cannedpineapples
New Member
On Clubsnap, we are 'blessed'- we can think only about the technology and the functionality/ looks/ whatever other criteria of the product itself to try and guess who will dominate.
Unfortunately, in business it's not so simple.
For example, say Olympus and Panasonic start attacking Sony in their marketing. To play into perceptions that Sony is a company that likes to use proprietary technology (eg. the ill-fated Memory Stick), they talk about how no other company produces NEX lenses, while they have each other, Voigtlander, Samyang... Their tagline: "M4/3 brings you a universe of possibilities". They then show you all the native lenses (I'll assume they'll also include all the 4/3 lenses).
So say this is happening, and this works. Sony now faces a choice. Do they defend the NEX, saying it's the latest and greatest thing they have? For instance, they can counter with lenses in the NEX stable, including all the A mount lenses with a new adapter. But this will have consequences for consumer perception of their Axx bodies. Those in the know will still understand the difference, but the public probably wouldn't. So what will Sony do?
On the other hand, say Oly/ Panasonic attack Nikon. They simply run ads showing the difference in sensor size between Nikon's mirrorless and Nikon's own bigger camera. Then they show their own 4/3 vs m4/3: same sensor size. "Do you want to settle for any less?" What will Nikon do? Go on the offensive, but at the risk of killing its own DSLR?
These are just advertising problems. There are also others, like distribution. Olympus and Panasonic have been out of the game for so long, they face real barriers trying to reach out to Canon, Nikon, or even Sony's distributors. Retail is moving online as we speak, but I suspect for higher end (and more fragile) items like cameras, online retail is still not so popular, because people rather go to shops. Now, when they go to the shop, even if the shop carries Olympus (it may not), does the salesperson want to or know how to sell Olympus? Perhaps not. The most important market ($$ wise) is obviously the US, since trends in Japan seldom translate to the rest of the world. No matter how successful Olympus may be here, if it doesn't crack the distribution game in the US, then they're in trouble.
On the other hand, having more mirrorless cameras can only be good for the development of the product line as a whole. Since Olympus and Panasonic have thrown everything + the kitchen sink into their M4/3 cameras, it might be that they'll come out with guns blazing and throw every last marketing muscle and production capacity at it, hoping to conquer the market.
But it may not be enough. I suspect the two companies don't have their marketing and production isn't so up to scratch, which may be why you've seen the same sensor being used for three generations of cameras now. It's not rocket science improving on a sensor, especially not for a company with a long history in photography like Olympus. They've certainly innovated on the lenses front (45/1.8 and 12/2 seem like real keepers), but considering it's all their doing now, why couldn't they have also improved the core sensor behind their Pen cameras? Sony has the Axx to worry about; Nikon now has even more lines than any other camera. Panasonic continues to improve its sensor independently. So what was Olympus busy with?
I'll be watching to see how Olympus and Panasonic respond, now that one of the big boys have officially played their hand. Can they move fast enough in the innovation department? Or will they just be overrun very quickly? Interesting times ahead.
Unfortunately, in business it's not so simple.
For example, say Olympus and Panasonic start attacking Sony in their marketing. To play into perceptions that Sony is a company that likes to use proprietary technology (eg. the ill-fated Memory Stick), they talk about how no other company produces NEX lenses, while they have each other, Voigtlander, Samyang... Their tagline: "M4/3 brings you a universe of possibilities". They then show you all the native lenses (I'll assume they'll also include all the 4/3 lenses).
So say this is happening, and this works. Sony now faces a choice. Do they defend the NEX, saying it's the latest and greatest thing they have? For instance, they can counter with lenses in the NEX stable, including all the A mount lenses with a new adapter. But this will have consequences for consumer perception of their Axx bodies. Those in the know will still understand the difference, but the public probably wouldn't. So what will Sony do?
On the other hand, say Oly/ Panasonic attack Nikon. They simply run ads showing the difference in sensor size between Nikon's mirrorless and Nikon's own bigger camera. Then they show their own 4/3 vs m4/3: same sensor size. "Do you want to settle for any less?" What will Nikon do? Go on the offensive, but at the risk of killing its own DSLR?
These are just advertising problems. There are also others, like distribution. Olympus and Panasonic have been out of the game for so long, they face real barriers trying to reach out to Canon, Nikon, or even Sony's distributors. Retail is moving online as we speak, but I suspect for higher end (and more fragile) items like cameras, online retail is still not so popular, because people rather go to shops. Now, when they go to the shop, even if the shop carries Olympus (it may not), does the salesperson want to or know how to sell Olympus? Perhaps not. The most important market ($$ wise) is obviously the US, since trends in Japan seldom translate to the rest of the world. No matter how successful Olympus may be here, if it doesn't crack the distribution game in the US, then they're in trouble.
On the other hand, having more mirrorless cameras can only be good for the development of the product line as a whole. Since Olympus and Panasonic have thrown everything + the kitchen sink into their M4/3 cameras, it might be that they'll come out with guns blazing and throw every last marketing muscle and production capacity at it, hoping to conquer the market.
But it may not be enough. I suspect the two companies don't have their marketing and production isn't so up to scratch, which may be why you've seen the same sensor being used for three generations of cameras now. It's not rocket science improving on a sensor, especially not for a company with a long history in photography like Olympus. They've certainly innovated on the lenses front (45/1.8 and 12/2 seem like real keepers), but considering it's all their doing now, why couldn't they have also improved the core sensor behind their Pen cameras? Sony has the Axx to worry about; Nikon now has even more lines than any other camera. Panasonic continues to improve its sensor independently. So what was Olympus busy with?
I'll be watching to see how Olympus and Panasonic respond, now that one of the big boys have officially played their hand. Can they move fast enough in the innovation department? Or will they just be overrun very quickly? Interesting times ahead.
