We talk once again about Nikon and its strategy for the future! There are several rumors on how the product portfolio of the Japanese company will evolve, including DSLR that could arrive and others that could exit the market. What role will the mirrorless cameras also play? Some official information comes from an interview with Hirotaka Ikegami (head of the video division).
Nikon’s future lies in mirrorless
Although it may seem like granted, Ikegami confirmed that the future of Nikon is in the mirrorless cameras which will be at the heart of the company’s strategy. However, the senior executive added that he does not see a conflict between DSLR and mirrorless, but a market that must be viewed calmly and objectively.
Ikegami reports for example some of the differences between the two types of cameras and doubts about the goodness of the EVF instead of the OVF. Precisely on this last point he declared “the EVF produced by Nikon has very good performance and has positive ratings compared to other companies” . It is also noted the different autonomy of shots between mirrorless and reflex, where the latter can reach more than 1000 shots while the former can stop at about half.
A change of strategy is then recalled in the autumn of 2019 (pre-crisis from COVID – 19). In fact, we have gone from chasing the absolute number of units sold to focusing on models with high added value. This could therefore explain the exit from the market of economic solutions such as D 5600 and D 3500, as written above.
How to reduce expenses? Some ideas from Nikon
The research and development of Nikon won’t stop, added Hirotaka Ikegami , but obviously we need to understand how to optimize costs. One of the examples is to no longer develop a firmware for each camera, but focus on firmware shared (which are then adapted to various needs). It will also be a way to differentiate yourself from the fierce competition.
It is then confirmed, as written above, the commitment on mirrorless cameras also looking at the technologies that may arrive on the market between 5 and 10 years. Ikegami reminds that from the 2018, when the first full-frame mirrorless six models in total have been announced. It is however added that “on the other hand, there are many customers who prefer DSLRs for their ease of use, number of shots and number of goals we have built so far. We want to deliver products there too “. Could it be a reference to the new possible DSLRs on the way? Obviously no precise information has been released but a subsequent sentence opens some glimmers: “we are developing a technology (for a professional mirrorless) capable of meeting the needs of professionals “.
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