Market Research company NPD Group says the digital camera is still the preferred device for taking photos, according to its new study from the USA. However, mobile phone usage is catching up.
51% of all pictures taken were captured by a digital camera. Next was the mobile phone at 42%, although this figure varied quite dramatically depending on the user's age. 13-17 year olds said they took 54% of their photos with a mobile phone and just 36% with a dedicated camera, while ‘moms’ reported taking 40% of photos with a mobile phone and 55% with a camera.
Dedicated devices were also preferred for video, with 34% captured by digital camera and 27% by camcorder. The mobile phone was the single most-preferred device at 35%.
Liz Cutting, executive director and senior imaging analyst at NPD, said “Mobile phones have allowed more people to capture spontaneous images and videos on the go; with increasingly better quality and the immediate gratification of instant sharing, the imaging industry benefits with more widespread enjoyment of photos and videos. But the future for dedicated cameras is bright, as their dual purpose of still and video capture opens the eyes of consumers to multimedia memories. Imaging marketers should capitalize on the need for better and more creative editing, sharing, archival and printing.”