kemo Loc: Tampa, FL

Thought this might be interesting to talk about. It's from "What Digital Camera" online

" Analyst says only Canon, Nikon and Sony will survive onset of smartphones"
Thu, 2 Jan 2014 Jon Stapley

A recent report from Reuters claims that the middle tier is falling out of the camera market, with mirrorless models being squeezed out in favour of SLRs and smartphones
The report says that Panasonic, Olympus and Fujifilm are all losing money in their camera divisions, following the decline in sales of mirrorless and compact cameras.
'If you look mid-to-long term, digital camera makers are slipping and the market is becoming an oligopoly,' Credit Suisse imaging analyst Yu Yoshida told Reuters. 'Only those who have a strong brand and are competitive on price will last - and only Canon, Nikon and Sony fulfil that criteria.'
Panasonic was particularly hard-hit, experiencing a 40% drop in overall camera sales between April and September. Given this revelation, it's hardly surprising that reports indicate the firm will be cutting back on the number of Lumix models it releases in 2014.
Mirrorless cameras have only really caught on in Japan: there they accounted for 36% of interchangeable lens camera shipments in 2013, while in the US and Europe they made up a rather less substantial 10.5% and 11% respectively.

In December, mirrorless camera sales reportedly fell by a fifth while SLR sales were up by 1%. The SLR market is, of course, utterly dominated by Nikon and Canon, with Sony a distant third.

The report says that the only products to come close to bridging the gap between smartphones and cameras are Sony's QX lens-style cameras, which have been a surprise hit.


Photographers are reportedly using the QX cameras in unexpected and inventive ways, such as taking creative self-portraits by putting the cameras at a distance then using a smartphone to release the shutter.

Via Chicago Tribune/Reuters

Read more at http://www.whatdigitalcamera.com/news/541819/analyst-says-only-canon-nikon-and-sony-will-survive-onset-of-smartphones.html?utm_campaign=WDC_Newsletter_070114&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua#y3oyDp6Ehzm0eVuT.99

CHOLLY Loc: THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE!

Chicken Little? ;)

Penny MG Loc: Fresno, Texas

This may be true, but after seeing all the people in the camera store that I frequent before and after the holidays (all year long, actually) it would be tough to convince me. But, it is one of the best companies for cameras/gear in Houston, so it may be due to this that it is always so busy. Interesting article. I'll have to check on this again about 1/2 through the year and see if there are any updates to this article. Thanks for sharing. Like your Avatar!! :thumbup:

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

This guy?
http://jonstapley.wordpress.com/
https://twitter.com/jonstapley

Yeah, not putting to much credit into him.

Besides someone already posted this...It's been beat to death.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

THE SKY IS FALLING!!!

Really, and since we are all Gauls we we all wave dirty white flags at the first sound of panic created by yet another idiot blogging an opinion.

This is not an answer about you but about the writer.

That you even pay attention makes me doubtful about your choice of reading material.

The end of photography was announced when Kodak made the first popular camera. Since every few years another moron comes and screams "The sky is falling" all over again because something new comes out.

This observation is valid for all [progress] that surrounds us.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Sony stopped making televisions because they couldn't make a profit with them. That should tell you something. Remember Wordstar and Lotus 1-2-3? Look at all the makes and models of cars that have failed over the years. "Too big to fail" is non-sense.

It doesn't matter how good a particular camera is. It can still fail to sell in large enough numbers to make a profit for the company. Businesses aren't run by sentimentalists. Profit is king. Cell phone cameras can produce excellent results for those who rely on them. They are doing serious damage to the sales of P&S cameras and MP3 players.

I would not want to be starting a new digital camera company right now.

magic823 Loc: Boise, ID

This is all from an analyst for Credit Suisse.

A possibility for Olympus is that it will be absorbed into Sony since Sony is the largest stock holder in them. The issue for Nikon is they rely on DSLR sales more than any other company and don't produce their own sensors. I see them having issues within about 5 years unless the market changes for them. Sony advantage is they are the largest sensor maker and are being very innovative, Canon not so innovative lately.

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

Olympus Medical, which is a huge industry leader in medical imaging, needs Olympus optics. They are not going anywhere anytime soon.

magic823 Loc: Boise, ID

That's why I said absorbed. The reason Sony invested with Oly was for the medical business. That said, what we may see is them combine their camera divisions, whither they name it Sony or Olympus who knows. As a Sony user I'm looking forward to the fact that the Oly lens designers are working on some Sony glass and the Oly stabilization will be in the next Sony Alphas.

