Compact cameras have surged in both popularity and price – and the latest numbers from the Camera and Imaging Products Association (CIPA) indicate that the trend isn’t slowing down.
The organization recently published the numbers on the camera industry’s shipments for March 2025, and they reflect a continuing increase in compact camera sales.
The worldwide shipments for cameras with built-in lenses increased by about 115% in the first 3 months of 2025 when compared to the previous year. At the same time, the cost of those cameras shipped increased by 135%.
The higher increase in the value of those cameras than the number shipped suggests that either prices are increasing, or brands are shipping more high-end options compared to the previous year.
While the number of compacts shipped has increased, the shipments of interchangeable lens cameras have increased slightly compared to 2024 numbers. Through March 2025, the shipment for interchangeable lens cameras was 108.7% of the 2024 numbers.
The number of mirrorless cameras shipped increased by 112.9% during that same period, as DSLR shipments declined at 88.8%. The increase for mirrorless cameras models perfectly matches the decline in DSLRs, suggesting that the drop in DSLR sales is simply more creators opting for the newer mirrorless format.
Looking at the month-to-month data, camera shipments increased across the board, with the total for all camera categories increasing by 107.6% compared to the previous month and 106.1% compared to that same month last year.
For the first 3 months of the year, the total camera shipments increased by 110.2% compared to 2024.
CIPA has recently started breaking down those numbers by sensor size. The shipments for cameras with full frame sensors or larger remained nearly steady, at 100.5% compared to the previous month. The shipments for cameras with a sensor size that’s less than full frame increased slightly more, at 104.2% of the previous month’s data.
With CIPA's sensor size data being fairly young, there are no comparison figures to see how those numbers fare against the previous year – but it will be interesting to see how that statistic plays out in the future.
The CIPA report will also be interesting to watch as the numbers for April come in, as the new US tariffs began on April 09.
In March, the shipment to the Americas increased by 117.9%. The highest increase in cameras shipped to the region was for cameras with built-in lenses, which jumped by 148.3%.
The Trump Administration announced the plans for reciprocal tariffs in February, which may have prompted companies to increase shipments and stock ahead of the tariff going into effect.
The CIPA report only includes data from participating companies, but those numbers include several of the major camera brands, including Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, OM System, Panasonic and Ricoh.
You may also like
Dig into the best compact cameras or the best mirrorless cameras.
