Leica looks at the bright side of life: Camera sales are stronger than back in the film era :)

Mizuwari interviewed Stefan Daniel from Leica. There is a lot of talk about the M-series but there are also some interesting statements about the status of the market:

“If we look at the market in the long term, the number of devices sold today is higher than the best times for film.”

we are seeing growth, and even, very strong growth in 24 x 36 mm hybrid, and a decline in SLR cameras.

Even if the 24 x 36 mm is the fastest growing segment, I’m not sure it will sign the death of smaller formats such as APS-C and Micro 4/3. Because a 24 x 36 mm autofocus camera, be it SLR or hybrid, will necessarily be larger in terms of optics than a device using a smaller sensor.

Interesting he also talked about some people’s fear that Panasonic would abandon Micro Four Thirds:

I can not speak for Panasonic, of course. I do not know their plans either. But I can tell you that at the level of use, formats smaller than the 24 x 36 mm still have good days in front of them, with very strong assets in terms of size. This is why we also offer CL and TL in APS-C …

Always look at the bright side of live :)