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

Absorbed, doubtful...The format was the most popular in Japan (in 2013, 43%)
http://www.43rumors.com/japan-these-are-the-most-sold-cameras-in-2013/

as to getting Olympus's 5-axis incorporated into the Alphas...you bet that'd be an awesome deal for sony...and a Zuiko/Ziess lens...ohhhh, that think would be so sharp it cut your eye.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

Love the 'discussion' on Japanese companies

You folks should learn a bit about Japanese way of doing business. Unlike the US where a company absorbs another to reject it a few months/years later after gutting it the Japanese are in for the long haul and changing/merging brands or anything like goes against their philosophy.

I have stock in Olympus, purchased it when the financial scandal was revealed to the public. Unlike most fools that bailed out I invested because Olympus is not going away nor will Sony. Proof? My stock is now worth three times what I purchased it for.

As to stock changing hands? When they hit 10 k per day, this is the end of the world! So, no. No merging, no sell out. Just plain support for each other, a strange concept for us Americans, even stranger considering that their CEOs are not paid an insane amount of money (despite abysmal results like in the US)...

Shutterbugsailer Loc: Staten Island NY (AKA Cincinnati by the Sea)

When a manufacturer of a certain product goes out of business, many factors come into play. As a sailing enthusiast for nearly 50 years, I have seen the rise and fall of numerous boatbuilders. back in the early 60s fiberglass boatbuilding was a relatively new technology and the results were "hit or miss" Some companies got it wrong and their boats lasted about as long as your average celebrity marriage. Needless to say, those companies folded. On the other hand, getting it too "right" could also be problematic. Some boatbuilders made their products so well that they could last a lifetime, resulting in a constant supply of good used vessels. While motorboaters with deep pockets might still opt for a new boat with the latest styling, shiny new machinery, and no dings in the hull, sailers, being more traditionalistic and often more budget conscious, often preferred a sound older vessel at a much reduced price, hence a saying in the boating industry that sailboats are a product that will someday kill off its parents. Another case in point were Catamarans. During the early 70s, Hobie Alter, designed a type of catamaran that didnt need protruding centerboards, had tilt up rudders, and could be sailed up onto the beach. It was an instant success, and some of those early models are still being produced today. These designs had two major flaws; in a heavy wind, they tended to "Pitchpole" (flipping forward, head over heels in a violent manner) The superstructure holding the two hulls together also got rickety after a few years. Around 35 years ago, A designer, Geoffrey Prindle designed similar catamarans that corrected these major flaws. his company Prindle Catamarans didn't last. In the minds of catamaran sailers, getting a catamaran meant getting a Hobie Cat; much in the same way as buying an SLR means Canon or Nikon. Even sailers aware of Prindle's superior design still bought Hobies for fear of being unable to get replacement rudders and other parts, unique to Prindle catamarans. So what does this mean for Olympus, Panasonic, Pentax, et al? If customers fear that theses companies will fold or stop making cameras, they won't be able to get lenses, batteries, and other essentials for them, and therefore, would buy and Canikon, instead. This is in fact, a self-fulfillling prophesy. Were I in charge of Marketing and/or R&D of any of these endangered manufacturers, I would insist on models that use generic AA batteries. At least the buyer would be able to keep shooting after Olympus shuts down, and its a great option for any travel camera

James Shaw

Oh gee, and I just bought a new camera!
- Jim

G Brown Loc: Sunny Bognor Regis West Sussex UK

Hey folks, we are in a recession. Oddly enough most electrical goods are down in sales too. From lap tops to TV's people are no longer buying the latest model just because of the hype.

Sure there are people out there buying - currently our January Sales are making the Xmas figures look a little better. But its people buying for the first time rather than upgrading. The fundamentals will always be bought - Even fashionable things like itoys, but certainly not in the numbers that we enjoyed 5 years ago. Look at the end of year figures - not the seasonal high points that politicians quote.

The European market, bar Germany & the Swiss is bankrupt: they just haven't got round to admitting it yet. 85% of working people in the UK work for a department of the Government, god knows what our deficit is now... Much of the US population would say the same about your economy.

Buy what you will, whilst you can: You have always been told to beware! now is no different to the Roman times. We just aren't used to first world countries going bankrupt whilst politicians fiddled.

K_Duncan Loc: Whiteville, NC

:thumbup: