Nice that Nikon enters the mirrorless market...

[BJL]

I'm not saying they are not going to release ASP-C cameras ...

Good; I was in part addressing the predictions of others in that direction. (The ones that ignore the greater lens costs needed get added value from a 36x24mm format system compared to a mainstream 24x16mm one, even if the 2.3 times larger sensors were to magically stop costing many times as much.)

...  I'm saying what gives them more money ...

Yes — but as I said, it is DX that generates the most revenue for Nikon DSLRs, not FX! Thom Hogan discusses these market share and revenue share data from time to time.

But in all the latests imaging division market reports that Sony gives to its investors, a phrase similar to this one is very common: "Camera market shifting to high-end value models", like this one: https://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/IR/library/presen/er/pdf/18q1_sonypre.pdf

"The high end amongst all [Sony or Nikon] cameras" is different from "the high end amongst interchangeable lens cameras"; the industry-wide high-end goal clearly includes moving away from the struggling low end of the compact camera market to sectors including larger-sensor and super-zoom compact cameras. All ILCs are solidly in the "high end" of cameras as a whole (even excluding phone-cameras!)

Actually, Chrysler Dodge did exactly that. In 2008, they switched to making only the more expensive and more profitable Grand Caravans and discontinued standard size (and more eco-friendly) Caravans.

I am tempted to quip that Chrysler Dodge is not an example to follow, having been acquired by also struggling FIAT, apparently at no cost, and for the sake of little more than the Jeep brand. More seriously, the analogy fails because DX models account for the solid majority of Nikon's DSLR revenues, with the cheapest being the revenue leader; I doubt that was true of the lower-end Caravans that were discontinued.

[chez]

Actually, Chrysler Dodge did exactly that. In 2008, they switched to making only the more expensive and more profitable Grand Caravans and discontinued standard size (and more eco-friendly) Caravans.

Fords doing the same thing getting out of cars and focusing on SUV and trucks where the money is.

[Rob C]

Fords doing the same thing getting out of cars and focusing on SUV and trucks where the money is.

In America.

Take that to the limit and you end up with bankruptcy because there is a helluva large group of car owners that detests that sort of transportation.

Porsche, BMW, Mercedes et al. have gone into that group simply to widen and consolidate their grip on the rich buyers who are not limited to one, utilitarian vehicle, and want something to complement their hot sporty cars.

Bring in the electrical trick, and who knows where the behemoths will end up going. I'm probably under the influence of too many cups of tea tonight, but I think BMW has dropped its most desired car, the 3 Coupe, because it has a new electrical wonder in development and the gap period where no new 3 Coupe is to had for love nor money will build up a massive thirst in the hearts of those desiring a new one which will turn out to be the sparky new babe.

Rob

[BJL]

Fords doing the same thing getting out of cars and focusing on SUV and trucks where the money is.

The analogy for that is Nikon getting rid of its low-margin cheap compact cameras, which AFAIK are producing well under half of its sales revenue and probably a far smaller fraction of profits. The analogy for Nikon cutting out all but 36x24mm format—which delivers only about 10-20% of its camera sales revenue—would be Ford dropping everything except Lincoln. (Or as I said earlier, Toyota dropping everything except Lexus.)

One difference between cars and cameras though: our cars carry us, but we carry our cameras, so even amongst photographers demanding fairly high quality, there is often an advantage to a smaller, lighter kit. And a Z6 with only about the same pixel count as as "APS-C" camera is always going to need longer, bulkier lenses; the idea of using a larger format with the same sizes lenses by cropping away some or all of the extra sensor area is fiction.

[Telecaster]

If I hadn't already owned a bunch of manual focus SLR lenses that I wanted to use with a native format sensor, I wouldn't have bothered with a "full frame" mirrorless camera. I probably would've gone with Fuji's X system.

In the rangefinder world I think Leica's M8 sensor was the perfect size: 27x18mm. Cuts out all the edge & corner color cast & vignetting issues without resorting to processing jiggery pokery. Your 21mm lens frames like a 28mm in 135 format, 28mm frames like ~35mm, 35mm frames like ~47mm, etc. But tradition ultimately won out. :-|

-Dave-

[D Fuller]

I agree with Erik that the more players in a market, the better. I am kinda disappointed in the continuing "full frame" fixation, though. But I suspect this is a generational thing: once all of us 35mm format folks get out of the way, photo tech/gear innovation will accelerate.

-Dave-

Maybe. But in the video world all the exciting stuff is in larger than FF cameras. And it's the younger DPs who are driving that. Sony Venice, Red Monstro and Arri LF. And the resurgence of 'afforable' medium format by Fuji, Hasselblad and Pentax supports the same trend. It seems to be the older generaton who is interested in saving their backs with lighter, smaller cameras. The younger guys are interested in the look of larger optics.
ymmv

[BernardLanguillier]

It seems to be the older generaton who is interested in saving their backs with lighter, smaller cameras. The younger guys are interested in the look of larger optics.

Exactly and the younger generation is mostly in China and India and is 100 times more numerous than us old western guys.

They have the latest smartphone already and don't care about compactness when they do real photography. They want to be seen as photographers.

If Canon sells 24-70 f2 lenses and Nikon 58mm f0.95, it will mostly be to those guys.

Cheers,
Bernard