Camera shipments continue to fall

[jsrockit]

Sometimes I make personal images that can be used in my projects. Other times I'm making personal photos at the same time I'm doing my other projects. I guess I'm more of the type that needs the ergonmics of a proper camera... the iPhone just doesn't do it for me at all. I'm just saying one size doesn't fit all.

 

[jsrockit]

But I was not thinking of myself, but more along the lines of my GF's photos. I bought her a Lumix which was used only on the birthday she received it. It is frankly just too primitive for her needs, no 4G, no wifi, no built in applications. Trying to explain why 43% less cameras are being sold?

I get it... my girlfriend is the same way. The iPhone is perfect for her and its all she uses. In the past, she would have had a P&S.

 

[GaryLH]

I consider my two sister-in-laws very close to your A typical p&s user who would just be as happy w/ a snap from a camera phone as any p&s. it really about capturing a memory, not how good the shot is.

My wife on the other hand is an interior designer and even took basic b&w photography (back in film days) as an elective. She knows she can et much better shots w/ any of my other cameras.. But for web posting of her work, she is quite happy w/ the p&s I gave her a long time ago. She will borrow one of my other cameras depending on the situation, but I think over 80% of her pics maybe from the p&s.

I c my ex carpool wife's as the typical soccer mom w/ the Nikon dslr in auto everything mode. She bought it because all the other parents had a dslr... Not because she really thought it was the right camera vs something like an omd for example.

The serious amateur really is a small percentage of all the camera sales, so this drop in p&s sales to me, really should be expected. IMHO.

Gary

Ps .. A gear head like myself probably makes up an extremely small percentage of the sales.

 

[mansio]

if we take a walk on the memory lane, PC shipment went down first, then notebook, and now mobilephone where as the same time when PC went down, notebook went up, and when notebook went down, tablet went up.

the same can be said about the situation on cameras. as maturity of technology is approaching to the point of diminishing benefit (for which the mass market has a wide tolerance, compare to the professionals who requires further tech development). the growth stalls and decline soon after. on the street we see more and more 2nd hand models since they are still usable; we still see iphone4 on the street, in other world the said phone is already approaching the bronze age. and in camera world stuff came out around 2009/2010 are still good enough for most people.

i suppose if we take a look at the economy we see a clue, people hang on to stuff for a longer period of time and i suppose the crisis stalled the growth of developing countries too, smaller growth in pie is unhealthy for business.

 

[benlees]

I use my iphone for the majority of my digital photos. I also use a grd3, which i love. I am reluctant to spend a lot on digicam nowadays because the ones on the phones will get better and better. The GR tempts me because it is good and small. Or the Merrill dp1 because the resolution is insane for the price.

rff13 by Ben Lees, on Flickr

 

[semi-ambivalent]

Yugos are not selling. Do you presume this has anything to do with the sales of BMWs. Benzes, Jags and so on? I see these numbers as a positive. Millions are no longer pretending they are photographers but just snapshooters, which is okay. Maybe someday true photogs with real camera will get some respect again. And cars will come with running boards again.

Atget didn't get any respect. Weegee didn't get any respect. I don't got no respect. I don't need no steenking respect!

s-a

 

[f16sunshine]

Similar story for my moms.
I bought her a Sony RX100 for our trip to Europe this past spring.
She used her iPhone for 80% of her photos. So I bought her an iPad mini.
Now the Little Sony that everyone sings such praises of here at RFF sits until I get around to selling it.
In the mean time mom has been shooting and sharing 5-20 pictures a day on their summer adventures which is super for me to see as my folks become older.
She actually goes out and about more to take pictures and share them with her old lady friends and family.
I'm happy to see people capture and share memories however they do it.

Photography is more alive than ever contrary to the winge-ing that occasionally happens here at RFF 😎 !

 

[giellaleafapmu]

I think we rangefinder forum members should be considered like heroes and given a honorary Japanese nationality! 😉

GLF

 

[jarski]

me thinks dropping game for camera makers have already begun. if customers are abandoning the product, there is way too many players out there currently. people still think "we need a real camera for that expensive holiday we just bought", or do they?

