The organization tallying all the latest numbers from Japan’s camera makers is predicting that camera sales could slow for the first time in two years in 2026 – and the latest numbers show a serious slump in summer camera shipments.
According to the Camera and Imaging Products Association, or CIPA, camera shipments for July 2026 were 93.3 percent of the month before and just 76.7 percent of the same time a year ago.
That’s the fourth month in 2026 that camera sales have shown slight declines compared with 2025 numbers, suggesting that CIPA’s prediction for a camera slowdown this year wasn’t off base.
While shipments for cameras overall declined, the trendy compact camera shipped 110.1 percent more cameras in July than in June. But, even the fixed lens category – which includes compact cameras as well as bridge cameras – shows a decline when compared to the same month in 2025, with a 96.9 percent change. Despite the monthly decline, the compact camera category is still showing growth for 2026 with a 112.7 percent change for the first seven months of the year combined.
Interchangeable lens camera shipments fared even worse. Overall, Japan’s camera makers shipped 86.6 percent of the previous month’s numbers. The drop is even more severe compared to July 2025 at 69.4 percent. That brings the first seven months of 2026 to 91.2 percent of last year’s numbers.
The DSLR is the worst offender, shipping just 33.5 percent of the number from the previous month and 24.2 percent compared to the same time last year. So far this year, DSLR shipments are 65.4 percent of last year’s data.
The mirrorless category understandably fared much better, but still saw a drop in July, shipping 91.9 percent of the previous month's numbers and 74.4 percent compared to the same time last year.
Crop sensor cameras remain the most popular interchangeable lens category, shipping around 295,500 bodies, which is 85.8 percent of June’s numbers. Meanwhile, full-frame (and larger, such as medium format) shipped over 146,000 bodies, 88.2 percent of the previous month’s numbers.
Tallying the numbers from the first seven months of the year, that leaves every category except for compact cameras in decline for the year – lower than both the 2025 and 2024 numbers. But, the decline wasn’t unexpected and falls within CIPA’s predictions for the year. CIPA’s predictions, however, still expect growth for the compact camera, a category which has now declined slightly for three months in a row.
Another interesting insight from the numbers is that compact camera production – not just shipments – continues to grow. Production for fixed lens cameras was at 107.4 percent of the previous month, and for the first seven months of the year is up by 123.1 percent.
The compact camera went viral at a time when many camera makers had put the category on the back burner, and the most viral cameras are hard to find in stock. Some camera brands have increased production as a result, including Canon, and that is reflected in the latest statistics from Japan.
Interchangeable lens shipments also saw a drop in July compared to 2025, shipping 90.1 percent of the previous month’s numbers and 76.7 percent when compared to the previous year. So far this year, that puts lens shipments at 95.8 percent compared to 2025.
CIPA only tallies numbers from participating Japanese camera brands, but that list includes the biggest movers and shakers of the camera industry, including Canon, Sony, Nikon, Fujifilm, Panasonic, OM System, Ricoh, and Sigma. That notably excludes brands like Leica and Hasselblad.
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