My brand, Olympus, just transferred the Imaging division to JIP. Pentax, a once proud ikon, is relegated to a subsidiary of Ricoh. Canon lost 40% of sales volume in the last couple of years.
It's a shame but it's a self inflicted wound.
With cell phones taking away the high volume point n shoot market that provided cash flow for the flag ship equipment, manufacturers had to make up the profit on the much smaller Pro and Enthusiast market. Product got more expensive and competition for market share drove ever increasing new model releases. Fewer people could afford to make the transition from casual to serious image making or see the need to do so.
While cell phones were actually creating new photographers by offering ease of use, simple graphic user interface and the ability to instantly share photos via social media cameras were becoming more complex, larger, less user friendly and obsolete within a year of introduction. Instead of embracing the cell technology and interface they effectively ran away from it.
IMO the camera makers need to re-think the whole cell phone thing. Find ways to incorporate the most attractive attributes of cell operation into a 'transition' product. Olympus came close with the Air AO1 that was little more than a sensor, card and lens mount. It was designed as a drone product without the bulk and weight of a camera. Interface was via Bluetooth to a smart phone BUT the phone was no more than a viewfinder and shutter release; no internet connection or social media content.
The Alice phone ( https://alice.camera/ ) in development now comes quite close to a true transition product. It will appeal to smart phone photographers who want to produce better and more specialized images. Once you own the lens mount you own the customer!
Conversely, if the smart phone industry wanted to put the final nail in the camera industry, produce a cellphone with a precision lens mount (possibly on a second camera) and contract with Sigma to make a few interchangeable lenses. Imagine a smart phone with the capability of shooting everything from ultra close macro to sports, wildlife or astro photography. Those lenses would be tiny! Maybe 2 inches long and 1/2 inch in diameter for a super tele! An entire system in a fanny pack AND it makes phone calls too!
= new reply since forum marked as read
