The mirrorless camera dreams of Japan’s camera manufacturers have been shattered by the smartphone ‘selfie’ generation in just five years. Owing to the high resolution photographs possible by today’s smartphones, the younger generation doesn’t feel the need to invest in another piece of electronic equipment. The mirrorless camera market is trying to recuperate by diversifying into niche groups like deep sea diving cameras and launching their higher end mirrorless models.
The mirrorless camera was targeted at a market that was between the SLRs and the low end market. It was touted to overcome some of the difficulties that are faced when using an SLR, like their noisy functioning and cumbersome weight and maneuverability. It was a huge hit in Japan but the response was tepid in the West where there is reluctance to shift from SLRs which provide higher resolution and interchangeable lenses.
So what is the solution? The answer is still not clear. Some say that they should join the Sony bandwagon and make lenses that connect to smartphones like the QX. Others think they should add more cloud connectivity options to their devices.
Whatever path they choose to take, it has to be fast and smart, for smartphones are relentless in their evolution and it is unlikely that we will be seeing a slowdown anytime soon. Otherwise we may have to relegate the mirrorless cameras to the technological graveyard.