The Battle Between Camera Brands is Once Again Focused on Lenses
-
Loading... - Adam Sowah
- 12 Sep 2022
- 68 Views
- 0 Like
- 0 Comment
The mark of a mature camera system is the breadth and depth of lenses that are available for it. The most recent news swirling around Canon, its RF mount, and third-party lens manufacturers demonstrates the principal battleground between competing mirrorless brands.
Camera sales are so much more than just cameras. One of the reasons for the success of the original Nikon F system was the immediate availability of a wide range of lenses which was fleshed out into one of the broadest systems around. This points to a key selling point for consumers: they want to see a wide range of accessories, and specifically lenses, available. This not only means that they can get the lens they want — be it a 50mm f/1.8 or a 58mm f/0.95 — but points to the potential success and longevity of a system, meaning their investment in a camera and its accompanying lenses is not short-lived.
However, if you turn this thinking on its head, it points to a key imperative for manufacturers. Lenses lock a photographer into a particular camera system, meaning that not only do you get repeat business, but profit margins can be high on what are increasingly big ticket items.
We can clearly see this market structure when we look at CIPA shipment data (see chart below) for interchangeable lens cameras (ILC) and lenses. What this shows is that ILC shipments peaked in 2012 by units and value. Read More...
