Will the "reduced development budgets" affect Nikon much?

[mxk7]

First of all, please let me know if this type of discussion is not proper on this forum. Usually, I won't read the threads comparing different brands, as such discussions are often opinion-based. I love many brands, but I am not royal to any of them.

As a beginner, I read and watch many reviews about cameras and lens in the past several months. One of these "online experts" is my favorite, as he gave detailed and comparable reviews to almost all the common gears.

I just purchased my Z7 (refurbed). I knew the limited availability of Z lenses and the limitation of the FTZ adapter before the purchase. I have used it in the past weekends and am quite happy with it. Still, I have the feeling a few times that I want to return it after reading his reviews, even at a cost (say $200, which I think is fair).

I read his article about Z9 today. He doesn't suggest anyone invest further into Nikon because of the reduced development budgets. And Z6&Z7 were not as good as EOS R and RP in most of the aspects in the comparison he made a few years ago.

I know many things are just personal preferences. However, as expert writing reviews for more than one decade, it is hard to believe he is a hater of a specific brand.

And it seems that there are more such reviewers, as indicated by this comment

Loading…

www.dpreview.com

"So unfortunately for DP review and YouTube experts, Nikon is finally moving past the bad times, and seems to have a good plan in place to get back to success. "

These people don't like Nikon, or are they just telling the facts?

 

[Droster]

First of all, please let me know if this type of discussion is not proper on this forum. Usually, I won't read the threads comparing different brands, as such discussions are often opinion-based. I love many brands, but I am not royal to any of them.

As a beginner, I read and watch many reviews about cameras and lens in the past several months. One of these "online experts" is my favorite, as he gave detailed and comparable reviews to almost all the common gears.

I just purchased my Z7 (refurbed). I knew the limited availability of Z lenses and the limitation of the FTZ adapter before the purchase. I have used it in the past weekends and am quite happy with it. Still, I have the feeling a few times that I want to return it after reading his reviews, even at a cost (say $200, which I think is fair).

I read his article about Z9 today. He doesn't suggest anyone invest further into Nikon because of the reduced development budgets. And Z6&Z7 were not as good as EOS R and RP in most of the aspects in the comparison he made a few years ago.

The Z6 is objectively better than the R in most aspects. Heck, arguably in all aspects except autofocus.

Even if there's "reduced development budgets", it's because they still have a DSLR business and that's the main thing they have to wind down as they transit into the mirrorless era. Once they have launched their respective lines of cameras it's going to be iterative updates from there on. After this initial ramp up of development there will inevitably be a slow down of development and iterative updates do not require as much resources as a launch and development of a new line.

It's the same with lenses. They can't chug out seven lenses every year and go at 100% speed constantly. After this initial glut of lenses to cough out the staples, it's only reasonable to expect a slow down while the exotics slowly make their way out.

The development of the Z9 just shows and "reduction in development" only shows Nikon is going full speed with the Z system.

For the sake of yourself, stay away from him. If it works for you, then it works for you.

I know many things are just personal preferences. However, as expert writing reviews for more than one decade, it is hard to believe he is a hater of a specific brand.

And it seems that there are more such reviewers, as indicated by this comment

https://www.dpreview.com/news/30015...-for-future-sustainability?comment=9871111759

"So unfortunately for DP review and YouTube experts, Nikon is finally moving past the bad times, and seems to have a good plan in place to get back to success. "

These people don't like Nikon, or are they just telling the facts?

These people don't like Nikon. There are plenty of such people for every other camp.

 

[briantilley]

First of all, please let me know if this type of discussion is not proper on this forum. Usually, I won't read the threads comparing different brands, as such discussions are often opinion-based. I love many brands, but I am not royal to any of them.

As a beginner, I read and watch many reviews about cameras and lens in the past several months. One of these "online experts" is my favorite, as he gave detailed and comparable reviews to almost all the common gears.

I just purchased my Z7 (refurbed). I knew the limited availability of Z lenses and the limitation of the FTZ adapter before the purchase. I have used it in the past weekends and am quite happy with it. Still, I have the feeling a few times that I want to return it after reading his reviews, even at a cost (say $200, which I think is fair).

I read his article about Z9 today. He doesn't suggest anyone invest further into Nikon because of the reduced development budgets. And Z6&Z7 were not as good as EOS R and RP in most of the aspects in the comparison he made a few years ago.

It's difficult to comment without knowing which "expert" you are talking about - but whoever it is, if you're happy with your Z7 why worry about what anyone else thinks...?

 

[Calibur]

Where are you seeing that they are cutting R&D? Nikon specifically said they are in a position where they can reduce costs without having to reduce imaging R&D.

