INSIDE | TECHNOLOGY
Do Smartphones Spell The End of the Digital Camera?

It does not seem like that long since they saw off the film camera – but digital cameras are facing the scrapheap. The popularity of smartphones such as Apple’s iPhone and Samsung’s Galaxy series, which have cameras built in, means families are no longer buying separate cameras.

Sales of digital cameras have plummeted by 29 per cent in the past five years, according to retail experts.


Threat: Sales of digital cameras are falling due to the popularity of smartphones which have cameras built in

New advances mean that it also serves as a virtual wallet, with some handsets offering a tap and go function to make small purchases at shop tills. Camcorder sales too have fallen by 21 per cent over the past five years.

Recent surveys show that only 8% of people use a traditional film camera, while 40% use a digital camera and 45% rely on their smartphone.

While smartphone picture resolution is lower than that of the best digital cameras, many people would not be able to tell the difference in the images, leaving camera manufacturers to choose to either invest in a web service that complements captured photos or video, or to focus on including new, innovative hardware capabilities and modifications, to retain consumer interest.

Although smartphone cameras do not typically match the quality of output of dedicated devices, the technology is consistently improving, as the quality of camera image output becomes too high for consumers to reliably distinguish between competitors.

As newer technology continues to improve the specifications of top-end equipment, measurements like megapixel density or the top level of optical zoom possible will become meaningless to consumers best served by less expensive, middle-of-the-field devices.

As a result, specialist camera manufacturers need to offer more, including image-editing features and the ability to quickly share their pictures with others via links to the web.

Some specialist manufacturers have tried to make digital cameras more appealing by, for example, offering devices capable of taking 3D stills and video, however take-up has been