Smartphones Could Halve Camera Market In Two Years (Page 2): Camera manufacturers put a loose rope round the neck of their interchangeable lens cameras by developing high quality...

Delderby Loc: Derby UK

rook2c4 wrote:

Has been doing so for quite some time. Nothing really new.
The decline in market for the interchangeable lens cameras has very little to do with smartphones. I think it is because the lack of innovation. Photographers are less willing to dump the DSLR camera they bought three years ago for a new one, as the latest model is only a marginal improvement over the last one. It was a different story a decade ago.

Camera manufacturers put a loose rope round the neck of their interchangeable lens cameras by developing high quality super-zoom lenses. The smart phone manufacturers are now doing the drawing and quartering bit.
The latest digital video screens will finally bury other methods of picture and document viewing.
I see a time when cell phones will project pictures and documents straight to any handy digital screen. Hard copy will be a thing of the past and we will "hang" digital glass panels with embedded pixels in place of our prints.

Bultaco Loc: Aiken, SC

CHG_CANON wrote:

A DSLR / MILC camera body is already an upscale lu... (show quote)

bodiebill

I have not yet mastered the steady holding of a skinny cell-phone, my hands are xL size.
Any tips

Blair Shaw Jr Loc: Dunnellon,Florida

No Surprise and something that has plagued me recently with the increasingly high quality of these phones even in low light scenarios. I love my camera gear and hate the phones....sorry. Old habits DIE HARD !

Jimbo

dumbo

In my not so humble opinion, smartphones will never replace the art of photography, the challenges inherent in a fine DSLR or a mirrorless camera. Smartphones are great for snapping pictures. A few might produce truly great photographs. Far as I'm concerned tho, the gross commercial value of cameras has little to do with the pleasure of achieving the knowledge and the eye for taking worthy photographs. Pianos will never be replaced by those little electronic models. Nikon, Canon, and its ilk drove up the commercial value of the total photography market. That may fall away, for sure. Today's Millennials and Gen-X may prefer smartphones to cameras. Let's not forget that new generations discover new things. Amen

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

LittleRed wrote:

Interesting article (especially for us Canoneers) taken from an interview in a Japanese magazine with Fujio Mitarai (Canon CEO) recently. Not a total surprise to me but still a bit of a eye opener.

LittleRed (Ron)

Smartphones could halve camera market in two years, Canon warns
By James Artaius (Digital Camera World, digital magazine)

Smartphones eating into market, mirrorless cameras not growing it, says Canon CEO

The digital camera market will continue to fall for the next two years before it hits rock bottom, at which time it could have shrunk by almost half. That's the bleak forecast from Canon CEO, Fujio Mitarai.
In an interview with the Nikkei (spotted by Mirrorless Rumors and translated by Digital Camera Info), Mitarai stated Canon's intention to shift its business to corporate customers in response to the grim market trend.
"In our company cameras have declined at around 10% a year in the past few years. The world market for interchangeable lens cameras is around 10 million," he said. "The mirrorless product is growing, but it is a replacement [for] single lens reflex, it is not adding to the market as a whole."
According to Mitarai, smartphones are the primary reason that the market is facing such challenging conditions.
"People usually shoot with smartphones.The digital camera market will keep falling for about two years, but professional and [advanced] amateurs use about 5 to 6 million units. Finally [the market] will hit the bottom."

The digital camera market has been in decline for some time, but it was hoped that the release of full-frame mirrorless cameras like the Canon EOS R and Nikon Z7 would reinvigorate things. Unfortunately, as Mitarai notes, mirrorless cameras are simply replacing DSLRs – they aren't resulting in new camera adopters.
With a move to service corporate customers, it seems likely that Canon's product line – particularly its compact cameras and lower end DSLRs – might be in jeopardy. With rumours continuing to swirl about professional versions of the EOS R, it looks like Canon is starting to put its eggs into one basket.

Interesting article (especially for us Canoneers) ... (show quote)

Interesting, Digital camera's today remind me of the hay day of 35 mm in the 70's and 80's. Canon, Nikon, and many others are enjoying sales in ever increasing numbers over the 70's and 80's. Colleges and community colleges, and night schools are filling classes for lightroom, photoshop, and digital camera knowledge. Interesting times isn't it.

Mike Fos Loc: Powhatan Virginia

Sad state of affairs. I think it is lots of fun to switch lenses and playing with a real camera to see what you can do. Phones are for talking. P.S. Only got a flip phone.

whitehall Loc: Canada

No doubt smart phones will replace D/SLR, much the same way as 35 mm replaced large and medium format cameras. To my mind the real question is whether the Camera companies will continue supporting the DSLR market and present new features, though I must say that for me given my current equipment incremental innovations with a huge price tag means that I will stay with what I have and resist any GAS symptoms

traderjohn Loc: New York City

jerryc41 wrote:

No doubt about it. The phone has become the standard camera for many people. We had workmen here a few weeks ago working on our well, and they used their phones to take pictures, for reference and to show the boss. I get a kick out of police on TV using phone cameras. I wonder how much use they actually get in police work. I use mine so seldom that I have to become reacquainted with it every time I use it.

