The global camera market continued 2019’s downward trajectory in the first month of 2020, with January shipments from the Japanese manufacturers down almost 20 percent overall compared to 2019.
It was only the second month in more than a decade, after February last year, in which total camera shipments dipped below the 1 million mark, slipping to just 805,000 units. With January production figures also well down, a big uptick is unlikely in the near future. The impact of the Coronavirus will inevitably add to the camera makers’ woes in the coming months.
The number of interchangeable lens cameras shipped (446K) exceeded compact cameras (358K) by far. In terms of value, compacts are now little more than one quarter of the market, according to the CIPA figures.
The replacement of DSLRs by mirrorless interchangeables continues. Mirrorless models accounted for just under 50 percent of all interchangeable cameras shipped in January, while in dollar terms the mirrorless segment is actually worth 50 percent more than DSLRs. February 2020 should mark the milestone of mirrorless claiming over 50 percent of the interchangeables market. It’s the only segment in which the industry shipped the same number of cameras as January, 2019, while DSLRs shipments slipped by 30 percent.
The CIPA data on lenses is similar, with total shipments down by almost as much as cameras.
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