There are only a few days when it may seem like the photo market is outperforming the cellphone market. This may be a small victory, but a win nonetheless. The year 2025 is one such time when the Canon R5 managed to beat Apple’s iPhone in an unlikely way. In 2024, they came close but didn’t quite get the victory. We never thought this day would ever come, but well, it is here now. Curious to know how it all happened? Here’s what we’re talking about.
First spotted by Editor-in-Chief Chris Gampat, the Canon R5 edged the Apple iPhone 14 Pro in competition during 2024 and 2025 so far. How so? Well, the chart on Flickr never lies (below). When you choose these top two models, you can see that in May 2024 and in March 2025, the Canon R5 performed better than the iPhone 14 Pro. While you can also notice that iPhone was on top in various instances, Canon R5 gave a tough battle in October 2024, and then had a small victory in November that time of that year.
Flickr is one of the few places still run by those who love photography and are both serious photographers and passionate photographers. The same can’t be said about Facebook or Instagram, both of which have a degree of influencers on their page. What’s more, it’s all about making images to please an algorithm there instead of looking for real, authentic photography. It also means anyone who has something interesting to say gets washed away in the noise.
At the same time, it is quite impossible for one to even know whether the image is actually shot with a phone, a camera, or made with AI. Sure, there are hashtags, but you don’t have the chance to see the metadata the way Flickr does.
So, why does this matter? Why should you care? To showcase to you the disparity, let me pull up some important numbers for you. Per reports, Apple iPhone is used by 1 billion people in the world, with about 56.63% of those users from the United States (about 155 million users). Now, in comparison, the numbers showcased by camera manufacturers are a quarter of Apple’s sales. For instance, Canon’s market share was a mere 3.34 million units around the world in 2023, which is 99.67% lower than Apple’s.
These stats may vary depending on factors like age bracket, rebate, and inclination towards buying gear, but it does shed light on how skewed the situation is. Now, if one adds tariffs to the situation, one will see more people investing in a phone. And whoever has used a phone, even if it is an iPhone, is aware that it can be limiting in some situations. However, for casual image-makers, it is a perfect device.
Canon R5 is a serious camera, packed with a 45MP full-frame sensor, 1,053 AF points, and ISO up to 102,400. But it all comes with a hefty price tag. If cameras were a bit more affordable, we might see many going after them. Maybe Canon reps reading this can help with this dilemma. Now that you have a winner, why not make it easily to get?