boBQuincy
<font color=green>I am not carrying three pods<br>
- Joined
- Nov 26, 2002
- Messages
- 5,086
Not my thoughts, those of Michael Reichmann/Luminous Landscape (although mine are similar). Here are some snippets from a very interesting article, mostly on Sony's NEX-7 but ending with some thoughts about CSCs in general:
Ignoring the Memo
Something needs to be said about the competitive environment and how other companies are and will be responding to the CSC challenge. Panasonic, Olympus, Nikon, Ricoh, Pentax and Samsung have all identified the potential that exists in re-inventing the interchangeable lens camera. (Fujifilm is also reported to have something coming soon). Remove the bulky and expensive mirror and prism assembly, develop a new lens mount that allows for smaller and lighter lenses, and innovate in terms of features and interface. That's the formula.
Most interestingly, how companies are dealing with this challenge is indicative of how much each has to lose in defending its current market turf. Panasonic and Sony are relative newcomers to the prosumer / pro marketplace and so have little to lose. The philosophy seems to be, if someone is going to eat our lunch, it may as well be ourselves.
Nikon's offering makes some sort of sense, because as a market leader in DSLRs they have turf to protect. But their decision to go with a quite small sensor does limit the "1" series' appeal for more advanced users. Nikon thus protects its high margin DSLR line but disappoints enthusiasts.
Pentax has carried Nikon's approach to an extreme with its "Q" series of CSC. With a sensor just 1/13th the size of APS-C, depth of field is extremely deep, with the only advantage being that "Q" mount lenses can be made very small indeed. The "Q" is more of a novety item than a serious tool.
Olympus' very future is in doubt, and Ricoh and Samsung are marginal players at best in this segment. That leaves Panasonic and Sony as major competitors in the CSC segment. Both companies are powerhouses in consumer electronics, and that is indeed what the camera industry has become.
Canon has apparently not yet received the memo. Or, if they have, they have chosen thus far to ignore it. As a market leader in DSLRs they clearly have turf to protect. But as all of the other companies scramble for position in the new CSC marketplace it is highly unlikely that (Canon) will sit on their hands for too much longer.
A great many (photographers I know) are now saying that they've bought a Panasonic, Olympus or Sony Compact System Camera. I even know some serious photographers who are selling their DSLRs, and who are looking at advanced CSCs like the Panasonic GH2 and Sony NEX-7.
Are we at the beginning of a new revolution? The entire world of photographic technology has been in a state of revolution for the past decade. The emergence of the CLC is simply another step in this evolutionary process.
Ignoring the Memo
Something needs to be said about the competitive environment and how other companies are and will be responding to the CSC challenge. Panasonic, Olympus, Nikon, Ricoh, Pentax and Samsung have all identified the potential that exists in re-inventing the interchangeable lens camera. (Fujifilm is also reported to have something coming soon). Remove the bulky and expensive mirror and prism assembly, develop a new lens mount that allows for smaller and lighter lenses, and innovate in terms of features and interface. That's the formula.
Most interestingly, how companies are dealing with this challenge is indicative of how much each has to lose in defending its current market turf. Panasonic and Sony are relative newcomers to the prosumer / pro marketplace and so have little to lose. The philosophy seems to be, if someone is going to eat our lunch, it may as well be ourselves.
Nikon's offering makes some sort of sense, because as a market leader in DSLRs they have turf to protect. But their decision to go with a quite small sensor does limit the "1" series' appeal for more advanced users. Nikon thus protects its high margin DSLR line but disappoints enthusiasts.
Pentax has carried Nikon's approach to an extreme with its "Q" series of CSC. With a sensor just 1/13th the size of APS-C, depth of field is extremely deep, with the only advantage being that "Q" mount lenses can be made very small indeed. The "Q" is more of a novety item than a serious tool.
Olympus' very future is in doubt, and Ricoh and Samsung are marginal players at best in this segment. That leaves Panasonic and Sony as major competitors in the CSC segment. Both companies are powerhouses in consumer electronics, and that is indeed what the camera industry has become.
Canon has apparently not yet received the memo. Or, if they have, they have chosen thus far to ignore it. As a market leader in DSLRs they clearly have turf to protect. But as all of the other companies scramble for position in the new CSC marketplace it is highly unlikely that (Canon) will sit on their hands for too much longer.
A great many (photographers I know) are now saying that they've bought a Panasonic, Olympus or Sony Compact System Camera. I even know some serious photographers who are selling their DSLRs, and who are looking at advanced CSCs like the Panasonic GH2 and Sony NEX-7.
Are we at the beginning of a new revolution? The entire world of photographic technology has been in a state of revolution for the past decade. The emergence of the CLC is simply another step in this evolutionary process.
