James Masi
New member
A questions to stimulate some discussion. On the small format DLSR market will we ever get an serious alternative at the high-end to Canon and Nikon? Or will we be stuck with this market duopoly for the forseeable future?
I'm not all that satisfied with Canon or Nikon. Nikon is not "full frame" (will they ever be?) as well as other issues, and Canon has lousy ergonomics and lenses that leave quite a bit to be desired (especially below 50mm). Clearly there is room in the market for at least a couple more manufacturers. I would certianly like to see a product offering in this market that I could get excited about. Leica is treading water, but will they ever be anything more than an esoteric, ultra-niche, ultra-expensive alternative? Sony, with KonicaMinolta, seems to be going for the low to middle part of the DSLR market as does Pentax/Samsung and Olympus. Are Sigma and Fuji done for good and/or insignificant anyway? Will Zeiss be able to bring back Contax with a new partner? They have the lenses, the brand image, quality and existing (if dwindling) user base to make a true viable alternative (a new, updated and revised Contax N Digital would really be a welcomed additon to the market), but does Zeiss or anyone else have the determination and committment to make it happen?
Will we ever get choice in the pro DLSR market? To me, having to choose between Canon and Nikon is really no choice at all.
I'm not all that satisfied with Canon or Nikon. Nikon is not "full frame" (will they ever be?) as well as other issues, and Canon has lousy ergonomics and lenses that leave quite a bit to be desired (especially below 50mm). Clearly there is room in the market for at least a couple more manufacturers. I would certianly like to see a product offering in this market that I could get excited about. Leica is treading water, but will they ever be anything more than an esoteric, ultra-niche, ultra-expensive alternative? Sony, with KonicaMinolta, seems to be going for the low to middle part of the DSLR market as does Pentax/Samsung and Olympus. Are Sigma and Fuji done for good and/or insignificant anyway? Will Zeiss be able to bring back Contax with a new partner? They have the lenses, the brand image, quality and existing (if dwindling) user base to make a true viable alternative (a new, updated and revised Contax N Digital would really be a welcomed additon to the market), but does Zeiss or anyone else have the determination and committment to make it happen?
Will we ever get choice in the pro DLSR market? To me, having to choose between Canon and Nikon is really no choice at all.