May 17 (Bloomberg) — Canon Inc., the world’s biggest digital camera seller, second-ranked Sony Corp., and rival Japanese makers expect shipments of the devices to slow this year as demand slows at home and in the U.S.

Source: Bloomberg.com

Canon, the maker of PowerShot models, said it predicts shipments to grow 20 percent to 16.8 million units in 2005, compared with a 63 percent jump a year earlier. Sony, which sells the Cyber-shot brand, said shipments will gain 7.1 percent to 15 million units in the year ending March 31, compared with a 40 percent rise a year ago.

Digital camera makers in Japan, where four of the five top sellers of the devices are based, are struggling to boost sales in their home market, where a government survey shows that almost half the population already has a digital camera. Domestic shipments are expected to rise 1.8 percent to 8.7 million units this year, compared with a 29 percent boost in 2002, the Tokyo- based Camera & Imaging Products Association said Jan. 27.

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