The photo world often goes through tremendous changes. What was once said to be a rising market can come crashing down instantly, despite the promise. The same can be said for devices that seemed to be a part of yesteryear, now gaining immense recognition against all odds. Per the new reports from the Camera and Imaging Products Association (CIPA), compact cameras are regaining their momentum, with the sales appearing to be leaving behind DSLRs and mirrorless.
First reported by Nikon Rumors, the CIPA chart for April 2025 shows a positive trend for compacts. Per reports, compact cameras, which feature a fixed lens, have seen a 116.6% (166,815 units) increase in shipments in April 2024 and a 108.3% increase (182,728 units) in March 2025. When compared to reports from January to April 2025, compact cameras have seen a 111.2% increase in shipments from the same time period in 2024.
On the other hand, DSLRs saw a 62.3% (43,368 units) difference from the previous month in terms of production, and 61.7% (45,392 units) in terms of shipment around the world. In other words, DSLRs saw a drop of 18% in units and 22% in shipments between January and April of this year. However, things are looking brighter for mirrorless, with the segment seeing a 20% increase in units and a 15% increase in shipments over the same period. In fact, mirrorless saw a 123.5% (516,423 units) increase in production and a 142.9% (578,690 units) increase in shipment over the previous month.
But the concern looms not for production but rather shipment for all of the devices, especially when you look at the areas. Cameras shipped to the Americas were at 85.8% in March 2025, which now sees a mere 15.2% increase compared to April last year. But when you look at all the categories, excluding mirrorless, the shipment has dropped since March 2025. For instance, compact camera shipments were 51,830 units in March this year, which fell to 34,935 units in April. Similarly, 30,252 units of DSLRs were sent to America, and there are now 19,804 units. The drop is not just for America, but around the world.
One of the reasons for this is tariffs, which came into effect on April 5. With most companies having announced a minimum of 10% tariffs, the situation does not seem so good. In fact, on June 11, President Donald Trump announced a 55% tariff, increasing from the 30% that was revealed in April. If the 55% rate does not change, then there is a possibility that the shipments may reduce further, with many looking at options to purchase outside of the United States. However, knowing how these situations are influenced by political, geographical, and economic changes, it is hard to pin down when photographers will face relief.
Another set of CIPA numbers that will be interesting to see play out is the number of cameras separated by sensor size, a statistic that the organization has only recently started tracking. The shipments of full-frame or larger cameras were up by 159.7 percent compared to the previous month, and cameras with sensors smaller than full frame were also up, but by 116.9. As a new part of CIPA tracking, numbers compared to the previous year aren’t available. Those numbers include only interchangeable lens cameras, not fixed lens compacts.
