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With camera phones gaining more popularity among Indians, Japanese camera major Nikon is betting big on profiting from the interest generated in photography by those phones.
Nikon, that controls about 55 per cent of the D-SLR (digital single lens reflex camera) market and 45 per cent of the compact camera market in India, is looking at ways to maintain its leadership in the industry. In all, India sees about 1.3 million of compact cameras and about 350,000 of the DSR camera sales.
The company is engaging photography enthusiasts by conducting short-term courses on wildlife and outdoor photography to expand its market. Right from a half-day course, it conducts fortnight-long courses in photography on wildlife photography and outdoor photography for hobbyists and professionals.
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To buttress its claim to being the top camera seller in the country, Hiroshi Takashina, Managing Director, Nikon India, said India's top news agency, the Press Trust of India owns over 50 of its top-end D4S model camera that comes at a price of Rs 4,19,950. Nikon India is a 100 per cent subsidiary of Nikon Corporation Tokyo.
The Japanese major, which gets two to three per cent of its global revenues from India, has plants in Japan, Thailand and China as of now.
"Over the past few years, we have witnessed a surge in the demand for high performance cameras from the southern states of India and we thought it to be the perfect opportunity for us to expand in the region,” he said. Nikon’s newly relocated branch office in Bengaluru, will aid the customers in making the right and informed decisions, said Sajjan Kumar, vice-president - imaging division, Nikon India.
The company has 4,400 dealerships across the country with south India accounting for about 1,200 of them.
