Key Takeaways
1. Compact camera sales have increased to 2.3 million in 2025, a 29.6% rise from the previous year.
2. Mirrorless cameras sold 6.1 million units in 2025, while DSLR sales dropped to 0.69 million.
3. Smartphone market growth was only 2% in the same timeframe, indicating a shift back to traditional cameras.
4. Europe is now the third-largest market for cameras, with 2.11 million sales, following China and the United States.
5. This marks the first time since 2007 that global camera sales have seen two consecutive years of growth.
For a while, it seemed like smartphones would nearly take over the compact camera market. Back in 2014, sales of compact cameras were at an impressive 29.6 million, but by 2023, that number had plummeted to just 1.7 million units. However, new information from the Camera & Imaging Products Association (CIPA) indicates that this trend may be changing, as the camera market has started to grow again over the last two years.
Growth in Sales
CIPA reports that in 2025, sales of compact cameras reached 2.3 million, which is a 29.6% rise from the year before. In contrast, the smartphone market only saw a modest growth of 2% in that same timeframe. Additionally, mirrorless cameras sold 6.1 million units, while DSLR cameras accounted for 0.69 million sales in 2025. The drop in DSLR sales makes sense since major players like Canon and Nikon have been focusing more on mirrorless technology, such as the Nikon Z6 III, which starts at $2,097 on Amazon. Despite this uptick, the total camera sales of 9.44 million in 2025 are still quite small compared to the 121 million units sold during the peak year of 2010.
Regional Insights
In 2025, shipments of full-frame cameras grew by 1.9% compared to the previous year, whereas interchangeable-lens cameras with smaller sensors saw an 8.4% increase. Europe has become the third-largest market, with 2.11 million sales, following China (2.26 million) and the United States (2.34 million). Sales increased across all regions. It’s been since 2007 that global camera sales enjoyed two consecutive years of growth, but there’s no way to know if this trend will continue into 2026, especially with the tough economic situation and the ongoing DRAM issue.
CIPA | Luca Bravo (teaser image)
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