[Leica] Konica Minolta to quit photo market

[rangefinder at screengang.com (Didier Ludwig)]

Not shure about Pentax and Olympus going down or out of business. Another 
scenario could be they just merge with others. 

Pentax has already a joint venture with Samsung, which is a powerful company 
with a strong marketshare on LCD screens, cell phones, cell phone cameras 
and many other products. This plus Samsung money plus Pentax and Schneider 
Kreuznach brandnames - could eventually work.

Before they go down, Olympus will probably merge it's camera business with 
Panasonic which is said to join the Fourthirds standard with an own DSLR 
this year (maybe with Leica optics?).

But of course the sword of Damocles will stay close to the neck of all of 
them, including Nikon (less) and Kodak (more). 

Didier


>Well boys and girls, let me make another prediction, Pentax will be out in
>two years, Olympus in three, and I don't give Kodak five years in the camera
>business.  All their sales numbers are not so good and it really s***ks to
>be number five, six, and seven in a very competitive world market.
>
>Companies that will be standing include Canon, Sony, Panasonic, and
>NIkon(maybe).  There will be a huge confluence of photography with phones
>and MP3 players for the masses.  If you can't be in those markets then you
>will be out.
>
>Don
>don.dory@gmail.com