea reveals that over 61% of mirrorless products on Nikon’s website were registered by customers in their teens to their 30s. That’s roughly a 100% jump from just 31% in 2021. What’s more, customers in their 30s grew by 7%, while those in their 20s or younger jumped by 23%.

The throwback design of Nikon’s Zf and Nikon Z fc has evidently resonated with younger buyers, accounting for an even bigger 66% of sales. And indeed, when the news outlet interviewed the CEO of Nikon Imaging Korea, Jung Hae-hwan, he offered some interesting insights as to why Gen Z might be buying into the Z system.

And while it’s not surprising that some of the success is being attributed to the aforementioned retro-cool cameras with physical dials, alongside a shift from smartphones to dedicated cameras, what I found most interesting was Jung Hae-hwan’s claim that K-pop stars and celebrities started to adopt Nikon cameras. We’ve seen the effects celebrities can have on camera sales in the West, what with the popularity of Fujifilm cameras in particular.

I’m the former Deputy Editor of N-Photo: The Nikon Magazine, so to say I’m a Nikon fanboy is a bit of an understatement. I’ve long said that Nikon’s biggest problem during the mirrorless era has been its marketing. It simply hasn’t been seen as a hip camera brand.

Over the past few years, things have really begun to change for Nikon’s mirrorless Z Series. The Z fc and Zf attracted a whole new retro-cool demographic. The Nikon Z9 obliterated the lukewarm reception received by the Nikon Z6 and Z7, ushering in a whole new age for the Z system. And the recent RED acquisition has started to change Nikon’s perception within the video sphere.

You can add to that strong Nikon Z30 sales in Japan, and greater brand awareness thanks to Nikon’s prominent placement within Alex Garland’s Civil War, whereby Cailee Spaeny’s Gen-Z journo, Jessie’s, camera of choice was an old Nikon FE2. Heck, a Nikon Z fc was even spotted in Jurassic World: Rebirth.

So there you have it. If Gen Zers think Nikon’s cool, it must be cool. I think it’s safe to say that Nikon is enjoying a bit of a renaissance.

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