The camera, which was once neglected by consumers, is now experiencing a wave of recovery.
In the first nine months of this year, the search volume for film photography on Xiaohongshu increased by 1350%. In the first quarter of this year, the overall shipment volume of China’s camera market increased by 24.1%, and the shipment volume of mirrorless cameras increased by 21.8%, which is about twice the global shipment growth rate. Fuji’s operating profit in 2024 is 1.21 billion yuan, an increase of 1.9 times; Canon’s sales increased by 8.8% year-on-year.
Behind the dry percentage, producing or mentioning a certain camera model or filter has become a programmatic pursuit for young people at gatherings, travels, and even when alone. Many young people feel the need for a camera. No matter how excellent the camera function of mobile phone manufacturers is, it seems somewhat unsatisfactory to young people who pay attention to video production.
Former beauty blogger and current gaming blogger Xiaotao showed me two original photos taken with a camera and an iPhone. Perhaps these two photos were not taken at the same time with the same makeup, but the camera’s image is clearer than the one taken with a phone, “Xiao Tao said.” It’s an abstract feeling, but you can tell at a glance that it’s different
This also leads to two different market ecosystems for mobile phones and cameras. In the mobile phone market, the release of new models often means the discontinuation of old models and their entry into the secondary market. Except for classic models such as iPhone 6s that are recognized for their good camera performance, all models will quickly depreciate.
But in the camera market, some classic models will be available for sale for a long time, and after entering the secondary market, there is still a possibility of further appreciation. For example, the second-hand price of Ouyang Nana’s popular Canon A620 has exceeded 1500 yuan, while its original selling price was only around 2600 yuan.
With skiing citywalk、 Hiking, rock climbing, and other outdoor activities have gradually broken through in recent years and become a part of the lifestyle of many young people. The scope of filming has also begun to cover recording videos and panoramic photos. Small and convenient size, high output rate, and low shooting threshold are increasingly becoming the core indicators for young people to choose cameras.
Therefore, sports cameras and panoramic cameras have become new choices for young people beyond Canon, Fuji, and Ricoh. Many consumers are not professional photography enthusiasts, but they are attracted by the shooting effects of sports cameras and panoramic cameras, and go to the offline stores of DJI and Yingshi to experience them. This National Day, DJI Pocket 3, like Canon G7X3 and Ricoh GR3, has become a popular choice for young people to rent cameras.
In order to prove that they are living a good life, young people began to raise their cameras; In order to more efficiently pursue the trend of film production, young people need a new camera. Especially when AI is combined with cameras, young people may have new filming solutions.
Publishing is a concrete manifestation of the changing trends
Xiaotao loves to follow the trend. In 2021, the slice of the Thai film “The Little Thing of First Love” was wildly circulated in the social media. There were 50000 comments on the videos related to Thai school uniforms in Tiktok. In the comments, everyone often made an appointment with each other to shoot together. A friend of Xiaotao also used a Canon camera to take a free set of Thai school uniform photos for her.
Against the backdrop of the campus grassland, with sunlight shining down, Xiaotao discovered for the first time that cameras can not only record life, but also shape it. Before this, I hadn’t taken any photos with a camera, and only then did I realize that I could look really good
It was this set of photos that made Xiaotao fall in love with taking pictures. She began to ask photographers to take pictures without appointment. After she had captured the feeling she wanted, she was in a good mood to upload Tiktok. At its peak, Xiaotao had to take three or four sets of photos every month, and later even became a reputable blogger, able to accept invitations to explore stores.
Some young people are attracted by popular camera effects and pursue a better shooting experience; Another group of young people are attracted by popular lifestyles, from camping to hiking and skiing, from frisbee and cycling to CityWalk, which have given rise to new demands for film releases.
Daisy used to operate a skincare brand in Shenzhen. In 2018, she bought a relatively light Canon entry-level DSLR and began exploring a photography side job. During the pandemic, she started living abroad. By 2023, Daisy will rent a small courtyard in Yili, Xinjiang, to operate affordable homestays and provide travel photography services for guests who come to Xinjiang for tourism.
One change she has felt in the past two years is that with the broadcast of the TV drama “My Altay” and the fluctuations in the overall environment, many young people have turned to travel as a temporary safe haven. They may feel that there is too much pressure in the city, they may be laid off, or they may resign naked
Daisy’s travel photos are mostly taken by young couples and families with children. For them, leaving photos of themselves in front of mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas, whether or not they are released, is the meaning itself.
