Flickr camera stats for 2015

[unfocused]

There are a couple of other interesting charts that weren't shared.

One shows "Camera Types by Year" from 2010 to 2015. The chart is cumulative, so be careful how you read it. But, it shows DLSRs consistently have between 30-35% of the posts for the past five years. Mirrorless have increased slightly, but represent a very small percentage -- looks like about 5%. Point and Shoot have gone from over 40% to maybe 22% -- cut nearly in half.

Camera phones have swallowed almost all of that point and shoot segment, going from a little less than 20% to close to 40%. Not surprisingly, video cameras and film scanners represent just a small portion of the Flicker posters.

My conclusion: Among Flicker users the statistically significant change has been from Point and Shoot to Camera Phones -- essentially a one-for-one replacement over the past five years. DSLR use is holding steady. (Flicker says it's increasing about 1% a year) Mirrorless is growing, but very slowly and taking most of its new users out of the point and shoot segment, not the DSLR segment.

The other chart shows camera brands by month from 2010 to 2015. This one is going to stir up controversy, but only if you deliberately ignore context.

Canon's monthly share has dropped over the past five years from about 37% to 20%. But before the Sony-ites get all excited, they should be aware that Sony's share has dropped from about 13% to about 9% -- Oops!

Nikon has dropped from about 22% to about 15%. Fuji is flat: consistently at about 4%.

The growth? Samsung and Apple. Samsung has gone from basically nothing to about 15%. I don't think those are cameras though, they are likely to be the Galaxy phones. And, Apple has shot up from about 7% to 30%.

Careful now! Before the anti-Canon-ites get all excited, remember that these stats include point and shoots. So, if you think about it logically, this chart also reflects the collapse of the point and shoot market, with Canon and Nikon both taking big hits that reflect their relative market share at the start of the five year period. In other words, Canon has more of the point and shoot market, so they had more to lose.

Now, keep in mind that these statistics only reflect Flicker users. I don't know the profile of the average Flicker user, but I'm guessing it skews heavily toward amateurs and is used by people who want to share their images with others (Yes, I know there are a handful of Flicker Kings and Queens who have turned it into a business, but the vast majority, I suspect, are folks who just like to take pictures of friends and family and things they find interesting and post them.)

Of course, we will all read our own conclusions into this. Mine is this: Canon, Nikon and Sony all screwed up royally with their painfully slow adoption of internet connectivity (which they STILL have not integrated into their cameras in any user-friendly, innovative fashion). They might not have been able to forestall the camera phone revolution, but they certainly could have cut their losses a little more if they had put a greater emphasis on connectivity. Now they are paying the price and all I can say is: "It serves them right. The revolution took place on their doorsteps and they never even bothered to look out the window to see what was happening."

 

[Hillsilly]

Uhm, no, it should not, if they read the EXIF metadata correctly and nothing changes them from the camera to the site. Hope iOS is not designed to alter EXIF data in transit, to boost those stats, LOL!

I don't know if you picked up on the cynicism/sarcasm, but sadly there is no "share" button on Canon DSLRs.... there should be.

Now, keep in mind that these statistics only reflect Flicker users. I don't know the profile of the average Flicker user, but I'm guessing it skews heavily toward amateurs and is used by people who want to share their images with others.

Do the other charts show any details of the number of images posted? Flickr is still a major player in image sharing (possible still THE major player?), but I get the impression that their popularity amongst enthusiast photographers has dwindled substantially. And new services like Google Photos will eventually take a away a significant amount of android users. I think Apple have recently released something similar, too? Details of the numbers of images posted would be interesting to see how healthy the Flickr community actually is.

FWIW, my understanding of a current, stereotypical flickr user would be someone who was using the site pre-2010, of an older age group, adverse to change and risks and would prefer to stick with tried and testing products. That would explain the over-representation of big brands - Canon, Nikon and Apple. (Eg, the Flickr stats clearly show that mirrorless users are far less likely (almost 50% less likely) to be using an Apple phone.)

People more interested in more control over how their photos are displayed online, happy to try new things, go against the crowd etc would be more likely to be using an android phone, using a mirrorless camera and would be using 500px, DeviantArt, Zenfolio, smugmug, instagram etc. They might occasionally visit their grandparent's flickr page.

From Canon's perspective, I don't read too much into the stats provided. Now that the photo fad has passed, I suspect that most camera users have become more discerning with the images that they upload. Given the ease of uploading from a phone vs a camera, you have a natural decline in uploads from cameras. But I think everyone is on the same page in criticising Canon (and others) for not integrating more with current technology.

 

[scyrene]

What I find surprising is how different the stats are to my experience of Flickr. I guess we build the experience we want, by following certain people, or by the search terms we use. But I see almost no phone pics. There must be a vast hinterland I've never encountered :/

 

[LukasS]

What I find surprising is how different the stats are to my experience of Flickr. I guess we build the experience we want, by following certain people, or by the search terms we use. But I see almost no phone pics. There must be a vast hinterland I've never encountered :/

Have exactly the same experience with flickr, wondering where all those phone photos go.

