[reh321]

Unfortunately, changing economics no longer make that a goal for any of the camera manufacturers AFAIK.

“AFAIK” is the important part.
Why are we talking about an area about which we have no knowledge?
We should wait and see what Pentax does do.

[clackers]

“AFAIK” is the important part.
Why are we talking about an area about which we have no knowledge?
We should wait and see what Pentax does do.

I think we're observing not just the industry trend, but Ricoh's, REH, to predict what a company may or may not do.

The products released over the last couple of years have been what many would regard luxury goods ... GPS, 21 Limited, K-3 III, Theta X, GR III and GR IIIx.

I think companies have followed Pentax (Japanese Leica wannabes?) to a low volume, high margin model rather than the Walmart thing.

That doesn't mean beginners will be completely forgotten, but it does mean they fit less and less into corporate financial models moving forward, and IMHO are better served by the secondhand market.

In fact, Nikon have said so in their official plans to get out of their financial mess. They believe what's left going forward is the so-called prosumer space.

They will not mind losing marketshare if they can stay profitable.

[R.Miller]

I don't think it hurts to speculate and muse about the future. Kind of what forums do.

[clackers]

IF we purchase enough to make it profitable. What do Trojan, Ricoh/Pentax, and General Motors have in common?
Answer: Their purpose in life is not to make their respective consumer goods. They are in business for the purpose of making money.

Exactly, and the purpose is not just to make a small margin, it's to achieve an annual percentage Return On Investment that the company couldn't have simply bettered by putting cash into a fund or managed account instead of research, develop and produce something on a factory floor that may or may not sell.

[redcat]

Pentax is officially the last Dinosaur Still Live & Run (DSLR)

[luftfluss]

It will be interesting to see if Nikon survives. If they fail, it won't be because of a lack in their products so much as Canon is an entrenched behemoth and Sony has chosen to survive with a spray-and-pray approach to product development.

OTOH, if Nikon can hang on long enough, perhaps Sony will simply choose leave the market and focus on providing sensors and technology (not a near-term strategy, though).

[jersey]

I wonder if Nikon can survive long term on high-level consumers (pros and advanced amateurs) without introducing new blood. Unless they do not want to survive as camera manufacturers and are simply waiting for current users to die off while milking them as much as possible.

[MarkJerling]

I'm reminded of the many many years ago day when I walked into a camera shop in order to buy an SLR and found all the Nikon options were much too expensive for my meagre budget. And the camera shop owner introduced me to Pentax.

Here we are, with, perhaps, soon, the only DSLR option out there. Strange times.

[Rondec]

I think the "good news" for Nikon is that imaging is becoming a smaller part of their company. They simply aren't dependent on it the way they were five or six years ago. But it also has been a solid year on year decline in revenue from imaging.

Nikon won't go away as a company, but they may gradually phase out their investment in imaging or even spin that off into a separate company if it feels like it is dragging down the rest of their endeavors. I thought this graph at this link on Statista was interesting: ? Nikon: imaging products revenue 2022 | Statista

[surfar]

Here we are, with, perhaps, soon, the only DSLR option out there.

Perhaps later,Nikon are still milking what they can and while they can, they will.

Perhaps much later,In a recent interview, the Canon USA spokesperson who introduces the new products said"some of the Dslr lines are going GANG BUSTERS".

Neither company will cease producing until the figures make them.

[bladerunner6]

IF we purchase enough to make it profitable. What do Trojan, Ricoh/Pentax, and General Motors have in common?
Answer: Their purpose in life is not to make their respective consumer goods. They are in business for the purpose of making money.

The purpose of a business is to provide goods and services that are needed or wanted and to provide employment. Profit is the indispensable tool that makes those things possible. It is not the goal.

[gatorguy]

The purpose of a business is to provide goods and services that are needed or wanted and to provide employment. Profit is the indispensable tool that makes those things possible. It is not the goal.

My purpose as a business owner (three) is to maximize my profits fairly and responsibly. I could not care less if someone wants me to produce a product or perform a service if the profits aren't maximized. Read up on opportunity costs.

I'm not in business to please everyone walking in my door or to acquiesce to every want. Neither is Pentax, or Nikon, or Canon or most any other business. In photography some current shooters are going to be priced out going forward unless they can be happy with older yet still very capable cameras and lenses. IF Pentax comes with a new sub-$800 entry-level camera that's even marginally more capable than the current K-70, buyers better jump on it. It will be a unicorn in the camera world.

[Lord Lucan]

The Nikkei writer doesn't have a clue. They wrote :

Nikon will withdraw from the single-lens reflex camera business and shift toward digital offerings

They don't seem to know that there are are such things as digital single-lens reflex cameras. So why would we trust the rest of what they write?

Nikonian fans of DSLR are unhappy and they are switching to Pentax.

I didn't even see Pentax mentioned in the comments on that article. Am I looking in the wrong place?

In the Nikon Rumors article, FWIW, a commenter called Frank J. Papp said If I wasn't so heavily invested in F mount glass I'd seriously consider Pentax. Konstantinos replied Excuses, excuses... go for it, we only live once Then terius_decimus said I am already doing that. .... Eyeing the K-1 as a first digital camera by this maker.

[bladerunner6]

My purpose as a business owner (three) is to maximize my profits fairly and responsibly. I could not care less if someone wants me to produce a product or perform a service if the profits aren't maximized. Read up on opportunity costs.

I'm not in business to please everyone walking in my door or to acquiesce to every want. Neither is Pentax, or Nikon, or Canon or most any other business. In photography some current shooters are going to be priced out going forward unless they can be happy with older yet still very capable cameras and lenses. IF Pentax comes with a new sub-$800 entry-level camera that's even marginally more capable than the current K-70, buyers better jump on it. It will be a unicorn in the camera world.

I understand completely about opportunity costs.

I never said anything about pleasing everyone. I just stated the fact that profit the is the tool not the goal. You want goods and services provided to you, correct? It is profit that makes that possible. You want to be able to buy food, cameras, whatever. Businesses making a profit and being sustainable is what makes that possible.

As for under $800 cameras. I was out of photography for about a decade. I bought a $600 two lens K-50 kit. Since then I have bought more lenses, a K-70, light stands, umbrellas, soft boxes, flashes and controller and various doodads.

If my only option was a $1700 body, a $650 16-85 and an $1100 70-210 I wouldn’t have done it. But because they sold a low cost, low margin product I bought into the system and have spent way more money than the initial purchase.

It is the crack junkie business model. Get people addicted and then make them pay for the rest of their lives.

[R.Miller]

My purpose as a business owner (three) is to maximize my profits fairly and responsibly. I could not care less if someone wants me to produce a product or perform a service if the profits aren't maximized. Read up on opportunity costs.

I'm not in business to please everyone walking in my door or to acquiesce to every want. Neither is Pentax, or Nikon, or Canon or most any other business. In photography some current shooters are going to be priced out going forward unless they can be happy with older yet still very capable cameras and lenses. IF Pentax comes with a new sub-$800 entry-level camera that's even marginally more capable than the current K-70, buyers better jump on it. It will be a unicorn in the camera world.

That is very true. There is a vast pool of used equipment out there that works just fine and is at a very affordable cost. I have quite a bit of used equipment and it meets my needs/wants. Many are still using the K20D/K7/K5 series etc... cameras.

Even if Nikon or Pentax imploded there would be people still using the equipment for many years.