 

[Keith]

With the pie getting smaller the main manufacturers will be desperate to maintain or increase their share which could see some cost cutting along with innovation to keep them ahead of their opposition?

As for sales falling ... the world can only absorb so much 'stuff!'

Obviously more needs to be going into landfill to create a little more space.

 

[Margu]

30 million shipped doesn't really equate to no one though...

you're right, these are just numbers for shipped cameras. how many of those sold? my guess would be not even half.

 

[shadowfox]

I think in the end, there's going to be smartphone cameras, Canon will merge with Nikon, Fuji with Sony, then those two and Samsung will gobble the rest. Leica may survive because they are a boutique manufacturer.

And then some of us who still use film with old cameras. 😀

 

[Eric T]

Most people want to carry around as few gadgets as possible. An IQ arms race is not building in the smart phone industry. It will be interesting to see where that takes us. For example, Apple is rumored to be working with Lytro.
Meanwhile, digital cameras in the future will be expected to have wifi and GPS - as many already do.
The question is what proportion of smart phone users will want to expand their horizons to ILCs. If ILCs have the some of the features expected by smart phone users, they should succeed.
Interesting times...

 

[pete hogan]

The camera industry ignored the Internet. What if Oskar Barnack had ignored movie film?

 

[YYV_146]

So, what is surprising? The iPhone 5 camera does fine for casual snaps but I hate the stupid thing and the photos themselves. Our kids love theirs and we appreciate the photos of the grand kids when they are on vacation. But then none of them has ever taken a "decent" photo with any DSLR ...
I suspect that low end camera sales will continue to fall and even soccer moms will tire of DSLR bodies and lenses that do not fit in their purses. Dads seem to be macho and love to be seen with the largest lenses at the games.
Not much has really changed since 1980 when I think about it except for the speed of digital for sharing which I don't care about. Macho for the guys, smaller for the gals, and phone cameras for sharing online...

I can't comment about family photos, but the photographic population around me is female-majority, often with big, fat super-teles. I was at last year's commencement with my 7d and 70-200, and saw one of the undergrads hand-holding a HUGE white lens. Must have been one of the 300s or a 200 f2.

...Could this be the new feminist movement?

 

[35mmdelux]

interesting...thanks -

 

[paradoxbox]

the market will adjust. mirrorless cameras are huge and in japan (the important domestic market for sony, olympus, canon and nikon) mirrorless is a huge boom among young women. custom/personalized color models are available at every shop, and the new lens lineups being created to use with these cameras are very profitable.

43% is a huge drop but this wasn't a surprise, phones have been getting better and better. but phones still can't do what real cameras do, and anyone who actually likes photography will buy a real camera.

 

[shadowfox]

In the very short term maybe, but cameras and phones, as we know them today, will disappear.

Now you're talking, Fred.
In the end of end, long after you and I passed away, we'll have nano-devices injected on people's hands and forehead as tattoos that will connect us to the mothercomputer (a.k.a Ga10a) to be monitored anywhere, anytime.

 

[Murchu]

If all you need is a camera to record moments/ memories/ snapshots, you don't really need anything more than a smartphone. I can't see anything but the camera market shrinking, as dedicated cameras become a niche product for those who shoot photos for aesthetic reasons and also those for whom smartphones do not suffice (kids sports, etc).

 

[archeophoto]

Camera sales are dropping because everybody already has a camera that works perfectly fine. Not everybody is a gadget crazed fanboy (or girl) that runs out and buys the latest and greatest every three month.
Five years ago I bought my wife a D40 with a 18-55 kit lens and the photos that come out of it are outstanding. They are just as good as they were five years ago. There was never any need for her to "upgrade" her camera and I assume as long as it is working she will not upgrade. Why should she?
Her prints are awesome, we have some 11x14 and even a 24x36 on the wall that are basically indistinguishable from the ones from my D700 from a meter away.

When we are going to parties many of our friends still have 3 and 4 megapixel Canon whatnot Point and shoots, because that's all they need.