Apple Passes Nikon to Become Second Most Popular Camera Brand on Flickr

Flickr over the weekend released data detailing the most popular camera rankings of 2014 for the online photo sharing service. With 100 million users uploading 10 billion photos last year, the usual standouts of Canon and Nikon edged out most of the competition, but most interesting was Apple moving past Nikon to take second place in the rankings (via The Next Web).

Screenshot (103)
Focusing solely on the top 5 camera brands used on the service last year, Canon took first place with 13.4 percent, followed by Apple with 9.6 percent and Nikon with 9.3 percent. Samsung and Sony round out the other top spots.

Individual iPhone models have long registered as the most popular camera devices on Flickr, but in looking at overall brand performance, major traditional camera manufacturers Canon and Nikon with as many as several hundred different models on the market long held down the top spots until Apple's entry in 2014.

Flickr also looked at the top mobile device cameras used on Flickr, where Apple unsurprisingly dominated the top ten list. In first through fourth were the iPhone 5 (10.6 percent), iPhone 4s (7.0 percent), iPhone 4 (4.3 percent), and the iPhone 5c (2.0 percent). The iPhone 6, iPad, and iPad mini also placed in the top ten. It is unclear why the iPhone 5s is not included on Flickr's year-end lists, as it has been registering as the most popular camera overall for a number of months now.

Screenshot (104)
Though Flickr's data can't exactly be used to specifically track the rise or fall of full-fledged DSLR and professional cameras, as Flickr is used by both paid professionals and everyday amateurs, it's still interesting to see Apple's own hardware slowly edge out such big brands in the photography space.

Popular Stories

Apple Logo Zoomed

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
iphone 17 pro dark blue 1

iPhone 18 Pro Max Rumored to Deliver Next-Level Battery Life

Friday February 6, 2026 5:14 am PST by
The iPhone 18 Pro Max will feature a bigger battery for continued best-in-class battery life, according to a known Weibo leaker. Citing supply chain information, the Weibo user known as "Digital Chat Station" said that the iPhone 18 Pro Max will have a battery capacity of 5,100 to 5,200 mAh. Combined with the efficiency improvements of the A20 Pro chip, made with TSMC's 2nm process, the...

Top Rated Comments

itguy06 Avatar
145 months ago
I can't say that I'm surprised. traditional camera days are numbered. More people use their phones as their cameras.

Hardly. The optics still suck, lack of zoom (crop is not zoom) and high compression on phone cams will still limit their usefulness.

Yes, phones are great for quick snaps, and catching something on the run but for capturing family moments nothing beats a proper camera.
Score: 44 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Xenomorph Avatar
145 months ago
Are you kidding me?

MacRumors is linking to the same stupid site that was linked to on reddit yesterday.

The same site that lists the original iPad as a more popular camera than the iPhone 5S.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
maflynn Avatar
145 months ago
I can't say that I'm surprised. traditional camera days are numbered. More people use their phones as their cameras.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bbeagle Avatar
145 months ago
Hardly. The optics still suck, lack of zoom (crop is not zoom) and high compression on phone cams will still limit their usefulness.

Yes, phones are great for quick snaps, and catching something on the run but for capturing family moments nothing beats a proper camera.
For capturing family moments - nothing beats a proper camera?

For picture quality, yes. But everything else, no. You need to remember to bring your camera everywhere, and keep it ON your person. For most occasions, things happen spontaneously where you can't run back to the car/the house to grab your camera.

If you're PLANNING to take a picture, then yes, a regular camera is better.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rogifan Avatar
145 months ago
How many people use Flickr? I'm not surprised that sites like Flickr and Instagram have a high percentage of smartphone cameras. I don't think it means anything other than when you're posting to sites like that photo quality is not a top concern.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Archer1440 Avatar
145 months ago
The iPhone camera is like a pistol. You only carry a pistol because it is HANDY, not because it is the best solution (rifle or shotgun) to a social problem.

You still need a proper camera for longer-range issues.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)