Kodak tops U.S. digital-camera market again

(Associated Press)  Eastman Kodak Co. captured the No. 1 slot in the ballooning U.S. digital-camera market for a second straight year, extending its lead over Japanese rivals Canon Inc. and Sony Corp. Domestic sales of digital cameras surged 21 percent to 28 million in 2005, and Kodak’s market share leaped to 24.9 percent from 21 percent in 2004, according to data released Thursday by IDC, a research firm in Framingham, Mass.     Kodak shipped 7.05 million digital cameras to U.S. retailers last year, 43 percent more than in 2004. Tokyo-based Canon moved ahead of Sony into the No. 2 spot with 5 million shipments, a 16 percent increase, but its market slice still shrunk from 18.3 percent to 17.7 percent, IDC said. Read more