Originally posted by bdery A drop between two datapoints is marginal to me, a strong trend is more informative.
Agreed...Pentax already at a small market is not rushing new models to retail as it appears they would languish and/or deeply be discounted. Pentax appears uniquely poised to maintain its market presence and produce products as needed (I.e., APS-c replacement will go a long way in retaining existing K-5/K-3 owners whose cameras are now trending toward the end of their respective cycles).
Originally posted by biz-engineer Panasonic to release two lines of FF mirrorless system was a plain strategic mistake,
I disagree. My other kits are all Leica, I have 2 M-mounts and 2 recent T/L Leica mounts. The Panasonic/Lumix offerings are all compatible with the Leica bodies as well as the new SIGMA cameras. The partnership of all three makes the lenses interchangeable and a person who already has Leica lenses can purchase a Lumix/Panny for a mere fraction of the cost of a new Leica. I also have a T/L M-mount adapter that will allow all Leica lenses on these new Panasonic bodies in manual mode.
I wish Pentax would be able to do that--clearly, Leica had the edge with Panasonic because they have been partners in certain technologies for years (I.e, the batteries in my new Leica CL are Panasonic/lumix, so is the LCD, etc.). I think Pentax's next move may be to offer a RICOH interchangeable camera that will accept K lenses with different/less features--possibly a point and shoot with fewer options for mainstream use. Brand compatibility is a big deal today. Sony manufactures 2/3rds of the CMOS sensors tehse days so they can continue to do so.
---------- Post added 07-02-19 at 10:59 AM ----------
Wheatfield:
The fact that DSLR's are slowly going the way of the cassette deck or the VHS tape does not mean people are holding off on their discretionary spending: I think rather the discretionary spending has been routed into new purchases (I.e, $1,000 smart phones vs. 1,000 cameras). As an aside, I never thought camera purchases were discretionary to me. I consider my picture taking to be a serious hobby just as I don't consider golf clubs discretionary. However, a non-enthusiast or occasional picture snapper would consider an advanced DSLR of Mirrorless to be discretionary; If you meant the latter than I agree with you--a casual camera user is now investing in an ever better camera phone--fact of life. Ethusiasts and pros are all that remain of this market.