Imaging Resource published their interview with Ricoh executives. Here are some interesting quotes:
On mirrorless vs. DSLR:
Dave Etchells: People are going to higher-end, more features. Interesting. Mmm.
This is maybe just another way of asking the question about mirrorless, but while the overall market for interchangeable-lens is decreasing, DSLR is decreasing more rapidly. How has that been felt within Ricoh, and what are the ways that you intend to combat that general decline?
Hiroki Sugahara: Currently, mirrorless is a newcomer, so of course many users are very interested in the new systems, they want to use [them]. But after one or two years, some users who changed their system from DSLR to mirrorless come back to the DSLR again.
Dave Etchells: Really?
Hiroki Sugahara: I believe. Because as I said before, each system has its own benefits or appealing points. The mirrorless camera is very convenient to shoot, because users can [preview the final] image before shooting. But I believe the DSLR has its own appealing point, because users can create their own image from the optical viewfinder. People can see the beautiful image through the optical viewfinder, and then think how they can create their pictures — for example, exposure level setting or white balance or ISO [sensitivity] — and then imagine how they can get [the result they’re seeking].
Dave Etchells: Mmm, mmm.
Hiroki Sugahara: That is one of the big [advantages] of shooting [DSLR] cameras, so some users will come back to the DSLR system. But it might be they use both systems, DSLR and mirrorless. Because each system has its own benefits.
Dave Etchells: Yeah, yeah.
Hiroki Sugahara: So the DSLR market is currently decreasing a little bit, but one year or two years or three years later, it will [begin] getting higher.
Dave Etchells: You think it will return, will start growing again.
Hiroki Sugahara: Yeah. Yes, yes.
On the Pentax 645 medium format line:
First of all, we’ll continue the 645 line within the Pentax collection. But what we are going to compete against our [rivals with] is not the pricing, but the quality of the picture. [That’s what’s] most important within the camera. So we will still continue to study and produce a good camera with good image quality: That is also the same within the 645 medium-format line.
