A couple of days ago, a Credit Suisse analyst claimed that, among others, Olympus was ultimately doomed as they allegedly didn’t have what it takes to survive in the photo industry: a strong brand and competitive pricing. According to the report, only Canon, Nikon and Sony would be able to make a stand in the age of the smartphone. And now the analysts from 24/7 Wall St even go so far as to claim that Olympus will go belly-up this year already. As a reason, they claim decreasing sales as well as low overall market share.
But is that really so? As a matter of fact, the latest sales statistics for Japan indicate otherwise. While they confirm that overall camera sales weren’t so great in 2013, they clearly show that interchangeable lens camera sales (i.e. both mirrorless and DSLRs) picked up serious steam in Japan, where they now have a total market share of about 30%. And while Sony has the single best-selling mirrorless camera with the NEX-5R, Olympus is the clear winner with a 25.4% share in overall mirrorless camera sales. And of the top 20 mirrorless cameras, Micro Four Thirds models outdo all those with APS-C sensors counted together, with 43.8% vs. 38.4%.
Add to that the fact that the OM-D E-M1 is currently the best selling mirrorless camera on Amazon.com, and a recent prognosis that Olympus will make profits again from its camera business in the next fiscal year, and it looks all the more probable that the brand is actually here to stay.
Via The Online Photographer and Sony Alpha Rumors