From Nikon:

“R & D will concentrate resources where it can be differentiated from other companies. Although it costs money, we will continue to invest firmly in the image processing engine so that we can differentiate ourselves with the body and lens. On the other hand, areas that can be shared in product development will be streamlined. For example, software (mounted on the body). In the past, software was developed for each model, but (from now on) software will be common to all models.

Looking ahead to 5 and 10 years ahead, we are investing in elemental camera technologies in advance. We are not in a situation where we have to cut investment as part of cost reduction."

https://premium.toyokeizai.net/articles/-/25772

 

[Shadowsurfer]

Just ignore these YouTube "talking heads" . They are mostly failed photographers who have turned to "click baiting" and who must create controversy to get those vital views.

Remember that also many will be getting kickbacks as they sell "influence" from competitors of another brand.

Just enjoy your Z7, it is a great camera.

 

[Weyskipper]

Sony, Canon and Nikon all spend on R&D. The amounts they spend on camera R&D is puny compared to the R&D smartphone makers are investing, so in some way all of them are behind Apple, Google and Samsung.

The more important question is what you expect a camera to do. I have a Mamiya RZ67 which is pre-2000, it still takes beautiful pictures. It makes me a better photographer, because the process is so slow and I have to think through each photograph before I take it.

On the other hand I have taken some great pictures with my iPhone. It is the camera I always have with me.

I use the Nikon Z7 (and before that D810) for all types of photography and I get great photographs and rubbish ones. When I take poor pictures, it is not the camera at fault.

If you want maximum ease of use, a smartphone is probably your best bet, if you want maximum quality, you have go 8x10 (but it is SLOW).

So in summary, what do you want?

 

[VBLondon]

As a beginner, I read and watch many reviews about cameras and lens in the past several months. One of these "online experts" is my favorite, as he gave detailed and comparable reviews to almost all the common gears.

I think you should read more reviews and then judge whether this person is still your favorite reviewer, in the light of the following sentence

And Z6&Z7 were not as good as EOS R and RP in most of the aspects in the comparison he made a few years ago.

Conveniently, you are on a respected review website called, err, DP Review.

Despite the very best efforts of fans of every brand to paint DPR as "pro-X" or "anti-Y", I don't think anyone has succeeded in showing any kind of systematic bias in DPR.

So you decide whether this 'expert' is the right favorite reviewer to influence your choices.

 

[Leonard Shepherd]

These people don't like Nikon, or are they just telling the facts?

Probable more than 80% of the type of posts you seem to be alluding to are not reliably telling the facts

 

[Lance B]

First of all, please let me know if this type of discussion is not proper on this forum. Usually, I won't read the threads comparing different brands, as such discussions are often opinion-based. I love many brands, but I am not royal to any of them.

As a beginner, I read and watch many reviews about cameras and lens in the past several months. One of these "online experts" is my favorite, as he gave detailed and comparable reviews to almost all the common gears.

I just purchased my Z7 (refurbed). I knew the limited availability of Z lenses and the limitation of the FTZ adapter before the purchase. I have used it in the past weekends and am quite happy with it. Still, I have the feeling a few times that I want to return it after reading his reviews, even at a cost (say $200, which I think is fair).

I read his article about Z9 today. He doesn't suggest anyone invest further into Nikon because of the reduced development budgets. And Z6&Z7 were not as good as EOS R and RP in most of the aspects in the comparison he made a few years ago.

And yet DP Review rated the Z6/Z7 welll above the Canon EOS R and RP.

I know many things are just personal preferences. However, as expert writing reviews for more than one decade, it is hard to believe he is a hater of a specific brand.

And it seems that there are more such reviewers, as indicated by this comment

https://www.dpreview.com/news/30015...-for-future-sustainability?comment=9871111759

"So unfortunately for DP review and YouTube experts, Nikon is finally moving past the bad times, and seems to have a good plan in place to get back to success. "

These people don't like Nikon, or are they just telling the facts?

 

[Dibyendu Majumdar]

Nikon were a much smaller company when they were leaders in SLR business - so I guess all of the speculation by self proclaimed experts has little foundation.

I think we need to wait a few years to see who will emerge as the main players.

But essentially in the film era, Canon, Minolta, Olympus, Pentax, Leica and Nikon were the main players.

If you replace Minolta with Sony - then nothing has changed. Olympus of course not playing in the full frame market.

 

[photography-lover]

First of all, please let me know if this type of discussion is not proper on this forum. Usually, I won't read the threads comparing different brands, as such discussions are often opinion-based. I love many brands, but I am not royal to any of them.

As a beginner, I read and watch many reviews about cameras and lens in the past several months. One of these "online experts" is my favorite, as he gave detailed and comparable reviews to almost all the common gears.

