Dismal Camera Industry Sales Numbers

Instax is a red herring. There are no less than a dozen Fujifilm Instax cameras on Shopgoodwill.com at any one time. These are those that actually make it to the auction side of the charity. There are countless others sitting on shelves and in bins at every other charity shop as well. This shows that Instax is not a huge force but just the next shiny thing that someone will try for one pack of film then relegate to donation. Want a $50 instant camera for $10? I'll point you to five of them any day of the week.
Phil Forrest
 
Can't say that I've held up my end on this as I've never purchased a new camera or lens in my life, but have bought lots and lots of film, paper, chemicals, etc.

I've posted these before, but the first is from my cheap Cricket phone of 2 years ago, the next is from a later Xfinity phone, and the last one is from a film camera (Canot FT-b, 135 2.5, Arista EDU Ultra in Mic-x). The phones obviously aren't going to challenge Tri-X, but the other colour stuff looks OK to me. The power of the phone isn't about having the highest image quality, it's about having it with you all the time.



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1. The new cameras followed the trend of PCs. As faster processors and more RAM and larger HD became rapidly available, your PC was obsolete the moment it was purchased. New model, after new model, after new model waited in the wings? And now it's all leveled off. No talk of "processor speeds", what have you.

2. This was true with cameras and "megapixels". Mine (Nikon) has 24. It was made in 2012. Their latest Z (2019) also has 24 MP. I'm good. This is leveling off like PCs did. And that's why I disagree with those who kvetch about the product lifecycle of digital cameras. It was following the doubling of MP resolution as the PC market did with processor speed, RAM, and storage.

3. It will be interesting to see if Sony stays in the market after two years. I know, I know -- they're all the rage at the moment. But Sony is known for going in and out of consumer markets -- consumer audio, HDTVs, smart phones... and the other electronic giants Samsung, Casio bid hasty exits from the consumer photographic segment. Much of Sony's success will depend on their penetration into the professional market as opposed to advanced amateur segment.

This is one of the reasons why I stick with Nikon and if not Nikon, Canon. Nikon over Canon because of decades of backwards compatibility resulting in mass-produced high quality used glass that's reasonably priced, and great sensors. Nikon right now provides the best bang for the buck -- hands down. (Canon is falling behind in this [sensor tech] area. Leica is a joke. Sorry. They just are.) Plus, I feel a certain loyality to the companies that have served the photographic community for over 100 years. And I simply don't trust that Sony will be around in the long run -- especially if a market is poised to rapidly shrink by 50% in 24 months.
 
Keith said:
The photography arrogance and elitism I encounter here at RFF at times stuns me!
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I don’t believe that using the right tool for the look you want while wanting it to feel right in your hands is elitist though. It’s most likely the reason most off ended up at RFF in the first place.

I have the latest iPhone ... and it’s ok. But I’d rather use my Fuji’s and the Ricoh gr3 because they feel right and the photos I make with them are more in line with the quality i expect.
 
jsrockit said:
I don’t believe that using the right tool for the look you want while wanting it to feel right in your hands is elitist though. It’s most likely the reason most off ended up at RFF in the first place.

I have the latest iPhone ... and it’s ok. But I’d rather use my Fuji’s and the Ricoh gr3 because they feel right and the photos I make with them are more in line with the quality i expect.
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The frequent sneering at anything less than a 'real' camera is what I'm referring to.
 
Phil_F_NM said:
Instax is a red herring. There are no less than a dozen Fujifilm Instax cameras on Shopgoodwill.com at any one time. These are those that actually make it to the auction side of the charity. There are countless others sitting on shelves and in bins at every other charity shop as well. This shows that Instax is not a huge force but just the next shiny thing that someone will try for one pack of film then relegate to donation. Want a $50 instant camera for $10? I'll point you to five of them any day of the week.
Phil Forrest
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Phil, I am slightly inclined to agree with you, but I also have to wonder how many of those are there because of the shoddy workmanship (and indeed, I've rarely found any camera gear at Goodwill that is actually functioning, sadly). My SO has gone through two Instax cameras whose retractible lenses jammed, but still loves the format. She's on to a Lomoinstant now and it's surprisingly holding up.

