zeos 386sx
Well-known
The following news item is "off-topic" but I thought it might interest people interested in the ebb-and-flow of photography.
I hope Leica gets its digital M to market soon - or maybe Leica will introduce a parallax adjusted range finder cell phone.
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"Digital-camera growth has peaked" By Daniel Terdiman
http://news.com.com/Digital-camera+...dy+says/2100-1041_3-5819368.html?tag=nefd.top
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While digital-camera sales continue to grow at rates most industries would love to see, the numbers haven't kept up with the torrid pace of a year ago, a new report says.
According to Framingham, Mass.-based research firm IDC, 9.7 million digital cameras were sold in the United States in the first half of 2005, a healthy 20 percent more than were sold during the same period last year. But according to IDC senior analyst Christopher Chute, the segment's growth in 2005 pales in comparison to the 50 percent growth during the first half of 2004.
Chute attributes the numbers to an expected industry slowdown.
"The growth slowdown in the market (is) indicative of the general maturity IDC has forecasted for the digital-camera market," Chute wrote in a summary to his report. But "the industry is on track to meet IDC's U.S. forecast of 16 percent growth to 27 million units."
To Jay Savage, editor of the Weblogsinc-owned digital-photography trends site Digital Photography Weblog, Chute's findings omit a critical piece of the overall puzzle that may explain the smaller growth numbers.
"The other thing, of course, is the tremendous sales of cell phones with digital cameras built in," Savage said. "Those are definitely digital-camera sales that need to be taken into account, because it's a way that people are getting digital cameras into their hands. When you take all those numbers and put together, I'm sure you'd see a much greater expansion than what IDC's numbers are showing."
Previous Next Meanwhile, Chute reported that Kodak currently is the top dog in the U.S. digital-camera market, with sales of 2.15 million units in the first half of 2005 and a 22.1 percent market share. Next up is Canon, with sales of 2 million units and market share of 20.6 percent. Sony is third, with 1.78 million digital cameras sold and 18.3 percent of the market.
"A 10-point difference then separates the top three from the rest of the vendors," Chute wrote.
But while Kodak leads the market, IDC's numbers reveal that Canon could easily take the top spot soon. That, Chute reported, is because Canon's sales were up 68.7 percent during the first half of 2005 over the same period in 2004, compared to Kodak's growth of 46.3 percent.
In any case, Savage said IDC's numbers don't necessarily prove the market is stabilizing, though he does think huge growth at the low-end may be over. However, he said there's no way as of yet to know how the huge sales of disposable digital cameras are affecting the market for more traditional equipment.
I hope Leica gets its digital M to market soon - or maybe Leica will introduce a parallax adjusted range finder cell phone.
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"Digital-camera growth has peaked" By Daniel Terdiman
http://news.com.com/Digital-camera+...dy+says/2100-1041_3-5819368.html?tag=nefd.top
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While digital-camera sales continue to grow at rates most industries would love to see, the numbers haven't kept up with the torrid pace of a year ago, a new report says.
According to Framingham, Mass.-based research firm IDC, 9.7 million digital cameras were sold in the United States in the first half of 2005, a healthy 20 percent more than were sold during the same period last year. But according to IDC senior analyst Christopher Chute, the segment's growth in 2005 pales in comparison to the 50 percent growth during the first half of 2004.
Chute attributes the numbers to an expected industry slowdown.
"The growth slowdown in the market (is) indicative of the general maturity IDC has forecasted for the digital-camera market," Chute wrote in a summary to his report. But "the industry is on track to meet IDC's U.S. forecast of 16 percent growth to 27 million units."
To Jay Savage, editor of the Weblogsinc-owned digital-photography trends site Digital Photography Weblog, Chute's findings omit a critical piece of the overall puzzle that may explain the smaller growth numbers.
"The other thing, of course, is the tremendous sales of cell phones with digital cameras built in," Savage said. "Those are definitely digital-camera sales that need to be taken into account, because it's a way that people are getting digital cameras into their hands. When you take all those numbers and put together, I'm sure you'd see a much greater expansion than what IDC's numbers are showing."
Previous Next Meanwhile, Chute reported that Kodak currently is the top dog in the U.S. digital-camera market, with sales of 2.15 million units in the first half of 2005 and a 22.1 percent market share. Next up is Canon, with sales of 2 million units and market share of 20.6 percent. Sony is third, with 1.78 million digital cameras sold and 18.3 percent of the market.
"A 10-point difference then separates the top three from the rest of the vendors," Chute wrote.
