dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

Have you tried looking at the positive side of this? Let's say Nikon closes its doors tomorrow and never again will manufacture any camera of any type. Does that mean your Nikon bodies and lenses will shrivel away and turn to dust? I doubt it. Those Nikon bodies and lenses are still some of the very best in the photographic business. Rather than dwell on what might be, why not enjoy what you have until they are not working any longer. Even then I am sure there will be used Nikon equipment for sale in close to new condition for the rest of your life.

I, too, have been a Nikon user since 1966, have used numerous cameras and lenses, Hasselblad, Leica, Alpa, Canon, Olympus, Minolta, Miranda, Rolleiflex etc. They were all great cameras. But Nikon is still here. So are you. Looks like a win-win situation to me.

Dennis

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

It is interesting that you chose the GM example, especially in light of the audience here. Oldsmobile had the reputation of an "old folks' car" for years. GM worked to update the designs, but they could do nothing about the reputation. Pontiac really never had an identity. It was the line where new design ideas were introduced (concealed windshield wipers, for example), and reliability was never up to expectations. Saturn was a different story. It was a mis-designed car from the beginning, severely limiting its market. I know, because as an industrial engineer and total quality manager, I was extremely interested in buying one. From a business & industry perspective, Saturn was the first thing GM had done "right" in a long time. Their plant in Spring Hill offered exceptional quality and cost advantages over other US auto factories of the time. Everyone I knew who had a Saturn loved it. So what was the problem? I'm just a little bit over six feet tall, and I couldn't get into the car. The one time I forced my way in, I couldn't sit up straight and couldn't see out the windshield. (I'd had exactly the same problem with the original Ford Focus, which was proclaimed as a "World Car" when it was introduced, but at least Ford made other cars.) It was a design miss that significantly limited their available market.

The lesson here (to me, at last), is that sometimes manufacturers can drive the market, and sometimes they can't. Sometimes, as in the Saturn case, they can survive longer than one might expect. It's interesting, but not totally unexpected, that the Spring Hill factory is still running, it's just making much different vehicles now. My 2019 Acadia was assembled there and so far seems to be one of the best GM vehicles I've ever owned.

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

Yes Sony manufactures some of Nikon’s sensors. More often than not those sensors are designed by Nikon. That’s just one part of the “innards”. Sony makes good cameras but to me they’re just not as enjoyable to use as my Nikons. The ergonomics and menu system aren’t good.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

Sony does not make the internals of Nikon cameras. I've seen them. Various source markings, none from Sony. Sony does make the sensor for the D850 and the Z7 to Nikon's design in their semiconductor foundry.

And if you do move to Sony, be prepared to take care of your camera. As primarily a consumer products company, Sony is much more interested in having you replace a broken camera than repair it. Repair replacements are generally available only as large subassemblies, not individual parts or mechanisms. For instance, $700 or so is not unusual for repair of a broken rear display for many models.

Canisdirus

Heh... no one is saying the new OD-M Pen is...exciting.
In regard to the FF reference...I am putting it into perspective. It's a huge meh lens...and not cheap.
I have a bridge for sale too...

LLC Loc: Ontario, Canada

Saturn had another interesting feature - it was first and only car sold on consignment. Part suppliers were paid once a car was sold. So for sold car with certain serial number bill-of-material was exploded and suppliers were paid for this car.
It was not unusual for suppliers to receive payment with 100,000 lines list of parts...

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Do you think we're all here to be productive?

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

I agree with Jerry. Most of us here are retired. It is fundamentally and philosophically impossible for anything we do to be a waste of time. Might have to make an exception for time spent on Facebook.

jburlinson Loc: Austin, TX

We seem to be at cross purposes here. This is not a huge anything lens. It's not huge. It's small: 15 ounces, when compared to, say, Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 at a pound and half. And, BTW, the Sony logs in at $2K, with a more limited equivalent zoom range. Ditto the Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8, which weighs 1.85 lbs and costs even more than the Sony.

A small lens with this range and this kind of image quality at $1K is my kind of bridge.

chasgroh Loc: Buena Park, CA

Larry, you'd be surprised at our youngsters. I have contact with a thousand high schoolers weekly in my pageantry activity (I'm a hired gun marching/movement instructor) and I think they, the kids, are exactly the same as us. Yes, there is a bell curve of achievement/goals, but fortunately the kids I work with are well on the right side. Oh, FYI, I teach where the parents have money and I teach in a poorer demographic...they're all the same. So, far from them not having an interest in "anything," they kick ass in a *number* of areas I'm aware of (in fact, as a performer in my high school days, the kids now get much better and focused guidence...with an emphasis on their future...).

gwilliams6

Lets gets some facts straight here: Sony is world #1 in fullframe camera sales (DSLR or Mirrorless), just a fact. Canon may sell overall more cameras, but not more fullframe cameras and the most recent CIPA numbers shows Sony increasing its lead in fullframe and mirrorless camera sales over Canon and Nikon:

But most importantly to this discussion is this. Nikon will be ok. Nikon is a member of the Mitsubishi group of companies (keiretsu). These Japanese Keiretsu are set up for the protection of their member companies from the dangers of the marketplace. All the Mitsubishi Keiretsu has to decide is to put more money into Nikon's consumer camera division and that is done. Nikon's other optical divisions like it medical and industrial divisions are strong and profitable, so the Nikon company isn't going away anytime soon. Mitsubishi and it keiretsu of companies of course want Nikon's consumer camera division to take the necessary steps to right its own ship, and its recent moves are part of that plan.

One of the biggest reasons Nikon's camera division wont fail is Sony, yes Sony. Sony Imaging division has been making camera sensors for Nikon for years. Folks and fanboys like to debate whether these are Nikon designs that Sony just manufacturers, I wont get into that endless debate here. But the bottom line is Nikon is a good customer of Sony and Sony wants them to remain a good customer. To that very end Sony is giving its Sony A1 50mp stacked sensor that can do 30fps and shoot flash in electronic shutter to Nikon for their upcoming Nikon Z flagship camera . That alone will allow Nikon to better compete for pro customers as well as prosumer users.

For Sony helping keep Nikon consumer cameras afloat is good business, both for sensor sales and as a competitor to Canon sales.

FYI, I was a Nikon user since my amateur days, and a Nikon and Canon user (both brands) for 40 years as a professional photojournalist, before moving over to Sony mirrorless in 2017. I have had no issues getting used to the extensive Sony menu and cameras and love them for all my professional and personal work. The latest ergonomic and touch menu improvements have laid to rest all those old arguments from Canon and Nikon folks. If you haven't used them lately then you just dont know the facts now. And E-mount lenses are the most widely produced and used lens mount in the world, from many makers, and used for everything from consumer cameras to motion picture cinema Venice cameras used by Oscar winning Cinematographers. FYI, I currently own Sony A1, A7RIV and A7SIII cameras. And I own 13 E-mount lenses from 10mm to 600mm from Sony, Sigma and Tamron.

Associated Press, the worldwide news service, a longtime Canon DSLR user has dumped its Canon DSLR gear and gone to Sony mirrorless gear exclusively for all its staff photographer and videographers worldwide.

https://alphauniverse.com/stories/why-the-associated-press-just-switched-to-sony/#:~:text=Today%20the%20Associated%20Press%20(AP,creates%20and%20distributes%20content%20worldwide.

I have pro friends that have left Nikon and Canon for Sony and are happy. But I also have diehard pro Nikon friends that you will have to pry their beloved Nikons from their dead cold hands before they will give them up. And that Nikon loyalty is to be admired.

The photo world benefits if Nikon remains a force, and I think it will come through this tough times (for all camera makers) and survive and grow. I am betting on Nikon. The more good competition, the better innovation we all see. I want Nikon there for my grandkids. I have won just as many photo awards with my Nikon gear, as with my Canon and Sony gear. After all they are just fine tools of choice, whatever the brand you love. Nikon has earned its place and deserves to stay seated at that table.

Cheers
https://www.facebook.com/GSWilliamsPhotography

https://www.facebook.com/groups/3048747915213474

JeffL Loc: New Jersey

I currently have Nikon N4004, N6006, Coolpix L310, Coolpix P7000, D80 and D5500, plus several lenses. Oh, I also have an old Polaroid and a Yashica twin lens reflex. Nikon is still the winner.

Canisdirus

Huge MEH lens.
Deflection aside on your part...OD-M has shown us...nothing at all.
They are pulling parts off their old standing inventory...to make as much coin as they can to those still believing there is a future with that company.
To be fair, both products were probably already finished in the R&D department before the sale of Olympus.
But also indicates...OD-M is going on the cheap...that may change...but so far...nope.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

I worked for a company that was owned by an equity company for a few years. They generally want stability and reliability. Innovation is too risky. In our case, they "rationalized" away several of our best (and most profitable) products. They were too "close to the edge," and in some cases their volume hadn't grown large enough yet.

The example given for Olympus does appear to be a case of emptying the development pipeline in order to recover money already spent (not always a good idea, especially without the commitment to see things all the way through). One product certainly doesn't set a trend. You will have to see what comes next.

Canisdirus

It is the pattern of the buyer JIP.
They did the same thing with Sony laptops.
Reduced the quality of the parts...rode the name Sony and charged like they were when better built.

Seems to be what they are doing here...so far.