Photographers keen to buy this year

There is a vanishingly small amount of publicly available marketing data on the Australian photographic industry, so the annual reader survey conducted by enthusiast magazine Photo Review Australia is always a welcome contribution.

This year the survey – which has been running since 2011 – indicates there’s a big appetite among dedicated photographers for camera gear of all sorts in 2021. Photo Review readers represent a good cross-section of Australians who spend on photography – they’ve qualified themselves by subscribing!

While 94 percent of the readers who responded to the survey intended to buy an interchangeable lens camera, only 19 percent had their eyes on a DSLR, with 55 percent opting for a mirrorless camera and another 20 percent keeping an open mind on camera type. The likes of Olympus and Fuji will be pleased to know that only 35 percent specifically wanted a full-frame camera.

Lenses were also a popular potential purchase (75 percent intended to buy) along, not surprisingly, with storage/memory (85 percent). Photo labs will be pleased to see considerable interest in the various forms of hard copy output, with 63 percent intending to make a photo book, and 59 percent looking to invest in framing or mounting.

But this group is probably more inclined than the general public to ‘do it themselves’ when it comes to photo printing: 56 percent print photos at home, 31 percent use a pro lab, 18 percent a kiosk/digital lab, and just 12 percent an online service.

Conversely, their interest in printers and printing consumables is high, with 55 percent of responders owning a (Canon or Epson) A3+ or wider format printer – or both! So it’s not surprising that 69 percent intend to but photo paper and 38 percent a photo printer.

So where do these people go to find information about their interest? While the lion’s share of photo company marketing dollars these days goes to social media and advertising with Google and Facebook, that’s not going to work with people who are more knowledgeable about photography and cameras. And 86 percent of the survey sample said they give photography advice to family/friends/colleagues. In order of importance for buying advice, Photo Review readers look to:
– Expert review websites (85 percent)
– Photography magazines (well, natch!) (70 percent)
– User review websites (63 percent)
– Photo specialist stores (45 percent – only 9 percent for big box/department stores)
– Manufacturer websites (44 percent)

Only 7 percent look to social media for photo gear buying advice. And the camera companies maybe should reconsider their almost universal fascination with brand influencer/ambassador photographers – only  18 percent see them as important. Almost twice as many rate non-consular professional photographers as important sources of advice!

Thanks to Photo Review Australia for sharing its survey results.