Nikon done with DSLR, focusing on mirrorless digital cameras

AppleInsider

Camera maker Nikon will reportedly shift its business away from making single-lens reflex cameras and instead focus on mirrorless options.

Nikon mirrorless camera

The Japanese firm's shift away from traditional DSLR-style products comes amid intensifying competition from smartphone cameras like those found on an iPhone, Nikkei has reported.

Nikon has been losing ground to smartphone cameras that have become much more capable over the years. Instead of DSLR cameras, Nikon plans to focus on mirrorless cameras with more advanced digital and "unique features."

It appears that the shift in strategy may have already been taking place. Nikon hasn't released any new SLR models since it debuted the Nikon D6 SLR in June 2020. Nikkei says that Nikon has already stopped production of compact digital cameras.

Although the Japanese camera maker plans to focus on mirrorless cameras, the company will still produce and distribute SLR models -- at least for a time.

SLR cameras use a mirror to reflect the image seen through the viewfinder. Mirrorless cameras, as their name suggests, achieve this digitally without a mirror or optical viewfinder.

Mirrorless cameras have a number of advantages over traditional mechanical cameras, including reduced size and weight, faster operation, and real-time image previews. They can also incorporate advanced features like facial and pupil recognition, and the ability to idetify animals or objects.

They also already contribute nearly half of Nikon's imaging product revenue, compared to just 30% for SLR cameras.

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davebarnes

Perhaps too late.

smaceslin

Still like using my Nikon DSLR, but more often than not I rely solely on my iPhone.

melgross

This isn’t exactly news. They’ve been moving away from DSLRs for three years now, as has Canon. Sony, because they failed at DSLRs, began the move years before that, and as a result, owned the market, except for the small 4:3 segment. Now, it’s a fight between Canon and Sony, with Nikon trailing significantly. 4:3 is less relevant than ever.

jony0

"focusing on mirrorless digital cameras", cute.

bobolicious

I've never understood the SLR transition in favour of a mechanical mirror vs an internal electronic viewing screen, although I guess reflected light is the most accuarte real time option. With AR, AI, ML and Meta how much will 'reality' matter any more anyway...?

OM-1 is still my (vintage) benchmark for analogue, and I have found it tough to find anything that rivals the Zuiko UWA lenses for image sharpness, compactness and build quality. I still use a Zeiss adapter on a standard iPhone lens vs the Apple OEM UWA offered - I have not tested the 13 pro, however I could see pronounced softness on the base model even on the iPhone screen (!) which I understand has been left unchanged since the 'pro' bandwagon rolled out the UWA on the 11. That said micro UWA I understand as very, very tough to design due to physics... Sigh...

zoetmb

The Nikkei article is garbage journalism that quotes no sources.  While it has been quite obvious for some time that Nikon was not going to release any new DSLR’s or F-mount lenses, they are not yet leaving that business. 

The D6, D780, D3500, D850 and D7500 are all in stock at NikonUSA. 

The way that you tell when something is beginning the end-of-life process at Nikon is when it’s discontinued in Japan.  Of the above five cameras, only the D3500 is discontinued in Japan.  

Year to date from Japanese companies, DSLR’s have a 36.4% unit share (of DSLR + mirrorless), but only a 16.5% shipped value share, according to CIPA.  

But especially compared to the smartphone market, the entire removable lens photography market is small enough to be a rounding era.  YTD, only 748,000 DSLR’s, 1.3 million mirrorless, and 3.6 million lenses have been shipped by Japanese companies worldwide.  

melgross

zoetmb said:

The Nikkei article is garbage journalism that quotes no sources.  While it has been quite obvious for some time that Nikon was not going to release any new DSLR’s or F-mount lenses, they are not yet leaving that business. 

The D6, D780, D3500, D850 and D7500 are all in stock at NikonUSA. 

The way that you tell when something is beginning the end-of-life process at Nikon is when it’s discontinued in Japan.  Of the above five cameras, only the D3500 is discontinued in Japan.  

Year to date from Japanese companies, DSLR’s have a 36.4% unit share (of DSLR + mirrorless), but only a 16.5% shipped value share, according to CIPA.  

But especially compared to the smartphone market, the entire removable lens photography market is small enough to be a rounding era.  YTD, only 748,000 DSLR’s, 1.3 million mirrorless, and 3.6 million lenses have been shipped by Japanese companies worldwide.  

You can’t use Japan as an example for the world. For example, 4:3 has significant users there while around the rest of the world it’s moribund. CIPA is obly useful for Japan. It tells us nothing about anything elsewhere. 

gatorguy

melgross said:

This isn’t exactly news. They’ve been moving away from DSLRs for three years now, as has Canon. Sony, because they failed at DSLRs, began the move years before that, and as a result, owned the market, except for the small 4:3 segment. Now, it’s a fight between Canon and Sony, with Nikon trailing significantly. 4:3 is less relevant than ever.

And between Canon and Sony and Nikon and Fuji there were just 8 million total changeable lens cameras sold all of last year, and that's DSLR and MILC combined. Pitiful compared to the heyday a decade ago when sales were more than that per month. 

For each of those four OEM's cameras will become more vanity project than profit driver in the relatively near future. Their profits will come from elsewhere.

melgross

gatorguy said:

melgross said:

This isn’t exactly news. They’ve been moving away from DSLRs for three years now, as has Canon. Sony, because they failed at DSLRs, began the move years before that, and as a result, owned the market, except for the small 4:3 segment. Now, it’s a fight between Canon and Sony, with Nikon trailing significantly. 4:3 is less relevant than ever.

And between Canon and Sony and Nikon and Fuji there were just 8 million total changeable lens cameras sold all of last year, and that's DSLR and MILC combined. Pitiful compared to the heyday a decade ago when sales were more than that per month. 

For each of those four OEM's cameras will become more vanity project than profit driver in the relatively near future. Their profits will come from elsewhere.

Canon comtinues to make a profit on photography. I suppose, t’s at least partly because they’re the biggest. But let’s face it, smartphones have taken the bottom out of the market. With most photography being satisfied with a 12MP imager, at least at this point in time, as higher rez in smartphones has been more of a gimmick than anything else, higher rez, larger, heavier and more expensive cameras are dying. The point and shoot market is dried up. The 1” camera sensor market is pretty much gone, except for the action camera/blogging market GoPro or equivalent. 4:3 is dying with maybe a total of 300,000 bodies sold last year, and less this year.

zoetmb

melgross said:

zoetmb said:

The Nikkei article is garbage journalism that quotes no sources.  While it has been quite obvious for some time that Nikon was not going to release any new DSLR’s or F-mount lenses, they are not yet leaving that business. 

The D6, D780, D3500, D850 and D7500 are all in stock at NikonUSA. 

The way that you tell when something is beginning the end-of-life process at Nikon is when it’s discontinued in Japan.  Of the above five cameras, only the D3500 is discontinued in Japan.  

Year to date from Japanese companies, DSLR’s have a 36.4% unit share (of DSLR + mirrorless), but only a 16.5% shipped value share, according to CIPA.  

But especially compared to the smartphone market, the entire removable lens photography market is small enough to be a rounding era.  YTD, only 748,000 DSLR’s, 1.3 million mirrorless, and 3.6 million lenses have been shipped by Japanese companies worldwide.  

You can’t use Japan as an example for the world. For example, 4:3 has significant users there while around the rest of the world it’s moribund. CIPA is obly useful for Japan. It tells us nothing about anything elsewhere. 

That’s not correct. CIPA reports only Japanese companies, but worldwide sales figures.