THERE MAY BE CASUALTIES

As noted elsewhere in these pages, the camera market has collapsed an astonishing 84% since 2010 – and people are buying fewer and fewer cameras, given that smartphones now rival most ‘proper cameras’ in terms of everyday imaging. While the big brands aren’t going anywhere, even they aren’t immune; in July Canon reported declines of 55% in both profit and income, while in August Nikon posted a 71% decrease in earnings. The dominant players may be able to absorb these losses, but it’s a big ask for others. We wonder how the likes of Pentax, for example, will weather the storm – especially given that Sigma ceased K-mount production in September.