Shakeout in the mirrorless market

Marty4650 wrote:

I think you are right.

But I would add one thing. I think the reason M4/3 has been successful goes a bit beyond it coming from two makers. Although, that in itself is a very good thing.

I think an important to note that BOTH Panasonic and Olympus have no other ILC products to sell. (For sane and rational people, the E-5 and 4/3 legacy lenses cannot be considered current products).

Neither company has DSLRs distracting them. They have effectively put all their eggs in one basket.

Also... the M4/3 lens catalog is a HUGE advantage. It will take others ten years to catch up, assuming M4/3 stands still for ten years. And it was a brilliant move for them to focus on fast prime lenses, since these both lend themselves to a smaller camera concept, and the lens speed is really needed for a smaller sensor.

I see the advantage of APS-C very slight with the newest 4/3 sensors. And I see the advantage over smaller formats being huge. M4/3 has hit the sweet spot, combining performance, value, ergonomics and lens selection.

(Special Note for tedolph... the GH-3 is an important and necessary camera for M4/3. If Panasonic didn't build it, then Olympus would be forced to do it. The system needs a camera like this. Not everyone wants a Pen Mini or a GF5.)

--
Marty
http://www.fluidr.com/photos/marty4650/sets/72157606210120132
http://www.flickr.com/photos/marty4650/sets/72157606210120132/show/
my blog: http://marty4650.blogspot.com/
Olympus E-30
Olympus E-PL2
Sony SLT-A55
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6101/6318442842_7b93cb589b.jpg