Taiwan digital still camera (DSC) makers, seeing first-tier camera brand vendors have all started entering the development stage for their new machines for 2013, are aggressively negotiating with the vendors and are trying to increase their chance of landing orders by investing in the upstream optical industry.

Since investment in the upstream optical industry will require a huge fund initially for the related R&D, Taiwan makers may need to reach mutual agreement with brand vendors and even conduct some actual investment to be able to actually land Mirrorless Interchangeable-Lens Camera (MILC) orders from these vendors.

Currently, Taiwan makers are already able to produce DSC models with 30x, 36x, 40x and even higher ultra-high optical zoom function and since Japan-based brand vendors are trying to reduce their production cost, there is chances for Taiwan makers such as Ability Enterprise and Altek to receive orders.

Ability, in 2011, invested NT$367 million (US$12.44 million) to acquire 52.24% stakes in optical component maker E-pin Optical Industry, while Altek, in addition to cooperating with optical players such as Kinko Optical and Phoenix Optics, also invested US$15 million to establish a new company in Kunshan, China to manufacture products such as aspherical plastic lenses and large-diameter glass lenses. 

Source:digitimes