The end of an era: Nikon is ending its SLR business, according to reports
If you've spent time with grizzled old photography veterans, you've probably seen more than your fair share of "Canon vs. Nikon" debates. Boring and unnecessary as they were, they pointed to an industry where there were two major players and a bunch of too-rans. This week, reports suggest Nikon may be pulling out of the Single Lens Reflex (SLR) race. If true, it's hard to underestimate the huge change this represents for the photography industry.
Over the past decade and a half, a number of things have happened in rapid succession. The compact camera market - which at one point accounted for more than 80% of camera sales by value - has been completely destroyed by smartphones. Increasingly capable smartphones and the change in how people relate to photography in general have also begun to eat away at the DSLR market. With the vast majority of photos taken only finding their way to social media, sharing speed has become more important than overall image quality. And then a whole new type of camera arrived.
In 2009, Olympus came along and launched their EP-1 mirrorless digital camera that changed everything. And in 2013, Sony completely reinvented the genre with the launch of its full-frame Sony A7 mirrorless camera system, which put Canon and Nikon on the defensive. First-generation cameras were slow and bulky, but offered amazing photo quality in a small package. Fueled by arrogance and a deep misunderstanding of the market, Nikon had already launched a mirrorless camera in 2011, but it was deeply disappointing, and Canon followed suit a year later, with the equally uninspiring EOS M. Meanwhile, brands like Sony, Olympus and Fujifilm - unhampered by their SLR histories - have been able to break new ground in technology.
Canon and Nikon eventually gained market share in the mirrorless markets, but by then the reputation was damaged.
This week, a Nikkei report suggests Nikon is throwing in the towel to focus its SLR camera lines on mirrorless cameras instead; a brave move if the company decides to go ahead with its plans, and it would mark the end of a 60-year streak of providing professional tools for photographers of all persuasions.
If you've spent time with grizzled old photography veterans, you've probably seen more than your fair share of "Canon vs. Nikon" debates. Boring and unnecessary as they were, they pointed to an industry where there were two major players and a bunch of too-rans. This week, reports suggest Nikon may be pulling out of the Single Lens Reflex (SLR) race. If true, it's hard to underestimate the huge change this represents for the photography industry.
Over the past decade and a half, a number of things have happened in rapid succession. The compact camera market - which at one point accounted for more than 80% of camera sales by value - has been completely destroyed by smartphones. Increasingly capable smartphones and the change in how people relate to photography in general have also begun to eat away at the DSLR market. With the vast majority of photos taken only finding their way to social media, sharing speed has become more important than overall image quality. And then a whole new type of camera arrived.
In 2009, Olympus came along and launched their EP-1 mirrorless digital camera that changed everything. And in 2013, Sony completely reinvented the genre with the launch of its full-frame Sony A7 mirrorless camera system, which put Canon and Nikon on the defensive. First-generation cameras were slow and bulky, but offered amazing photo quality in a small package. Fueled by arrogance and a deep misunderstanding of the market, Nikon had already launched a mirrorless camera in 2011, but it was deeply disappointing, and Canon followed suit a year later, with the equally uninspiring EOS M. Meanwhile, brands like Sony, Olympus and Fujifilm - unhampered by their SLR histories - have been able to break new ground in technology.
Canon and Nikon eventually gained market share in the mirrorless markets, but by then the reputation was damaged.
This week, a Nikkei report suggests Nikon is throwing in the towel to focus its SLR camera lines on mirrorless cameras instead; a brave move if the company decides to go ahead with its plans, and it would mark the end of a 60-year streak of providing professional tools for photographers of all persuasions.
What's Your Reaction?
