China Fund News reporter Li Zhi
Another big era is coming to an end?
According to Japanese media reports, the "century-old camera giant" Nikon announced its withdrawal from SLR cameras, and the 60-year SLR camera business ended. As soon as the news came out, netizens were in an uproar, and many people said, "The tears of the times have once again witnessed history." ”
But then Nikon responded on its official website that the above news is only speculation and is not officially released by Nikon. Nikon will continue to manufacture, sell and support DSLR cameras.
Japanese media: Nikon will stop developing SLR cameras
According to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Nikon announced its withdrawal from SLR cameras, and the 60-year era of SLR cameras is over. However, Nikon will continue to produce and sell existing SLR camera models, and Nikon will focus on the development of mirrorless cameras, and will introduce the latest technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) technology or image processing technology.
As for why it will quit the SLR industry, the report mentions that the camera industry has been affected due to the advancement of smartphone photography.
Camera or phone? Netizens quarreled
Nowadays, with the increasingly powerful camera function of mobile phones, many people think that mobile phone photography is very sufficient for daily life, and stopping the development of SLR is also the trend of the times.
But some people also believe that "no matter how good the mobile phone is, it is not as good as the picture quality of the SLR." "I stopped developing SLR because there is no reflection, and the relationship with mobile phones is not so big." "The tears of the times have once again witnessed history."
Nikon response: The message is speculation only
However, Nikon Japan subsequently responded on its official website that the news that Nikon has withdrawn from the development of SLR cameras is speculation, not an official release by Nikon. Nikon will continue to manufacture, sell and support DSLRs and hopes that customers can continue to use them with peace of mind.
However, the news that Nikon has ended the production of SLR cameras has been heard endlessly. According to Japan's Kyodo News Agency, Japanese camera giant Nikon will end the production of digital SLR camera bodies in Japan in 2021. As part of the structural reform, Nikon will transfer production from the Miyagi Prefecture plant, the only one in Japan to produce camera bodies, to its main plant in Thailand. At present, only canon, Sony, Nikon and other brands are left in the camera market.
In recent years, the digital camera market has shrunk significantly with the improvement of the performance of smartphone cameras. Previously, Camera Giants such as Kodak and Olympus have successively announced their withdrawal from the camera market.
It is understood that Nikon was founded in 1917 and has always been a representative enterprise of "Made in Japan" as a "century-old enterprise". Relying on its technical experience in the field of optics, Nikon began to produce cameras in 1948, and once monopolized the global high-end camera market with Canon and ZEISS. On October 30, 2017, Nikon China officially announced that it will cease the business activities of its subsidiary, Nikon Optical Instruments (China) Co., Ltd., located in Wuxi. At the same time, the factory responsible for the production of Nikon digital cameras and digital camera accessories will also stop production.
SLR or no reflection?
What is the difference between a SLR camera and a mirrorless camera? This problem has made it difficult for funds who do not understand digital products. Public information shows that no mirror camera is a mirrorless camera, also known as a semi-lens camera, commonly known as "micro single". The difference between a mirrorless camera and a SLR camera is the presence or absence of a mirror.
The biggest feature of the SLR camera is that the reflector inside the fuselage is used to separate the light entering the lens. Light is transmitted to a camera sensor that records the subject and a viewfinder viewfinder for the photographer, as well as to a phase difference sensor dedicated to AF (Autofocus). Because the phase difference sensor can focus on the subject at high speed, the SLR camera is faster than the normal camera and will not miss the moment you want to shoot.
However, SLR mirrors require a certain amount of space, which is also the biggest reason for hindering the miniaturization of SLR cameras. Therefore, it is hoped that the "large and heavy" disadvantage of the SLR camera can be overcome by removing the mirror is the mirrorless camera.
SLR camera global shipments fell off a cliff
Recently released relevant data show that shipments of digital SLR cameras fell off a cliff in May. Recently, cipa, the Japan Camera and Imaging Products Association, released data on global digital camera shipments in May 2022, showing that digital camera sales were only 637,000 units, down 10% year-on-year, and declined for 10 consecutive months.
SLR and mirrorless camera shipments are forecast to reach 5.29 million units in 2022, and mirrorless cameras now account for 83.5% of interchangeable camera shipments. The number of mirrorless cameras sold is about 1.4 times that of SLR, and the amount of non-reflective cameras is about 3.4 times that of SLR, and the unit price of mirrorless cameras is much higher overall.
Edit: Joey