Camera filters

	Ardin offers a UV filter series with sizes ranging from 27mm to 127mm.

The industry is on a surge, thanks to growth in the imaging solutions business. Both original and custom designs are on offer.

Buyers can source all kinds of camera accessories in China. With the digital camera industry seeing solid growth, so too has the number of suppliers that have released camera batteries, chargers and other camera accessories into the market.

This upward trend spells a positive outlook for a sector that has continued to strategically reposition itself amid the digitalization of the camera.

Makers in China design models in-house but also accept customization orders based on original designs. Samples provided by buyers are also welcome.

Product prices, which have been increasing in recent years, are not expected to level off anytime this year. This is due in part to burgeoning production and material costs, and the appreciating yuan.

	Foshan Qili’s MT-851PB compact tripod is made of aluminum with oxidized coating. The telescopic stem has an adjustable angle and a working height of 100mm to 130mm.

Film and darkroom products have faded with the rapid digitalization of the camera industry. Makers have ventured into new lines to keep growing. Many now supply screen protectors, memory card cases, and chargers and batteries.

As the world’s biggest production base for camera accessories, China is abundant with manufacturers of tripods, bags, cleaning kits, filters and lenses as well.

Guangdong and Zhejiang provinces are the two biggest production hubs, hosting hundreds of suppliers of camera bags and related products. The two provinces have also established a lead in tripod, filter and lens making, having set up mature mold making, metal machining and plastic molding industries in the past two decades.

The coastal province of Fujian northeast of Guangdong is also a major production center for camera bags, cleaning kits and lenses.

Guangdong maker Ardin Corp. of Ningbo Hi-tech offers a UV filter series with sizes ranging from 27mm to 127mm. The filters come in silver or black ring frames. The company also manufactures color filters, gradual filters, infrared filters, CPL filters, ND filters and Wratten filters. Its products are packed in plastic boxes or nylon cases.

Over at bags specialist Yesun Bag Industrial Co. Ltd based in Zhejiang is the CMB-115 designed for SLR cameras. The bag has two inner mesh pockets for convenient storage of memory cards, USB cables, batteries or other small peripherals. The lining is 210D nylon and the cover material is made of neoprene. The CMB-115’s dimensions are 180x130x120mm.

The CME-102, also from Yesun, is a water- and shock-resistant camera bag specifically designed for Sony’s Cyber-shot DSC-W1 and DSC-V1. Made of PU fabric, the CME-102 has an inner pocket for backup batteries, a special metal hook that can be attached to a backpack and an adjustable shoulder strap. The model is available in blue or silver.

Guangdong Shantou Xiongye Industry Co. Ltd has released several camera bags as well. One of its offerings, the SM07040A, is made of nylon and comes in blue and black. The company welcomes custom orders featuring different materials, designs and packages that are preferred by customers.

In the tripod business, one of Foshan Qili Aluminum Products Fty’s recent camera accessory offerings is the MT-851PB. The tripod has a compact design for easy carrying. It is made of aluminum with oxidized coating. The telescopic stem has an adjustable angle and a working height of 100mm to 130mm. The MT-851PB weighs 88g.

Interviewed makers have their own teams handling in-house and buyer-specified designs. Most can produce prototypes or samples within a week.

Yesun employs nine engineers to develop its products, with emphasis on cosmetic design. This team can turn out one new design each week from which buyers can pick their favorites. The company can send a buyer’s chosen prototype in three days.

Yesun has been working as a bags and cases specialist since its establishment in 1998. Its major product lines are camera bags, laptop bags, cooler bags, and CD wallets and storage cases. The company has more than 250 workers and 20 QC staff at its 5,000sqm factory in Cixi, Zhejiang. The facility is certified under the ISO 9001:2000 standard. It can manufacture up to 1 million bags and cases a month.

For its clients, Yesun can handle all import and export logistics, including insurance, customs paperwork, export documents and quality inspection reports.

At Guangdong Shantou Xiongye, up to 20 designers are involved in in-house product development. The company uses Photoshop, CorelDRAW and 3ds Max design tools as aids to visualizing concept products. It can launch 30 new models every month. OEM samples are ready in seven working days.

Founded in 1995, Guangdong Shantou Xiongye began in the manufacture of CD storage products. Aside from camera bags, the company also provides laptop bags. The maker operates a 40,000sqm factory in Shantou, Guangdong, with more than 1,000 workers. It has a monthly production capacity of up to 1 million units of various products. Certified under the ISO 9001:2000 standard, the company takes its QC processes seriously with 40 technicians on call.

Foshan Qili has four engineers in its product development team. The 20-year-old maker’s major products are camera tripods and lens accessories, as well as other aluminum products such as door handles and keychains. Among its major buyers are apparel company American Accessories International in the United States and Cesana of Italy.

Foshan Qili has more than 1,000 items in its product catalog. To ensure quality, the company uses advanced equipment at its factory, including 20 sets of CNC machines and 12 sets of automatic lathes.

Ardin churns out bags, filters, lenses, tripods and cleaning kits for cameras but also makes accessories for other digital devices, including screen protectors and memory card cases.

China camera accessory makers have made overseas destinations as their key markets as they aim to utilize their mass production potential more effectively.

Yesun exports nearly 100 percent of its output overseas, including leading markets in North America, Europe and Australia. Ardin also earmarks all its products for export, the majority of which go to North America and Europe.

At Foshan Qili’s, more than half of products are sold abroad, with the United States, Italy and Japan listed as its major export markets. Meanwhile, Europe and US markets share 40 percent of Guangdong Shantou Xiongye’s total sales.

The digital camera industry’s growth will continue to drive accessory sales. Despite this, camera accessory prices are projected to climb an average of 10 percent in 2008. Several factors are putting pressure on price quotes: the rising yuan, an increase in cost of materials such as ABS and aluminum, and production cost increases associated with improvements to the labor law.