Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/08/22
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Today I spent some time with a Japanese camera industry insider, who is closely associated with one of the major Japanese manufacturers. According to him, stockholders of most of the major Japanese Camera companies regard cameras as a money losing proposition. Many stock meetings are arguments between the bean counters who want to stop camera production and concentrate on profit, while traditionalists want to continue camera production. He included Canon, Pentax, and Nikon specifically in his comments. Ricoh recently stopped camera production. Especially with the dawn of the digital age and large expensive film based systems, just suppose the bean counters win. Expensive interchangeable lens SLR systems would be replaced with ever more competent fixed zoom digital cameras. Not only would the system approach as we know it today be increasingly difficult to assemble, film itself will get harder and harder to buy. Compared to the current photography environment, the new millennium may offer many unpleasant surprises to the serious 35 mm photog. time will tell. Stephen Gandy