Gripped by chip shortage, Sony halts some digital camera orders (2024)

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Gripped by chip shortage, Sony halts some digital camera orders? ›

TOKYO -- Sony Group has taken the unusual step of not accepting orders for a number of digital cameras, underscoring an industrywide trend triggered by a drawn-out semiconductor shortage. Shipments normally climb in October and November ahead of the key year-end shopping season.

Due to the COVID 19 pandemic, all the industries in the world had to face the chip shortage and the effects of it are still affecting businesses around the world. The chip shortage problem has affected mainly the smartphones, automobiles, and camera market.

A severe shortage of semiconductor chips is making it really hard to buy the tech toys we love and the electronic devices we rely on.

It appears that Sony has finally decided to stop selling its DSLRs through all the official sources, as you cannot find any of them on their official website. You can no longer purchase a Sony DSLR through dealers as it shows “no longer available,” the only DSLRs that Sony was selling were: A99 II. A77 II.

The obvious explanation – the global chip shortage – is only part of the problem. It's been whipped into a superstorm because manufacturers, particularly Sony and Canon, have seemingly given up on affordable mirrorless cameras.

Sony has stopped taking orders for some digital cameras because of a semiconductor shortage. TOKYO -- Sony Group has taken the unusual step of not accepting orders for a number of digital cameras, underscoring an industrywide trend triggered by a drawn-out semiconductor shortage.

Sony α (the lower case to Greek letter alpha, often transliterated as Sony Alpha) is a brand of digital camera. This line has been active since 2006, building upon the Konica Minolta camera technologies, whose assets were acquired by Sony.

The steep decline was mainly driven by a drop-off in shipments of digital cameras with built-in lenses, the type that casual photographers used to rely on prior to the rise of smartphone photography. In 2022, CIPA members shipped just over two million cameras with built-in lens, down from almost 109 million in 2010.

The number of point-and-shoot digital cameras is dwindling overall. But standalone cameras are seeing a recent upsurge in popularity. Part of the appeal of cameras is their novelty in a smartphone age as well as nostalgia from the days when cameras were more common, experts say.

It's best to shop during Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the days before Christmas. During these times, a lot of stores offer big discounts, bundle deals, and free gifts, making it a great time to improve your photography equipment.

Are digital cameras coming back? ›

Digital cameras are regaining popularity among Gen Z, who seek authentic, unfiltered experiences. Profits from digital cameras are projected to grow by $1.4 billion between now and 2028. It signifies a longing for disconnection with social media, which Zoomers have never known.

Sony offers the Alpha line of high-end mirrorless cameras. The company sold roughly 2.11 million units globally in 2022, according to Euromonitor. Of those, China accounted for 150,000 units, with the rest, or 90%, sold elsewhere, meaning the bulk of Sony's Chinese production has been shifted to Thailand.

Why Sony cameras are better? Sony cameras lead the industry with their eye autofocus, as well as their video abilities. They also do a better job of displaying better colors compared to Nikon.

According to recent reports, Canon, Nikon and Sony are the only three camera companies predicted to survive the Smart Phone revolution. Sales of small point n shoot cameras have declined, and sales of mirrorless cameras have not met expectations.

Ultimately, Kodak's failure was a result of its inability to adapt to changing market conditions. The company was focused on protecting its existing business, rather than embracing new technologies and opportunities. As a result, Kodak was left behind as the photography industry shifted towards digital.

The company has already stopped development of compact digital cameras. From now on, Nikon intends to focus on digital mirrorless cameras, but production and distribution of existing SLR models will continue. Nikon is the second largest SLR maker after Canon.

Sony's shares have dropped more than 5% this year, compared with a 16% gain in the Topix index, amid a global electronics slump. The company in February cut its projections for sales of the PlayStation 5 gaming console.

On 16 October 2013, Sony announced the world's first full-frame mirrorless cameras, the Alpha A7 and Alpha A7R. This put in place a chain of events that led to the demise of the DSLR and established Sony's position as a serious camera maker.

Finally, Sony told Nikkei that it hadn't stopped developing compact cameras—though it hasn't released a new one since 2019. Presently, there are a handful of “current,” high-end Sony compacts on the market.

Sony Group Corp.

Analysts are blaming the fall in large part due to the underperformance of its PlayStation unit. In its most recent earnings announcement, Sony shared that the PlayStation 5 was in the "latter half" of its cycle.