PMA Data Watch: Camera phone penetration continues to rise
According to the 2010 PMA U.S. Camera/Camcorder Digital Imaging Survey, nearly two-thirds (61 percent) of U.S. households own at least one camera phone. In 2008, 58 percent of households owned at least one camera phone and in 2007, 46 percent of households were camera phone owners. Twelve percent of U.S. households own three or more camera phones. Eighty-five percent of camera phone owners claim they used the camera phone to take pictures in 2009. The majority of households said they used camera phones in the 2-2.9 megapixel and 3-3.9 megapixel range. There are a variety of reasons why people choose to use the camera phone rather than another camera for picture taking, according to PMA Marketing Research.
The most common reason, cited by 59 percent of camera phone owners, for using the camera function was they did not have a digital/film camera at the time. Camera phones are the perfect solution for those spur of the moment picture opportunities. Forty-three percent of camera phone owners take pictures with the camera phone so they can have the picture with them at all times. Thirty-eight percent of camera phone owners just wanted to try the camera function for fun. Other reasons for using the camera phone rather than another camera is the desire to send or upload the photo quickly, the occasion was not important enough to bring a regular camera, do not have a digital camera and the camera phone is the main digital camera.
The majority of camera phone users (87 percent) said the use of the camera phone did not have an effect on the number of pictures they take with their digital camera. Six percent actually said the camera phone has caused them to take more pictures with their digital cameras and 7 percent said they take fewer pictures with their digital camera as a result of using the camera phone.
