Camera Market to Halve in two Years?

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/news/camera-market-to-halve-in-2-years-totally-totally-disagree-says-fujifilm?utm_content=bufferc5b10&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer_dcwfb&fbclid=IwAR0AGdCkkweSdrv72xmJQrNFnr__y-JijJwlFMlPE_gJP2gm5-414HP8OSU

The camera industry was rocked when Canon CEO Fujio Mitarai predicted that the market would shrink 50% in the next 2 years. However, the head of Fujifilm's imaging division profoundly disagrees – and, in fact, sees the potential for market growth.

"Totally, totally disagree," Toshihisa Iida, General Manager of Fujifilm's Optical Device and Electronic Imaging Products Division, told Imaging Resource. "We really just cannot believe that projection of Canon's."

[RSL]

The problem with predictions like this one is that when you talk about the “camera” market you’re talking about stuff that ranges all the way from the simplest point-and-shoot to the Nikon D5 with associated equipment. Yes, “phones” (I use the term with hesitation) are taking the place of point-and-shoots, but the market for more advanced equipment goes on. The painful part is that outfits like Nikon may not be able to survive the loss of the point-and-shoot market.

[Two23]

The problem with predictions like this one is that when you talk about the “camera” market you’re talking about stuff that ranges all the way from the simplest point-and-shoot to the Nikon D5 with associated equipment. Yes, “phones” (I use the term with hesitation) are taking the place of point-and-shoots, but the market for more advanced equipment goes on. The painful part is that outfits like Nikon may not be able to survive the loss of the point-and-shoot market.

The camera companies are not only competing with phones but themselves.  I haven't bought a new camera since the Nikon D7100.  I've simply been waiting a year or two and then buying a used one.  I save about half doing that.  The cameras of the past five years are so good there's really not all that much performance improvement between them.


Kent in SD

[mecrox]

The camera companies are not only competing with phones but themselves.  I haven't bought a new camera since the Nikon D7100.  I've simply been waiting a year or two and then buying a used one.  I save about half doing that.  The cameras of the past five years are so good there's really not all that much performance improvement between them.

Yup. I bought a new camera a few days ago. It's quite similar to the last one, which I never greatly liked, but is much improved ergonomically, better built and has slightly better IQ and AF. The last camera lasted nearly four years and I would expect this one to last for longer because it is more robustly made. So the camera companies likely won't get much out of me for a long time to come. Perhaps they need to find ways of switching to a rental model, like Adobe. You do buy the camera, but after that X per month buys you proper software updates, apps for mobile and desktop, support, maybe insurance, access to cloud storage and top-quality prints, etc. Pie in the sky I suppose but for the right package I'd probably be up for it. At least this way the companies would keep some cash coming in and bind users closer to their brand. The crazy thing is that at present the companies give away a lot of this stuff for free.

I suppose one problem is that some of these companies are tiny corporate divisions now and parent boards just can't be bothered much with them. They are looking towards post-camera mobile/video, or so their advisers advise them.

[Alan Klein]

There will just be some more consolidation.  But markets are growing in China and elsewhere so there will always be new people interested in good equipment specialized for taking pictures.  Maybe they should follow Adobe's successful lead and set up a monthly charge for rental?  Every year or two you get a new camera as part of the deal.