The first model of Apple’s iPhone was launched 15 years ago. Since then, many different smartphones have been introduced. The devices now influence our daily lives in many ways.
One thing that has changed is that many people now use their phones to easily take pictures anywhere, anytime, without the need for a camera. Not surprisingly, this change has caused major business problems for camera manufacturers.
Of course, the camera is built into the first iPhone in June 2007 did not include a high-quality camera that could compete with individual camera models. But over the years, smartphone makers have invested heavily in research and development to change that.
Today, many smartphones have high-quality cameras designed to produce better photos than the cameras most people used for personal photos in the past. And most phones also offer powerful tools to improve the quality of the photos we take.
Huge drop in camera sales
The Japan Camera & Imaging Products Association (CIPA) is one of the major organizations that collects and reports data on global camera sales. Members include major manufacturers such as Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Fujifilm and Sony.
In a report released in February, CIPA documented the continued decline in digital camera sales. In 2021, total digital camera shipments fell 6 percent, the group said in a press release. However, this latest decline came after years of declining sales.
CIPA said the digital camera market has been growing steadily since 1999, when record keeping began. It had its first decline in 2009 and then continued to decline. The biggest change occurred from 2010 to 2020, when global camera shipments fell about 93 percent, CIPA reported.
Although there was a small increase in 2017, total digital camera sales have declined every year since 2018, according to CIPA. The decreases were mainly caused by declining deliveries of digital cameras with built-in lenses, notes market research agency Statista.
Camera manufacturers have had more success selling interchangeable-lens digital cameras. This is because these cameras are generally aimed at professional photographers who demand higher quality. Such cameras can “produce high image quality that” distinguishes them from smartphones,” CIPA said.
Research firm Research and Markets predicts that global sales are expected to continue to fall sharply. It noted in a report in February that the global digital camera market was estimated to reach 8.4 million devices by 2020. It says the market is expected to shrink to 1.2 million by 2026. The biggest drop is forecast for digital cameras with built-in lenses.
Smartphone cameras for professionals
The continued drop in sales demonstrates the huge influence smartphones have had in the camera industry. But this does not mean that professional photographers never use smartphones to take pictures.
For example, some news photographers have found advantages to use them in their work. The Associated Press recently asked some of its photographers who use iPhones to describe how they use the devices.
Brynn Anderson is based at the AP in Atlanta, Georgia. She said: “Sometimes it can be like being a photographer with a bigger camera intimidating for the person being photographed. Using a phone makes it easier for me to reach intimate moments that may not happen.”
Dita Alangkara covers Jakarta, Indonesia for the AP. He said that shooting with a smartphone opens up more possibilities in the streets of Jakarta. “People are so used to seeing others take pictures with their gadgets that they just ignore me. This gives me a whole new one perspective to discover…”
Rodrigo Abd, an AP photographer in Buenos Aires, Argentina, agrees. He says using the iPhone makes it easier for him to “always pay attention” to everyday events when he’s not covering a news story.
Khalil Hamra is an AP photographer based in Istanbul, Turkey. He said: “Honestly, every time I take a nice picture with my phone, I feel like something is missing and that it could have been better if I had taken it with my professional camera.”
Oded Balilty is based in Tel Aviv, Israel. “It’s another tool that has absolutely changed what we do,” he said of the iPhone. But he added: “It’s the photographer, not the device, that determines the quality of a photo.”
I’m Bryan Lynn.
Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from The Associated Press, Reuters and the Camera & Imaging Products Association.
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Words in this story
distinguish † v. to recognize the differences between people, ideas or things
benefit † n. something good in a situation that helps you
intimidate † v. to scare someone on purpose, especially so that they want you to want them to do it
intimate † adj. private and personal
gadget † n. a device that does a particular job
perspective † n. the way you think about something
determine † v. to discover the truth or facts about something