 

[Maiaibing]

Seems to me that what we can see safely from the numbers is the following:

The camera you have at hand is the one that will be used. Thus mobile cameras win the day by a huge margin.

People who invest in FF are likely to use their camera a lot.

Canon is very strong in the existing FF segment (5DII/5DIII).

However, I cannot see any info from these numbers about current sales for DSLRs or where the FF/DSLR/Mirrorless market is heading. 5DII's position is an excellent example of the disconnect from these numbers to what is happening in the market place. 5DII is by far the most used DSLR - but has seen zero sales for 4 years.

 

[LDS]

However, I cannot see any info from these numbers about current sales for DSLRs or where the FF/DSLR/Mirrorless market is heading.

Exactly. Most people who spend their time making photos may spend less time chasing the latest gadget...

 

[bholliman]

What I find surprising is how different the stats are to my experience of Flickr. I guess we build the experience we want, by following certain people, or by the search terms we use. But I see almost no phone pics. There must be a vast hinterland I've never encountered :/

Have exactly the same experience with flickr, wandering where all those phone photos go.

Same here. The Flickr groups I belong to have relatively few camera phone pictures, probably under 15%.

 

[unfocused]

...5DII's position is an excellent example of the disconnect from these numbers to what is happening in the market place.

Actually, it may be an excellent example of what is happening in the market place.

This shows that most consumers see no need to replace a camera that works just fine. Note also that the venerable T3i (which for years was Amazon's best selling DSLR) remains the second most popular DSLR in the lineup.

Too often, we think that forum participants and forum discussions reflect the marketplace. But the reality is internet gear forums are a very poor place to judge what is happening in the real world.

 

[Loswr]

...5DII's position is an excellent example of the disconnect from these numbers to what is happening in the market place.

Actually, it may be an excellent example of what is happening in the market place.

Agreed, that's the difference between relying on your own impressions vs. looking at aggregated data.

Too often, we think that forum participants and forum discussions reflect the marketplace. But the reality is internet gear forums are a very poor place to judge what is happening in the real world.

Ding ding ding...we have a winner!

 

[geekpower]

yeah, i hardly see any camera phone pics in my flickr groups or people i follow, but of course the people i follow are generally only posting their best photos. i think there are sections of flickr where people using camera phones upload dozens of selfies and such every day, rather than one or two carefully selected shots. those people have to be skewing the numbers quite a lot.

 

[unfocused]

...those people have to be skewing the numbers quite a lot.

Keep telling yourself that.

Sorry, but I strongly suspect the number of cell phone camera users are probably under-represented on Flicker in comparison to the population as a whole, not over-represented.

 

[geekpower]

...those people have to be skewing the numbers quite a lot.

Keep telling yourself that.

Sorry, but I strongly suspect the number of cell phone camera users are probably under-represented on Flicker in comparison to the population as a whole, not over-represented.

um, ok. i wasn't talking about the population as a whole though. i was talking about flickr.

 

[martti]

There are three aspects about statistics. One is how the material is chosen, the other one how it is processed and the third how it is read. Who are Flickr users and how do they choose the pictures they post on Flickr? How does Flickr do the counting? So what?

On a photo site they'd probably post their camera pictures on Flickr and their smartphone pictures on Instabookler. I find the interface in Flickr awkward. This might be because I do not use it much and because my net connection gets very slow at times. But the question was: What is the population of pictures that Flickr represents?
I would say amateurs, advanced amateurs and real pros. Of the pictures taken in the Universe, Flickr does not give a relevant sample. Most pictures are taken with smartphones and posted on social media sites.

I am not sure if the Flickr analysis is done according to photos posted or per user. Some Flickr users have the idiotic habit of uploading the whole memory card with no selection at all. If he gets counted by the number pictures posted, he skews the sample. If he gets counted as one person, OK.

How should we read the Flickr data? Probably that there are lots of new users who post their smartphone pictures there. So a bigger and bigger fraction of pictures on Flickr are taken with a smartphone. Not a surprise. Meanwhile, there are the old users with their prosum equipment who keep shooting and posting there. Their (my) smartphone pictures end up on FB and Instagram. So basically we have the numbers and we do not really know what is the reality behind them.

What are the conclusions we should make?
What I see is the us/them dichotomy that has been enhanced by the social media, its trolls and cyberbullies during the recent years. People identify themselves with the silliest issues like "I am a prime shooter" or "I never use filters" or "Canon (Nikon, Sony) is the only rational choice"...and now people are reading the Flickr statistics to feel better about themselves. In Heaven's name, what does it matter to me what other people buy or use or post on a net site? How does it change my behavior in general or vis a vis photography?

This subject is about social psychology, not at all about photography .