Korean electronics giant Samsung says it believes mirrorless cameras will dominate the market in coming years. The company hopes the cameras will provide compact cameras with the sort of functionality usually limited to digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras.
According to a GfK market report, in 2010 there were only 1m users of mirrorless technology worldwide. However, this number is expected to grow to 9m by 2013. Growth in the mirrorless market is expected to outstrip the growth of the DSLR market over the same period. Annual DSLR sales are expected to remain flat at 7m units, with mirrorless technology sales set to increase to 15m units.
“We have already noticed the growth in the Asian and UK markets reaching 30% and 20% respectively and through this it is evident that this type of technology is becoming increasingly popular and will continue to grow, especially as more leading camera brands start adopting this type of technology,” says Mark Geldenhuys, business leader for digital imaging at Samsung Electronics SA.
Mirrorless cameras offer a number of advantages over traditional DSLRs, but key among them is the ability to build smaller cameras that utilise interchangeable lenses, and which therefore have much of the functionality of DSLRs but without the associated size and weight.
Samsung is only one of a number of manufacturers making mirrorless cameras. Others include Sony, Olympus, Panasonic and Leica. Canon, Nikon and Pentax are all expected to announce their own mirrorless cameras before the end of the year. — Staff reporter, TechCentral
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