So will it be fight between Sony vs Samsung ?

My ideas about Sony buying KM completely :

Pentax and Samsung have announced cooperation, Samsung releases rebranded SLRs and lenses and I think people in Sony were more than nervous about that. So they decided to takeover KM DSLRs completely.

I personally think we have a new battlegroud here. And if I was Nikon, Canon management I would be very careful and I would watch my back. We all know how Samsung fights Sony with all kinds of electronics (dvds, TVs, 815 vs DSC-R1, hifi, etc..). And this statement just confirms what I thought :

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=technologyNews&storyID=2006-01-20T102922Z_01_T211357_RTRUKOC_0_US-JAPAN-SONY.xml&archived=False

"Sony is the world's No. 2 digital camera maker behind Canon Inc. (7751.T: Quote, Profile, Research) but it currently has no presence in the potentially lucrative digital SLR market, having lacked the history selling interchangeable lenses for film SLRs to warrant a push."

"Canon and Nikon Corp. (7731.T: Quote, Profile, Research) control the lion's share of the digital SLR market, but Pentax Corp (7750.T: Quote, Profile, Research) and Olympus Corp. (7733.T: Quote, Profile, Research) have recently formed alliances with electronics makers in a bid to boost their sales."

"Yutaka Nakagawa, president of Sony's digital imaging business group, told reporters the company would aim for 20-25 percent of the fast-growing digital SLR market by focusing on relatively inexpensive models that could achieve mass-market appeal."

"But because there are few players in this market, I would like to grab an even bigger share than that," he said.

So I personally think we have typical Samsung vs Sony battle but history tells us that so far Samsung has been more succesful in all areas they battled. Just think what Samsung did to LCD TV market.

I look forward to clash of titans. I'd like to see situation in 2 years time.

--
Fero Novak, London

I agree. Clash of the Titans could be good for KM and Pentaxians.

I was at Lotus when IBM bought us. Lots of staff got bent out of shape because the suits were buying a jeans and t-shirt company. I thought at the time that IBM had the potential to keep Lotus in business and now, years later, there is still a Lotus produt line and jobs for good people.

I don't know what the KM purchase by Sony will do for KM customers. I don't know if KM customers fear the future as much as some Pentaxians do. However, if I had KM gear, I'd be really, really happy right now.

As a Pentaxian, I am happy knowing that Samsung might hold a safety net if Pentax were to fall.

Happy shooting,

Mark Levine

Mark Levine said:

I agree. Clash of the Titans could be good for KM and Pentaxians.

I was at Lotus when IBM bought us. Lots of staff got bent out of
shape because the suits were buying a jeans and t-shirt company. I
thought at the time that IBM had the potential to keep Lotus in
business and now, years later, there is still a Lotus produt line
and jobs for good people.

Click to expand...

The difference is that IBM will do whatever to stop Microsoft. Lotus was good solution for them against Exchange. The same is IBM's linux support against Microsoft.

I am not sure whether Samsung is working with Pentax because they want to fight specifically Sony or they have higher objectives.

Mark Levine said:

I don't know what the KM purchase by Sony will do for KM customers.
I don't know if KM customers fear the future as much as some
Pentaxians do. However, if I had KM gear, I'd be really, really
happy right now.

Click to expand...

Yes with Sony objective to own 20% of DSLR market I would be probably happy as well. The fight just became tougher.

Mark Levine said:

As a Pentaxian, I am happy knowing that Samsung might hold a safety
net if Pentax were to fall.

Happy shooting,

Mark Levine

Click to expand...

--
Fero Novak, London

dsowner said:

Mark Levine wrote:
The difference is that IBM will do whatever to stop Microsoft.
Lotus was good solution for them against Exchange. The same is
IBM's linux support against Microsoft.

Click to expand...

Actually IBM's linux support is not so much anti-Microsoft. IBM Global services is huge, and a Linux solution takes more work to support it than a Microsoft solution. So IBM get to stick hundreds of expensive people on site for Linux, as opposed to Dozens the same solution on Windows. IBM cares far too much about profit to get side tracked in wars with people it doesn't like. They back Linux for the purest motive of all. MONEY. Ironic that a not-for-profit project like linux should be taken up by one of the most hard core capitalist companies there is.

pentaxowner said:

I am not sure whether Samsung is working with Pentax because they
want to fight specifically Sony or they have higher objectives.

Click to expand...

As with IBM / Microsoft, I think Samsung are for more interested in where they can make money than fighting battles with sony.

