Pricing strength will contribute to a strong Q1 2008 for small/medium displays, with global revenue reaching $6.4 bln in Q1 2008, up 17.3% from $5.4 bln in the Q1 2007, according to iSuppli. Revenue in Q1 2008 will decline by 6.5% compared to Q4 2007, but such a seasonal slowdown is typical in the small/medium market. For all of 2008, small/medium display revenue is expected to rise to $27.6 bln, up 14.7% from $24 bln in 2007. This represents a significant acceleration compared to 8.8% growth in 2006.

The global Average Selling Price (ASP) of small/medium displays used for digital photo frames rose to $30 in Q4 2007, up 20% from $25 in Q3 2007. The ASP for small/medium displays for tiny LCD televisions rose to $8.40 in the fourth quarter, up 2.4% from $8.20 in Q3 2007, according to iSuppli.

US digital camera shipments grew 31% in Q4 2007 from Q4 2006, to 16.6 mln units, IDC said. For the full year of 2007, the US market grew by 23% to 37.7 mln units. Canon held onto the lead in market share for the third consecutive year with 23%, while Sony had an 18% share, and Kodak had 16%.

Digital camera sales in China are expected to reach 8.3701 mln sets in 2008, according to CCID Consulting. Sales volume in Q1-Q3 2007 reached 5.9208 million sets. The figure for Q4 2007 is expected to hit 2.4493 mln sets. For the whole year, total sales volume will reach 8.3701 mln sets, up by 29.9% over 2006.

Chinese video surveillance camera markets earned revenues of $213.8 mln in 2006 and estimates this to reach $484.3 mln in 2013, Frost & Sullivan reports.

Asia Pacific digital cameras market (excluding Japan) is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.9% from 2006 to 2013, Frost & Sullivan says.

NPD points out that in the twelve months ending September 2007, while digital still camera unit sales were up 20%, revenue increased by only 3%. Concurrently revenues from camera accessories (e.g., lenses, batteries, external flashes, filters and tripods) increased more than 50% during the same time period. DSLR camera buyers are far more likely to purchase accessories than are consumers who purchase simpler point-and-shoot digital cameras. Still, 69% of point-and-shoot digital camera consumers and 54% of DSLR buyers left the store without purchasing anything beyond what was included in the initial purchase price of their new digital cameras.

Worldwide, there were 2.8 mln digital frames shipped in 2006, and the average selling price was $168, according to IDC. By 2011, IDC said, shipments will increase to 42.3 mln units, with US shipments representing 54% of the market. In 2006, IDC said, the 5-to-6.9″ frame category made up the bulk of the marke, but the 7-to-8.9″ category will dominate in 2007 and retain the top spot throughout 2011.

Shipments of digital cameras to the United States in Q3 2007 rose 22%. Canon remained the top selling brand, with a 23% market share. Next was Sony at 18%, while Eastman Kodak had a 15% share, IDC said. Samsung saw its US market share halved to about 4%.

CMOS sensors held nearly an 80% share of image sensor shipments in 2006. CCD sensors remain strong in digital still cameras, security cameras, and camcorders. Dual-camera phones are in high demand among 3G wireless subscribers in Asia and Europe, In-Stat reported.

The average digital camera price is projected to slip from $298 in 2006 to $191 in 2011 in North America, InfoTrends says. In the compact camera segment, average prices are projected to drop from $262 in 2006 to $163 in 2011. Digital SLR (single-lens reflex) cameras, which offer higher performance and interchangeable lenses but are bulkier and costlier, are projected to drop from $966 to $507 over the same period. People are taking a lot of photos, up from about 50 bln a year in 2007 to about 60 bln in 2011. 2006 was the year the bulk of the digital camera market switched over from first-time buyers to repeat buyers. In 2007, 73% were repeat buyers, and in 2011, it should be 97%.

InfoTrends estimates that 67% of US households had digital cameras in 2006, up from 42% in 2004.

More than 60% of US mobile phone users have camera functionality in their phones in 2007, up from about 40% in 2006. In-Stat predicts more than 1 bln camera phones will be in use by year-end 2007.

ABI Research says automotive cameras market will enjoy a revenue stream well in excess of $100 mln by 2012.

The installed base of camera phones will exceed 1 bln in 2007, as mature market replacement sales above one megapixel and emerging market first digital camera phone purchases (typically VGA) continue to drive sales. Camera phones have been a huge success, with unit sales rising from three mln in 2001 to 500 mln in 2006, Strategy Analytics.

The image sensor market reached $6 bln in 2006, a jump of over 30% over 2005, with sales expected to grow another 14% in 2007, according to Strategies Unlimited.

In Europe and Asia, 75% of wireless subscribers have a camera phone, In-Stat estimates. In 2006, 41.3% of respondents reported having camera functionality in their mobile devices. In 2007, that number jumped to 62.0%. The 50.1% increase is statistically significant and may be attributed to industry standardization. Another big leap was the%age of people who reported having a camcorder in their wireless handset. In 2006, 10.0% of respondents reported camcorder functionality. In 2007, 15.7% of respondents said their handset had this capacity.

20% of digital camera owners use their digital camera for artistic purposes, for moonlighting job, or to master photography skills. This segment of photo customers is called the advanced amateur or prosumer segment and has been generating much of the business at camera stores around the country for many years. Manay advanced amateurs are possible candidates looking to enter the studio photography business at some point, as well. Digital advanced amateur customers were 20% more likely to purchase a camera in 2006, Photo Marketing Association says.

85% of UK consumers are using text messaging to stay connected to their peers at all times and more than 80% of new phones sold are camera phones, Telephia reports. MySpace is the site receiving content from the highest number of mobile consumers, with 21% of mobile uploaders saying that they have sent content there.

41% of US households own a camera phone and 21% own an MP3 music phone, Parks Associates says.

IDC says 29.8 mln cameras were sold in the USA in 2006, up 5% from the prior year. IDC projects sales of 30 mln for 2007.

Revenue from shipments of image sensors for mobile phones will grow to $5.9 bln by 2010, increasing at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 27.4%, up from $1.7 bln in 2005. Unit shipments of image sensors to mobile phones will grow to 1.2 bln by 2010, increasing at a CAGR of 19.7%, up from 484 mln units in 2005. In 2005, 199 mln image sensors were sold for all other applications outside of mobile phones, including digital still cameras. By 2010, this disparity will grow more, with nearly 1.2 bln sensors shipped for mobile handsets and slightly less than 350 mln shipped for other applications.

Over 348 mln mobile phones sold in 2006 had a built-in camcorder and in 2007 that number is seen at 490 mln, according to Strategy Analytics.

Growth in digital camera shipments by Japanese makers in 2007 is expected to slow to 7.5% from 2006, when lower prices and a wider variety of models with interchangeable lenses spurred growth to 22%. Demand will continue to lose speed as shipment growth is expected to slow to 4.3% in 2008, and 2.5% in 2009.