In times when camera makers like Canon and Nikon’s total shipment of digital cameras has taken a beating, medium-sized businesses such as Casio, Fujifilm and Olympus are expected to improve their profitability.
According to CIPA ( Camera & Imaging Products Association), the total global shipments of digital cameras in 2015 will dip by nearly 20%. Compared to the last five years, the D-cam market has shrunk by one-third. More so, the enhanced functionality of smartphone cameras has added to the downfall of digital cameras. The economic meltdown of China and Europe has further added to the trouble. The shrinking market has affected Canon, Nikon and Sony to a greater extent. Canon has also stated that it will reduce annual shipments of cameras in 2015 by 17% to 12.8 million yen and its profit in operation will fall by 4%. Nikon plans to ship 10.25 million units of digital cameras and its profit in operation will dip by 33%. Companies such as Casio plan to ship 1.45 million units of digicams, which means a 4% gain and profit in operation will increase by 17% to 4.1 billion yen. Olympus is withdrawing from the market segments that are not active and is expecting its profit in operation to stabilise. Fujifilm Holdings expects the number of shipments to reduce by about 35%, but it also anticipates to cover up its profits through the favourable performance of the X series featuring compact camera models with waterproof design and high-power zoom lens.
