PierreD

I don't see the problem... This is a very competitive market and the decrease in Canon's sales likely reflects the fact that customers are moving to cheaper/better performing, etc. [insert your preferred adjective here] products. This is what it's all about and if so, at the big picture level, Canon's loss translates into customers' gains and all is well in the world of photography.

kenArchi Loc: Seal Beach, CA

I was the 'Uncle' who brought the camera gear to all the family events and took all the pictures and sent everyone the 4x6 prints.
Now every family member uses their cellphones and gets the pics they want now and immediately send their friends, etc. and my camera sits at home.

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

Actually I’m guessing he misspoke when he said plural. He probably meant the possessive “its”, which many people automatically add the apostrophe for possessive as when using a regular or proper noun. “Jack’s wife is ugly”, “the truck’s tire is flat”. The same thing happens with using “who’s” when they mean “whose”. Although there the plural could come into play, “Horton heard a bunch of Whos”

Harry13

"The article also talks about how automation has decreased the costs and need for labor in many factories all over the world. As a recently retired Manufacturing Engineer, I can attest to that. Over my 30+ year career I saw our plant decrease its work force be machines produce?y almost 75% with automation. Output, quality and reliability went up and labor costs went down. Many articles have been written about the fact that it is automation that eliminates jobs NOT immigration and cheap labor."

I agree with you, it's automation, not foreign/cheap labor. Perhaps you could enlighten me though, do you know what kind of wall Trump is going to build to protect us against THAT?. And when all these jobs are finally eliminated, who's gonna buy what these infernal machines produce? Ah well, I'm 88 so it's really not my problem! I note that you're retired so it's probably not yours either. <smile>

Rational1

Thanks for a bit of reason, LFingar. This announcement is like Costco saying there has been a sixty percent (60%) decrease in the sales of rotisserie chickens... not a reason for us to think Costco is now going to close it's doors due to this tremendous drop in retisserie chicken sales ;-)

MoT Loc: Barrington, IL

Photography started to become a "thing to do" back in the 1960's and 1970'S as the SLR and interchangeable lenses started to become available. There was even a motion picture "Blowup" that was produced that increased the interest in photography. Street photography gave way to photography as art and film became better as did methods to produce large prints. Then came the next generation who had access to inexpensive cameras and Polaroid cameras and film had a chunk of the market. Then the Pixel was developed as the understanding of light and images where developed along with greater computer design capabilities. The digital camera was born. At first it could not compete against film but in time technology allowed the development of sensors, cameras and lenses that could not only compete with film but allowed every photographer ( pro and amateur ) to develop their RAW image on a computer. Soon the cameras became visual computers to attain and alter an image. This was especially true in the refinement of the smart phone where chip sets of 64 MP have been developed along with AI to produce images that are beyond anything we could imagine back in the film, SLR days. To this end I am sure imagining or photography ( if that definition still applies ) will find a new method. There may be a movement back to the film days that will be short lived ( where is Kodachrome? ) but newer methods may evolve like a pair of glasses that can capture an image and send to to your computer for AI processing. All that said, the artist that wants to engage in photography, will drive ways to take pictures that can be expressed through the artists eyes. However these will not be the majority of people who want an instant image which Polaroid exploited but did not have the technology to also produce a digital image concurrently. Any way I will always feel saddened the day that Kodachrome died but have adopted to digital and look forward to the next technology before my my time comes. I still digitize some of my old Kodachrome slides as those where some of the best years of my photography life. All that said I am sure Photography and video will endure and continue to attractive people into the practice.

MoT Loc: Barrington, IL

last sentence should be ....continue to attract people..... ( damn spell checker)

Lcfitt Loc: Cameron Park, CA

I find this interesting for many reasons. First, I should say that I don't consider myself an accomplished photographer, but rather, I use the means to capture events and memories for future viewing. The attached photo is of a 1923 Marmon Four Passenger Coupe often referred to as a Dr.'s Coupe. I spent ten years restoring this automobile and had spoken to the original owner. The reason I mention it is because this 1923 automobile was very advanced for its day. It was one of the first automobiles to use a pressurized oil system versus the splash system most common then. It also had an aluminum crank case and cylinders as the engine was a derivative of the Liberty Engines used in many of the WWI military aircraft. But the thing that caught my eye and that I think of most often is the steel disk wheels - yes in 1923. Wood spoke wheels were common then and up into the early 1930s. The wire spoke wheels became the first competitor, but steel, and the cast aluminum wheels became the norm much later. Back to the wood spoke wheels. These were built by wheelwrights: These craftsmen had been a staple in the skilled trades for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Then in a period of about twenty years, or so, this meticulous craft became an archaic memory. Every time I read or hear of of the changes in our technology that impact a product or industry, I can't help thinking of the Wooden Spoke Wheel and the thousands of craftsmen whose occupations so quickly vanished.

(Download)

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

It was the Canon AE-1 that got people into SLRs. Prior to that they generally were perceived as complex and difficult to use.
Canon changed that completely thorough brilliant advertising and a great small and light easy to use SLR with easy to use and change lenses.

dwmoar Loc: Oregon, Willamette Valley

Now that is one sweet looking ride.... Good job on the restore

kenArchi Loc: Seal Beach, CA

I remember some items that wher short lived.
The Pony Express
The Radio
Eight Track, Cassetts, floppy disks, VHS Tapes, CD's

DaveyDitzer Loc: Western PA

As a non professional, I have to add that if I bought no more equipment and could get repairs on what I have, then market shrinkage would have no impact on my photography for the foreseeable future, which at my age is limited.

RodM Loc: SE Virginia

I love my iPhone, but will continue to use my Canon's for producing images for framing.

RPaul3rd Loc: Arlington VA and Sarasota FL

Just my opinion. I have used Canon PS cameras for years but about 10 years ago switched from Nikon DSLRs to Canon's DSLRs, both APSc and Full Frame. With the improvements in the IPhone 8 (and Samsung phones) I stopped carrying the PS cameras around as emergency backups because of the Apple optics, so I've got a drawer full of PS cameras gathering dust. Why carry a PS camera around when your phone will do the same thing. If I were Canon I would concentrate on the interchangeable lens, and bridge cameras, and dump the PS lines. When Canon estimates it will sell only 6 million cameras by the end of 2020, down from 10 million now, I wonder how much of that decrease will be the PS varieties. Canon, and I think Nikon, are discovering that you can't be all things to consumers who just want to take a decent photo.

anotherview Loc: California

Even so, I expect my DSLRs to continue working for some time into the future.