Our Top-Selling Gear of 2022 | The KEH Tilt-Shift Report

Welcome back to The KEH Tilt-Shift Report, where I share exclusive data and unique insights into the latest trends in camera gear buying, trading, and selling.

Previously, I shared which photo brands are trending up and down, our best-selling film stocks, and what camera gear sells the fastest.

Since it’s the end of the year, today we’ll look at our top-selling gear of 2022.

The Tilt

Looking back, last year’s list was an interesting one. It was the first time that Sony really entrenched itself among our best-selling brands, taking a chunk out of Canon and Nikon‘s perennial status as forerunners atop the photographic space.

2021 also saw APS-C cameras doing stellar business alongside their bigger full-frame siblings, with Fujifilm‘s X-series and Sony’s a6000 leading the way. Most of our top-selling lenses were for cropped formats as well, whether they were X-mount, E-mount, DX, or EF-S.

On the film photography side of things, there were less surprises, but there was a growing market in 2021 for medium format analog gear, as well as 35mm point-and-shoots.

So, now a year later, how did things take shape for 2022? Let’s get into it!

The Shift

First, let’s get into the tried-and-true, bread-and-butter DSLR space.

The death of the single-lens reflex has been greatly exaggerated for years now, and as I have stated many times on this blog, we’ve yet to see strong evidence of waning relevance for this category—they’re as popular with our customers as ever, and for good reason.

Here’s the top DSLR bodies for this year.

BEST-SELLING DSLR BODIES OF 2022

1. Canon EOS 5D Mark III
2. Nikon D750
3. Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
4. Canon EOS 5D Mark II
5. Nikon D850
6. Nikon D500
7. Canon EOS 6D
8. Nikon D810
9. Canon EOS 80D
10. Canon EOS 7D

If there’s anything to learn from this list, it’s that, ten years on, the Canon 5D Mk III might be the most desired/utilized/dependable DSLR ever made. It was released in 2012, and it’s basically topped our list ever since. The Mk IV and II are no slouches either, taking the #3 and #4 spots respectively.

Nikon’s own workhorses, the D750, D850, D500, and D810, all had good showings as well, and this is clearly a category that the two storied manufacturers own top to bottom.

Now, for a different story, let’s look at mirrorless.

TOP-SELLING MIRRORLESS BODIES OF 2022

1. Sony Alpha a7 III
2. Sony Alpha a6000
3. Fujifilm X-T3
4. Canon EOS R
5. Sony Alpha a7R III
6. Sony Alpha a7R II
7. Sony Alpha a7 II
8. Fujifilm X-T2
9. Nikon Z6
10. Sony Alpha a7R IV

While Canon and Nikon both have a single entry in the top 10, Sony is clearly dominating this category, with Fujifilm closely behind it. Fourteen of the top twenty spots were held by those two brands alone.

It’s worth noting though that mirrorless late-comer Canon, with the R6, R5, and RP just out of the top 10, is storming up the charts—so Canon is making up for lost time, while Nikon is still lagging behind.

The first Micro Third Fourths camera on the list doesn’t appear until number 24 on the list, with the Olympus E-M1 Mark III taking the honors.

When we look at the digital camera field as a whole, this is how it shapes out.

BEST-SELLING DIGITAL CAMERAS OF 2022

1. Canon EOS 5D Mark III
2. Nikon D750
3. Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
4. Sony Alpha a7 III
5. Canon EOS 5D Mark II
6. Nikon D850
7. Sony Alpha a6000
8. GoPro HERO10 Black
9. Nikon D500
10. Canon EOS 6D

Here, you can clearly see the staying power of DSLRs.

We sold 40% more 5D Mk III bodies than a7 III bodies in 2022, which, on the one hand, is understandable since there’s more 5D’s on the used market and it sells at a lower price point, but it’s still impressive considering the tech gap between the two.

It’s also nice to see a newcomer to our top-10 list—the GoPro HERO 10 Black. We started carrying more action camera gear this year, and you all really responded to it, clearly.

As far as compact digital cameras go, we curiously still sell a ton of affordable Sony DSC-W800 cameras, as well as the luxury compact Leica Q2, and the beloved Fujifilm X100 series.

Now, let’s leave digital for a bit and explore the analog side of things.

BEST-SELLING 35MM FILM CAMERAS OF 2022

1. Canon AE-1
2. Pentax K1000
3. Minolta X-700
4. Nikon F100
5. Canon A-1
6. Nikon F3HP
7. Nikon F5
8. Olympus XA
9. Nikon FE
10. Nikon N80

This list isn’t too different from last year’s—after all, most of these cameras have been around for over three decades. Notable new entries in the top 10 are the Olympus XA, a compact 35mm shooter, and the Nikon N80, an affordable, auto-friendly SLR.

