Originally posted by normhead Let the big boys slug it out, with canon and Nikon entering the market, Sony is almost certain to be the big loser, sharing a market they previously had all to themselves. But the Pentaxians who wanted mirrorless are long gone, probably never to be seen again.
I think you may be right. Or, at the very least you identified the candidate with the most to lose. Sony is still riding high because they were first but Canon and Nikon are bigger. They can draw a larger and possibly more devoted crowd than Sony. Both Canon and Nikon also have a very well established network and support system for professionals. I don't know if Sony has this. If not then I hope they are working on it! Otherwise, Sony cameras are just gadgets for the well to do enthusiast crowd. On the other hand, how have Fuji, Panasonic, and Olympus managed to thrive in their markets? Do those companies have professional support services like Canon and Nikon?
Canon and Nikon will get their share of market entitlement right off the bat. Sony will fall a bit if not a lot. Olympus, Panasonic, and Fuji may actually gain some market share due to people wanting to switch but make a left turn at the last moment. That would like a halo effect from the mirrorless rush.
@pschlute is right. If Ricoh can keep their head down they won't get caught in the crossfire. They can focus on the GR and value oriented DSLRs built like tanks. One GR model, one current FF model, and two APS models. Ok, fine ... three APS models at most.