So right. You have to tap the camera app make sure the phone is turned to the subject matter and press the shutter button. It's tiring just thinking about it.

ggab Loc: ?

LittleRed wrote:

Interesting article (especially for us Canoneers) taken from an interview in a Japanese magazine with Fujio Mitarai (Canon CEO) recently. Not a total surprise to me but still a bit of a eye opener.

LittleRed (Ron)

Smartphones could halve camera market in two years, Canon warns
By James Artaius (Digital Camera World, digital magazine)

Smartphones eating into market, mirrorless cameras not growing it, says Canon CEO

The digital camera market will continue to fall for the next two years before it hits rock bottom, at which time it could have shrunk by almost half. That's the bleak forecast from Canon CEO, Fujio Mitarai.
In an interview with the Nikkei (spotted by Mirrorless Rumors and translated by Digital Camera Info), Mitarai stated Canon's intention to shift its business to corporate customers in response to the grim market trend.
"In our company cameras have declined at around 10% a year in the past few years. The world market for interchangeable lens cameras is around 10 million," he said. "The mirrorless product is growing, but it is a replacement [for] single lens reflex, it is not adding to the market as a whole."
According to Mitarai, smartphones are the primary reason that the market is facing such challenging conditions.
"People usually shoot with smartphones.The digital camera market will keep falling for about two years, but professional and [advanced] amateurs use about 5 to 6 million units. Finally [the market] will hit the bottom."

The digital camera market has been in decline for some time, but it was hoped that the release of full-frame mirrorless cameras like the Canon EOS R and Nikon Z7 would reinvigorate things. Unfortunately, as Mitarai notes, mirrorless cameras are simply replacing DSLRs – they aren't resulting in new camera adopters.
With a move to service corporate customers, it seems likely that Canon's product line – particularly its compact cameras and lower end DSLRs – might be in jeopardy. With rumours continuing to swirl about professional versions of the EOS R, it looks like Canon is starting to put its eggs into one basket.

Interesting article (especially for us Canoneers) ... (show quote)

As a company, Canon is very conservative and resists price cutting.
I can see the company abandoning the entry level, low level DSLR and bridge cameras, focusing on professional still and video where they can still maintain margins.

It's interesting however that they look to commoditize other products in their line up, but not the camera's.

photoman022 Loc: Manchester CT USA

I'm older. I don't have a smart phone. My daughter does. I use my low end DSLR. She uses her smart phone. I print many of my photos. She doesn't print any. I always smile when my 6 years old grandson looks at my printed photos of himself and stares at them and rubs his finger across the glossy print.

When I started serious photography is the 1970s, I had a choice. I could either by an SLR or a Kodak cartridge camera (I think it was a 126). I chose the SLR. My friends who went the other route were envious of my photos -- Yes! Sometimes it is the camera and gear! especially when you can change lenses and focal lengths (I know that seems redundant) and zoom in or go wide. Back then most people did not use SLRs. 30 years from now you will still have serious photographers using serious cameras. We will be a minority (if, God willing, I'm still alive and walking about then), but we always have been.

dbjazz Loc: Long Island, NY

The smartphone and the dedicated camera are two different tools used for two different purposes. Do you want art or do you want a snapshot?

MrBob Loc: lookout Mtn. NE Alabama

So what is new about this REVELATION..... traditional camera companies are not giving the masses ( no, not senior citizens ), the features they want and use. I have mentioned this many times; WHERE are the apps and instant connectivity to Fb etc.... The younger folks don't care about art vs. snapshot; they want their selfie sent here, there, and everywhere instantaneously. Where are the Games on the traditional camera ? You can carp all you want on the merits of these features being on a " traditional " camera all day long, but the facts remain that traditional camera manufacturers are not targeting the emerging market properly...

BebuLamar

Mike Fos wrote:

Sad state of affairs. I think it is lots of fun to switch lenses and playing with a real camera to see what you can do. Phones are for talking. P.S. Only got a flip phone.

Why sad? You can still buy real cameras. And if you do they continue to make them.

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

Smartphones excel in sharing photos via social media, that’s their strength over the standard digital camera, and it seems to be a very popular feature. You don’t have to be very proficient in photography to capture those selfies and snapshots and send them into the ether with a few clicks. However, with a little learning you can take some very beautiful photos with them. Easy to use, versatile, always with you, what else do consumers need?