Flickr’s Digital Camera of Choice? iPhone.

Apple’s iPhone is fast becoming the go-to camera not just for smartphone users, but for the point-and-shoot crowd, too.

According to the latest usage data from Flickr, the iPhone 4 is the most popular camera on the photo-sharing service, surpassing not just the Canon EOS 5D Mark II, but the Nikon D90, Canon EOS Rebel T2i, and Canon EOS 7D, as well. No small achievement, considering Flickr’s 51 million registered users and the reputations of the competition. Which is not say that the iPhone matches any of those cameras in photo quality, just that it’s the tool of choice on the top photo-sharing site on the Web.

And that’s among both cameras and phones. The four most popular camera phones on Flickr currently? The iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 3G and the iPhone 3GS — in that order.

“We believe that the iPhone is actually becoming the digital camera of choice for consumers and enthusiasts in developed markets given its ease of use and ability to quickly get photos online,” says Barclays analyst Ben Reitzes. “This usability helps warrant a premium for the product and creates stickiness with software that connects consumers with other Apple products. The iPhone 4 is very popular on Flickr, and the iPhone 4S is gaining more steam given its popularity and camera improvements.”

Now, to reiterate, these stats are not a measure of digital camera use, but a measure of digital camera use on Flickr, which is not representative of the consumer photography market. That said, the numbers do speak to the iPhone’s ascendance among hobbyist photographers, and further reinforce a familiar idea: In the end, the best camera is the one you have with you.

(Image courtesy of Factron)