Digital Cameras, Once Dominant with 10 Million Units, Overtaken by 'Moon-Capturing' Phone Cameras... What About This Year?

Camera installed on the Galaxy S21 Ultra model

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Cho] Unnecessary backgrounds such as trash cans and pedestrians are erased, leaving only the person. It is also possible to turn on four cameras on the front and back simultaneously to shoot. Equipped with 100 million pixels, 100x zoom, and AI-based facial recognition, these are all features of the new smartphone 'Galaxy S21 Ultra' camera.

With the increasingly fierce evolution of phone cameras, the position of digital cameras is becoming narrower. The once dominant global sales exceeding 100 million units have long disappeared. The direct hit from COVID-19 also caused sales to fall below 10 million units last year. However, with the recent increase in so-called untact demand such as remote education and one-person media centered on mirrorless cameras, a rebound is expected this year for the first time in four years.

◆Sales Halved... Falling Below 10 Million Units

According to the Camera & Imaging Products Association (CIPA) in Japan on the 9th, global shipments (sales) of digital cameras last year amounted to 8.88 million units, down 42% from the previous year. This marks a double-digit decline for three consecutive years.

This is interpreted as a result of smartphones being equipped with 100 million pixel wide-angle, ultra-wide-angle, and optical zoom lenses, making it easy to take high-quality photos without a digital camera, as well as the suspension of various events and outdoor activities due to the spread of COVID-19. Last year's digital camera shipments fell far short of the initial annual forecast (11.67 million units). The rate of decline also expanded significantly compared to the previous year (-22%).

Olympus's decision to exit the digital camera business last year after 24 years is also closely related to this market atmosphere. In recent years, as smartphone cameras have continued to evolve, digital cameras have been increasingly replaced by smartphones, similar to what happened with MP3 players. Considering that global digital camera sales reached 121.46 million units in 2010, this represents a reduction to one-fourteenth in ten years.

Now, smartphone cameras far surpass the performance of most compact digital cameras. The recently released Galaxy S21 Ultra is equipped with a premium 108 million pixel image sensor. It features Director's View mode, which allows simultaneous shooting with front and rear cameras, Single Take function that captures key moments as photos during video recording, and an automatic shake correction function when zooming over 20x.

An industry insider said, "The trend of uploading casual daily photos on social networking services (SNS) has dealt a direct blow to the existing digital camera market," adding, "On the other hand, phone cameras are focusing on these aspects to simultaneously enhance convenience and functionality."

◆Mirrorless Popularity... Will YouTube and Remote Education Help?

However, a rebound in digital cameras is expected this year. Global digital camera shipments are forecast to increase by 7% to 9.53 million units this year. As untact classes and events increase due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, full-frame mirrorless cameras, which are easy to carry and suitable for video shooting, have recently gained popularity.

Some popular models released last year, such as Canon's 'EOS C70' and Sony's cinema line camera 'FX6,' reportedly have waiting times of several months after ordering. The growing one-person content market, including YouTube and vlogs, is also acting as a positive factor for the digital camera market. Looking at last year's shipment statistics, it is clear that the main battleground of the global digital camera market is shifting to mirrorless cameras that combine 'compactness' and 'high image quality.'

However, despite the market recovery centered on mirrorless cameras, the consensus is that it will be difficult to reach the 10 million unit global shipment mark. Analysis suggests that the position of traditional digital camera leaders will inevitably continue to shrink.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.