It is very difficult for manufacturers now: classic digital cameras are close to extinction. But on the eve of the largest exhibition “Photokina” the photo industry is still optimistic.
Cameras don’t buy
Sales of digital cameras in a rapidly changing market continue to decline. According to representatives of the Photographic Manufacturers Association in Cologne, 2.35 million cameras are expected to be sold this year, which is 12% less than in 2017. For the first time in many years, digital camera sales threaten to fall below the one billion euros.
On the contrary, instant cameras have been actively sold out recently: in 2018, according to the forecast, about 570,000 of them will be sold. But the sales volume of such cameras is still relatively small: 45 million euros.
Inexpensive cameras ‘virtually disappeared’
According to the chairman of the Association of Photographic Equipment Manufacturers Rainer Fures, the level of sales of drones (drones) continues to grow, and less and less digital cameras are being purchased – from 2014 to the present, sales volumes have almost halved. The association still makes relatively optimistic forecasts: the decline should stop in the near future.
The negative trend mainly affected the cheapest segment. “Soap dishes” cheaper than 100 euros have almost disappeared, but the demand for high-quality cameras with a price of more than 2000 euros has grown sharply.
The entire market for photographic equipment is estimated at 20 billion euros, it covers much more than classic cameras, the chairman of the Association emphasized. Photo equipment also includes additional equipment, storage media, photo albums, video cameras, printers and even smartphones. In this segment, according to the forecast of the Association, by the end of 2018, in terms of the number of copies sold, sales will reach 23 million, which is approximately the same as last year.
The industry is working on alternatives
The main topic that the photo industry is working on is artificial intelligence (AI). It gives photographers many benefits. For example, it is possible to recognize a shooting location without GPS location information, missing image areas can be filled in, or camera shake can be calculated. AI and new graphic technologies have huge potential and many applications up to robotic manufacturing and medicine.
Do you have a “soap box”? Or do you still take pictures on a smartphone and a “decent” camera?
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Photo: manufacturing companies, pixabay.com
