Case Study: Camera & Photography Industry Statistics
In this article, our team collected the most detailed camera and photography industry statistics. Discover how COVID has affected sales etc
Learn | Statistics & Facts | By Usnea Lebendig | Last Updated: January 11, 2025
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In this article, our team collected the most detailed camera and photography industry statistics.
First, we took a look at the global and local sales market as well as shipment values for different types of cameras.
Then, we took into consideration the industry drop amid the Covid-19 pandemic that affected most industries.
Based on the data we collected, there are some interesting patterns in the market to analyze!
Overall Digital Cameras Statistics
- The digital camera industry had an estimated market value of $8.2 billion in 2021. (Research and Markets)
- By 2028, it’s expected that the market will show $12.1 billion growth. (Report Linker)
- According to the Camera & Imaging Products Association, in 2021, there were over 8 million units shipped. This reveals an estimated drop of 9% compared to the year 2020. (CIPA)
- Worldwide digital camera revenue has reached over $21 billion in 2022. (Statista)
- CIPA predicts that the total digital camera shipment will drop by 6.1% near the end of 2022. (CIPA)
- By calculating the compound annual growth rate (CAGR), it’s expected that the market will grow annually by 3.43% from 2022 to 2027. (Statista)
- The highest digital camera revenue is generated in China, with a total of over $5 billion in 2022. (Statista)
- In 2022, there are $2.79 generated per person when it comes to global digital camera revenues in relation to the total population. (Statista)
- In 2022, the total Shipment quantity of DSC cameras worldwide has reached more than 738,000 units for August. (CIPA)
- In 2023, the digital camera industry is expected to show a growth of 7.6%. (Statista)
Interchangeable-lens Cameras (ILCs) Statistics
- By August 2022, Interchangeable Lens Cameras (ILCs) accounted for 70% of the total shipped units. (CIPA)
- The total shipped units of ILCs (DSLRs and mirrorless combined) went up by about 0.8% from the end of 2020 to the end of 2021. (CIPA)
- DSLRs (Digital Single-Lens Reflex) shipped units are less than mirrorless cameras with a difference of about a million units. (Statista)
- There is a gap between DSLR shipped units and mirrorless cameras, which continues to widen. Over the course of one year, DSLR shipped units went from 2.4 to 2.1 million (Statista), while mirrorless cameras shipped units went from 2.9 to 3.1 million. (Statista)
- In 2021, the worldwide camera industry shipped 132,797 ILC units with Single-Lens Reflex or SLR less than the net amount shipped the year before. (CIPA)
- The total DSLR units that were shipped out in 2021 is a little over 2 million. (Statista)
- Worldwide, the number of DSLR camera loads has been steadily declining since 2012. (Statista)
Instant Cameras Statistics
- It’s expected that the instant film camera market, which held a value of nearly 1 billion dollars in 2019, should grow by 2.5% until 2026. (Data Intelo)
- There are over 3.5 million persons between the age of 25 and 54 who own a polaroid camera, according to Simmons’s Study of Media and Markets
Built-in Lens Cameras (Compact Cameras) Statistics
- Total Shipment for built-in lens cameras went down by 15.8% in 2021, with a total of a bit over 3 million shipped units. (CIPA)
Camera Lenses Statistics
- According to the Camera & Imaging Products Association (CIPA), the total number of interchangeable lenses shipped was more than 9.5 million units last year. (CIPA)
- By the end of 2022, it’s expected that the number of shipped lens units for cameras with interchangeable lenses will decrease from last year’s value by a minor 0.7%. (CIPA)
- The number of shipped ILC lenses jumped by an increase of 5.8% in 2021, which could be an indication that this segment didn’t get affected by the global pandemic. (CIPA)
Canon Cameras Statistics
- Canon foresees a net sales increase of 10% by the end of 2022. (Nikkei)
- Canon’s imaging division (camera industry) makes up 19% of the company’s net sales, which comes in second place after its printing division. (Peta Pixel)
- The imaging division in Canon witnessed a net sales increase of 20.7% last year. (Peta Pixel)
- Canon’s sales in 2021 totaled 2.74 million units, which was a drop from the company’s performance in 2020. (The Digital Picture)
Sony Cameras Statistics
- Sony held the no.1 spot in the full-frame mirrorless cameras segment in North America for eight consecutive years up to 2021. (Sony)
- Sony’s A7IV camera has been the best-selling mirrorless model on the market for the last four years. (Peta Pixel)
Overall Digital Cameras Market Share Distribution
- Two years ago, only five companies dominated the market as follows: (Mirrorless Rumors)
- Panasonic: 4.4%
- Fujifilm: 5.6%
- Nikon: 13.7%
- Sony: 22.1%
- Canon: 47.9％
- Other brands, like Pentax, Leica, Hasselblad, GoPro and OM SYSTEM, shared the leftover 6.3%.
