Sony Japan officially announced the production stop of the ZV1. Kind of obvious after the ZV1II announcement.

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BCNretail posted an interesting article. Sony ZV camera sales BOOMED and now account for 48.4% of the sales volume (number of cameras) and 22.9% of the sales value (total of earnings in the camera business). This means the new ZV-E1 and the new ZV-1II are selling extremely well.

Here is the Google translated text from the article that includes statements from Sony manager Yuki Saito:

• Sony’s VLOGCAM is performing well. We asked Yuki Saito, Senior Manager of Sony’s Imaging Entertainment Division, who is responsible for the VLOGCAM business, about the secrets behind its success:
  ‘VLOGCAM was released as a camera that we wanted younger people to use, with vlogging at its core, in the face of a rapidly shrinking camera market. Younger people in particular are of a generation for whom taking photos and videos with smartphones (smart phones) is commonplace. Cameras are a distant cousin. The aging of camera users has also been a long time coming. Unless the camera market can develop a new axis that appeals to the younger generation, it will inevitably be doomed to an ageing population and disappear. This is where Vlogs come in.
• The “mofu-mofu is eye-catching and cute looking, and it has been a marketing success. It was also a marketing success. Basically, it’s a solution to improve the sound quality of vlogs recorded outside. This is the first time we have added the mofu-mofu as a component of a camera” (Senior Manager Saito).
• The average unit price of the ZV-E10 was 76,000 yen at the time of its launch. This low-cost strategy paid off handsomely and the ZV-E10 became a big hit, consistently ranking first or second in terms of unit sales in the interchangeable lens camera market. Senior Manager Saito says: “The low price is certainly one of the reasons for its popularity. However, we did not force the price down, and it is also profitable. I think the concept for Vlogger fits with customers who want to start with video and are buying a camera for the first time.”
• What we want to do most is to expand the range of creators and support them. For young creators in particular, the ZV-E10 is helping them to take their first steps.
• Sales of the ZV-E1 were weak in the first month of its release, partly due to its high price. When asked if the price was too high, Senior Manager Saito said, “With this quality, we think it is a reasonable line,” and “We need to provide a platform for users who want to step up to the next level.”

Basically it sounds like the ZV line is saving Sony’s camera business. On the other hand the stats are a bit unfair: This year Sony only announced new ZV cameras and no “regular” Alpha cameras, so it’s kind of obvious that ZV sales look strong on charts!

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via Digicameinfo

ThePhoBlographer posted an interesting article about Zeiss future in the photography business. They also had a chat with Joachim Kuss, Head of Communications for the ZEISS Consumer Markets Segment. He said:

“When we say we are committed to the category and to enabling consumers around the world to take stunning photos and videos with our products, we mean it.”

But as ThePhoBlographer noticed Zeiss did not announce any new lens in four years and some of the lenses they sell are no more updated through regular new firmware releases:

Despite this, Zeiss continues to offer holiday discounts on their existing product line — selling products that no longer have a record of support on public forums.

I have mixed feeling on Zeiss communication: YES I am sure they will keep selling their currently available lenses. But they are getting “old” with most of them not getting FW updates, with the competition often surpassing them in terms of image quality and autofocus performance. I recommend you read ThePhoBlographers article because at the end he created a complete picture with many interviews!