The mirrorless camera has taken the market by storm. Just half a year ago, I recapped Black Friday 2018 predicting marked shift towards the mirrorless form factor. Now, halfway through 2019 we see the realization of that trend. Canon and Nikon both successfully introduced full-frame mirrorless cameras (Canon’s EOS R & RP and Nikon’s Z6 & Z7 cameras). Other manufacturers have fully embraced full-frame mirrorless and are accepting it as a standard to build upon. However, joining the mirrorless standard was never the end goal for these companies; we can be sure there is much more to come in the future. But what comes next?
Everyone’s Stepping Up to the Plate
In the last month, Sony released two monster lenses for their full-frame mounts and firmware update for the a6400 that includes Animal Eye AF. Panasonic wowed the world with its premium award-winning full-frame mirrorless Lumix S1R and plans to launch an even more premium full-frame mirrorless. When it comes to the veterans, Canon and Nikon have had to come to major decision points even before entering. Formerly, these two cameras behemoths were heavily invested in DSLRs; entering the full-frame mirrorless market would inevitably mean cannibalizing DSLR sales in order to stay relevant. That says a lot since Canon and Nikon were always the kings of DSLRs. But that’s not all. These heavy hitters are still proving their worth by releasing more lenses and more upgrades to show the world that the cameras industry still has life. It’s pretty clear that mirrorless is the foreseeable future and focus of the digital camera industry and market for now.
So Where Do We Go From Here?
With all the major players diving into the deep end, everyone has a different perspective on how to stay above the waters. Sony’s Kenji Tanaka is optimistic about this. “As more competitors jump into this market, I think that’s a very good thing, because customers have more choice. Our aim is to grow the industry,” says Tanaka, “[but] I want our technology to be the reason people are attracted to Sony.” Tanaka’s mention of the BlackMagic Pocket Cinema 4K Camera could hint not only to a future ASP-C style of 4K video mirrorless camera from Sony, but also to a growing standard amongst the industry.
Is Video the Future?
Video technology is not new. Cinema and film has been around for over a century and video in mirrorless cameras has been growing in popularity for a while. Canon is well known for their line of DSLR and mirrorless Video Creator Kits for their APS-C lineups. But as content creation becomes more and more widespread, the industry will need grow to meet those demands. 4K video has become standard in other markets, and camera manufacturers are adapting with more versatile and powerful 4K-capable video mirrorless cameras and equipment. Adjusting to these growing market trends, it only makes sense for camera manufacturers to also produce stronger and better 4K-video technology within future cameras.
Coming in to Focus
What does that mean for us at gap intelligence as the eyes and ears of the marketplace? Mirrorless 4K video is just one of many pivotal trends that have materialized in the evolution of the digital camera. And as these trends have been realized, we are here to equip our clients with the data solutions they need to succeed.
For more than 16 years, gap intelligence has served manufacturers and sellers by providing world-class services monitoring, reporting, and analyzing the 4Ps: prices, promotions, placements, and products. Email us at info@gapintelligence.com or call us at 619-574-1100 to learn more.
