CIPA Shows Camera Sales’ Summer Slump Worse Than the Last Two Years
CIPA released updated camera shipment data, adding camera and lens shipment data through August. Although camera shipments were relatively high for much of the year, there was a significant dip from July to August, which was larger than the typical “summer slump” dip observed annually.
In February, CIPA announced that digital camera shipments had increased in 2024 for the first time since 2017, which signaled positive news for the rebounding digital camera industry.
Then, after President Trump announced widespread tariffs in April, camera companies began shipping more cameras and lenses to meet the increased demand as photographers tried to acquire new gear before expected price increases, which have since been realized nearly across the board.
As a result, shipments of interchangeable lens cameras, built-in lens cameras, and lenses all increased in May. After remaining relatively stable in June and July, shipments declined significantly in August, particularly for ILC shipments. Total digital camera shipments dipped below 2024 levels in August and remained barely above 2023 levels. Interchangeable lens camera shipments in August were below both 2023 and 2024 levels for the same month.
The summer slump occurs every year, but this year’s was particularly pronounced. In 2023 and 2024, camera shipments rebounded in September, but that may not happen this year, or could occur to a lesser extent, depending on the root cause of the big drop-off.
It is impossible to know precisely why August was such a tough month for digital camera shipments. Still, some reasonable theories include that camera companies may have purposefully overshot demand with shipments in prior months to get cameras into the major U.S. market before higher tariffs took effect. A camera already in the U.S. supply chain would not be subject to higher tariffs that arrived later, for example.
It’s also possible that demand has dampened due to general economic uncertainty and relatively slower economic growth in the U.S. and beyond. For most people, cameras are luxury items, and those are harder to justify purchasing at even higher prices due to tariffs or when the economy is generally more unpredictable.
As Canon Rumors notes in its coverage, the overall performance of the camera industry in 2025 is still good, and the year remains on track to be the best year in a while.
Whether the harsh summer slump is an aberration, a market correction, or an indication of something worse yet to come will determine how good (or bad) 2025 turns out to be for photography companies. The ongoing tariffs, although they may have helped increase demand earlier in the year, are generally bad for camera makers and photographers alike. How bad remains to be seen.
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos. Graphs by CIPA
