Camera Use Is Sadly Still Dropping, According to Recent Survey

We’ve all felt the frustration of listening to someone talk about how their smartphone takes better photos than our camera, or been questioned about why we’d carry such a hefty amount of kit compared to the lightweight slab in our pocket. The stigma around camera use is at an all-time high, and it seems to be affecting sales.

A recent report from Statista (originally picked up by PetaPixel) indicates the results of polling various CIPA: the alliance of camera manufacturers that includes major brands such as Canon, Nikon and Sony. The results display the peak sales of digital cameras in the late 2000s and early 2010s, before sharply plummeting throughout the following decade. The record sales of 109 million units in 2010 (sales which consequently caused billions of dollars’ worth of trade) have since been utterly decimated. In 2023, CIPA members collectively sold just 1.7 million digital cameras - a 94% dropoff.

The primary cause, of course, has been the adoption of smartphones. Starting in the late 2000s, camera phones were quickly popularized: outmoding the classic compact camera that most casual users frequented. As smartphone technology has developed, one of the primary innovations that they have looked to improve upon is the built-in camera. Of course, those in the know about digital cameras will highlight the importance of sensor size and quality: the sensors in fully-fledged cameras will always be better than those crammed into a smartphone. But to the average consumer, the need for a camera has diminished.

Statista’s report corroborates this, saying:

While professionals and photo enthusiasts will (probably) always get better results using high-end cameras and lenses, modern smartphones take pictures that are easily sufficient for the demands of the average consumer. As smartphone makers are rolling out AI features to their devices, phone cameras will only get more powerful, enabling lay users to edit their photos in ways that were unthinkable a couple of years ago.
Source: Statista

There are of course other factors that have contributed to the sharp slow-down in supply in recent years: this data doesn’t exist in a vacuum. The Global Pandemic had numerous knock-on effects, one being a worldwide microchip shortage. Similarly, people have endured stagnant wages and poor economic conditions - as such, cameras are a luxury most can’t afford. We can see that sales were beginning to balance in the late 2010s, with even a slight indication that they were back on the rise, but recent years have effectively scuppered that growth. The downward curve is only just beginning to stabilize now, with the latest data showing sales at a plateau.

Another recent Statista report highlights the more microcosmic element of this big picture. Polling approximately 10,000 people in major countries around the world, digital camera ownership has dropped by approximately 50% in a matter of 5 years. In the USA, for example, just under 60% of the polled people owned a digital camera in 2018/2019, but in 2023/2024 that figure is just over 30%.

The arguably more interesting element that this report highlights (or doesn’t) is the change in film camera usage. With data charting back to the 1950s and the first real adoption of consumer-grade film cameras, the entire rise and fall of film has seemingly been and gone. Film camera usage dropped away in indirect proportion to digital camera usage throughout the 2000s, with the peak film camera sales being just pre-millennium. But in spite of the resurgence in film camera use in recent years, this hasn’t been recorded - likely because most SLRs are bought second-hand. Could that signal a potential gap in the market for a company like Fujifilm - who manufacture both digital and film cameras - to corner?

Overall, this data paints quite a bleak picture for the camera industry. Though full-fledged mirrorless systems are still the realm of enthusiasts and professionals, the consumer camera market seems to have been eclipsed by the smartphone. After all, why carry two expensive devices with you at all times when one can do both? Film camera uptake remains an interesting anomaly, but one that stands at odds with both consumers and professionals needing digital imaging.

The question that remains is what the bodies that CIPA comprises can do to stem the dropoff that the past decade has seen. Will they double-down on being a luxury item and release professional-grade models at a premium price, or will the likes of Canon and Sony continue to cater to a consumer-grade market that continues to dwindle? Photography remains one of the most interesting creative pursuits, and it is arguably a good thing that smartphones have democratized it. But limited demand prompts limited supply, and too exclusive a camera market could lead to it becoming inaccessible for young talent.