The consumer camera industry is increasingly focusing on niche and high-margin products these days, and it looks like Panasonic is no different.
Because it looks like the future for Panasonic’s camera division is going to be mirrorless video cameras according to two reports picked up by PetaPixel.
And none of this is terribly shocking given the trends briefly mentioned above as well as detailed in other blog posts on this website.
Nonetheless, it is somewhat the end of an era.
Citing competition from smartphones as well as Chinese and Korean alternatives, Newswitch and Digicame Info report that Panasonic wants to focus on areas where there is potential for robust future growth and that’s just not going to be found in some of the company’s current offerings.
If anything, it’s better than an exit entirely which is not even on the table nor is there even a hint of a spinoff like Olympus did with its division.
Interestingly, the company does see a future in mini and micro LED television sets, envisioning a future in which these devices are more portable than they are now.
According to a translation cited in the reports, Panasonic executive Akira Toyoshima said of the miniaturized television sets: “We will deliver new value by adapting TVs to people’s actions, such as allowing people to carry TVs around instead of gathering around them. I don’t know the time frame, but in the future, this type of TV will likely replace existing TVs.”
Whatever happens, it will be interesting to see what forms consumer-grade cameras take over the coming years as more than a few people agree that, while awesome in many respects, smartphones just can’t replace a camera for many applications.
If you have any thoughts on the mirrorless video camera future Panasonic envisions, let us know in the comments.
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