It's taken digital cameras nearly a decade to put a substantial dent in the sales of traditional film cameras, but the trends are irreversible. Sales of digital cameras are exploding while those of film cameras are inexorably trending downward. Now the recent release of megapixel camera-phones by all three Japanese wireless carriers raises the question: Are camera-phones getting good enough to take significant market share from digital cameras?

The fact is, digital camera manufacturers - while currently riding high - are already beginning to feel the impact in Japan, where there are 25 million camera-phones in use. They will feel it worldwide in 2004 and beyond. Camera-phones are also beginning to impact the sales of single-use cameras, a "sit up and take notice" development for film manufacturers.

There is no doubt that camera-phones will impact the sales of all other cameras. In order to answer the important questions - "How significant will that impact be, and how soon will it be felt?" - this report provides a feature-by-feature comparison of camera-phones and "pure play" digital cameras - particularly compact point-and-shoot models - as imaging devices. The study assesses the advantages and disadvantages of each device in more than 30 separate categories, for both current models and what's just around the corner, and provides weighted scores for each.

The categories examined include: Resolution, Sensors, Optical Zoom, Versatility, Manufacturer's Reputation, Manual Controls, Internal Memory, Removable Storage, Display, File Formats, Shooting Modes, Video/Movie, Macro, Panoramic/stitching, "Motor Drive," Self-timer, Special Modes, Exposure Compensation, Special Effects, Best Shot, Audio Recording/Annotation, Flash, Connectivity, Focusing, Metering, Camera Size & Weight, Ergonomics, Interface, Price/Costs, Versatility, Market Scale, Ubiquity, and Communications.