Nikkei: Casio to exit money-losing compact camera business

Casio Computer Co., Ltd. is leaving the compact digital camera market after posting a 500 million yen loss in the segment during the fiscal year ending March 2017, according to Nikkei:

The number of compact digital camera shipments has declined sharply and it seems that it was judged that future market expansion can not be expected. In the future we plan to specialize in high value added camera products.

Casio brought a lot of innovation to the camera market, including the first digital camera with a built-in LCD screen in 1995 (the Casio QV-10) as well as launching the super-slim camera trend with its popular Exilim series. These cameras were among the first feature high-resolution video and touchscreens.

In recent years, the Japanese company focussed on domestic digital camera sales, like the Casio EX-ZR5100, shown above, which designed to optimize selfies. Casio designers weren’t afraid to buck trends and try new shapes and forms, like the Casio Exilim TRYX digital camera shown to the right. The 2011-era camera featured a rotating frame that served as a stand, a handle or even hung from a peg on a wall.