We’ve been seeing some smartphones with amazing cameras lately and I’ve been saying for a while that these can definitely replace point-and-shoot cameras and it looks like the market agrees. A new report from NPD found that people are increasingly using smartphones to take pictures instead of cameras.
The report found that the percentage of photos taken with a smartphone rose to 27 percent this year, while those taken with a camera have fallen to 44 percent. While that doesn’t show that cameras are fully in the grave, the trend is definitely in favor of mobile photography.
This makes a lot of sense because these handsets are getting better lenses all the time and it’s much easier to use the device that’s already in your pocket/purse than carrying around a standalone camera. It’s similar to how mobile gaming is also overtaking the portable gaming market.
“There is no doubt that the smartphone is becoming ‘good enough’ much of the time; but thanks to mobile phones, more pictures are being taken than ever before,” said Liz Cutting, executive director and senior imaging analyst at NPD, in a prepared statement. “Consumers who use their mobile phones to take pictures and video were more likely to do so instead of their camera when capturing spontaneous moments, but for important events, single purpose cameras or camcorders are still largely the device of choice.”
The interesting part of the report is that it also found that there is growth in the high-end of photography, as the detachable lens market grew. I also still think that smartphone cameras can’t get the zooming right because handset makers want to keep a thin form factor.
For the most part, I’m fine with only using a smartphone as my main camera for trips. What about you?
[Via NPD]