Nikon Cancels Their Unreleased Line of High End Compacts

[Canon Rumors]

In a move that has <a href="http://nikonrumors.com/2017/01/16/nikon-dl-cameras-now-rumored-to-start-shipping-in-march.aspx/#comment-3102985266">been rumored for a while</a>, Nikon has canceled their line of premium DL compact cameras. These cameras were announced last year and were supposed to start shipping in June of 2016.</p>
<blockquote><p><strong>February 13, 2017  TOKYO</strong> – Nikon Corporation announced today that sales of the long-awaited DL series of premium compact camera, the DL18-50 f/1.8-2.8, DL24-85 f/1.8-2.8, and DL24-500 f/2.8-5.6, will be canceled.</p>
<p>A June, 2016 release was originally planned for the DL series. However, with the identification of issues with the integrated circuit for image processing, release of the three cameras was delayed indeterminately.</p>
<p>Since then, everyone involved has worked very hard to develop products with which our customers will be satisfied. However, it has been decided that sales of the DL series will be canceled due to concerns regarding their profitability considering the increase in development costs, and the drop in the number of expected sales due to the slow-down of the market.</p>
<p>We sincerely apologize to all those affected by this decision, especially those customers who waited so long for the cameras to be released, retailers and others whose business will be affected, for the inconvenience this decision may cause.</p></blockquote>
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[uri.raz]

That is the sound of inevitability.

 

[LDS]

the identification of issues with the integrated circuit for image processing,

Did they take fire when processing 4K video?

 

[AvTvM]

hehe. Nikon is in even deeper sh*t than I thought.

Not even being able to get 3 simple 1" compacts made in over a year, does not bode well for Nikon's ability to develop and launch a winning mirrorless ILC system [APS-C and FF sensor].

So they'll keep making more products for fastest shrinking market segments. Mirrorslap, slap, slap = doom, boom!

 

[Dylan777]

Sad news for Nikon shooters. Hope they have better plans for the future.

 

[ajfotofilmagem]

What can I say? ???

Not everyone wants mirrorless cameras to be tiny.
Not everyone wants to pay dearly for quality a little better than point and shoot.
Not everyone that a lot of AF points, but just that they work well.
Not everyone likes compact premium cameras.
Not everyone raises shadows 5 stops, in ISO100.
Not everyone hates Canon.

 

[Frage]

Sad new for Nikon, its users and its workers.

 

[slclick]

What were the brands/models it was looking to compete against? Surely not Leica, that's what I think when I read premium but perhaps premium is far below luxury?

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Good news for Nikon fans, they will not be sending even more of their profits into a losing product. They need a well thought out product, and options are very limited. I'd go for a mirrorless version of full frame bodies that can use all those years upon years of lenses and not send a message that those who bought them are going to be left behind like Sony did with A mount.

Canon needs to do the same, they face tha same quandry, but have more money to invest. The "M" seems to be gaining traction.

 

[Billybob]

What can I say? ???

Not everyone wants mirrorless cameras to be tiny.
True
Not everyone wants to pay dearly for quality a little better than point and shoot.
True
Not everyone wants a lot of AF points, but just that they work well.
Not everyone likes compact premium cameras.
Also true
Not everyone raises shadows 5 stops, in ISO100.
I don't think I have ever successfully raised shadows 5 stops. But having that headroom makes me comfortable knowing that my 2-3 stop pushes with have a whole lot less noise than the competitor.
Not everyone hates Canon.
Canon is like house slippers and warm milk on a chilly morning. Comfortable and familiar, but with no excitement

I shoot both Canon and Nikon, but see little reason to be excited by recent and prospective offerings from either Co. The big difference is that Canon is a bigger more diversified Co. with a bigger market share that is protecting it from the trauma Nikon is feeling. As other companies falter Canon may continue to weather the storms. However, their continuation doesn't make me anymore optimistic about future purchases from either Co.

Frankly, there's not much exciting happening in the world of ICL cameras period. IMHO, the most interesting camera innovation is happening with cellphones.

I'm holding out hope that the Canon 6D II with have a nice feature set with an ever-so-slightly improved sensor relative to the 5DIV (is it too much to ask Canon to dump the AA filter?).

If not, the 80D may be my last Canon body (I suspect that I may have also already purchased my last Nikon body).

 

[horshack]

What can I say? ???

Not everyone wants mirrorless cameras to be tiny.
Not everyone wants to pay dearly for quality a little better than point and shoot.
Not everyone that a lot of AF points, but just that they work well.
Not everyone likes compact premium cameras.
Not everyone raises shadows 5 stops, in ISO100.
Not everyone hates Canon.

Sony built their entire camera business around the this list and they're doing well. This is Nikon-specific mismanagement.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

What were the brands/models it was looking to compete against? Surely not Leica, that's what I think when I read premium but perhaps premium is far below luxury?

Canon, Sony, Panasonic, Fujiifilm, Olympus, Ricoh (Don't they make cameras for Nikon).

 

[Dylan777]

Good news for Nikon fans, they will not be sending even more of their profits into a losing product. They need a well thought out product, and options are very limited. I'd go for a mirrorless version of full frame bodies that can use all those years upon years of lenses and not send a message that those who bought them are going to be left behind like Sony did with A mount.

Canon needs to do the same, they face tha same quandry, but have more money to invest. The "M" seems to be gaining traction.

It's good to see Canon making better mirrorless.

Many claimed there is low to no demand on FF mirrorless, therefore, Canon doesn't make one. I wonder, if Canon already have this technology(body + lenses) on hand? or Canon feels they might lose sale in DSLR and EF lenses. Although these two products are not apple Vs apple, still, it could affect company profits, current DSLR users and future purchase decisions.

