The U.K. based research firm Futuresource Consulting, specializing in consumer electronics, digital imaging, entertainment media, broadcast, optical manufacturing, storage media and IT, has released a report on interchangeable lens cameras.

Released earlier this month, The Market Opportunity for Interchangeable Lens Compacts provides forecasts and market insight for Compacts, DSLRs and Interchangeable Lens Compacts through to 2014. It includes an assessment of the market opportunity for Interchangeable Lens Compact Cameras, which includes predicting the impact Interchangeable Lens Compact will have on all existing camera formats.

"Since the end of 2008 when Panasonic launched the world's first Interchangeable Lens Compact, Olympus, Samsung and Sony have introduced their own models into this segment," recalls Futuresource consultant James Wells. "The market was still relatively small last year, with just 80,000 units shipped across Western Europe, compared with 3.2 million DSLRs."

He argues that certain technological factors that influence camera performance, and higher average retail prices compared to entry level DSLRs, will limit interchangeable lens cameras in the short term.

Thus, while over the short-term, Futuresource Consulting anticipates "significant growth for the Interchangeable Lens Compact market," it acknowledges that it will still only reach shipments of 377,000 units across Western Europe in 2010, compared to expectations of 3.3 million units for DSLRs.

"Another big influence on growth will be whether Canon and Nikon, who currently dominate the wider interchangeable lens camera market, decide to launch an Interchangeable Lens Compact product," continues Wells.

"Makoto Kimura, Nikon's President, recently confirmed Nikon will launch a new type of SLR as early as this fiscal year, saying it 'may adopt the so-called mirrorless structure'. To date there has been no official word from Canon regarding its future plans for Interchangeable Lens Cameras."

According to Wells, the long-term aim of the first wave of mirror-less interchangeable lens camera manufacturers is to try to break Canon's and Nikon's stranglehold on the interchangeable lens camera market.

"Panasonic, Olympus, Sony, and Samsung (with a 20% combined share of interchangeable lens camera shipments in 2009) are expected to promote this segment heavily in 2010, particularly at the Photokina show in September in the run up to the important fourth quarter period," he states.

For more information or to purchase this report, contact James Wells via e-mail at james.wells@futuresource-hq.com

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