Besides the XA, the first other rangefinder on the list is the mighty Canonet QL17 GIII, followed by the legendary Leica M6.

Next, let’s move over to medium format.

BEST-SELLING MEDIUM FORMAT FILM CAMERAS OF 2022

1. Mamiya RZ67
2. Mamiya RB6
3. Yashica Mat 124G?
4. Mamiya M645 1000S
6. Pentax 645N
7. Pentax 6×7
8. Hasselblad 500CM
9. Pentax 645
10. Mamiya 7
11. Bronica ETRSI

This was the most stable list year over year, retaining nine cameras out of 2021’s top-10 rankings, in similar positions too. The one newcomer was the affordable Bronica ETRSI, knocking the Mamiya 6 out of the top ten.

We’re seeing growing interest in this category from new users of medium format film, which is an encouraging trend for the future.

Now, on to large format.

BEST-SELLING LARGE FORMAT FILM CAMERAS OF 2022

1. Graflex 4×5 Crown Graphic
2. Omega 4×5 45E
3. Shen Hao 4×5 HZX45-IIA
4. Sinar 4×5 F2
5. Toyo 4×5 45CX
6. Cambo 4×5 SC
7. Omega 4×5 45D
8. Toyo Field 45A 4×5
9. Graflex 4×5 Crown Graphic Special
10. Linhof 4×5 Technika III

We have the largest selection of large format cameras on the used market, and this list is seemingly ever-changing—with one exception—the Graflex 4×5 Crown Graphic, which has topped our list the last three years running.

As you can see, 4×5 is by far the most popular format in this category, encompassing the whole top 10, but there’s a few 8×10 and 5×7 cameras down the list as well.

On to lenses!

BEST-SELLING MIRRORLESS LENSES OF 2022

1. Sony 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6
2. Fujifilm XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4
3. Sony FE 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6
4. Nikon Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4
5. Fujifilm XF 35mm f/2
6. Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM
7. Sony 55-210mm f/4.5-6.3
8. Fujifilm XF 23mm f/2
9. Sony FE 85mm f/1.8
10. Sony FE 50mm f/1.8

Up first is mirrorless lenses. This list is very similar to last year’s, with the addition of a few notable Sony FE lenses which snuck onto the top 10—more evidence of domination from Sony full-frame offerings.

Most of the lenses on the list fall under the affordable end of things, so it’s no wonder photographers of all ilk are buying them in droves.

Let’s look at SLR/DSLR next.

BEST-SELLING SLR & DSLR LENSES OF 2022

1. Canon EF 50mm f/1.8
2. Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8 G
3. Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II
4. Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L
5. Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 G
6. Canon FD 50mm f/1.8
7. Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 II
8. Canon EF 50mm f/1.4
9. Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L II
10. Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS II

Again, no big surprises here—the classics are classic for a reason.

But it’s notable that legacy Canon lenses have seemingly received a better second life being adapted to mirrorless RF cameras (and Sony, for that matter) than Nikkor lenses have to Z bodies.

Now, off to look at rangefinder glass.

BEST-SELLING RANGEFINDER LENSES

1. Contax 45mm f/2 Planar T* G
2. Contax 28mm f/2.8 Biogon T* G
3. Mamiya 65mm f/4 N L
4. Contax 90mm f/2.8 Sonnar T* G
5. Mamiya 80mm f/4 N L
6. Mamiya 75mm f/3.5 G L
7. Leica 50mm f/1.4 Summilux ASPH M
8. Voigtlander 40mm f/1.4 Nokton Classic MC
9. Mamiya 150mm f/4.5 N L
   
10. Leica 5cm f/2 Summitar Collapsible Screw-Mount

Y’all really like the Contax G and Mamiya 7 systems, and this list shows it. And what’s not to love about these lenses? They’re sharp, compact, and have a ton of character. They’ll surely be top-sellers for years to come.

It’s also not surprising to see a couple of Leica fifties on there—looks like there’s still plenty of Henri Cartier-Bresson acolytes amongst you.

Lastly, let’s go through some quick hits.

Our top-selling 35mm film stock is Fujifilm Fujicolor 400, followed by Kodak Portra 800. For 120 film, it’s Kodak Gold 200 and Ilford HP5 Plus 400.

When it comes to large format lenses, the Shneider-Kreuznach 210mm f/5.6 Symmar-S MC BT Copal 1 took the top spot.

The classic SLR Polaroid SX-70 is our best-selling instant camera.

Our top-selling bag is the K&F Concept Sling, while the best-seller for tripods is the Manfrotto Compact Action Tripod with Pistol Grip.

For on-camera flashes, the Nikon SB-700 and SB-800 are on top, and you also bought a whole lot of Paul C. Buff Alien Bees B800 Monolight strobes.

So, that’s it! Hope you have a great end of 2022, and we’ll see you in 2023.