The camera industry is hurting. With the chip shortage still choking the electronics industry supply chain, on top of the pandemic drastically changing the population’s spending habits, we’ve expected to see some slow down.

We’ve recently talked about the camera industry as a whole and how it’s navigating the perfect storm of slumping sales.

But there are exceptions. Mega corporations like Sony, and to some extent, Canon, have fared well in the last couple of years all things considered.

Now we’re setting our sights on another camera manufacturer, Panasonic.

This is a list of 23 interesting Panasonic camera facts and statistics for 2022.

But first, let’s run through the history of Panasonic, the company.

The History of Panasonic

Panasonic was founded in 1918 by Konosuke Matsushita. The company manufactured two-way electric lamp sockets and attachment plugs. (Panasonic Holdings)

The 3-tube radio, which the company called R-31, was released into the market in 1931. It featured an innovative design that made it far more reliable than any radio in the market at the time. (Panasonic Holdings)

Panasonic co-created the first rectangular CRT TV in the Japanese market at a time when rounded screens were the norm, which influenced the screen designs we have today. (Panasonic Holdings)

In 1985, Panasonic released the NV-M1, their first ever camcorder which was a VHS recorder with a built-in camera that recorded images in a standard VHS cassette. (Panasonic Holdings)

The first LUMIX branded cameras came out in 2001: the DMC-LC5 and DMC-FC7. (Panasonic Global)

Together with Olympus, Panasonic released the first ever micro four thirds system mirrorless camera in Photokina in Cologne, Germany, in September 2008. (Panasonic Global)

The Latest Panasonic Camera Facts and Sales Statistics

Panasonic Founder Konosuke Matsushita’s management philosophy was what’s come to be known as
“tap water philosophy” as a means to “overcome poverty and bring wealth to society by producing an abundant supply of goods.” (Panasonic Annual Report, 2022)

The Panasonic GH4, released in 2014, was the first mirrorless camera that featured 4K/30p recording. (Panasonic AU)

The world’s first bridge superzoom camera that had 4K recording was the Panasonic DMC-FZ1000. It was also released in 2014. (Panasonic Global)

The GH5 outdone the GH4 by being the first mirrorless camera to have 4K/60p with an internal 4:2:2 10-bit recording. (Panasonic Global)

Panasonic released the Lumix S Series in 2019, their first full frame mirrorless camera offering with the DC-S1 and the DC-S1R first entering the lineup. (Panasonic Global)

Not long after the release of the S Series, the DC-S1H got its Netflix-approved badge – not only making it one of the few widely accessible Netflix-approved cameras in the market, but it was also the first Netflix-approved full frame mirrorless camera. (Panasonic Global)

The Panasonic BGH1 gets Netflix-certified in 2022, making it the first MFT Netflix-approved camera. (DPReview, 2020)

The L-Mount Alliance was announced to the world in Photokina 2018. It’s a strategic partnership between Leica, Panasonic, and Sigma which allowed the top manufacturers to create products within the L-Mount ecosystem. (Leica, 2018)

DJI joined the L-mount alliance in 2022. (Petapixel, 2022)

Panasonic’s camera division is muddled in with the corporation’s Appliances Division, which makes 37% of its income. (Petapixel, 2022)

Panasonic attributes the 4% decrease in the previous fiscal year’s sales to “deteriorating market conditions… and streamlining in product lines for TVs and digital cameras.” (Panasonic Annual Report, 2022)

Since day one of the micro four thirds standard they co-introduced with Olympus, Panasonic had video as its primary focus. (Petapixel, 2022)

Panasonic took the top spot in the video camera sales segment in the last BCN Awards with 43.6% in overall sales, followed by Sony with 26.3%. (BCN Awards)

Panasonic has a 4.4% hold in the global camera market (DSLR, mirrorless, and integrated) in 2021, a 0.3% drop from 2020. (Nikkei)

In the global mirrorless category, Panasonic has a 5.5% market share or about 157,000 units shipped in 2021. (Petapixel, 2022)

In the sustainability department, Panasonic’s goal is to have net-zero in-house emissions. (Panasonic Sustainability Briefing)

By 2025, Panasonic projects they’ll reduce their carbon dioxide emissions by 38.3 million tons. (Panasonic Sustainability Briefing)

While You’re here…

You might want to check out our previous articles on Panasonic and Micro Four Thirds guides:

• Panasonic GH6 Review, According to Pros
• Panasonic Leica 25-50mm F1.7 Review, According to Pros
• Best L-Mount Lenses for Panasonic Cameras, According to Pros
• 17 Fastest Micro Four Thirds Lenses (MFT) in 2022
• Micro Four Thirds Lens Roadmap – New Lenses Release Dates 2022
• Best Micro Four Thirds Lenses in 2022 – The Ultimate Guide

Timeline of Mirror Panasonic Cameras