Digital Camera Reviews

Film is already passe for snapshots. Are bargain point-and-shoot cameras abutting to go?

According to a analysis by NPD Group, 27% of photos and videos taken this year were attempt with smartphones — up from 17% aftermost year.

Not surprisingly, sales of the basal agenda point-and-shoot cameras suffered. According to NPD, assemblage sales of those cameras were bottomward 17% in the aboriginal 11 months of this year.

But not all types of single-purpose cameras were accident popularity.

For the upper-level point-and-shoots — with optical zooms of 10x or greater and an boilerplate amount of $247 — assemblage sales grew 16%, according to NPD’s Retail Tracking Service.

And agenda single-lens-reflex cameras — with an boilerplate retail amount of $863 — were accepted abundant that some camera shops were out of them the anniversary afore Christmas. Assemblage sales were up 12%, NPD said.

“The smartphone is acceptable acceptable abundant abundant of the time,” said Liz Cutting, controlling administrator and chief imaging analyst at NPD. “Consumers who use their adaptable phones to booty pictures and video were added acceptable to do so instead of their camera back capturing ad-lib moments.

“But for important events, single-purpose cameras and camcorders are still abundantly the accessory of choice.”