It does not break it down to specify exactly which parts have been hit hardest but it’s safe to say none are doing great.
Personally I were a long time Fuji xf user and very recently switched to z ecosystem and do not have much of an opinion or feelings except that I don’t want the ecosystem go extinct considering how much I spent on body and lenses very recently
p.1 #2 · Nikon imaging (cameras, lenses, and related products including red) down 22% year over year
Show me which brand has increased sales, that's what I care about.
This is one the most squeezed economies of my lifetime, very few people I know, even the upper middle class, are spending money on fun things right now.
p.1 #4 · Nikon imaging (cameras, lenses, and related products including red) down 22% year over year
The global imaging market became too small for the current roaster of camera makers. It is simply not possible for a market, any market, to shrink by 90% (2010-25) and keep the same number of participants. Expect consolidations and closures.
I expect no more than 3 major vendors to survive. Sony and Canon will definitely be among them due to their vertical integration strength, but I wouldn't say who's going to be the third. The basic financial analysis sugests Fujifilm, but historically they've been quite business-savvy and competition-averse. Once their margins shrink, I think they'll bail. So it's either Nikon or a new low-cost state-funded Chinese player. If you want to vote with your wallet for one of those two outcomes, keep buying Viltrox!
p.1 #5 · Nikon imaging (cameras, lenses, and related products including red) down 22% year over year
It’s important to distinguish here between “cameras with built-in lenses” and “cameras with interchangeable lenses.”
The bulk of the decline—about 90%—is attributable to the rise of camera smartphones and the resulting near-total collapse of the first category.
The market for interchangeable-lens system cameras has shrunk significantly less in terms of unit sales—it has remained comparatively stable and has so far been relatively unaffected by smartphones.
The future will show which direction this trend takes.
But the tough times for the category of high-end interchangeable-lens system cameras—the inevitable demographic shift in most affluent countries—are yet to come.
The age group that has been lining the pockets of high-end interchangeable-lens camera manufacturers for decades is gradually stepping aside.
These are the age groups that still have a much greater affinity for high-end photographic equipment—they grew up with it, and for some, it is or was also a status symbol.
At least in my circle, these enthusiasts are a dying breed, and the number of potential Sony, Nikon, Canon, and other brand customers among the next generation is many times smaller.
This means that manufacturers are facing a generation in the key sales markets that not only has a birth rate many times lower, but also in which only a fraction of this generation is interested in this product category.
It remains to be seen whether this can be offset by a shift toward video solutions and hybrid models.
I would guess that the tough times for manufacturers of interchangeable-lens system cameras are yet to come.
So far, the ILC market has remained relatively stable, unlike the compact camera segment with built-in lenses.
But the real blow—driven by demographic trends, combined with significantly lower interest in this product category among the next generation of customers from low-birth-rate cohorts—is likely still to come.
p.1 #6 · Nikon imaging (cameras, lenses, and related products including red) down 22% year over year
Vento wrote:
It’s important to distinguish here between “cameras with built-in lenses” and “cameras with interchangeable lenses.”
The bulk of the decline—about 90%—is attributable to the rise of camera smartphones and the resulting near-total collapse of the first category.
I disagree. It is important not to make this distinction because supply chain and manufacturing P&L aren't model-specific, they are blended.
In the past, high-volume products like compact consumer cameras allowed manufacturers to amortize R&D costs by "trickling down" newly developed technology from their premium gear down to consumer-grade products. Additionally, the economies of scale allowed them to have more power with suppliers.
Today, not having the luxury of selling millions of Coolpix compacts per year, Nikon can only allocate a relatively modest R&D budget to design the Z9 II, for example. They will have a small number of units to push this tech through to realize profit. When they're picking a supplier for a rear LCD, for example, they're paying more for each screen because the order size is much smaller than it was in the past.
