Worldwide demand for camera lens shipments, including kit and standalone (aftermarket) lenses reached 22.2 million units in 2014, which represented an annual drop of 13%, according to Futuresource Consulting. The value performance was better, standalone lenses fell by just 3% to US$3.9 billion at trade, while average standalone lens prices grew 4% to US$527.
"Kit lens sales fell by 15% to 14.8 million units in 2014, which mirrors the overall worldwide interchangeable lens camera volume trend, whereas standalone lenses only fell by 8% to 7.5 million units," said Arun Gill, market analyst at Futuresource. "Standalone lenses outpaced demand for kit lenses across most regions except the US, where DSLR kits were promoted heavily. Standalone lenses are expected to continue outpacing kit lenses throughout the forecast.
"Worldwide DSLR standalone lens volumes fell 9% on year in 2014. Industry feedback suggests that users are less inclined to invest in a new DSLR system due to slowing product innovation, and are more likely to enhance their existing system with new lenses. However, there was positive growth with the Compact System Camera segment, with standalone lens volume growing by 12% versus 2013. Futuresource expects the CSC segment to continue growing out to 2018," said Gill.
The photo specialist channel remains the largest channel for standalone lenses and it benefited from the rising demand for higher value cameras and features in 2014, resulting in its share of standalone lens volume and value growing across most developed markets, particularly across Western Europe. Conversely, the CE channel suffered the most as a result of falling demand for entry-level camera kit lenses, with volumes declining 30% across most developed markets.