But while Kodak leads the market, IDC's numbers reveal that Canon could easily take the top spot soon. That, Chute reported, is because Canon's sales were up 68.7 percent during the first half of 2005 over the same period in 2004, compared to Kodak's growth of 46.3 percent.
In any case, Savage said IDC's numbers don't necessarily prove the market is stabilizing, though he does think huge growth at the low-end may be over. However, he said there's no way as of yet to know how the huge sales of disposable digital cameras are affecting the market for more traditional equipment.
bmattock
Veteran
I find it fascinating - but I get a real kick out of those who read the headlines and use it to stake their claim that digital cameras are just a fad and now we can get back to the serious business of using film. They're funny.
Best Regards,
Bill Mattocks
Best Regards,
Bill Mattocks
Ben Z
Veteran
I don't think the industry was expecting the digital camera market to parallel the computer market for very long. A computer is something everyone in the family uses every day, but for most people a camera is not, so getting them to upgrade every year is a lot harder. Fitting one into a cell phone puts a camera in peoples hands every day and ties it to the cellphone market so people have more reason to upgrade more frequently. It was predicted long ago that cellphone cameras would likely cut into and maybe even eventually wipe out the digital p&s market. Now that every comsumer/prosumer dSLR has enough resolution to print at sizes people normally used with 35mm there's less of an incentive for frequent upgrades there either. Again I don't think the maufacturers weren't expecting just that. But I definitely agree, shrinking sales of digital cameras can't be construed as a renaissance of film cameras or a reprieve for film, not unless the sales figures of those increase to support the claim.
S
Socke
Guest
Seems to me that more people are like me, my D60 is here to stay until it breaks!
I'd buy a digital bodie for my Contax G lenses, if it's cropped event the 21mm, but not another dSLR in the foreseeable future.
I'd buy a digital bodie for my Contax G lenses, if it's cropped event the 21mm, but not another dSLR in the foreseeable future.
kiev4a
Well-known
Had an interesting conversation with my boss the other day. He was complaing, as a lot of people do, about not being able to see the screen on his digital camera in bright sunlight. Then he surprised me by saying he's shooting "important pictures" with his film camera again because he has discovered he can drop off the film and get back a CD with all his photos on in. Says his film camera takes better pictures and he's more comfortable with the controls.
Of course people who have never used anything but a digital aren't going to have that attitude. Still, it's interesting.
Of course people who have never used anything but a digital aren't going to have that attitude. Still, it's interesting.
S
Socke
Guest
Kiev4a, your Boss must have a pretty crappy digital, I'm far from satisfied with the ca. 1500x1000 pixel scans most labs produce.
The local minilab can do 2000x3000 jpegs with around 1MByte if you pay 15 Euro extra, which is better spent on more film :-(.
I take the 5 Euro 1500x1000 at 500KByte scans when I'm in a hurry, but usualy I scan on an old Canon FS2710 which beats the hell out off anything they do at the labs!
The local minilab can do 2000x3000 jpegs with around 1MByte if you pay 15 Euro extra, which is better spent on more film :-(.
I take the 5 Euro 1500x1000 at 500KByte scans when I'm in a hurry, but usualy I scan on an old Canon FS2710 which beats the hell out off anything they do at the labs!
egpj
50 Summilux is da DEVIL!
Our local camera club is nothing but all digital hacks and if you shoot film then you are a old school dinosaur that just has not seen the light. People get so sure of themselves when they adopt a new technology. If you still do it the way you like then there must be something wrong with you. Let the market get saturated. I will get the digital M when it comes out and stick with my platform of choice. I get to keep shooting my Ilford stock and then pull out a digital range finder when the mood strikes. I can not say that I understand people who abandon a viable medium when it still has some many things going for it.
K
Kin Lau
Guest
Like the saying goes, there are "Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics". A CDN$50- digicam toy counts the same as CDN$10k 1DsmkII.
So what does the report mean.... nothing.
So what does the report mean.... nothing.
R
Rob
Guest
I see where HP is stopping sales of digital cameras in Asia...
Also Sonys Earnings were slashed by 87% partly due to falling digital camera prices.
http://www.dpreview.com/
Also Sonys Earnings were slashed by 87% partly due to falling digital camera prices.
http://www.dpreview.com/
What a day, Leica is up and digital is down.
Hey, Leica was right?
Nah,
Long Live Film!!!
Hey, Leica was right?
Nah,
Long Live Film!!!