Twenty years ago, it was popular for people to go to photo studios to take photos and change their makeup for photoshoots. At present, the public is pursuing photos that are more lifelike, such as casual photos of people holding food while exploring stores, photos of people taking photos with streetlights on the roadside, and interactions with stray cats squatting down.
Three key factors shaping camera heat
This trend change has also shaped a new wave of camera fever. In this wave of popularity, people’s preferred shooting devices have evolved from DSLR cameras from over a decade ago, Casio beauty phones from a decade ago, and iPhones that can capture Instagram style and light sensitive images, to the ancient CCD cameras, mirrorless cameras, professional card cameras, sports cameras, and panoramic cameras from recent years.
Last year, Xiaotao transformed into a gaming blogger and spent every day at home editing videos. In order to enrich her spare time and based on her photography experience, she made the decision to accompany her for a photo shoot. After reading many posts, Xiaotao purchased the Canon G7X3 that “everyone is recommending” for 8000 yuan.
Xiaotao is very clear that the price of 8000 yuan is a premium for this camera after it became an internet celebrity. Two or three years ago, the same model only cost three to four thousand yuan, but she is willing to pay for popularity. “If it is very popular, at least it can guarantee the lower limit of image quality, and no matter how poor it is, it will not be worse
This 8000 yuan also provides a quantifiable accompanying value for Xiaotao. When she promotes herself on Xiaohongshu, she will indicate that her devices include Canon G7X3, iPhone XS Max, iPhone 6S, Fuji Polaroid, etc., and label each device with recommended reasons such as “cool white skin clarity” and “built-in leather grinding”.
Many people choose to have Xiaotao accompany them in filming because of Canon. Many of these people’s choices of filming equipment come from their liking for the effects of others’ films and their own need to shoot the same style.
Under the photos released by Tiktok, someone will leave a message asking about the camera model. She is considering purchasing the DJI Pocket 3 herself, and also saw that someone has used it to better record the happy moments of playing “honey cans” in Disneyland – warm lighting, bright background, rotating touch cups, and portraits being steadily focused, presenting an unintentional beauty and leisure in the video.
When Xiaotao had not yet made up her mind to purchase the DJI Pocket 3, Xiaowen, who was engaged in media related work and needed to shoot artists, had already become a loyal user of the DJI Pocket 3.
Before purchasing the DJI Pocket 3, Xiaowen had already bought a Canon G7X2 on Xianyu. Because even though she is using the latest version of her iPhone to shoot artists, after uploading them to social media, there are always fans who suggest “the picture quality could be better”, and using cameras and sports cameras to shoot usually achieves a happy ending for everyone.
This is a process from renting to buying. At first, due to work needs, Xiaowen rented the DJI Pocket 3 for two or three times at a price of 50 yuan/day. He thought it was useful and decided to buy it. At that time, there was no stock available online, so Xiaowen finally bought one from a rental shop at the original price.
At present, many atmospheric small shops and Hanfu makeup stores have developed CCD and mirrorless rental services, with brands including Canon, Sony, Fuji, etc. When Xiaotao was accompanying her to take photos, she also encountered a fusion cuisine restaurant that could accommodate birthday and other scene decorations, and also provided camera rental services where renters could take photos inside the restaurant.
Renting a machine has even become a major advantage for store promotion. Starting from this summer vacation, many Hanfu makeup stores in Luoyang have launched gimmicks such as “two people can use CCD for free” and “158 yuan makeup can be used for free in DJI”. In the search for reliable Hanfu makeup posts, “having free CCDs to use” has become an undeniable bonus.
These experience opportunities have lowered the threshold for the use of a camera, and leasing has completed the last link in the purchase process of young people’s cameras, so that more consumers, like Xiaowen, have gradually become addicted to the world of parameters, filters, and films from the beginning of their attempts. However, various parameter sharing on Xiaohongshu and Tiktok, as well as the built-in tutorials of the camera, and even the established brand style awareness on social media are all helping consumers to continue to buy cameras.
