In 2010, the global digital camera market grew by a healthy 14.7% after contracting by 11.6% in 2009 due to the world economic crisis. Shipments of compact digicams increased by 13.2% versus the previous year, easily exceeding CIPA’s modest forecast of 3%. System camera shipments - including DSLRs, CSCs and interchangeable-unit cameras - grew by a whopping 30.0% (again exceeding the CIPA forecast of 11.1%). The market of photographic lenses expanded by 34.8% in terms of volume. For 2011, CIPA forecasts a total market growth of 7.8%.

CIPA Press Release

2011 Outlook on the Shipment Forecast by Product-Type

Concerning Cameras and Related Goods

The Camera & Imaging Products Association (CIPA, President: Tsuyoshi Kikukawa) has announced the outlook on the shipment forecasts by product-type concerning cameras and related goods for the 2011 term.

1. Track Record of Shipments in 2010

The total shipments of digital cameras in 2010 (the cumulative total of shipments from January to December) reached 121.5 million units, marking a new record.

CIPA began compiling records in 1999, when digital cameras were still in their infancy. Since then, digital camera shipments recorded steady growth, reaching 100 million units for the first time in 2007, but in 2009 sales slackened year on year for the first time due to the impact of the global recession.

Despite these conditions, at the beginning of the 2010 term CIPA announced a return to growth in its shipment forecast, and even that forecast was substantially surpassed as shipments exceeded 120 million units and expanded the market to an unprecedented scale.

In a breakdown by product type, shipments of digital cameras with built-in lenses (i.e., compact digital cameras) totalled 108.6 million units, a year-on-year increase of 13.2%, shipments of cameras with interchangeable lenses (including digital single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras, as well as so-called mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras and interchangeable unit cameras) reached 12.9 million units, a 30.0% increase, and shipments of lenses for interchangeable lens cameras amounted to 21.7 million, a 34.8% increase, exhibiting solid growth overall with especially conspicuous results in categories with higher added value, namely cameras and interchangeable lenses that serve as resources for business system deployment.

2. Outlook on Shipments in 2011

The forecast for total shipment (the cumulative total of shipments from January to December) of digital cameras in 2011 is 131 million units, a year-on-year increase of 7.8%.

In a breakdown of digital cameras by product type, shipments of cameras with built-in lenses and those with interchangeable lenses are forecast to reach approximately 115.5 million (a year-on-year increase of 6.4%) and 15.5 million units (a year-on-year increase of 20.2%), respectively.

Of particular note is the expectation that the rapid growth trend will continue in the category of digital cameras with interchangeable lenses for markets outside Japan, with shipments of 13.8 million, a year-on-year increase of 21.1%, anticipated.

The total shipments of lenses for interchangeable lens digital cameras continue their marked growth in step with the expanding market for digital cameras with interchangeable lenses and the broad range of product offerings, with a forecast for 2011 of shipments of 26.4 million units, a year-on-year increase of 21.7%.

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