Camera sales – which include interchangeable-lens models, compacts and lens-style cameras – dropped by 5.5 million units (32.3%), to 11.5m, on a year earlier.

Sony blamed the decline on a ‘significant’ decrease in unit sales of compact cameras and video cameras.

Demand is set to fall further in the next year, with unit sales expected to decrease to 8m.

Overall sales revenue at Sony’s Imaging Products & Solutions division was 741.2 billion yen (£4.34 billion), according to business results released today.