For example, if you want to have a retro feel from the Showa era, you can use Fuji, but the landscape quality of Fuji seems to be slightly inferior; If you want to watch birds outdoors, Nikon is the first choice. However, the portraits of Nikon tend to “melt like cream”. After roast posts are published on the Internet, many “Nikon Victim Alliance” appear in the comment area. At this time, many users holding Canon will show portraits; Next up are Sony, Panasonic
Photography bloggers such as @ Asa Luffy, @ Yikou Changdao Iced Tea, and @ Akiko Yewang have published a large number of tutorials on classic devices such as Pocket 3, Ricoh GR, and Fuji, covering all shooting needs from daily portraits to street photography, from raw images to intricate light manipulation. This kind of “easy to read” content implies that it has also led some users to fall into the trap.
The above can extract three key influencing factors that have shaped the new wave of camera fever: the strong social media release atmosphere has aroused people’s desire to have the same “life photos”; The threshold for owning a camera is not high, and many people can afford it; The camera parameters and filter tutorials that are built into the camera or shared with each other on social media, which are within reach, greatly reduce the difficulty of using the camera.
Young people will always lack a new camera
Outside of work, Xiaowen prefers to bring the Canon G7X2, which looks better in daily photography, to travel. Recently, while browsing social media, she was being influenced by popular brands such as Fuji and Ricoh, and was considering buying a new phone next year.
Popularity is constantly changing, aesthetics are also constantly evolving, and the camera heat shaped by it is also constantly changing. Young people who chase trends will always lack a new camera.
When more people start wanting to capture and recreate just a corner of life, expressing their longing for a better life, their new cameras have become DJI Pocket 3, OSMO, and Shadow Stone X5, Ace Pro 2.
Daisy discovered that at some point, her fellow photographers suddenly became interested in the DJI Pocket 3. A friend spent a few hundred yuan to rent DJI for a week and exclaimed that compared to DSLRs, DJI has the advantage of being more lightweight. After experiencing the DJI Pocket 3 offline, Daisy was also impressed by its new beauty features and lightweight feel.
I have bought handheld sports cameras from other brands before, which are very heavy and haven’t been used much. Daisy and her friends like the DJI Pocket 3 for the same reason – it is lightweight and can be easily carried in a pocket, making it very suitable for recording daily life. Now, Daisy is planning to rent a DJI Pocket 3 for her next trip with her parents.
Offline, there is an electronic screen standing in the Yingshi store of a certain shopping mall, which repeatedly scrolls and plays the “child’s first perspective” captured by internet celebrities with Go Ultra and the “puppy’s first perspective” captured with a panoramic camera. Customers who came to experience offline also brought children of the same age as internet celebrities to try on the Go Ultra on site, imagining recording the world through the eyes of children like in the video. Some people also purchase for themselves, hoping to record their growth process of practicing dance.
According to the salesperson, the AI application of this sports camera is not only reflected in the ability to self adjust the lighting, filters, etc. of photos, but also in the Shadow Stone app, allowing AI to analyze the elemental composition and content rhythm of materials like a real editor, and generate their own vlogs for users with just one click according to common vlog templates on social media such as summer sports. A lower creative threshold will further stimulate people’s purchasing impulse.
In addition, the integration of AI and cameras is further deepening. In addition to the AI assisted devices mentioned above that automatically adjust the visual perception, focus more intelligently, and achieve one click film production, some people are also starting to develop new AI imaging devices.
Caira, which can connect to an iPhone for taking photos through MagSafe, has already started crowdfunding on Kickstarter. It claims to be the world’s first AI native mirrorless camera, which not only simplifies the shooting and creation process by incorporating large models, but also integrates Nano Banana, which can directly make local adjustments to photos, change the hair color of people, or add a piece of jewelry to clothes.
Guangqi Zhijing, founded by former Vice President of Xiaomi Group Ma Ji, has received 200 million yuan in angel round financing to create an AI intelligent imaging hardware for mass consumers, allowing ordinary users to easily capture stylized and high-quality image content without the need to understand complex parameters or perform post-processing. The core of this device is a self-developed AI vertical model that can help users capture popular video styles on social media.
Young people always need a new camera, and there are always opportunities for new species in this race. As Ma Ji said, users have no boundaries in their pursuit of “beauty” and are willing to pay for a unique aesthetic and style experience. Lighter, smarter, and more efficient cameras will become standard equipment for future cameras.
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