Nikon Sales of High-End Cameras Slipping
Nikon has always been the silver medal holder in the High End Digital Camera race behind Canon, but always remained proud with their numbers boasting well above Sony, Fuji or Olympus. With their recent quarterly statements however, Nikon seems to be struggling even more than they had thought, and posted slipping numbers for the third quarter of the year.
Released just the other day, Nikon has shown a 41% drop in operating profit to $222 million for the last six months leading up to November. Stating that depressed demands for Professional Level DSLRs in oversea markets the reason for the flux of numbers, Nikon plans to cut its sales projections from 6.55 million units to 6.20 million – the second cut they’ve made this year.
While numbers are dropping considerably for Nikon, 48.2% drop in operating profit this year so far; people still have high hopes for Nikon. Many of the features made within Nikon cameras are outsourced, which will often cut into profits (but would require higher operating costs as well). Sensors are often made by Sony, and other parts come from various electronic suppliers. Is this downturn in the Pro level DSLR market a symptom of no new gear, or is it a transition to the iPhoneography and growing mirrorless market that we have come to expect?
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