Camera & Imaging Products Association
MA Shibaura Building 3F, 3-8-10. shibaura,Minato-ku, Tokyo, 108-0023 Japan
Phone +81-3-5442-4800

PRESS RELEASEFebruary 1, 2017
Camera & Imaging Products Association2017 Outlook on the Shipment Forecast by Product-Type
Concerning Cameras and Related Goods
The Camera & Imaging Products Association (CIPA, President: Hiroyuki Sasa) has
announced the outlook on the shipment forecast by product-type concerning cameras
and related goods for the 2017 term.
1.

Track record of shipments 2016

Total shipments decline 31.7% year on year; interchangeable lens camerashipments as percent of total shipments grow to 48%
Total shipments of digital cameras in 2016 (the cumulative total of shipments fromJanuary to December) fell 31.7% year on year to 24.20 million units.
Since CIPA began compiling records in 1999, digital camera shipments recorded steadygrowth, surpassing 100 million units for the first time in 2007. However, shipments fell
for the first time in 2009 due to the global recession. Although shipments returned togrowth in 2010, they fell again in 2011 because of the serious impact on production
from the Great East Japan Earthquake and flooding in Thailand. Since then, shipments
have continued to decline, and experienced a year on year decrease of more than 30% in
2016.
The impact of the Kumamoto Earthquake in April, 2016 was not minor, causing the big
factory of major digital camera parts to shut down its operation temporarily by the
direct hit. However, shipments showed a remarkable recovery trend after the autumn
when supply of the parts resumed. Based on this trend, 2017 is regarded as a promisingyear for the rebound of the industry, and for getting off a good start with keeping thepedal to the metal from the beginning of the year.
While the total shipments continued to fall, those of digital cameras withinterchangeable lenses which are high-added-value and high-price products, areaccounting for a greater and greater share of total shipments–––27% in 2013, 32% in2014, 37% in 2015, and 48% in 2016, coming close to 50%. The industrial structure haschanged.
Shipments of interchangeable lens cameras contract 11.1% year on year
Shipments of digital cameras with a built-in lens (so called compact digital cameras)
declined 43.7% year on year to 12.60 million units.
1Although shipments ended up being extremely weak, it cannot be stated definitely thatthe weak shipments reflected real ability when considering the influence of theKumamoto Earthquake. We will hope for expansion, including new products of eachcompany after this spring.
Shipments of digital cameras with interchangeable lenses fell 11.1% year on year to11.60 million units.
Shipments remained low, at about 70% of the previous year’s, immediately after theKumamoto Earthquake, but they recovered by around 90% in autumn, reaching
double-digit growth toward the end of the year, and total annual shipments also reachednearly 90% of the previous year’s.
Broken down by regions, shipments of digital cameras with built-in lenses to Japan
contracted 31.6 % year on year, while shipments to regions outside of Japan fell 45.8%.
As for shipments of digital cameras with interchangeable lenses, those to Japan shrank
21.2% year on year while those to regions outside of Japan declined 9.6%. Shipments ofdigital cameras with interchangeable lenses to regions outside of Japan are driving therecovery.
Digital cameras with built-in lenses have faced fierce competition with the smartphone.
However, digital cameras with interchangeable lenses provide picture quality that isdifferent from that of smartphones and demonstrate unrestricted expressiveness whencombined with highly individualistic interchangeable lenses, and sales of these cameras
remain firm.
On the other hand, with respect to smartphones, various statistics are publishedconcerning the aspects that are different from those at the time when the smartphone
made an incredible leap forward. We would like to keep a close eye on the trend of theproduct-type, whether it will be a favorable wind for digital cameras with a built-in lens,
which produce images worthy of authentic cameras.
Models that propose fun that surpasses that by smartphones are being put into thisproduct-type one after another, including 360-degree panorama or VR cameras,
waterproof action cams, and cameras with high-magnification zoom lenses.
Shipments of interchangeable lenses shrink 11.4%
Digital cameras with interchangeable lenses are not only high-added-value products butalso system products that demonstrate their full capabilities when used withinterchangeable lenses.
Shipments of lenses for these cameras totaled 19.20 million units, a year-on-year
decrease of 11.4%.
Although it was impossible to avoid a link with the sluggish production of digital
cameras with interchangeable lenses, the paired body for those lenses, the previoustrend, shipment volume about 1.6-1.7 times that of digital cameras with aninterchangeable lens, has been maintained.

2

2.

Outlook on shipments in 2017

Total shipments (the cumulative total of shipments from January to December) of digital
cameras in 2017 are projected to be 21.70 million units, a year-on-year decline of10.3%.
Broken down by product-type, shipments of digital cameras with built-in lenses areprojected to be 10.50 million units (a year-on-year fall of 16.7%). Of those, shipments
to Japan and those to regions outside of Japan are projected to be 1.80 million units (ayear-on-year decrease of 18.2%) and 8.70 million units (a year-on-year decline of15.5%), respectively. Shipments of digital cameras with an interchangeable lens areprojected to be 11.20 million units (a year-on-year fall of 3.4%). Of those, shipments toJapan and those to regions outside of Japan are projected to be 1.20 million units (ayear-on-year decline of 7.7%) and 10.00 million units (a year-on-year decrease of 2.9%),
respectively.
Shipments of lenses for cameras with interchangeable lenses are projected to fall 6.2%
year on year to 18.00 million units. Of those, shipments to Japan and those to regions
outside of Japan are projected to decline 8.0% year on year to 2.30 million units and6.0% year on year to 15.70 million units, respectively.
In addition to the step-up demand from users who have come to enjoy taking photos
because of smartphones and want digital cameras, expectation for another step-up
demand from the existing users of digital cameras who replace with or buy better digital
cameras will remain high. Therefore, it is expected that demand for digital cameras withinterchangeable lenses will remain firm compared to that for digital cameras withbuilt-in lenses.

3PRESS RELEASE

February 1, 20172017 Outlook on the Shipment Forecast by Product-Type
Concerning Cameras and Related Goods
Camera & Imaging Produces Association

Millions of units
Total Shipments

Shipments to Japan

Shipments to countries other than Japan

Actualresults for2016Year-onyearchangeForecast for2017Year-onyearchangeActualresults for2016Year-onyearchangeForecast for2017Year-onyearchangeActualresults for2016Year-onyearchangeForecast for2017Year-onyearchange

24.2

68.3%

21.7

89.7%

3.5

71.9%

3.0

85.7%

20.7

67.8%

18.7

90.3%

Built-in lenscameras

12.6

56.3%

10.5

83.3%

2.2

68.4%

1.8

81.8%

10.3

54.2%

8.7

84.5%

Interchangeable lenscameras

11.6

88.9%

11.2

96.6%

1.3

78.8%

1.2

92.3%

10.3

90.4%

10.0

97.1%

19.2

88.6%

18.0

93.8%

2.5

79.0%

2.3

92.0%

16.7

90.2%

15.7

94.0%

Product-type

Digital cameras (total)

Lenses forinterchangeable lenscamerasNotes: Figures may not add up due to rounding.

Inquires concerning this press release:
Camera & Imaging Products Association
URL : http://www.cipa.jp/
E-mail : infostat@cipa.jp