Sony Celebrates No. 1 Overall Position in U.S. Full-frame Cameras with Launch of Historic "Be Alpha" Campaign

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Electronics, Inc. – a worldwide leader in digital imaging and the world's largest image sensor manufacturer – today announced that it has overtaken and held the No. 1 overall position in the United States full-frame interchangeable lens camera market in the first half of 2018, in both dollars and units¹. In fact, four out of every 10 full-frame cameras sold during this time period have come from the Sony brand¹. 

Additionally, Sony has announced that within the overall mirrorless market, it has held the No. 1 position in both dollars and units for more than six years².  These strong results can be attributed to the company's leadership in transitioning the market from older DSLR technology to next-generation mirrorless cameras. 

Much of Sony's recent success has been driven by sales of the acclaimed α7R III and α7 III models, as well as the rapid adoption of the α9 camera amongst professional sports photographers and photojournalists. The brand's extremely active community has played a major part as well, as evidenced by the strong engagement on key social platforms like Instagram, where the official @SonyAlpha page has just surpassed the coveted one million followers count. 

As a celebration of these historic achievements, Sony has announced the launch of its extensive "Be Alpha" campaign that will connect creators of all types with the brand and its ever-growing roster of talented photographers and videographers. 

"We're extremely proud of achieving No. 1 overall share in Full-frame cameras in the US market, as well as holding a strong No. 1 share in the mirrorless market for six years running," said Neal Manowitz, vice president of Digital Imaging at Sony Electronics. "More than anything, we owe this to our community.  It is our pleasure to create for you, the true creators. You pushed us to innovate, to change, to continually adapt, and your voice remains core to everything we do." 

Manowitz added, "To 'Be Alpha' is to be a leader, to be an innovator, to stand out amongst the crowd. It represents everything we stand for as a brand. Our campaign will celebrate the extended Sony community while also shining a light on the topics that we are most passionate about – diversity, conservation, equality and much more."

Sony's "Be Alpha" movement will be headlined by a series of community events in major markets throughout North America in 2018 and beyond, beginning with the official launch event on August 19^th, World Photography Day, in New York City. The campaign will encourage all creators to get involved by sharing their own "Be Alpha" content on all relevant social platforms while tagging #BeAlpha.

The "Be Alpha" campaign will also feature programs that are designed to foster growth in both the current and next generations of imaging professionals, the most notable of which being the flagship "Alpha Female" program. This multi-tiered, female exclusive program is Sony's thoughtful response to the imaging industry's well-documented diversity challenges. It will include a variety of grants and mentorship opportunities for female photographers and videographers, as well as the production of several large-scale industry events. Additional details to be released soon.         

All key information regarding Sony's "Be Alpha" movement, including the campaign launch video, will be hosted at www.alphauniverse.com/BeAlpha. This page will be continually updated with information on new events, content pieces and more. 

A variety of additional stories and exciting new content shot with Sony products can be found at www.alphauniverse.com , Sony's community site built to educate, inspire and showcase all fans and customers of the Sony α brand. 

1. Source: The NPD Group, Inc., U.S. Retail Tracking Service, Detachable Lens Camera, Sensor Size: Full Frame, Based on dollar and unit sales, Jan. - June 2018. 
2. Source: Sony internal historical data sources.

SOURCE Sony Electronics, Inc.