Nikkei: “Panasonic, Nikon quit developing low-end compact digital cameras”

Nikkei reports:

  • Japanese camera manufacturers are bidding farewell to a once-major component of their operations, with Panasonic Holdings and Nikon suspending development of entry-level point-and-shoot cameras under their flagship brands.
    The companies will instead focus resources on pricier mirrorless models going forward, aiming to navigate a market upended by smartphones.
  • Fujifilm has discontinued production of its FinePix compact cameras and will develop only the X100V series and other pricier models.
  • Canon has not released any new Ixy cameras since 2017. But the company acknowledges that “entry-level models continue to enjoy persistent support, so we’ll continue development and production as long as there is demand.”
  • Sony Group has not offered any new compact models under its Cyber-shot brand since 2019, although a spokesperson said that “it’s not that we’ll stop developing new products.” Casio Computer halted production of Exilim cameras in 2018.

NIkkei analyzed the situation:

Camera makers had long competed with one another by increasing the number of pixels and by shrinking the size of their devices. But then smartphones came along, offering apps for editing pictures and allowing photos to be easily shared with family and friends. This changed the way people took photos.

Smartphone makers are racing to offer advanced photography features in their devices. “It’d be a challenge for camera makers to be successful with keeping their compact digital camera businesses,” said analyst Ichiro Michikoshi of research firm BCN.

Compact digital models accounted for 36% of global digital camera shipments in 2021, according to CIPA. The broader camera market will likely shrink even faster with Japanese companies, many of them big players, scaling back operations in compact digital models.

The bright spot is the mirrorless segment, with global shipments jumping 31% on the year to 324.5 billion yen in 2021. Mirrorless single-lens models offer fat margins, and users replacing lenses and other parts will keep contributing to the manufacturers’ bottom lines.

Retailers are focusing on this segment as well. “These days we recommend mirrorless cameras even to novice photographers,” said a salesperson at electronics and appliance retailer Joshin Denki.

Nikkei report: Panasonic quits low end camera business and release a camera jointly developed with Leica

The prestigious website Nikkei reports:

The company (Panasonic HD) said, “We have stopped developing new models that can be replaced by smartphones.” Production of existing products will continue for the time being, but in the future, the company plans to concentrate on developing high-end mirrorless machines aimed mainly at enthusiasts and professional filmmakers. We are planning to release a mirrorless machine jointly developed with Leica Camera, which we formed a comprehensive partnership with at the end of May, in about a year.

via Digicameinfo

LEAKED: Images of Sigma 20mm f/1.4 and 24mm f/1.4 DG DN Art

On Monday August 8th at 13:00 London time Sigma will announce these two new Full Frame lenses:

  • 20mm F1.4 DG DN Art
    ・Mount: L mount, Sony E mount
    ・Reservation start date: August 9, 2022 10:00
    ・Scheduled release date: August 26, 2022
    ・Suggested retail price: 152,900 yen (tax included) In Europe 999 Euro

  • 24mm F1.4 DG DN Art
    ・Mount: L mount, Sony E mount
    ・Reservation start date: August 9, 2022 10:00
    ・Scheduled release date: August 26, 2022
    ・Suggested retail price: 132,000 yen (tax included)

via Digicameinfo

Sigma teases the launch of new products on August 8th

Sigma will announce new lenses on August 8, 2022 at 13:00 London time. They will announce these two wide angle primes for E and L-mount:

  • 20mm F1.4 DG DN Art
    Lens configuration: 17 elements in 15 groups (2 SLD glasses, 3 aspherical lenses)
    Number of aperture blades: 11 (circular aperture)
    Minimum shooting distance: 0.23m
    Maximum shooting magnification: 1: 6.1
    Filter Diameter: 82mm
    Size: φ87.8 x 111.2mm (E-mount version 113.2mm)
    Weight: 635g (E-mount version 630g)
    AF assist function
    MFL switch (MF lock)
    rear filter holder
    lens heater retainer
    152,900 yen including tax
  • 24mm F1.4 DG DN Art
    Lens configuration: 17 elements in 14 groups (1 SLD glass, 2 FLD glasses, 4 aspherical lenses)
    Number of aperture blades: 11 (circular aperture)
    Minimum shooting distance: 0.25m
    Maximum shooting magnification : 1: 7.1
    Filter diameter:
    72mm Size: φ75.7 x 95.5mm (E-mount version 97.5mm)
    AF assist function
    MFL switch (MF lock)
    rear filter holder
    lens heater retainer
    Weight: 520g (E-mount version 510g)

Canon believes “the camera market has generally bottomed out”

During their Q2 financial report Canon stated:

We believe that the camera market has generally bottomed out at its current size. In the future, the world of professionals and advanced amateurs will expand further, and we believe that the products will evolve to a higher level, and we will continue to grow as a whole. We will continue to provide single-lens reflex cameras as long as there is demand.

via DCLife