Digital camera shipments rose 118 per cent in the first half of 2007, according to a new report from the Japan-based Camera & Imaging Products Association (CIPA), which represents firms responsible for approximately 80 per cent of global sales.

CIPA reported a total of slightly more than 164 million cameras shipped during the six months from January to June. Growth in shipments of more expensive digital Single Lens Reflex (SLR) cameras was particularly strong, reaching 145.5 per cent.

“Digital camera shipment volume rose 38.9 year-on-year to 7,570,000 units in June 2007, while shipment value rose 33 per cent year-on-year to 164.1bn yen [$1.387bn],” commented Tokyo-based Nomura Securities analyst, Tetsuya Wadaki. “Shipment volume for digital SLR cameras rose 84.9 per cent year-on-year, which marks the tenth consecutive month that growth has exceeded 50 per cent.”

“Growth picked up again in Japan and Europe and remained strong in North America,” said Wadaki. According to CIPA, European growth of Digital SLR shipments approached 170 per cent in June, and averaged more than 140 per cent over the first half of the year.

CIPA, an industry-sponsored association, collects data on camera production and shipments from members, who include Japan's leading camera vendors, as well as some foreign firms. The figures include both domestic and foreign production. While CIPA's membership controls approximately 80 per cent of the global digital camera market, a rising percentage of Japanese-branded cameras are in fact made by suppliers in China and Taiwan.