Canon would introduce a larger sensor PowerShot for the fall. It will apparently end the perceived love affair the world has with the Fuji X-100.
I’m not sure. Has Canon ever struck you as a company to get into niche markets in the photographic world?
This sounds like *exactly* the kind of thing Canon would do. It's *exactly* like with the lx3.
1. They don't want to introduce a product that might compete against their dslr line
2. They don't want to take a risk on creating a new type of camera
3. But once someone else does and it's successful, they also don't want to risk someone else establishing themselves as the leader in the market
So, they -
1. Wait for a competitor to introduce a product into the market
2. Watch how successful or profitable it is
3. Then introduce their own product with some aspect that's significantly better to compete with it
That's what they did with the lx3. It wouldn't be surprising to see them do exactly the same thing with the xz-1, and just introduce the same kind of camera only with a cost less than $1200.
I think a g12-sized camera with a fixed f2.0 lens, for low light shots, is a lot *less* niche than m43rds - everyone wants a camera that can take indoor lighting photos without a flash, and the best compacts are only on the edge of being able to do it, and then they still have noticeable noise. Canon doesn't want to compete against their own dslr's, but once someone else is doing it's not "is this going to slow down dslr sales" as much as it is "is someone else going to establish themselves as the premium manufacturer in this market and we'll lose out?".
P.S. I think the x100 is ugly as hell.
P.P.S. Neither the NEX or m43rds have "sold so well". The m43rds crowd seems to feel that if they repeat wishful thinking enough it will magically come true. One can just look at amazon's list of top selling cameras (I'm in the US so I'm looking at the US stuff) -
http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/photo
#1 is a cheap Canon compact. #2 is a flip hd video camera. #3 is a Canon t3i. #4 is a Canon sx210. #5 is the Canon s95. #6 is a Canon 300hs (actually, Canon usually has several of the top spots but not usually all of them - they probably have some promo going). I've periodically checked it for the last 6 months or so, and as long as the s95 is actually available at or below retail price it's always in the top 20. There's always also a few Canon dslr's in that list as well, Canon or Nikon.
The lx5 is all the way up to #25. Several Sony compacts in the list. The x100 is #44, despite being "temporarily out of stock". #72 is a "Fujifilm INSTAX 210 Instant Photo Camera Kit with 5 Twin Pack of INSTAX Film" - yes, with film! lol...
But in the entire top 100 list, I can't even *find* the Sony NEX or a m43rds camera. *That's* how well they're selling.
I have occasionally seen them make their way into the top 100 - but never into the top 20. The x100 is a lot less "niche" than m43rds or a nex.