iPhone is most popular camera among Flickr’s 112 million photographers

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Canon cameras
The iPhone has been the top choice among Flickr photographers beginning in 2015.
Photo: Flickr

The longtime Kings of the Camera must know their kingdoms are shrinking. If Canon or Nikon need further evidence, Flickr’s 2015 Year in Review shows the popular tool of choice for an engaged and global photography community is not a dedicated camera. It’s first and foremost a phone.

Apple’s iPhone was the popular device used by the Flickr community, according to an analysis of the EXIF data on pictures uploaded to the site. iPhone cameras accounted for 42 percent of the photos on the site, compared to the DSLRs of Canon, 27 percent, and the Nikon, 16 percent.

The gaps between brands are best understood when you consider Flickr has 112 million users in 63 countries uploading a million photos a day.

Apple’s iPhone is often called a disruptor in the camera industry, with each generation of phone including improved camera features that have hobbyists and professionals, alike, marveling at the picture quality.

From the iPhone’s tiny lens, Apple proved its photographic might earlier this year with an advertising campaign for the iPhone 6, featuring photos from photographers of all skills in ads that looked slick in glossy magazines and held up to enlarging for billboards and building-size banners.

The recently released iPhone 6s has even more capabilities, going from 8 to 12 megapixels, 4K video and a new Live Photos feature that adds brief video clips to still photos to provide a sense of movement.

Flickr’s Year in Review highlights everything from color trends to its most popular photographers and has noted the rise of the iPhone camera. In 2013, the iPhone was third behind first-place Canon and second-place Nikon. A year later, it surpassed Nikon to claim second place.

The review also showed what types of cameras were used most often to capture pictures and video. The smartphone camera led all categories at 39 percent, followed by DSLRs at 31 percent, point-and-shoot cameras at 25 percent and mirrorless cameras at 3 percent.

Flickr users say the smartphone is a smart choice for photos and video.
Flickr users say the smartphone is a smart choice for photos and video.
Photo: Flickr

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