I also want to peg it as a short-lived fad, like anything else sold at Urban Outfitters, but the format has been gaining steam for two decades now, Impossible Project licensed/purchased the Polaroid name, and there's been rumblings of a pack film revival for a few years. I don't know if it'll stick around for another two decades, but it's at least outlived Disc Film. Can't say I haven't been tempted to buy one of the Lomography models.
 
blan01 said:
Glad to see Pentax is still alive and doing OK
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I agree. I'm not sure how they are doing it but it is certainly nice to see they are still hanging in there.


For me though digital is pretty much a dead horse. No need for it when I can still get all I need out of my old film equipment. All of it is still very capable of producing amazing results. And quality?? It is very hard to beat an 8x10 contact print when you are looking for quality.
 
Keith said:
The frequent sneering at anything less than a 'real' camera is what I'm referring to.
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I think it’s because while a cellphone can be used to produce a good image in good light, it still isn’t that fun to use, haptics and ergonomics wise, for many people. If people sneer at digital in general here, you can’t expect phones to go over well.

Libyan Sugar and Office Romance are two great photo books made with iPhones (4 and 5 I believe) and that sticks in my head. It’s a serious tool when used by a serious photographer for sure.
 
Perfect parallel to the computer industry. Soon, if not already, the phone market will be saturated and that will cause the next decline.
 
jsrockit said:
I think it’s because while a cellphone can be used to produce a good image in good light, it still isn’t that fun to use, haptics and ergonomics wise, for many people. If people sneer at digital in general here, you can’t expect phones to go over well.

Libyan Sugar and Office Romance are two great photo books made with iPhones (4 and 5 I believe) and that sticks in my head. It’s a serious tool when used by a serious photographer for sure.
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And so is a pin hole if you like fuzz and vignetting! lol
 
This reminds me of the record industry. Big boom when there was the switch from vinyl to digital -- CDRs. Windfall times with people re-purchasing old dead catalog in a new physical format. Gotta hear Dark Side of the Moon on digital, mahn! Physical Graffiti has been off the charts for 10 years -- now it's tracking again, on CDR! A decade or so later the record industry was crying that sales were down when that format changed again -- this time not in the record industry's favor but in Apple and other's favor. The fact was, was that those sales numbers when digital formats arrived were unsustainable to begin with, the product of an era where consumers were willing to spend to transition to a new and better technology. It worked in the record company's favor the first time. But it came up tails for them the next time.

So it goes with the camera companies. The record lables are still around, most/many of them (I don't keep tabs...). They found a way to survive. Scaled down. Merged.
 
Phil_F_NM said:
Instax is a red herring. There are no less than a dozen Fujifilm Instax cameras on Shopgoodwill.com at any one time. These are those that actually make it to the auction side of the charity. There are countless others sitting on shelves and in bins at every other charity shop as well. This shows that Instax is not a huge force but just the next shiny thing that someone will try for one pack of film then relegate to donation. Want a $50 instant camera for $10? I'll point you to five of them any day of the week.
Phil Forrest
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True. Also Instax film does nothing to support traditional film. Fujifilm has discontinued an enormous number of emulsions during the meteoric rise of Instax. Instax offers nothing to traditional film users.
 
NickTrop said:
This reminds me of the record industry. Big boom when there was the switch from vinyl to digital -- CDRs. Windfall times with people re-purchasing old dead catalog in a new physical format. Gotta hear Dark Side of the Moon on digital, mahn! Physical Graffiti has been off the charts for 10 years -- now it's tracking again, on CDR! A decade or so later the record industry was crying that sales were down when that format changed again -- this time not in the record industry's favor but in Apple and other's favor. The fact was, was that those sales numbers when digital formats arrived were unsustainable to begin with, the product of an era where consumers were willing to spend to transition to a new and better technology. It worked in the record company's favor the first time. But it came up tails for them the next time.

So it goes with the camera companies. The record lables are still around, most/many of them (I don't keep tabs...). They found a way to survive. Scaled down. Merged.
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Your analogy is somewhat right, but only partially. Downloading is what destroyed the record labels, not Apple. The vast majority of profits for music is gone and has not returned with digital sales. Dozens of record labels went bankrupt and now only a few remain. Artists mostly cannot make money recording anymore. It's touring where the money is since that can't be stolen by downloading. The music industry is a shell of its former self and is not thriving in any sense of the word. Probably the type of future where the camera industry is heading.
 
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