I would not say that Sony OWNS the sensor market. Canon does not need to mach the sensor standard Sony has set in high end FF bodies. Their own standard was good enought the last 2 decades to compete against all others and become and stay as Number 1 for more than 15 years.
The(ir) DSLR market did not collapse because of worse sensors. Only five years ago mirrorless cameras where much to bad compared with DSLRs. To slow, not reliable, to power consuming, to bad to get professional results. In Sonys case without highly needed lenses, compatible to nothing.
This is what has changed. During the last three years mirrorless catched up and overcame DSLRs in features (like speed and AF). EVFs became usable, too. Better batteries came. Sony was still back in ergonomics and reliability. And they imo still are today if one does not choose their high end products.
The mass market did not care. Consumers are more interested in features like eye AF and 4K video.
This is Canons and Nikons chance to come back into the game. Both already used the new situation to create innovativ possibilities for the(ir) future (RF & Z mount). Both offer perfect working adapters for their established lenses AND promising new ones, too. Both established themselves within the last 35 years as (more or less) reliable partners of any kind of photographers, stood for usability, functionality, performance, reliability and ease of use for a unbelievable huge amount of users who only wait for their new (mirrorless) tools.
Sony does not have this base of users. Ergonomics is nothing they ever really cared about (the better feel of the newest bodies and controls is far away from what it could/should be - the menu is still far from beeing comfortable or logical or even understandable). They are established in the mirrorless market now. But as far I see it their users are not really conected to them or the brand. They just purchased features. And they will switch to the next brand offering better features and MORE.
Producing and selling good (or best) sensors may generate good sensor sales. But this does not mean Sony will go on making succesfull cameras. Selling successful cameras without having real competitors is an easy venture. But now their biggest competitors are back to compete.
In my opinion Canon will not need more then one and a half years to be back as the No. 1. (in sales) in the mirrorless market. And for them it is the biggest advantage, that they have their own sensor tech and fab.
Feb 18, 2020 at 03:33 PM
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