How Smartphones Are Devastating The Camera Industry

It's hard to believe there was once a time where we had to carry a digital camera around to capture our memories. The cameras inside our cellphones get better and better every year. They're making the need for a digital camera obsolete since we all have high-quality cameras literally in our back pockets.

According to the Camera and Imaging Products Association, the worldwide shipments of cameras has dropped 84% between 2010 and 2018. The report looked at the sales from the four major camera brands: Sony, Nikon, Canon, and Fuji.

As of June 2019, only 7 million interchangeable and built-in lens cameras were sold. This is a devastating number compared to the 120 million sold in 2008. Built-in lens cameras have consistently represented the majority of camera sales and have been hit the hardest by the development of smartphone cameras. In 2018, only 9 million built-in lens cameras were sold, which is a 92% decline from the 109 million sold in 2010.

What is interesting to note is that film photography is making a bit of a comeback, especially with the younger generations. Fujifilm sales even increased in 2018, all thanks to their instant film cameras and not their digital. Sometimes it's nice to go back to basics and snap that one-chance perfect shot.