Sony looks to edge Nikon (at least in Korea)
Koreatimes writes that :”Sony is confident that the latest additions to its Alpha series of translucent mirror cameras will prove to be among the first of many intriguing products that could eventually shake the (Canon/Nikon) hierarchy.“
They interviewd Mr.Kimihiro Itoki, who heads Sony’s Korean business. He said that “Sony looks to edge Nikon for second-place in the interchangeable lens cameras market here, including both the DSLR and the new breed of high-quality shooters, by the end of next year, to gain on Canon. The latest Alpha models will help us claim and solidify the second-position in Korea’s interchangeable lens digital cameras market and narrow the gap with Canon.’’
Sony had about 20 percent of the Korean market in interchangeable lens cameras at the end of the third-quarter, due to the popularity of its Alpha Nex mirrorless models. Sony has established leadership in the emerging market for mirrorless cameras here with an estimated market share of 40 percent due to the popularity of the Alpha NEX. The goal is to achieve a 50 percent share, Itoki said.
Via Photorumors
David
3 years ago |zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…………….Sony….R.I.P.
Niels
3 years ago |Don’t they realise there are a lot people unsatisfied with Sony and their attitude on the professional market?
Joel
3 years ago |Hopefully. They probably also realize that many more DSLRs are sold <$1000 than above it. And there's nothing to compare to the A33/A55 body + lens systems anywhere near their price point.
When I was deciding what to buy, I did a feature analysis of similar cameras here:
http://www.kleppinger.com/2010/09/fall-2010-prosumer-video-dslr-roundup-part-2/
fido
3 years ago |i would be more surprised if sony would say that their goal would be to sell less camera´s..every company wants to become number one, whether you are sony, ford or a foodfactory..
Al
3 years ago |I hope Sony don’t overtake Canikon here in the UK anytime soon. I bought Sony as i like to root for the small guy & not conform with what someone else told me to do. If Sony become bigger than Cannon or Nikon then i will have to jump ship
acolyte
3 years ago |Ditto
Nice to hear someone with similar opinion 
###
3 years ago |So, when you choose a camera to buy, brand position on the market is much more important than camera itself?
Buying some camera just because it is not canon/nikon is same as buying some camera just because it canon/nikon. If you bought sony just because you wanted “not conform with what someone else told me to do”, your decision was still based only on “what someone else told me to do”.
Joel
3 years ago |I use whatever is the best value. Sometimes that comes from the 800-lb gorrila… often it does not. If Nikon sold the A55, even for a bit more, then I’d still be a Nikon shooter. If Canon, then that’s where I’d be.
damiga
3 years ago |Christ I’m getting tired of hearing how Sony is ignoring the professional market. The professional market at this point wants nothing to do with Sony. Even if they put out an amazing pro-level camera at an amazing price, how many true, established professionals with thousands of dollars invested in glass are going to jump ship to Sony. Not going to happen. Maybe they might be able to pull 2-5% away. Tops.
What I see Sony is focusing on is the potential future professionals. First time DSLR buyers who will buy some glass and then a new body and then better glass and then a better body. Sound business plan if you ask me. Focus on what’s going to make you money today. Build a solid foundation.
Canon is the past. Nikon is the present. Sony is the future.
pride
3 years ago |yup..really agree with you..sony is the future ! I can see their plan very well..get todays non-pros for tomorrow pros..
even me also starts with an entry level sony, n rite now upgrading to the higher level..can’t wait anymore for a700 replacement !!!
Joel
3 years ago |I wouldn’t be so quick to write off Canon or anoint Sony. Canon’s biggest problem is simply that they need to choose a direction. They are trying to do everything and not really being truly great at anything. They are also caught up in the megapixel marketing. But those things can change quickly.
Sony, on the other hand, is well positioned with the NEX. They certainly have a head start, but they also have to fix a lot of flaws and keep innovating. When Nikon (and probably Canon) enter the mirrorless market, they are going to try to make a splash. As for the SLT, that’s only going to be relevant until PD AF on the sensor is ready and then everyone will be on equal footing with AF.
Sony’s biggest problem is that they’ve always wanted to invent everything and push their own stuff, even when it is a competitive disadvantage. That opens the door for their competition. Right now, they aren’t doing it… but will they?
Has Sony learned? We’ll see.
