For many years, the Canon 5D Mk II was an incredibly popular camera on Flickr. In fact, it was probably the most popular dedicated camera. However, Flickr’s newest stats on their Camera Finder page now show the Canon T3i to be the most popular dedicated camera. One of the reasons for this the rise of amateur and hobbyist photographers looking for affordable cameras for them to learn on. And with that said, the T3i is a great option. In fact, a quick Google search for the most popular DSLRs reveals the T3i to be the most popular camera amongst Digital Photography School’s audience. Further research show’s the Canon T3i to be Amazon’s most popular DSLR.
Of course though, it isn’t Flickr’s most popular camera.
The stats still rank Apple’s iPhones as the platform’s most popular camera overall. But when it comes to Point and Shoots, the company seems to bundle mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras into there–and that ranks the XE1 and NX 6 as very popular options. Right below Apple’s dominance is the Samsung Galaxy S4 in the cameraphone category–which indeed has a great camera for a phone.
But as far as brands go overall, Canon cameras seem to rank in at #1 with Apple making it to second place. Nikon, Samsung, and Sony then come in with the Micro Four Thirds coalition in next, Fujifilm after that, HTC inching its way in and the top 10 list rounding out the bottom end with Pentax.
So what does this actually mean? For starters, it’s absolutely certain now that Flickr is a community dominated by mobile photographers, amateurs, and enthusiasts without fancy gear. Interestingly enough, the Canon 5D Mk III seems to be at the top end when it comes to full frame cameras. It’s also worth it to note that Flickr states that, “The graphs are only accurate to the extent that we can automatically detect the camera used to take the photo or shoot the video (about 2/3rds of the time). That is not usually possible with camera phones, therefore they are under-represented.”
Indeed though, if camera phones are under-represented, then it seems like they could be even more widespread than Flickr is telling us.