I just purchased my Z7 (refurbed). I knew the limited availability of Z lenses and the limitation of the FTZ adapter before the purchase. I have used it in the past weekends and am quite happy with it. Still, I have the feeling a few times that I want to return it after reading his reviews, even at a cost (say $200, which I think is fair).

I read his article about Z9 today. He doesn't suggest anyone invest further into Nikon because of the reduced development budgets. And Z6&Z7 were not as good as EOS R and RP in most of the aspects in the comparison he made a few years ago.

I know many things are just personal preferences. However, as expert writing reviews for more than one decade, it is hard to believe he is a hater of a specific brand.

And it seems that there are more such reviewers, as indicated by this comment

https://www.dpreview.com/news/30015...-for-future-sustainability?comment=9871111759

"So unfortunately for DP review and YouTube experts, Nikon is finally moving past the bad times, and seems to have a good plan in place to get back to success. "

These people don't like Nikon, or are they just telling the facts?

The Z6/Z7 were much better cameras than the R and Rp. They were not even close.

Anyone telling differently is obviously biased against Nikon or in favor of Canon.

Just look at the panic generated by the Z9 at Sony (anticipatively) and at Canon (reactively) and you should have a good feel for what is coming.

 

[PAntunes]

Nikon has a big advantage over sony or canon. The core of the camera's R&D isn't done by Nikon. They just buy the sensor...

So the R&D budget may be lower, but in IQ the cameras won't suffer.
Where will you see cuts in the Nikon cameras? Maybe "exotic lenses".

Do you need the lightest, smallest 14mm 2.8, or the fastest focusing 50mm 1.2? Or would you be ok with a great 50 1.4 and 14mm f4 if the prices are right?

If Nikon is able to focus on what's really important, and not what some youtubers want, users may gain from this. Smart equipment made for photographers and not just for bragging rights.

Youtube reviewers are great explaining many things about cameras, but some also lack the understanding of what people creating images need. And a few others are only interested in having views, so click bait content and controversy are standard.

 

[rokoko]

The general answer is yes, cutting R&D budgets will affect any new product under development. And that may explain why there is no Nikon R5 equivalent yet, while Z7/Z6 and EOS R were released at the same time.

The question is: Does that affect you?

A company not at its peak performance due to any reason/excuse, but with decades accumulation of expertise and knowledge, is still a good company with great potential. At least Japanese think Nikon is.

If you do not know which to buy, get the cheap and good one. I think you made the right choice already.

 

[photography-lover]

Nikon has a big advantage over sony or canon. The core of the camera's R&D isn't done by Nikon. They just buy the sensor...

So the R&D budget may be lower, but in IQ the cameras won't suffer.
Where will you see cuts in the Nikon cameras? Maybe "exotic lenses".

Do you need the lightest, smallest 14mm 2.8, or the fastest focusing 50mm 1.2? Or would you be ok with a great 50 1.4 and 14mm f4 if the prices are right?

If Nikon is able to focus on what's really important, and not what some youtubers want, users may gain from this. Smart equipment made for photographers and not just for bragging rights.

Youtube reviewers are great explaining many things about cameras, but some also lack the understanding of what people creating images need. And a few others are only interested in having views, so click bait content and controversy are standard.

Well… I agree on many points but:

- Nikon has a sensor R&D team

- their 14-24mm f2.8 is the best on the market and is best at 14mm

- their 50mm f1.2 S is both amazingly good optically and fast focusing, certainly faster than their 50mm f1.4 on a D850

 

[PAntunes]

Nikon has a big advantage over sony or canon. The core of the camera's R&D isn't done by Nikon. They just buy the sensor...

So the R&D budget may be lower, but in IQ the cameras won't suffer.
Where will you see cuts in the Nikon cameras? Maybe "exotic lenses".

Do you need the lightest, smallest 14mm 2.8, or the fastest focusing 50mm 1.2? Or would you be ok with a great 50 1.4 and 14mm f4 if the prices are right?

If Nikon is able to focus on what's really important, and not what some youtubers want, users may gain from this. Smart equipment made for photographers and not just for bragging rights.

Youtube reviewers are great explaining many things about cameras, but some also lack the understanding of what people creating images need. And a few others are only interested in having views, so click bait content and controversy are standard.

Well… I agree on many points but:

• Nikon has a sensor R&D team

But they don't develop sensors. They adjust what they buy from others that spend the money on development.

• their 14-24mm f2.8 is the best on the market and is best at 14mm

Ok, replace 14 2.8 with 14 1.8...

• their 50mm f1.2 S is both amazingly good optically and fast focusing, certainly faster than their 50mm f1.4 on a D850

Sure, but look at what other brands are offering... That's exactly the kind of lenses Nikon shouldn't be focusing on, and it shows.

