2019.01.11 06:00

In 2018, as I contributed to Agora, Nikon and Canon entered the full-frame mirrorless camera market, which had been Sony's monopoly. While many manufacturers were forced to withdraw from the camera market due to the rough and tumble of digitization, this year will long be remembered in camera history as the beginning of a battle without honor or humanity between the three survivors.

On January 7, 2019, Panasonic announced the release of its first full-frame mirrorless cameras, the LUMIX S1R and S1, and compatible lenses at the end of March.

Panasonic is a major consumer electronics manufacturer with a world-renowned reputation. However, it was not until 2006 that the company made a full-scale entry into the interchangeable lens camera market. The first model was the "Lumix DMC-L1," a single-lens reflex camera equipped with a Four Thirds standard sensor (proposed by Olympus and Kodak), which is two times smaller than a full-size sensor, making Panasonic a newcomer in the world of interchangeable lens cameras with a history of only about 12 years.

Panasonic adopted the "Leica L mount" developed by Leica for the lens mount of its full-frame mirrorless camera. In 2018, Panasonic formed the Leica L-Mount Alliance with Leica and Sigma to develop lenses together to create a lineup that is competitive with the three leading companies in the full-frame mirrorless camera market. The three companies are keen to develop lenses together to provide a lineup that is not inferior to the three leading companies in the full-frame mirrorless camera market.

Since they are competing in the full-frame mirrorless camera market, they need to offer cameras that not only offer excellent image quality, but also reliability that will not break even in harsh environments, and well-thought-out operability. Otherwise, professional photographers will not support them, and it will be difficult for them to break into the stronghold of the top three.

In full-frame mirrorless cameras, I rate Sony's products, which are currently ahead of the pack, as the most complete. Although Nikon and Canon are the two-top companies that have gained tremendous support from professional photographers with their full-frame SLR cameras, I get the impression that they have not yet caught up with Sony in terms of perfection in full-frame mirrorless cameras. Nikon and Canon still have few lenses for full-frame mirrorless cameras. Therefore, in many cases, lenses for full-frame SLR cameras should be used via mount adapters.

In the case of Panasonic, there is no legacy of full-frame SLRs to begin with, so there is no need to go through the hassle of a mount adapter when attaching a lens to a camera body. The Panasonic Lumix S1R and S1 seem to have a "flying leap" called "high resolution mode" that other companies' full-frame mirrorless cameras do not have, but its practicality remains to be seen.

I wonder how much of a presence Panasonic will be able to make in the full-frame mirrorless camera market, beating out the three main competitors, Nikon, Canon, and Sony, which took over Minolta's camera business. At this time, I cannot imagine purchasing a full frame mirrorless camera from Panasonic. Even if Panasonic's system is slightly better than Canon's, there is no way I would switch to a system that does not carry over my vast lens collection.

Panasonic will, of course, bring to market a full-frame mirrorless camera with specifications that are competitive with its competitors. However, it will be very difficult to make the users of the three major players switch to a new system just because of that. This is not the same as switching cell phone carriers. In the case of interchangeable lens cameras, no matter how excellent the performance of the camera itself, it alone will not make it competitive. If they can provide users with some powerful advantage that the top three cannot imitate, they may be able to fight a good battle in a fiercely competitive market, but they may also end up in a minor position.

A newcomer, Panasonic, will enter the full-frame mirrorless camera market in 2019. We will continue to keep a close eye on the developments of each company.

first appearance : AGORA