Nikon Nikkei Asia reports that camera maker Nikon will halt further development of its line of single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras, leaving behind the long-standing professional lineup and shifting its efforts to smaller mirrorless models. For its part, Nikon denounced the report as “speculation” and emphasized that the company “continues to manufacture, sell and service digital SLRs.” However, this disclaimer doesn’t mention the development of future SLRs—the company’s last new DSLR, the Nikon D6, was released in February 2020, and the company discontinued the entry-level D3500 and D5600 DSLRs last month. The Nikkei report indicates that Nikon’s development efforts will shift to mirrorless cameras, which are smaller and lighter. Early mirrorless cameras generally couldn’t match the image quality or lens selection of DSLRs, and their electronic viewfinders fell short of the real-time previews that a DSLR’s optical viewfinder could provide. But newer mirrorless cameras have largely addressed these shortcomings by maintaining their smaller sizes and lighter weight. Mirrorless cameras also typically offer superior video quality, which is useful for people who need their cameras for multitasking. Nikon’s biggest competitor in the dedicated camera business, Canon, has also said it is ending its DSLR development efforts. the company announced in late 2021 that the EOS-1D X Mark III would be its last professional DSLR model. Canon will also shift its focus to its mirrorless lineup, although it will continue to develop and produce entry-level DSLRs “for now.”