Joel2
3 years ago |You’ve got it in one. Any plan that Sony have to re-enter the professional market will need to consist of a 5+ year strategy. Those moving from Nikon or Canon simply wont trust the brand until they’ve been shown that Sony are prepared to continually update their product lines rather than simply dropping them (see A700), and like the other Joel mentions, any home grown pro’s that started with Sony DSLRs are probably another 5 years away from buying something like the A9xx.
acolyte
3 years ago |Well that’s called moving the market, right?
That’s one benefit of being the small guy. You either run and fall, or run without care 
Canon technology and strength and commitment is to be praised, although I do feel too, Canon is more of the old age type. They are not moving forward, at least as fast as Nikon. Nikon may not move as fast as Sony, but Nikon to me is moving at a ‘just right’ pace. That said, I’m still with Al, we like the small guys 
Panfruit
3 years ago |Their 7D looks rather solid in most every way. Certainly a competent competitor to Nikon’s d300 or d700. Too bad Sony refuses to compete in that market. :/
Dulaney Ward
3 years ago |Hmmm—
I understand pulling for the underdog, and I also understand that Sony as the underdog in the dslr business is also an electronics giant–five times as big as Nikon, about the same size as Canon & Panasonic, but smaller than Samsung, when you count Samsung’s insurance & ship-building businesses. So Sony has the disadvantage in this business of being a giant underdog.
Still, they are the underdog, and we always want underdogs to win, don’t we? Certainly I never want my favorite underdogs to win, and I want Sony (the successor to perennial-underdog Minolta after all) to beat the pants off of both Canon & Nikon.
Realistically, I believe that David Kilpatrick is right is saying that Nikon is in trouble, up against not one but four giants of industry–Canon, Sony, Panasonic, & Samsung. (I think Pentax is likely to disappear, and that Olympus will hang on by a very tenuous thread for a while, thanks to Panasonic. Both Pentax & Olympus may survive mainly as lens manufacturers.)
Sony has already caught & passed Nikon in some countries; that trend will continue, inexorably. Sony may not want to become too dominant, however, for reasons expressed by some posters above–everyone wants to kill the 800-pound gorilla.
In the end, though, I think Sony’s primary rivals are likely to be Panasonic & Samsung.
calxn
3 years ago |Sorry, I fail to see where Panasonic and Samsung is going anywhere. Panasonic have fashion cameras not cameras that appeal to photographers. Samsung have cameras no one cares about.
I actually see Sony as a breath of fresh air for Nikon. As a user or former owner of nearly all those brands, except the forgettable Samsung, I have a pretty educated observation of all of them. Nikon is slow at releases, but their releases are generally very well thought out and solid. Canon is the fat and happy sloth of the group. Having had so much success, they’ve become lazy, and driven by marketing. Up till now, Nikon has been competing with the lazy Canon camp. Having an aggressive competitor in Sony that is throwing all kinds of darts in the dark, hoping one sticks, is helping Nikon wake up and compete again. I think we’re going to see a more aggressive Nikon again. The one thing that is in the favor of Canikon is that they actually do understand photographers. Those other guys are simply experimenting. No serious photographer is going to buy a Panasonic or Samsung. Even their specs and review results speaks for themselves. Of those experiments, Sony’s look the most aggressive and successful.
calxn
3 years ago |I will also add that if Canikon can enter the EVIL market within the next two years, it’ll be over for Samsung and Panasonic. Sony is the unsured one. They might be able to gain enough market share by then to hold on as a camera maker. It’s a marathon not a sprint. At the end of the race (over next 5 yrs), we’re going to see Canikon come in the first two spots. People would still rather buy them because of their perceived quality. Sony once owned the p&s market, only to get their butt whooped by late coming Canon. The difference was image quality and an understanding of photographers.
Edgars
3 years ago |Stabilized 25Mpix + Zeiss AF 135mm + 24-70mm + G 70-400mm doesn’t sound competitive pro combination?
Pro camera life-cycle is 3-4 years. It is the same for CaNikon. Sony know that A900 users will not buy the same camera with different label, they need revolutionary improvements.
Sony has a lot of collaboration with other companies e.g. Zeiss, Tessera (face detection etc), DxO Labs… Yes, Sony don’t outsourcing latest sensor technologies, in near future it could be a problem. As we see Sony couldn’t make enough sensors for A560. It’s remaining question how they make A77 or A777 if Sony semiconductor capacity is depleted.
Are you sure Samsung is making cameras in ship docks? Even semiconductor and camera divisions of Sony are relatively independent.