UK sales of compact cameras at the bottom end of the market have dodged the impact of the smartphone revolution, say analysts.
Sales of fixed lens compacts, priced £50 and under, shot up 26% in volume and 29% in value in 2011, according to GfK Retail and Technology UK Ltd.
They bucked the trend of a declining compact market which showed an overall drop of 13% in value and 9% in volume last year.
In total, compact sales in the UK fell from 5.4m in 2010, to 4.9m units in 2011.
Speaking to Amateur Photographer, GfK account director Richard Gregory says the figures fly in face of a widely held belief that all compact cameras are doomed as the cameraphone market escalates.
He believes many consumers may have been tempted into the lowest end of the compact category by price cuts, or a desire for better picture quality, having first enjoyed taking pictures using a smartphone.
Demand for superzoom cameras (10x optical zoom and above) are also fairing better than mid-range models.
UK consumers snapped up 54% more superzoom compacts last year – a rise of 26% in revenue terms.
