“For 2009, amid economic recession, the digital camera market will be subject to the same negative trend as the consumer electronics product market. Besides the quantity factor, a quality change will also be visible in terms of consumer preferences, as these will focus on the lowest price, foregoing quality or special technical capabilities,” according to Fujifilm Product Manager of Atlas Corporation distribution company, Daniel Ion.
Cameras priced under €80 are to make up 70 percent of total sales, Ion added.
In the first quarter of 2009, sales dropped 40 percent year-on-year, while the average price of digital cameras declined 10 percent compared to Q4 2008.
BenQ producer’s Team Leader for Romania, Dragos Salamac, estimates the photo camera market will contract some 30 percent this year. “In the midst of this crisis, those who already own a product are thinking twice before changing it,” he added.
According to estimates made by Daniel Ion, the digital photo camera market amounted to 370,000 units and was worth €47.5 million in 2008, some 25 percent higher year-on-year.