Photography Statistics
- There are over 12,458 companies currently working in the photography services industry around the U.S. (Splento)
- Last year, the photography industry was valued at over $36 billion. (business wire)
- By 2023, it’s estimated that the world’s total photo count on iPhones or Android phones will increase to 93% from 89% in 2020. (Mylio)
- About 90% of consumers have only taken photos with their smartphones instead of an actual camera. (Communities Dominate Brands)
- The coronavirus pandemic caused a more than 23% decrease in the photography industry revenues. (IBIS World)
- According to a study, more than 63% of photographers said that business got slower amid the 2019 global pandemic. (Globe News Wire)
- 57% of photographers in a survey showed cautious optimism that 2022 would be better for business than 2021. (Zenfolio)
The Takeaway
After summarizing the results of camera and photography industry statistics, we’ve learned so much about the market trends over the past few years leading up to 2022.
It’s obvious that this market is dominated by large camera manufacturing companies, like Canon, Sony, Nikon, FUJIFILM, and Panasonic.
With the ongoing silicone shortage and the residual effects of the global pandemic, it’s still a long road ahead in the digital camera industry.
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Usnea Lebendig is an experienced photographer and reviewer who loves to photograph professionally and in moments where the world’s beauty and/or strangeness leaps in front of the lens.
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Great points on the pacing of the story! Maybe you could explore how the subplot ties into the main narrative
With profits being squeezed and the quality advancements in Cell Phones, there may be a shift in digital formats.
Full frame sensors, mechanical shutters, and mechanical mirrors may just be too expensive and will start to fade away. The market may force a rethink of what a professional / consumer camera is.
Originally, Nikon felt that full frame cameras would be sold only to Pro’s with cropped sensor cameras marketed to enthusiasts and the masses. Fujifilm took this strategy to another level by not even producing a full frame camera. For the short to medium term we may be seeing another transition in the market. Medium Format for Pro’s, and an evolution toward cropped sensor for some Pro’s and everyone else.
A mirrorless / cropped sensor camera can have better profit margins and image quality has progressed to a point where they rival full frame. It would not surprise me, if some new start up would create a new medium format film camera for the well to do.
I think there are still lots of gaps in the market to fill for photographers. Camera companies just need to listen better to them. Example: In my circle of pro camera talk, we talk about designs that get back to simplicity more, better ergos and haptic feedback, eliminate issues better before coming to the market. Stop trying to make a profit as a primary goal, and make a great camera- profit will follow. Now multiply that relatively small circle of talk by other circles around the world. OF course we are all discussing the same topics.
They just aren’t listening. Put some serious camera enthusiasts in charge of product placement, see what happens. Mr. Kobayashi of Cosina/Voigtlander is a prime example of that, and it worked.
One is capture and the other is viewing. Since most of day-to-day viewing has moved to smartphones, the requirement of a high-end sensor for capture, is no more essential. Coupled with the fact that smartphones are now offering truly amazing results with megapixels that easily provides good quality prints.
DSLRs will never make a comeback. Mirrorless will grow but only marginally. Smartphones will eventually eat into the mirrorless market. People want convenience. They do not want to lug extra equipment.
As far as the small segment of pro photographers are concerned, they will continue to invest in cameras and lenses as they need to provide visually superior quality of images than the amateur photographer. Smartphones are yet to provide such images.
Going a bit away from the subject, i see print growing once again. Though the traction is slow, the opportunity is immense. Photo books, wedding albums, calendars, greeting cards and several customised products.
