Interesting stuff- thanks for the translation Takehiko.
Cheers,
Ryan
----- Original Message -----
From: "Takehiko Ueda" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <pentax-discuss@pdml.net>
Sent: Wednesday, February 09, 2005 11:06 PM
Subject: Nikkei Article(long) WAS: Pentax Pro DSLR (WAS: RE: Spotted on
another group ...)
> --- Herb Chong <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>wrote：
> > i reread the NIKKEI release and a couple of others.
> <snip>
>
> Here's my brief translation of the article;
>
> =======================
> 28th Jan, Nikkei(Tokyo)
>
> 2nd stage for competition with DSLR
> P&S spread over to consumers
>
> Structural changes have been taking place in the
> domestic(Japanese) digital camera market. P&S have spread
> over to the consumers, and every manufacturer is beginning
> to develop/sell SLR's earnestly. Panasonic, as the first
> runner from electric appliances manufacturers, has
> declared its entrance to DSLR market and the price range
> will be expected to go down to 70-80 thousand JPY from 100
> thousand. The digital camera market has come to the 2nd
> stage, after Canon and Sony have won the 1st stage of P&S
> market.
>
> Pentax Corporation(Itabashi, Tokyo) is shifting its R&D
> resources for digital cameras to DSLR. Around 70% of 300
> engineers dealt with P&S, and the rest for SLR, before,
> but the corporation is putting 60% of them to DSLR
> research and development.
> The corporation is not doing well in the compact digi-cam
> market, whose main stream is around JPY30 thousand, with
> its weaker brand than that of such electronics companies
> as Sony. The average price of Pentax digi-cams have
> fallen down by 30% in the 1st half of fiscal 2004, and its
> digi-cam sector seems to have gone into the red. They
> have "lost" the 1st game, and are trying to turn the
> tables at the 2nd match.
> Konica Minolta Photo Imaging(Shinjuku, Tokyo) is also
> emphasising that the main target in the 2005 R&D is DSLR.
> At the sales front, many experts are thinking that
> consumers used to compact digi-cams are beginning to shift
> their equipments to DSLR's. DSLR's hold only 4% of the
> digi-cam market on the sales number basis. However,
> manufacturers are eager to get larger share in the
> domestic market, in order for favourable competition in
> the international market.
> Lower price DSLR's are the symbol for this eagerness.
> DSLR's used to be, at least, JPY150 thousand, but Canon in
> September 2003 and Nikon in March 2004 introduced consumer
> model of slightly over JPY100 thousand. Olympus and
> Pentax followed them last autumn. Panasonic,
> collaborating with Olympus, is expected to introduce its
> 1st DSLR in the spring of 2006. DSLR market, as well as
> compact digi-cam market, will be fierce battle of
> development and sales.
> The next step for consumer DSLR's will be the price range
> of consumer film SLR's around JPY60-80 thousand. Canon,
> Nikon, and Pentax are expected to introduce this price
> range DSLR within this year.
> This development/sales competition will be very tough.
> Some minor manufacturer is thinking about exiting from the
> compact digi-cam market, which is not profitable enough.
> This trend may totally change the market share of
> digi-cams.
> ==============================
>
> Some figures from the article
>
> CIPA's forecasts for 2005
> (Digital camera)
> Global sales: 72,200 thousand units(+20.8%)
> JPN sales: 8,700 thousand units(+1.8%)
> Int'l sales: 63,500 thousand units(+24%)
> (Film camera)
> Global sales: 6,400 thousand units(-36.5%)
>
> Results for 2004
> (Digital camera)
> Global sales: 59,765,768 units (+37.7%)
> Int'l sales: 51,218,888 units(+46.5%)
> JPN sales: 8,546,880 units(+1.3%)
> *on the price basis, JPN market fell down by 0.7%
> (Film camera)
> Global sales: 10,080 thousand units(-38.2%)
> SLR sales: 1,198 thousand units(-48.9%)
> =========================
>
> Hope this helps.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Takehiko Ueda
> OSA, JPN
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>
