News Canon sales and profits down

The EOS M will do just fine once they release it. However, it feels like a half-hearted effort because it is. Canon knows that their lead is based on P&S, which will be lost to cell phones, and DSLRs, which will be lost to mirrorless. There will be more players and they just can't dominate the new market the way they did in the past.
 
After reading this post, I remembered a LL article talking about industry insights, from past to present:

Drug Prophesis

Canon

Canon is the market leader. As is often the case when companies achieve that status, regardless of field, they tend to become overly conservative. Think Toyota. Think Microsoft. Not a bad thing to be the biggest, but it usually robs a company of hunger and leads to their playing things safe.

The EOS-M, Canon's initial answer to the mirrorless segment, is so me-too and unexciting that it might as well be a Toyota Camry.

This of course begs the question – what's wrong with unexciting? Unexciting can sell a lot of product, especially when it's well engineered and well built, as most Canon (and Toyota) products are. But for the photography enthusiast (which you likely are if you're reading this) there isn't much to get excited about. And it's excitement that generates upgrade and cross-over sales, isn't it?
 
When you're #1, you focus on not losing marketshare as opposed to gaining marketshare ... defense instead of offense, defense will keep you in the game but you gotta score to win.

Gary
 
The build quality is fine. The size, shape and plasticky feel makes me think the canon P&S folks got to design this one.
 
Based on my last purchase of a boring Canon product those company results don't surprise me.

The G1X and EOS M are two cameras with potential but hobbled by design.
Actually , I haven't paid much attention to their DSLR range but handling a 5D this morning I was shocked at how cheap it felt in the hand.
All rather sad really ; they've lost me a potential FF customer
 
...I was shocked at how cheap it felt in the hand.
the 5D was released around the same time as the 450D IIRC... and, at the time, I chose to get a K200D instead of the 450D not only because of the massive price difference, but because the 450D felt like a toy. I would have gone with a Nikon D40 before I would have had a 450D. Plasticky, toylike, but with a reputation and resellers that push product (I believe they get bonuses based on sales). Thats why you'll see more Canon shooters than any other brand in my town.
 
I've thoroughly enjoyed my 450D.. then again after having kids maybe I just have a penchant for plastic toys. Seriously this is all getting really old.
 
My 300D was plastic but I lugged it around everywhere and it took a real beating but survived until the 5DII came out (which was my plan), then 1 month after release the 300D died. It served it's purpose well!
 
My 300D was plastic but I lugged it around everywhere and it took a real beating but survived until the 5DII came out (which was my plan), then 1 month after release the 300D died. It served it's purpose well!

You couldn't have planned that better, good for you.
 
I have a 1DsMKII and a 1DMKX, both are absolutely wonderful in all respects, build, feel, and performance. My 5D feels like a toy when measured by the 1D's.

Gary
 
I think that there's more involved in Canon posting a lower than expected profit figure than a perceived lack of innovation from their camera division. As a high volume player in the market it is very easy to want to see them fall. If they don't do so well it's because their products are lacking, but if they do well it's because the products are lacking but people are only buying them for the name. I actually cringe at the oft expressed notion that Canon should just become yet another customer of Sony's sensor division for their APS-C and 135 size sensors. Sony's sensors are great and they do generate big numbers but there's more to image quality than just numbers. Numbers don't explain why I mostly prefer the output of the G1X to that of the NEX-5N.

Having said that, it is disappointing that they have been so slow to come out with their own compact system camera. Even now the EOS M concept is still very much wait-and-see for me until they give some indication of what else is to come. If they could take most of what was in my old EOS 50D and present it in a more compact, mirrorless form it would be a very appealing camera.
 
Since we got onto the subject of quality and durability, this is always a fun video to watch. The camera here is the 7D which is basically a mid-level prosumer body that was the successor to my 50D.


This one is a bit of fun also (includes both Nikon and Canon)


I should add that these might not be for the faint of heart!
 
Canon's main concern is video these days. 2 out of the three new high end cameras are more about video than still. Think more Red camera than Nikon or Sony.
 
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