https://www.dpreview.com/news/1234108119/nikon-d850-sensor-confirmed-as-sony-made
As many have suspected, Nikon's D850 sensor is from Sony, not Nikon-designed-built-by-Towerjazz as some have claimed. When looking at the short-term, one can brush this off as insignificant, as even Canon has used Sony sensors in some of their cameras. But looking long-term, the signs are ominous for Nikon.
First, the d850 is their all-around pro cam, besting IQ from their flagship, and many features that give it that status is from that Sony sensor. When Sony defines the main features, the control is theirs to determine the if/when/how on distribution. Of course, Nikon knows this too, so this is either a stop-gap to buy more time for their mirrorless efforts, or if they keep relying on Sony going forward, they have accepted the role as Sony's DSLR arm. It's like a car company using someone else to build the engine for one of their top vehicles - it's a significant capitulation in the DSLR space no matter how one looks at it.
Second, assuming Nikon is focusing their efforts in the mirrorless space, which becomes more relevant every year, it will eventually become Sony's competitor. Can they keep up with Canon and Sony in mirrorless? It is highly unlikely. As both Canon and Sony have shown, mirrorless bodies and technologies need at least a few iterations to become truly useable, and Canon at least has the ball rolling with aps-c, and with full-frame, they have implemented and refined their dpaf (in fact, I personally would be happy with a full-frame mirrorless based on the current 5d4 dpaf). Nikon has none of that yet, again, maybe Nikon is totally focused on mirrorless as we speak and will introduce fully competitive sensors/bodies/lenses. But chances are they are behind, and it's possible they will rely on Sony sensors again, in which case, now being in Sony's competitive area, they will play second fiddle to their technologies. It's like the relationship between VW and Skoda - Nikon will get all the older sensors and technologies as they basically become the lower-tier/lower-price mirrorless options for Sony.
Third, Nikon's market cap and resources are significantly less than either Canon and Sony. Yes they are part of the Mitsubishi Group, but that does not necessarily mean they can easily pull resources from the other groups within Mitsubishi. Canon's resources have allowed it to consistently rank 3rd over the years in the number of patents ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_top_United_States_patent_recipients ), even besting the larger Sony, whereas Nikon is unseen in these rankings. Granted, the number of patents does not ensure success, but it is indicative of R&D and future potential.
Putting all this together, I can't help but feel Nikon is playing more like the #3 camera player, and that Sony is their head, if not now, then increasingly so going forward.
As many have suspected, Nikon's D850 sensor is from Sony, not Nikon-designed-built-by-Towerjazz as some have claimed. When looking at the short-term, one can brush this off as insignificant, as even Canon has used Sony sensors in some of their cameras. But looking long-term, the signs are ominous for Nikon.
First, the d850 is their all-around pro cam, besting IQ from their flagship, and many features that give it that status is from that Sony sensor. When Sony defines the main features, the control is theirs to determine the if/when/how on distribution. Of course, Nikon knows this too, so this is either a stop-gap to buy more time for their mirrorless efforts, or if they keep relying on Sony going forward, they have accepted the role as Sony's DSLR arm. It's like a car company using someone else to build the engine for one of their top vehicles - it's a significant capitulation in the DSLR space no matter how one looks at it.
Second, assuming Nikon is focusing their efforts in the mirrorless space, which becomes more relevant every year, it will eventually become Sony's competitor. Can they keep up with Canon and Sony in mirrorless? It is highly unlikely. As both Canon and Sony have shown, mirrorless bodies and technologies need at least a few iterations to become truly useable, and Canon at least has the ball rolling with aps-c, and with full-frame, they have implemented and refined their dpaf (in fact, I personally would be happy with a full-frame mirrorless based on the current 5d4 dpaf). Nikon has none of that yet, again, maybe Nikon is totally focused on mirrorless as we speak and will introduce fully competitive sensors/bodies/lenses. But chances are they are behind, and it's possible they will rely on Sony sensors again, in which case, now being in Sony's competitive area, they will play second fiddle to their technologies. It's like the relationship between VW and Skoda - Nikon will get all the older sensors and technologies as they basically become the lower-tier/lower-price mirrorless options for Sony.
Third, Nikon's market cap and resources are significantly less than either Canon and Sony. Yes they are part of the Mitsubishi Group, but that does not necessarily mean they can easily pull resources from the other groups within Mitsubishi. Canon's resources have allowed it to consistently rank 3rd over the years in the number of patents ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_top_United_States_patent_recipients ), even besting the larger Sony, whereas Nikon is unseen in these rankings. Granted, the number of patents does not ensure success, but it is indicative of R&D and future potential.
Putting all this together, I can't help but feel Nikon is playing more like the #3 camera player, and that Sony is their head, if not now, then increasingly so going forward.
;D
