The DSLR market has evolved dramatically since the start of the decade. Prosumer cameras have been an important segment but as prices are compressed it becomes increasingly less logical to choose them instead of a DSLR. Having chosen a prosumer Olympus C5050 in 2004 has quickly led me to the conclusion that I desperately need something better and faster, in other words a DSLR… Of course all camera categories have evolved tremendously. I am not going to get in the DSLR vs non-DSLR debate here, but instead I would like to point out two pieces of good news for the prospective first-time DSLR buyer.
Firstly, the times of huge improvements every few months are gone. DSLRs are now a mature market segment, therefore new models are introduced at a more “human” rate than compact or prosumer cameras. The product life of a Canon, the market leader for years now, has typically been 18 months and it is doubtful whether this rate can be retained even in the medium term. Secondly, cut-throat competition and ridiculously low profit margins in the compact camera segment have forced manufacturers to increasingly concentrate on the DSLR segment. This is where the money is… Read the rest of this entry »
