Nikon is reportedly pulling the plug on the SLR cameras – Times of India

World’s second-largest camera maker – Nikon –will stop making digital single-lens reflex cameras due to intense competition from smartphones, reports Nikkei Asia. The Japanese imaging and optics company will reportedly focus on mirrorless cameras.
Nikon’s SLR cameras have been around for 60 years, but amid intense competition from smartphone cameras, the company is planning to invest its resources into mirrorless cameras. However, Nikon’s SLR cameras would not completely phase out of the market.
The report suggests that Nikon will continue to manufacture its existing SLR cameras. Still, we might not get any new models as it will now focus entirely on developing new mirrorless cameras. Nikon did not confirm Nikkei’s report, and neither did it deny it.
In a press statement released today, Nikon said it had made no announcement about the withdrawal development of SLR cameras, and the report is only a speculation. The company said it would continue the production, sales and support of digital SLR cameras.
The death of digital SLR cameras has been coming for a long time. Last year, Canon – the market leader in the consumer imaging industry – announced that EOS-1D X Mark III would be its last flagship digital SLR camera, saying that “market needs are rapidly moving toward mirrorless cameras. However, the company will still continue to release entry-level and mid-range digital SLR cameras.
Meanwhile, Nikon also discontinued two of its affordable DSLR cameras – D3500 and D5600. At the time company said it wanted to focus on “mid to high-end cameras and lenses, targeted at professional and hobbyist photographers,” and also introduce more products for the younger generation “for whom video is the primary focus.
The mirrorless cameras come with a major edge over SLR cameras with their better image quality while being lighter and smaller than SLR cameras.