According to The NPD Group, Port Washington, N.Y., USA, and its partner, The GfK Group, Nuremberg, Germany, the world of digital imaging is taking shape, moving towards higher resolution and new image capturing capabilities. New findings from The NPD Group found in 2005, 5 megapixel cameras captured a 37 percent unit share in the United States, up from 20 percent in 2004, while unit share for 3-megapixel cameras dropped from almost 37.5 percent in 2004 to 13 percent in 2005.

That is true in other parts of the world, with some of the biggest shifts seen in Europe, Asia and Japan. According to The GfK Group, in Japan, which tends to be a more mature market, more than 90 percent of digital still camera (DSC) unit sell-through was 5 megapixels or greater in the fourth quarter of 2005, with 6- and 7-megapixel models on the rise.

Digital SLRs: Another shift around the world seems to be the type of digital camera that people purchased. In Japan, digital single lens reflex cameras (DSLR) now hold nearly 7 percent of the country’s DSC unit share. In 2005, DSLRs in the United States and Europe had 5.2 and 4.2 percent unit share, respectively. That same year in the United States, DSLRs reached sub $900 and sub $800 price points for the first time, motivating the advanced amateur to purchase an upgrade.