CIPA's November numbers show the digital camera market's continuing decline

Graph: CIPA

The Japanese Camera & Imaging Products Association (CIPA) has released its numbers for November 2017, and they don't make for pleasant reading. In short: the downward trend in the digital camera market continues, with only 2,166,788 DSC units shipped in November 2017, or approximately 17% percent lower than the previous year.

Looking back further is even more depressing: almost an entire million more units were shipped in the same month in 2015.

The situation looks very similar when looking at interchangeable lens cameras separately. With just over one million shipped, the total in November is approximately 20% lower than the same month of the two previous years.

Due to smartphones taking over as the go-to imaging device for casual users, the market for digital cameras with built-in lenses has been plummeting for a while. At 1,163,523 units shipped, this market segment has now, at least in terms of shipments, almost shrunk to the same level as the interchangeable lens bracket.

The year-on-year decrease for November is not as dramatic for DSLRs and system cameras, but compared to two years ago, the number of cameras with built-in lenses that have been shipped has been cut almost in half.

Graph: CIPA

Barring earthquakes and other natural disasters in the camera manufacturing regions, November tends to be one of the stronger month in camera retail, making this report all the more disappointing. Let's hope the December numbers provide some reason for optimism when they arrive next month.

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CIPA's November numbers show the digital camera market's continuing decline was originally posted by proton T2a