 

[PureClassA]

Canon needs to do the same, they face tha same quandry, but have more money to invest. The "M" seems to be gaining traction.

It's good to see Canon making better mirrorless.

Many claimed there is low to no demand on FF mirrorless, therefore, Canon doesn't make one. I wonder, if Canon already have this technology(body + lenses) on hand? or Canon feels they might lose sale in DSLR and EF lenses. Although these two products are not apple Vs apple, still, it could affect company profits, current DSLR users and future purchase decisions.
[/quote]

I'm sure they have quite a few prototypes locked a vault somewhere. They own the DSLR market virtually outright by comparison, and have the most celebrated line of glass. If they can figure out way to use existing L glass on FF MILC without having to make the body much bulkier, maybe they will.

But for their vast audience of professional users, DSLRs still seem to be preferred. I mean, look at all those MILC bodies on the sidelines of the Superbowl last weekend...

The M seems to have filled a gap for them for now and without even trying, they became the #3 MILC company. And look how few lenses they have for it! Imagine having to ramp up yet another whole new line of FF L glass. I'm sure they prefer not to be stretched too thin for their tastes.

 

[Don Haines]

Canon needs to do the same, they face the same quandry, but have more money to invest. The "M" seems to be gaining traction.

Agreed!

However, in a fixed market, you are only going to sell so many units..... introducing additional models does not increase your net sales, but does increase your overhead. I would not be surprised to see both Nikon and Canon paring down the number of DSLR models that they carry.... I would not be surprised in the least to see the SL1 vanish....

 

[PureClassA]

I would not be surprised to see both Nikon and Canon paring down the number of DSLR models that they carry.... I would not be surprised in the least to see the SL1 vanish....

You mean in their crop bodies? Seems like they took a pretty firm step in increasing their FF offerings and discussing specialization of models in the last couple years. Like splitting up the 5 line into the 5D4 and 5DS. Plus I think there is still room for a 5DC if they ever decide to do it.

 

[njene]

Who's the loser now?

 

[ExodistPhotography]

What can I say? ???

Not everyone wants mirrorless cameras to be tiny.
Not everyone wants to pay dearly for quality a little better than point and shoot.
Not everyone that a lot of AF points, but just that they work well.
Not everyone likes compact premium cameras.
Not everyone raises shadows 5 stops, in ISO100.
Not everyone hates Canon.

And.. Not everyone wants to carry around another camera when they have one in their phone..


In all seriousness Nikon and Canon both could reduce their point and shoot line down to 3 major camera models and it would not hurt their sales as a whole. Matter of fact it would make them more money since there would be a huge saving on manufacturing cost.

For example when you look at Canons ELPH line (which I like). They have models from a 150 IS to the 350 HS. The average consumer has no clue or gives a crap about all the fine detail in the features. They want to know 2 things. How many MegaPixels does it have and do they have it in Blue or Red.. Seriously.. We only need one ELPH...

 

[ExodistPhotography]

I would not be surprised to see both Nikon and Canon paring down the number of DSLR models that they carry.... I would not be surprised in the least to see the SL1 vanish....

You mean in their crop bodies? Seems like they took a pretty firm step in increasing their FF offerings and discussing specialization of models in the last couple years. Like splitting up the 5 line into the 5D4 and 5DS. Plus I think there is still room for a 5DC if they ever decide to do it.

While DSLR sales as a whole has been hurt by smart phones. Its only a small percentage and really has no effect on the professional line of cameras. IMHO. The split of the 5D series was nice as many of us could care less about high iso low light photos. But also many could care less about high MP cameras and they need better low light.. So that split made very good sense and I personally cant wait to see what the 5DS mark II brings.

As far as their APS-C line. Something tells me the SL series may be on its way out. Perhaps it was competing to much with the G series camera sales. IDK. One of the biggest issues many companies face is not competition from other brands. But the sales of their own products in competition with themselves. While this may sound strange this can actually lead to a decline in sales and cause some models not to be able to recoup R&D cost.

IMHO Canon should just make the T3 T4 T5 (not the Rebel "i" models) lines down a size into a SL body. Filling that gap and still allowing them to profit from previous generation hardware.

Now they are starting to make to many APS-C models also.. This whole 77D mess from the 760D is starting to indicate the marketing department has no true direction on what the market wants. They only need 3 primary APS-C models. Rebel xxxD line, xxD semi-pro and the 7D line (which canon states is also semi-pro). Thats it.. No need to complicate things.. The Full Frame line is perfect. 6D entry level FF, 5D series for working professionals in two models (Studio and General) and the 1D flagship for top tier professionals.
Not counting video CINE models.
Heck if anything, they have room at the top for a medium format camera.. But I personally would just be happy with the 5DSR if they gave it a (global) leaf shutter and IBIS.

 

[uri.raz]

IMHO Canon should just make the T3 T4 T5 (not the Rebel "i" models) lines down a size into a SL body. Filling that gap and still allowing them to profit from previous generation hardware.

Now they are starting to make to many APS-C models also.. This whole 77D mess from the 760D is starting to indicate the marketing department has no true direction on what the market wants. They only need 3 primary APS-C models. Rebel xxxD line, xxD semi-pro and the 7D line (which canon states is also semi-pro). Thats it.. No need to complicate things.

My understanding is the xxxxD line covers the "profit from previous generation of hardware" spot.

E.g. the 1000D used the 400D's sensor (discontinued a quarter before the 1000D announced), the 1100D used the 450D's sensor (discontinued about a year before), and the 1200D the 700D's sensor, made in parallel. I bet the 1400D will use the 18MP / 20.2MP sensor after the 7DmkIII is upgraded to 24MP.