Greeting card market is dying, too easy to just send a text from your smart phone or send an electronic card by text or email. Print will never return in large numbers, too wasteful , bad for the environment, and expensive. 35mm film processing is not going to return in any meaningful numbers except for maybe a few companies like Fuji. Too bad because I really enjoyed spending time developing pictures and will never get rid of my AE-1 and Canon T-90.
That said I am shocked at just how good of a picture I can get out of my Apple 11 Pro phone.
I have seen a lot of people return to film photography.
Fujifilm instax sold 8.5 million last year and accounts for a large part of Fuji’s profit
I guess if these companies would still manufacture a film camera and market it as a clockwork gears vintage item, but new and reliable would sell some more.
At the processing lab where i develop film, 4 years ago there was almost nobody in sight, now i need to wait for weeks to get the films.
Smartphones will replace digital except projects that require ultra high quality. I allready shoot landscapes with my smartphone, and use prime 50 lenses for street and portrait photography
The bottom line is that sales soared unnaturally from about 40 million (around 2002) to 121 million (around 2010). This was due to the change from film to digital and the ability to view and share images quickly. This was an attractive advancement for all of us. Once the smartphone came along, and the need for Point&Shoot cameras decreased, the sales dropped off sharply headed towards the “pre-digital” sales numbers. This indicates that the majority of cameras sold during that period were PS. Notice how the current sales is near the sales that were seen before digital technology began to take hold. This can be seen as a correction to the unnatural increase in sales in the preceding years (due to technology change). However, SLR sales have declined much slower. Which simply means that the PS cameras are being replaced with smartphones, but SLR sales have not suffered as much. I believe that the slight decline in SLR sales during this same period is due to the current technologies being adequate for many of our needs these days… less need for upgrade. But it looks as tho the SLR sales have seen very little change in last few years. So, in short, the camera market has seen an extraordinary change in the past 2 decades, but seems to be leveling back out to more natural levels now.
Interesting! Thanks for the comment, Andy.
I believe the idea of pro gear prices going up significantly goes against one simple fact… supply and demand.
Demand:
There are only a handful of industries that I know of that currently would warrant/require a pro photographer…
Documentary/War, Legal/Law Enforcement, Modeling/Fashion
There are a few industries that currently would be better off using a pro, but could move (or is moving) to amateurs in the near future…
Science/Astro, Sports, Architectural/RealEstate, Aerial, Food/Product/Still, Fineart, Ad/Lifestyle, Other commercial/On-Demand
And there are demands that are increasingly being filled by amateurs using minimal equipment…
Stock (Landscape/Cityscape, Street, Abstract, Travel, Wildlife, Macro, Underwater, etc), Events (Wedding, News/Journalism, Concert, etc), People/Pets (Portraits, Candid, Family).
Supply:
The demand for better technology is decreasing because we are keeping what we currently have. The leap in technology advancement has slowed in recent years or we are satisfied with the
technology we currently own. So without a reason to upgrade, we have no reason to buy the next body or lens.
As amateurs, we also have an over-saturation of images available for viewing on social media. This ability to view others work reduces our craving for creating content ourselves. We are
seeing the best of the best images as we scroll thru our social media feed. This will either prompt us to try to do better with our own imagery or lose interest in the image making process
all together since we may feel inadequate to out-do the ‘competition’. As long as we satisfy our brain’s craving for ‘viewing the ultimate image’ (by viewing other posts online), why go to
the trouble of trying to create it ourselves? The only other reason would be the attention we get from others that tell us what a great job we’ve done. This “attention” from others is also
declining in our on-line world, since there is always a better image for others to “show love to”. So unless you can create images that would top the “the best of the best of the best”, then
the only person loving your images will be yourself. Is this motivation enough to buy the next gadget?
As interest and demand decreases by current gear owners (there is a lot of great used gear out there, and much of it holds its value for now), many of us will sell our gear (on ebay, etc),
which will increase supply and reduce prices that brands can sell their equipment for. This will require brands to reduce overhead (cutting jobs and real estate footprint).
