Where is Nikon heading?

[MFloyd]

My dream viewfinder would rather be a hybrid one: optical view of the scene, and projected additional info (focus peak etc) by the same means as a HUD (Head Up Display) of jetfighters and some airliners.

[Ilkka Nissilä]

For me lobotomy is preferable to having to use an EVF. I imagine after my frontal lobes are removed I would no longer care whether I have a viewfinder or not, or whether I have any experience in photography or not. The EVF kind of cancels the role of experience: not seeing what is happening in the scene (most notably human emotions), I can't use that experience to judge when to make the shot. Setting exposure can be challenging for a novice in photography but not so much after some experience has been gathered.

I think when Nikon started to use an LCD overlay in the viewfinder, the image crispness dropped  and I started to have difficulty manual focusing. This happened with the D3 (I tested manual focusing with the F5 using technical pan and it was really easy to get the focus bang on with manual focus on the matte surface, and very difficult with the D3). The viewfinders have since improved due to other changes (coatings etc.) but I would pay a  extra money on a camera to have it designed without the LCD overlay. I think 500-1000€ extra would be fair, if it is that expensive to make a design change for those who prefer a crispier viewfinder like we used to have.

[bjornthun]

I think that Nikon will have to introduce a short flange mirrorless FX/DX system to maintain their share of the overall system camera market. Since Nikon is relatively late to this market, they will have to focus all their lens making effort on fleshing out this new system with lenses. This of course means fewer, if any, new DSLR lenses going forward, and probably no more new DX DSLR lenses. I base this on what all other camera makers have done.

[bjornthun]

For me lobotomy is preferable to having to use an EVF. I imagine after my frontal lobes are removed I would no longer care whether I have a viewfinder or not, or whether I have any experience in photography or not. The EVF kind of cancels the role of experience: not seeing what is happening in the scene (most notably human emotions), I can't use that experience to judge when to make the shot. Setting exposure can be challenging for a novice in photography but not so much after some experience has been gathered.

I think when Nikon started to use an LCD overlay in the viewfinder, the image crispness dropped  and I started to have difficulty manual focusing. This happened with the D3 (I tested manual focusing with the F5 using technical pan and it was really easy to get the focus bang on with manual focus on the matte surface, and very difficult with the D3). The viewfinders have since improved due to other changes (coatings etc.) but I would pay a  extra money on a camera to have it designed without the LCD overlay. I think 500-1000€ extra would be fair, if it is that expensive to make a design change for those who prefer a crispier viewfinder like we used to have.

Lobotomy was one of the greater tragedies of modern medicine.

[MFloyd]

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

[Ilkka Nissilä]

I don't think Nikon will ever have more than 10% of the mirrorless ILC pie worldwide since the systems which are there first tend to stay market leaders because of the lens systems make them attractive; it would be very difficult for additional manufacturers to catch up at this point. Also the Sony E mount and MFT mounts are kind of open, the specifications are known, so reverse engineering is not needed by third party manufacturers, this makes these systems attractive to third party lens developers. Nikon would never go with an open interface to a lens mount, and neither would Canon. This means it is likely Nikon will be a small player in the mirrorless ILC arena.

[Jakov Minić]

I think that Nikon will have to introduce a short flange mirrorless FX/DX system to maintain their share of the overall system camera market. Since Nikon is relatively late to this market, they will have to focus all their lens making effort on fleshing out this new system with lenses. This of course means fewer, if any, new DSLR lenses going forward, and probably no more new DX DSLR lenses. I base this on what all other camera makers have done.

Today I have had so much fun with a Nikon mirror-less camera that I honestly don't  know what you're on about?
In fact I am not sure that all other camera makers produce a tool that can capture the attached images

[bjornthun]

Today I have had so much fun with a Nikon mirror-less camera that I honestly don't  know what you're on about?
In fact I am not sure that all other camera makers produce a tool that can capture the attached images

y
My post is easy enough to read. 

[bjornthun]

I don't think Nikon will ever have more than 10% of the mirrorless ILC pie worldwide since the systems which are there first tend to stay market leaders because of the lens systems make them attractive; it would be very difficult for additional manufacturers to catch up at this point. Also the Sony E mount and MFT mounts are kind of open, the specifications are known, so reverse engineering is not needed by third party manufacturers, this makes these systems attractive to third party lens developers. Nikon would never go with an open interface to a lens mount, and neither would Canon. This means it is likely Nikon will be a small player in the mirrorless ILC arena.

I don't think Nikon will concede defeat that easily.

[Jakov Minić]

y
My post is easy enough to read. 

But your short flange full frame mirror-less images are nowhere to be seen

[Akira]

I think all of Sony, Fuji, Panasonic and Olympus have recently been straying from what they promoted as merit of mirrorless system: the compactness.  The IBIS is marvellous, but it makes the body larger.  And their lenses are growing larger and larger.

[Thomas G]

My dream viewfinder would rather be a hybrid one: optical view of the scene, and projected additional info (focus peak etc) by the same means as a HUD (Head Up Display) of jetfighters and some airliners.

And some cars have it on the extras list. Nice. Useful. Why not have it for a DSLR? As long as it can be adjusted and turned off I'd like it.

[John Koerner]

I think all of Sony, Fuji, Panasonic and Olympus have recently been straying from what they promoted as merit of mirrorless system: the compactness.  The IBIS is marvellous, but it makes the body larger.  And their lenses are growing larger and larger.

Longtime Nikon nature photographer, Daniel Cox, is now shooting primarily mirrorless:

http://naturalexposures.com/about-us/photography-gear/camera-2

He did a video on the Panasonic LUMIX G 100-400mm, Leica DG Vario-Elmar Lens. He apparently confirms your statement that, as quality grows in mirrorless telephoto lenses, so too does size:

• "A Micro Four Thirds lens with a not-so-micro zoom range, the Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm f/4-6.3 ASPH. POWER O.I.S. Lens from Panasonic offers a truly expansive 200-800mm equivalent focal length range, yet retains a relatively compact stature to suit the Micro Four Thirds system."

Therefore, I don't see how DSLRs (the lenses for them anyway) are going to get phased out.

Here are two videos he made on the subject and his transition:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gU182bZ1WIQ&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsptHb3XTao
(comparing mirrorless telephotos with a low-end Nikkor ... they're just as large)

My bet is that high-end DSLR cameras will ultimately will morph into high-end mirrorless ... but that the best lenses will remain to put in front of them, after the smoke clears

Jack

[MFloyd]

Apparently, Nikon deposited a patent for a BSI CMOS Sensor with dual pixel technology

http://thenewcamera.com/nikon-patent-bsi-cmos-sensor-with-dual-pixel-af/

[David H. Hartman]

I think when Nikon started to use an LCD overlay in the viewfinder, the image crispness dropped  and I started to have difficulty manual focusing. This happened with the D3 (I tested manual focusing with the F5 using technical pan and it was really easy to get the focus bang on with manual focus on the matte surface, and very difficult with the D3). The viewfinders have since improved due to other changes (coatings etc.) but I would pay a  extra money on a camera to have it designed without the LCD overlay. I think 500-1000€ extra would be fair, if it is that expensive to make a design change for those who prefer a crispier viewfinder like we used to have.

I agree with the LCD overlay assessment. I found the Nikon F5 and D2H easier to focus on a matt focus screen than the Nikon D300s and D800.  Also I could use a DK-17m (1.2x eyepiece) with the D2H even though I ware glasses.

Dave Hartman