February 2014

Canon pulls out of budget camera market
Wow. Canon apparently decided to get out of the market for budget-priced digital cameras, defined as those under roughly US$200. Instead, Canon will concentrate on their dSLR business and higher end compacts. On the one hand, that decision is understandable, given that every smartphone has integrated cameras that can do most, or more, than dedicated budget compacts can do. On the other hand, the camera industry has brought this upon itself by falling behind the times in the budget class, ignoring advancing technology in storage, technology, connectivity, and software. Another issue was competing against smartphones that are "free" or cost just a few dollars PLUS a 2-year telco contract. -- Posted Monday, February 24, 2014 by chb