Samsung, Sony, Canon go after premium compact, smart camera markets


With the country’s craze for smart gadgets like smartphones and tablet PCs, cameras are also getting smarter, sleeker and more stylish to attract wider attention.

Camera makers such as Sony, Samsung Electronics and Canon are now going after the premium compact and mirrorless camera market with products that exceed the functionalities of those attached to handsets and wireless devices.

The camera industry can be split into three categories ― compact, mirrorless interchangeable-lens and digital single-lens reflex cameras.

Compact and mirrorless cameras are easy to use for beginners, while camera buffs and professional photographers usually go for DSLR cameras.

“The compact camera market had been getting bigger until 2009, but it began staggering in 2011 with the rise of smartphones,” said Kang Ha-yeon, product manager of Cybershot at Sony Korea. “Due to the cameras attached to smartphones, the market conditions were rather dim for smaller compact cameras. However, cameras in the category are now transforming and amplifying their functions.”

Sony Korea on Tuesday showcased what it calls a “high-end compact camera” named RX100 that has improved picture quality with a 20.2-megapixel Exmor CMOS sensor.

Due to roll out at its major stores next week, the camera has an aluminum body with its control ring on the front, and a wheel on the back that can also be controlled manually.

Sony’s latest image processor called “BIONZ” enables the device to take 10 photos at once and its advanced aspherical lens allows for out-of-focus effects, according to company officials. It is priced at 899,000 won ($777).

“The new high-end camera is designed for the group of people who don’t want to miss the chance to take high-quality photos,” said Hoshi Atsushi, general manager for the digital imaging division at Sony. “They will be able to carry it all the time with opportunities to take good quality pictures anywhere and any time.”

The Japan-based firm also said it aims to grab 45 percent of the global premium camera market by 2014.

Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics, which is a comparatively new player in the industry with its first camera introduced in 1979, also rolled out three cameras in its NX mirrorless camera series ― the NX20, NX210 and NX1000 ― earlier in April, which have embedded Wi-Fi connections for easy sharing of photos and videos.

The world’s biggest television and smartphone maker has integrated the Mobile Link and Wi-Fi Direct features into the new “smart cameras” for increased interconnectivity with the consumers’ wireless gadgets as well as smart TVs and laptops, its officials said.

Equipped with a Super AMOLED display which widens photo-taking angles, the mirrorless, interchangeable-lens camera has a 20.3-megapixel image sensor.

The NX1000, weighing 222 grams, has simplified its functions by displaying a “hot key” which makes it easy for anyone new to smart cameras to share their photos with friends and families through their smartphones and social networking services, its officials said.

The NX20, NX210 and NX1000 are priced at about 1.19 million won, 995,000 won and 795,000 won, respectively.

Another well-known camera maker, Canon, also released its first smart compact camera equipped with Wi-Fi earlier this year.

Coming with a 3.2-inch liquid-crystal display touchscreen, the “IXUS 510 HS” device features a 12x optical zoom and 21x ZoomPlus which enables users to get up close with distant objects, providing a detailed view as well as sharpness, according to company officials.

The Wi-Fi function, which is noted to be one of the most interesting features of the compact camera, also allows quick sharing of photos and movies, similar to that of Samsung.

Apart from such features, it has a face identification system where users can register up to 12 faces of their friends or family members. The device will automatically focus on the registered faces in every shot and tag images with their names, its officials said.

The 19.2-millimeter slim camera is released in four different colors ― black, silver, red and blue ― and priced at 413,000 won.

“More people are uploading their photos straight from the handsets due to the increasing figure of smartphone owners so we also decided to take the lead in introducing the smart camera by holding a launch event in February of this year,” said a Canon official. “The firm plans to continue our launch of Wi-Fi-enabled compact cameras to meet such trends.”

By Cho Ji-hyun (sharon@heraldcorp.com)