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All camera sales are in steep decline year on year, assuming you’re ignoring smartphones. The compact camera market is essentially dead, no one is making DSLRs

by hug 6y ago

All camera sales are in steep decline year on year, assuming you’re ignoring smartphones. The compact camera market is essentially dead, no one is making DSLRs in the future, and the mirrorless market is shrinking.

trentnix 6y ago
My anecdote must be then, at best, a few years old. But I am continually amazed at the quality of the cameras available both in my phone and in standalone cameras. Innovation continues even though the market has radically changed.
dbspin 6y ago
This is absolutely untrue for video cameras - both DSLM's and larger 'cinema cameras' like the FX9 and C300 iii, let alone Arri and Red models. They're selling faster that they can be manufactured in many cases.
- hug 6y ago
  It is 100% true for all CIPA members. Mirrorless sales are down. Unit price is up, but the market is contracting: https://www.dpreview.com/news/7282900211/cipa-s-latest-numbers-show-camera-production-sales-slashed-by-half-in-march https://www.dpreview.com/news/7282900211/cipa-s-latest-numbe... What I just said may not be true for Red or Arri, but you don’t walk into Joe’s Camera to buy an Arri, and for their high-end models they’re literally only available to rent for production anyway. Long lead times on new cameras is not indicative of high sales in a vacuum, just high sales relative to projected demand, which again is absurdly low.
  - dbspin 6y ago
    You're conflating video camera and digital camera sales. It'd be great to see sales numbers for all the major manufacturers, but Canon have in the last year launched five new cinema focused cameras (R5, R6, C70, C300 iii and C500 ii), Sony have launched three (A7sii, FX9, FX6). All of these (the ones that are currently available at least) appear - both from availability, and the frequency I see them on location - to be selling extremely well. As to your 'high end models' comment. That isn't remotely true. Arri make one camera, the Alexa 65, that isn't available for retail. Red make one line of cameras, the Red Ranger, that wasn't available but now is. They also make custom cameras for specific DOPs occasionally. But broadly speaking both manufacturers only make 'high end models' (only exception being the new Red Komodo pro-sumer crash cam), and they're all for sale (and doing extremely well).

by hug 6y ago

trentnix 6y ago

My anecdote must be then, at best, a few years old. But I am continually amazed at the quality of the cameras available both in my phone and in standalone cameras. Innovation continues even though the market has radically changed.

dbspin 6y ago

This is absolutely untrue for video cameras - both DSLM's and larger 'cinema cameras' like the FX9 and C300 iii, let alone Arri and Red models. They're selling faster that they can be manufactured in many cases.

hug 6y ago
It is 100% true for all CIPA members. Mirrorless sales are down. Unit price is up, but the market is contracting: https://www.dpreview.com/news/7282900211/cipa-s-latest-numbers-show-camera-production-sales-slashed-by-half-in-march https://www.dpreview.com/news/7282900211/cipa-s-latest-numbe... What I just said may not be true for Red or Arri, but you don’t walk into Joe’s Camera to buy an Arri, and for their high-end models they’re literally only available to rent for production anyway. Long lead times on new cameras is not indicative of high sales in a vacuum, just high sales relative to projected demand, which again is absurdly low.
- dbspin 6y ago
  You're conflating video camera and digital camera sales. It'd be great to see sales numbers for all the major manufacturers, but Canon have in the last year launched five new cinema focused cameras (R5, R6, C70, C300 iii and C500 ii), Sony have launched three (A7sii, FX9, FX6). All of these (the ones that are currently available at least) appear - both from availability, and the frequency I see them on location - to be selling extremely well. As to your 'high end models' comment. That isn't remotely true. Arri make one camera, the Alexa 65, that isn't available for retail. Red make one line of cameras, the Red Ranger, that wasn't available but now is. They also make custom cameras for specific DOPs occasionally. But broadly speaking both manufacturers only make 'high end models' (only exception being the new Red Komodo pro-sumer crash cam), and they're all for sale (and doing extremely well).