Back in the day when our phones did not come with cameras, the need for dedicated cameras, whether it be a cheap compact or a professional DSLR, were still needed. These days our smartphones are more than capable of taking impressive shots, leading some camera manufacturers, such as Nikon, to express their concern over how the compact camera market is shrinking. Well it looks like Nikon’s fears weren’t unfounded thanks to a new report by CIPA (Camera and Imaging Products Association).
According to the report, they have found that the production of compact cameras, basically cameras with built-in lenses versus interchangeable ones, have fallen by almost half in the first six months of 2013. The total number of camera shipments has fallen too by a whopping 42.7% in the same period, and while shipments don’t necessarily translate into sales, it is somewhat indicative of a lack of demand for said product.
It also seems that not only compact cameras are affected, but DSLRs and mirrorless cameras have seen a steady decline in shipments as well, although not as drastic compared to compact cameras. It should be noted that CIPA’s numbers don’t take into account non-Japanese camera manufacturers such as Samsung, so it does not tell the full story, but it is a disturbing trend nonetheless. Recently manufacturers have started to push cameras with high megapixels into phones perhaps as a way to merge the two devices – compact cameras and smartphone – together.
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