 

[BGD300V1]

For the last few years they have been developing whole camera lines. The Nikon 1, The stillborn DL and finally success with the Z line.

I suspect that most of the new Z lenses have completed R&D and design phases and that manufacturing will now get investment to increase the ability to meet demand.

--
I'm a photographer, Jim, not a graphic artist!
My photo blog: http://birdsnbugs.com
RF Stock Portfolio - http://www.dreamstime.com/resp129611

 

[Dan DeLion]

These people don't like Nikon, or are they just telling the facts?

Brand competitive reviews are worthless click bait spewed from “photographers” unable to make a living taking pictures. The horrible truth, which keeps these bloggers awake at night is: There’s no important differences in the output between Nikon, Sony, and Canon cameras.

For example – The blogging clowns write that the Z cameras have a limited number of lenses. That’s true if you don’t count the 100 or so F lenses that work perfectly on Z cameras. But why wouldn’t you count them? Because it wouldn’t make good click bait. I prefer Ricci’s approach of simply comparing Nikon products to other Nikon products without the stupid comparisons to other brands.

To answer your question, (“These people don't like Nikon, or are they just telling the facts?”) - They don’t like Nikon, they’re afraid of Nikon, and they’re not good enough photographers to make a living taking pics. I’ve used a Z7 since it was first introduced 2.5 years ago, IMO it is the best body Nikon has made, and certainly the best body for me.

You’ve made a great choice with the Z7.

Stay safe - Dan

 

[ericbowles]

First of all, please let me know if this type of discussion is not proper on this forum. Usually, I won't read the threads comparing different brands, as such discussions are often opinion-based. I love many brands, but I am not royal to any of them.

As a beginner, I read and watch many reviews about cameras and lens in the past several months. One of these "online experts" is my favorite, as he gave detailed and comparable reviews to almost all the common gears.

I just purchased my Z7 (refurbed). I knew the limited availability of Z lenses and the limitation of the FTZ adapter before the purchase. I have used it in the past weekends and am quite happy with it. Still, I have the feeling a few times that I want to return it after reading his reviews, even at a cost (say $200, which I think is fair).

I read his article about Z9 today. He doesn't suggest anyone invest further into Nikon because of the reduced development budgets. And Z6&Z7 were not as good as EOS R and RP in most of the aspects in the comparison he made a few years ago.

I know many things are just personal preferences. However, as expert writing reviews for more than one decade, it is hard to believe he is a hater of a specific brand.

And it seems that there are more such reviewers, as indicated by this comment

https://www.dpreview.com/news/30015...-for-future-sustainability?comment=9871111759

"So unfortunately for DP review and YouTube experts, Nikon is finally moving past the bad times, and seems to have a good plan in place to get back to success. "

These people don't like Nikon, or are they just telling the facts?

As a beginner, the first thing you need to learn is that "reviewers" are usually not objective. They have a financial interest in maximizing clicks and many of them are paid by a specific brand.

The typical camera reviewer does not have the expertise to assess financial condition of a company. Pro photographers are notoriously poor when it comes to financial acumen.

Nikon has reduced R&D spending in total dollars, but increased it by 50% as a percent of revenue. The reduction in total R&D was approximately 15%. They have discontinued the development of low end consumer cameras that account for a lot of volume but also involve high fixed costs, large capital investment, significant marketing spend, high support costs, and significant R&D. Nikon has reduced investment in DSLR cameras and lenses, but they continue to release cameras and lenses. Most of the camera division R&D is concentrated on mirrorless cameras. Canon is doing the same thing, but they have not cut their entry level lineup very much yet.

Nikon's R&D spend is 13.5 % of revenue - compared to a historical average rate of 8-9%. Once the Z lineup is in place, they will likely reduce or shift R&D further - but not now.

Nikon is continuing to adjust staffing levels, optimize production, and make changes. The most recent financial results showed an operating profit for every division including cameras before write downs. Nikon accelerated the write downs for closing factories and centralizing manufacturing in Thailand because profits were ahead of forecast. This is the second quarter in a row they have had to revise forecasts upward. That's why the stock is up sharply.

 

[Joop_S]

But they don't develop sensors. They adjust what they buy from others that spend the money on development.

And what is this?

Loading…

www.nikon.com

 

[BGD300V1]

PAntunes wrote

But they don't develop sensors. They adjust what they buy from others that spend the money on development.

Of course they do, then the contract for fabrication.

They did it with Toshiba before Sony bought them out, they've done it with Aptina and Tower.

They do share some sensors for lower end cameras but we have no idea if those were developed by Sony imaging or the technology licensed from others.

Unless you want to bring out some contract announcements I'll await evidence of something else.