bronica, disruptive innovation and digital imaging
DESCRIPTION
Why Bronica went out of business in 2004.TRANSCRIPT
RIP Bronica
Bronica usedto be one of
the dominant players in the
medium format
segment of the cameraindustry.
The cameras were mostly used for wedding, studio and portrait photography.
Bronica died in 2004.
"Since the advent of digital photography, medium format sales have declined at a rapid pace. Imports today are just a
fraction of what they were even two years ago“
// Mr. Takashi Inoue, president of Tamron USA (Tamron owned
Bronica)
"For Bronica, that slip has been faster since our core customer
base, portrait and wedding photographers, has adapted well
to digital SLR equipment."
"These photographers are now providing customers with a
quality and cost-efficient product that has virtually eliminated their need for the higher quality results that medium format film or digital
backs can provide“
// Stacie Errera, Chief Marketing Officer
"While some customers are faithful to the format, the current
sales volume and devastating purchasing forecasts cannot
sustain the production of BronicaSLR products."
“I believe we all understand the issues at hand when it comes to the business of
medium format. We have been struggling to find the best possible solution for the
medium format camera business under the Bronica brand, but after careful study and the comprehensive consideration of the
market situation, we have concluded that there is no other choice but to end this
business.”
// Kenji Nakagawa, Sales Manager of Tamron
The last model, the BronicaRF645 was terminated in 2005,
only a few years after it had been launched.
Whathappened to
Bronica?
Bronica first appeared in 1958 and became an
immediate success.
While some people claimed that Bronica was just a cheap copy of Hasselblad, the cameras actually
had unique features and werevery appreciated by wedding and
portrait photographers.
Well, the Hasselblad
and the Bronica are
rathersimilar, at
least in theirlooks…
Just like the Hasselblad system, Bronica had a great advantage in the complete flexibility in terms
of changing lenses, film magazines etc.
Bronica later on developed theirown lenses as well and thusobtained a strong knowledge
base in optics.
This may be one reason whyTamron acquired
Bronica in July 1995.
Tamron is a Japanese company, manufacturing lenses and optical componentes for
industrial and commercial use.
Sony is a major shareholder in the company
and the firm has helped Sony to
gain market shares in the
cameraindustry.
Having a foothold in the camerabusiness and a strong brand like
Bronica seemed like a good idea to Tamron.
Pity that this was going to happen.
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
Number of film and digital cameras sold in the United States
Before the revolution, digital imaging actually prospered in
Bronica’s camera segment.
’Digital Backs’ could be attachedto medium format cameras from
the early 1990s and on.
These backs were mostlyprovided by firms with
little past experience in the camera business.
Leaf…
Imacon…
Phase One…
Kodak alsodeveloped
some digital backs…
In the beginning, digital imaging did not pose a threat
to Bronica or any of the medium format players.
It was rather an add-on, which increased the value of
medium format camerascompared to SLR cameras.
It looked like this.
Yes, big and bulky.
The photographer coulddecide whether to be digital
or to use film by simplyremoving the film magazineand instead attach a digital
back to the camera.
But the solution with a digital back was inconvenient, heavy and expensive.
The Nikon D1 from 1999 was the first true alternative for photographerswho wanted only a digital camera.
From this point and on, Canon and Nikon launched digital SLR
cameras that got better and better at a furious pace.
Within a few years, the SLR cameras were much cheaper, lighter and more convenient
than the digital back solution.
"These photographers are now providing customers with a
quality and cost-efficient product that has virtually eliminated their need for the higher quality results that medium format film or digital
backs can provide“
// Stacie Errera, Chief Marketing Officer
Needles to say, Bronica’s revenuescollapsed in 2000-2004.
Tamron knew about optics and Bronica was based upon optics
and precise mechanics.
Thus, the company had no competence in electronics and
had to rely on the solution with a digital back that was
manufactured by someone else.
Bronica was trapped, and therewas no way out of it.
Their last model, the BronicaRF645 suffered from the same problem and was terminated in
2005, only a few years after it had been launched.
Did Bronica have anychance to survive?
MaybeTamron didn’t
invest as much as they
needed to keep it alive
and execute a digital
strategy.
Hasselblad survived by collaborating with Fuji and
thereby develop a new camerasystem. Once this system was in
place, it was natural to mergewith Imacon, one of the
manufacturers of digital backs.
Maybe this solution could havekept the business running for a bit longer in the Bronica case,
who knows.
But the medium format segment would still have been very
competitive and shrinking every year.
And fighting the SLR battle with Canon and Nikon can not be
regarded as a real alternative.
The Bronica cameras createdfantastic memories for peopleall around the world for more
than 40 years.
Bronica is gone now.
Christian Sandström is a PhD student at Chalmers
University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden. He writes and speaks about disruptive innovation and
technological change.