Sales of basic digital cameras fall as smartphones fill the niche

[Chris Dodkin]

LA Times

Film is already passe for snapshots. Are inexpensive point-and-shoot cameras next to go?

According to a survey by NPD Group, 27% of photos and videos taken this year were shot with smartphones — up from 17% last year.

Not surprisingly, sales of the basic digital point-and-shoot cameras suffered. According to NPD, unit sales of those cameras were down 17% in the first 11 months of this year.

Sales of basic digital cameras fall as smartphones fill the niche - latimes.com


But not all types of single-purpose cameras were losing popularity.

For the upper-level point-and-shoots — with optical zooms of 10x or greater and an average price of $247 — unit sales grew 16%, according to NPD's Retail Tracking Service.

And digital single-lens-reflex cameras — with an average retail price of $863 — were popular enough that some camera shops were out of them the week before Christmas. Unit sales were up 12%, NPD said.

"The smartphone is becoming good enough much of the time," said Liz Cutting, executive director and senior imaging analyst at NPD. "Consumers who use their mobile phones to take pictures and video were more likely to do so instead of their camera when capturing spontaneous moments.

"But for important events, single-purpose cameras and camcorders are still largely the device of choice."

 

[Dave Moss]

Why does this not surprise me. 2 things here are noticable both superzooms and DSLR's are more popular and sales are increasing so it is not "serious" photography dying. This seems more to me the people who are "occasional" photographers those who just take snapshots are using phones rather than a camera. with phone cameras now capable of 8+ mp even if you want prints you can still enlarge to above A4 with that. The second point here is perhaps now instead of getting an instamatic as a child you get your first phone with digital you no longer have either the cost or mess of film photography with the reduced cost of digital photgraphy you can afford to spend more on equipment also who is going to spend £250 on a pocket camera when the phone you already carry around can take photo's as good. Most would spend it on perhaps a superzoom which you can get for the same price or not a lot more. Does this mean the death of photography as a hobby no it doesnt in fact I remember reading somewhere that it is reckoned that even more photographs are taken now.

 

[Hamish Gill]

Fairly well predictable

 

[Dan Cattermole]

Fairly well predictable

Certainly is, i mean, just look at the quality of the shot on your 4s. Very convenient, amazing, mobile bit of kit....... And it can make a phone call.... Not many CSC and others can do that...

 

[Dave Moss]

it has been predictable really since the launch of the sony erricson with a 5mp camera which even had a shutter button on the side which was sold as a serious contender to seperate camera and phone

 

[Pete Askew]

And having seen some of the shots you lot have been posting I'm almost tempted to get one just to use for the camera! Who needs a contrast!! Maybe an iPod Touch.