Report Says Shipment Of Digital Cameras In Japan Surpassed Film Cameras In Six-Month Term

According to Asia Pulse, the value of digital camera shipments, including exports, from Japan jumped 117.3 percent to ¥171.6 billion (US.56 billion) in January through June. Shipment of digital cameras surpassed that of film cameras for the first six-month term ever, the Japan Camera Industry Association reported. Shipments of film cameras fell 13.1percent during the period to ¥144.7 billion. Surging sales of digital cameras are attributed to the release this spring of models that offer 3-megapixel resolution or better.

In terms of volume, digital camera shipments grew 131.3 percent to 3.98 million, while shipment of film cameras increased by 0.1 percent to 14.88 million, the report said. Digital cameras cost an average of ¥43,000, more than four times the average price of a film camera. Shipments of digital cameras will likely also surpass film-based cameras in terms of volume in a few years, many industry observers predict. Domestic shipments of digital cameras within Japan grew 89 percent to ¥50.6 billion yen in value, while volume rose 88.2 percent to 1.11 million.