I think it could cause a low-end battel that will void Olympus almost out compleatly, Kodak will loose market share, and the big 2 will have problems keeping up with the low-end battel (espicialy Nikon)

I think it will cause a clash between S&S with Pentax being a large benifactor, and players like Olympus and Kodak having problems. Nikon and Canon will see a bit of drop, manily in the low-end with a potential price war between S&S may push the ZLR market out compleatly too.
Anyhow, good idea, and let see what will play out

dsowner said:

My ideas about Sony buying KM completely :

Click to expand...

I don't think Sony went looking for this acquisition. I think KM saw the trouble their film and camera business were in and went looking for a buyer. Given that Sony will have to pick up the warranty claims from KMs business it is possible (though not likely) that KM paid Sony to take the business off their hands. I think they had a very weak negotiating postion, and I'd love to see how the transactions look in the companies' accounts.

pentaxowner said:

Pentax and Samsung have announced cooperation, Samsung releases
rebranded SLRs and lenses and I think people in Sony were more than
nervous about that. So they decided to takeover KM DSLRs completely.

Click to expand...

No. see above. "Yikes ! Samsung have partnered with Pentax. We need to try for 20% of the DSLR market" isn't something that makes sense

pentaxowner said:

I personally think we have a new battlegroud here. And if I was
Nikon, Canon management I would be very careful and I would watch
my back.

Click to expand...

Sure: if Sony is serious and those comments weren't just "I think it would be good if ... " then every vendor will realise that if they fumble there is another big player who can take sales from them. But ...

pentaxowner said:

So I personally think we have typical Samsung vs Sony battle but
history tells us that so far Samsung has been more succesful in all
areas they battled. Just think what Samsung did to LCD TV market.

Click to expand...

Don't think of it as a the two companies trying to out-do each other. Samsung goes into Sony markets not to pick a fight, but because they are good opportunities. And I agree on the TVs. I've settled on a replacement for my 16 year old Sony TV. I considered the Sony, but I'm buying a Samsung.

One thing though, Samsung has it's home market to itself. History means Koreans don't like Japan, given a choice between a bunch of Japanese brands and a local one, they'll buy Samsung almost every time. Based on a little information and rather more guesswork I think Samsung could sell more cameras in Korea than Pentax do world wide.

I believe Samsung and Pentax are after the profits. The market is going to grow. People are going to upgrade from prosumer cameras and DSLR's will come down in price. The first of the joint venture cameras is coming out The next one (D2?) should be announced next month and released later in the year. We should see the 18.6MP MF Pentax hit the market too.

Pentax has also been busy designing quite a few new lenses. It would be a great boost for Pentax to have a lot more bodies to put them on.

You were with Lotus?

Let me be the first to thank you for Ami Pro! Excellent program that hated to leave to go to Microsoft Word

Marc

James O'Neill said:

dsowner said:

My ideas about Sony buying KM completely :

Click to expand...

I don't think Sony went looking for this acquisition. I think KM
saw the trouble their film and camera business were in and went
looking for a buyer.

Click to expand...

Minolta's camera business was already in trouble when it sought a merger with Konica. I don't think Konica Minolta was looking for a buyer when it teamed up with Sony but things must have taken a real bad down turn since the joint venture was announced.

James O'Neill said:

James O'Neill said:

So I personally think we have typical Samsung vs Sony battle but
history tells us that so far Samsung has been more succesful in all
areas they battled. Just think what Samsung did to LCD TV market.

Click to expand...

Don't think of it as a the two companies trying to out-do each
other. Samsung goes into Sony markets not to pick a fight, but
because they are good opportunities. And I agree on the TVs. I've
settled on a replacement for my 16 year old Sony TV. I considered
the Sony, but I'm buying a Samsung.

Click to expand...

Traditionally Samsung has played the role of the low price leader. When compact discs player first came out, Samsung had the lowest priced unit in the market. Over the years, its quality has improved. I hope this trend continue. We will have a real price war in the DSLR market between Samsung and Sony instead of the pillow fight between Canon and Nikon, since Sony has said it will concentrate on the low end of the DSLR market.

James O'Neill said:

One thing though, Samsung has it's home market to itself. History
means Koreans don't like Japan, given a choice between a bunch of
Japanese brands and a local one, they'll buy Samsung almost every
time. Based on a little information and rather more guesswork I
think Samsung could sell more cameras in Korea than Pentax do world
wide.

Click to expand...

That is certainly possible. But for the serious photographers, the lure of the full frame sensor can overcome any ethnic prejudice.

Ami Pro wasn't written by Lotus. they bought it along with the company.

Herb...