120 Million Digital Cameras in 2010

Camera sales rise again

from (title unknown) by Paul Worthington

Japan’s Camera & Imaging Products Association reports its total shipments of digital cameras in 2010 reached 121.5 million units — marking a new record.

CIPA says it began compiling sales totals 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. In 2009 sales fell, due to the global recession.

At the beginning of 2010, CIPA forecast a return to growth — and even that was not optimistic enough as the projection was “substantially surpassed.”

Compact cameras totaled 108.6 million units, a year-on-year increase of 13.2 percent.

Interchangeable lens cameras reached 12.9 million units, a 30 percent increase.

21.7 million lenses shipped, a 34.8 percent increase.

The forecast for 2011 is 131 million units total, a year-on-year increase of 7.8 percent, with 115.5 million compacts and 15.5 million ILCs.