With our smartphones getting more capable with each and every release, reasons for owning a digital camera are getting less to the point where according to a report from Nikkei (via Photo Rumors), they interviewed Canon’s President Fujio Mitarai who seemed to have a rather bleak outlook on the future of the digital camera market.
According to Mitarai, it seems that he believes that the market for digital cameras could shrink by about 50% in the next two years. We’re not sure how accurate the translation was so it is unclear if something might have been lost in translation, but that’s what Mitarai is suggesting. He also sees how cameras will start seeing an increase in usage in other fields, such as surveillance and medical care.
“People usually shoot with smartphones. The digital camera market will keep falling for about 2 years, but professional and high amateur (advanced) amateurs use about 5 to 6 million units. Finally it will hit the bottom.” This is an interesting outlook for a company who has only recently launched their new full-frame mirrorless camera, the EOS R, back in 2018. There are even rumors claiming that the company has a 100MP mirrorless camera in the works that could be announced next month.
This isn’t to say that digital cameras will go the way of the dinosaur, but it is possible that soon the majority of users who buy digital cameras do so because it is for professional purposes or as a hobby.
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