The only thing that will help is better technology and the demand for that technology. There are many parts of the current technology that is adequate (including sensor resolution). However,
I know of one change that brands could make that would catapult their current market share. I’m not going to say what this change is (here), but it’s a goldmine for the first one who
implements it. Why they have not done it yet, is a huge oversight.
Andy
Wow, sorry but I disagree with just about everything you said. If you don’t evolve you will just be left behind. Technology will continue to improve, just look at Moore’s law and computers. I have never felt my pictures were as you say “inadequate”. And the demand for new technology is declining and technology improvements slowing? You are clearing uninformed or living in a bubble. Technology innovations are why The photography industry is changing, not people’s apathy to technology change. Companies that don’t evolve will find themselves relegated to the dustbin such as Kodak and Polaroid.
One change? You mean put a phone on their camera, LOL
At some point , what happened to mechanical watches with the introduction of quartz watches will happen in the camera industry. A lot of makers will collapse as they depended on the point and shoot for cash flow. The low end market will be abandoned altogether. A few camera makers will continue to turn out superb cameras for those that can afford them. At a guess that would be Sony with their mirrorless and Canon with their SLRs for those who value tradition. Maybe Hassablad.
I just bought a mirrorless for a trekking adventure. I needed something lighter. I do love it but my heart is still with my DSLR.
I think with the way things are going, I need to make sure I have the best glass NOW!!! All those lenses I’m longing for need to be purchased before those prices increase to unobtainable.
Thanks for providing such a great post.
While smartphone photography has become very popular, replacing those boxy point and shoot cameras, they still are limited in what they can do with their fixed lenses. Gimicky digital zooms can only do so much before digital artifacts and soft images become apparent.
As one who teaches photography workshops to all ages from 16 to 80 year olds at a community center in Montreal, the DSLR and now mirrorless cameras are still very popular. If anything, smartphones may breath new life into the DSLR/mirrorless cam market, as amateur and passionate photographers aspire for better imagery. You certainly can’t stick a 200-500mm zoom on a smartphone for that sharp closeup of a bird or scenic landscape.
I’ve had many new workshop participants, who started with smartphones, but moved up to interchangeable lens cameras, because they wanted better imagery.
Smartphones will still dominate the market, but I firmly believe there will remain a place for a mix of DSLR and mirrorless cameras.
Happy shooting!
Cheers from Montreal.
Frederic Hore
https://www.instagram.com/frederic_hore/
Thanks for the long comment as per usual, Frederic :-) Interesting insight from your workshops!
i think photography will be a hoppy for rich people only and professional photographers will raise their prices . Photography will be a rare profession
Even with a cheap camera, you can still have fun with photography, Anwar ;-)
Quite the opposite, camera phones can take great photos even better than DSLR’s ten years ago. Barrier to entry in this great hobby or profession is low now. Besides, it has always been the skill not the equipment that makes a true professional photographer.
Usnea, more of a question than a comment. As mirrorless cameras increase with their lighter lens, will not the price of the higher end SLR lens drop? Yes, it would be cheaper to purchase whatever converter so that your lens investment is protected or just use the older lens, but that defeats some of the reasons to upgrade to mirrorless.
I’m not sure the price of the higher-end SLR lenses will be able to drop. The manufacturer’s are pretty squeezed right now and don’t have a lot of wiggle room.
As far as reasons to change to mirrorless, I’m not sure price is the main factor for most folks (except perhaps for full frames). Size, weight, and performance are pretty key factors as well.
The current DSLR cameras still made by Canon and Nikon will become the most worthless pile of junk in a few years. There will never be a Renaissance for this in-between film and digital abomination as there is for old film cameras now.
They’re like buildings that require air conditioners in the windows versus new ones with central air 1
The Sony/Minolta synergy (and money) gave way to the first real end to end digital interchangeable still camera. It took Sony knocking Nikon into the #3 spot to wake up Canon and Nikon to the fact that mirrorless is just an inconvenient way to describe a true digital camera.
You can’t shrink glass and a sensor needs physical area to absorb enough light to write a quality image. If print makes a comeback (and in the growing diy economy) the value of better quality images will increase.
Prediction, Sony still cameras will join Sony video as the #1 manufacturer in both categories by 2021.