Digital Cameras Still King

New survey from Consumer Electronics Association shows that an overwhelming number of people still consider the digital camera as their primary digital photography source.

What is your primary mode of digital photography? Your camera or cell phone? Do you archive your photos or run the risk of letting them become lost? These questions and others are answered in a new survey by the Consumer Electronics Association examining consumers’ digital photography habits.

This survey, the CEA reported, found that some 91 percent of digital camera owners consider their camera to be their primary photography source device. A red flag is raised when it comes to archiving, as only 48 percent of the over 1,100 Americans asked said they archive their digital content. Less than half were even concerned about losing this content.

Another interesting result showed that consumers want to be able to share their photos electronically from their digital camera through other electronic means. About two-thirds print their photos and half burn them into a CD to share with others.

“Consumers are fortunate that today’s digital imaging product shelf is festooned with convergence photography devices in addition to the still camera – still cameras that capture full-motion video, digital camcorders that take still pictures, camera phones, PDAs and wireless phones with image/video capture capabilities; the list goes on,” said Steve Koenig, senior manager of industry analysis at CEA. “Many consumers own several photo-capture devices, but our research shows the digital camera remains consumers’ primary picture taking device and we expect that to continue. Camera phones and other convergence devices will likely experience improved resolution capabilities, but the vast majority of consumers will turn to a digital still camera when their primary purpose is picture taking.”