Newsletter

Industry Perspective

Bright News For Camera Shipments

by Ron Leach

Total shipments of digital cameras set an all-time record in 2010 at 121.5 million units, according to Tsuyoshi Kikukawa, President of the Camera and Imaging Products Association (CIPA). Since CIPA began tracking this data in 1999 when the digital camera market was in it’s infancy, shipments have recorded steady growth—reaching 100 million units in 2007.

Kikukawa says digital camera sales slowed in 2009 because of the global recession but rebounded more strongly than anticipated in 2010. Shipments of compact digital cameras (with built-in lenses) totaled 108.6 million units in 2010—a year-on-year increase of 13.2 percent. Interchangeable lens digicams (SLRs and mirrorless models) demonstrated a 30 percent jump with a total of 12.9 millions units, and shipments of lenses themselves increased by 34.8 percent with 21.7 million units shipped in 2010.

CIPA’s forecast for 2011 includes a year-on-year increase in digital camera shipments of 7.8 percent, with the total reaching 131 million units. Of this total, cameras with built-in lenses are expected to reach 115.5 million units (an increase of 6.4 percent), while shipments of cameras with interchangeable lenses are projected to total 15.5 million units with an increase of 20.2 percent. Shipments of lenses for interchangeable lens digicams are expected to grow accordingly in 2011, with a total of 26.4 million units (an increase of 21.7 percent).