Update: Nikon's Nikkor Z 70-200mm F2.8 VR S lens is being delayed 'due to production reasons'

The camera market is in trouble. Market is shrinking. No company is safe.

Canon just released their financial results and they are also on the minus side. I don't see them safer than the rest...

I guess you aren't a Nikon shooter right?

Haha... you guys need to be careful in saying no company is safe.

Sony is safe. People see to forget that they are playing both sides.

Why is the dedicated camera market shrinking?? Phones are the reason right? And which company out of the big three is the only one supplying sensors for phones? Sony. They can't keep up apparently and I believe they are the biggest phone camera sensor supplier.

So for sony it is win win...

Even Sony is not 'safe' Lawny13.
They have been forced out of the DSLR market. They were lucky to become a major player in the MILC market. But don't be assured they will keep their leading position on the long run. According to BCN they have again ranked #3 in December below Nikon and Canon in sales numbers and when you look carefully at the graphs given Sony are having a slow decline (likewise Fujifilm) whereas Nikon and Panasonic show the largest growth. Seems Z series are not selling bad afterall.

So even though Sony make sensors Nikon for example is known to order sensors at various companies and also uses sensors that are build to spec, like D800 and D800E have been produced by Sony, but owned by Nikon.

Then also according to rumours Fujifilm's next sensor will come from Samsung. If Nikon and Fujifilm would do away with Sony sensors as rumoured then it would mean a near 35% loss of income on large sensor production for S.

I can assure you we are talking a lot of money here!

Sony isn't save. Sony semiconductors and Sony imaging are two different branches for Sony. If the market shrinks and Sony imaging isn't making any money they will shut it down without hesitation. They have done it before with parts of there company.

@It's just a tool - Yeah, their semiconductors are in danger, as they only make cameras... And half of all the sensors in cell phones these days, including Apple's

@ lawny13, what do you shoot?

I am waiting for the PS5 like crazy and I do believe Sony as an Electronics Manufacturer is on the safe side. However the imaging division cannot be safe in a declining environment. Markets are volatile... Sony laptop division (VAIO) was also 'safe' until it closed and Sony has been the only MILC FF camera until 2018. We've seen that with Nikon & Canon entries things are changing already...

Regarding Sony as a company, we cannot predict the future as otherwise we would all be rich investing in the stock market. Saab, Kodak, Minolta, Napster, Compaq, Sinclair, Jawbone, Pan Am, TWA... just to name a few, went bankrupt. Depending on your age you will recognize some (or all) of the names in that list. Anything can happen. Maybe Apple releases its own gaming platform and together with a new iPad / iPhone pro (today's iPads can do 120fps in some games) that totally kills Playstation and the sacks of $$$ that come with it...

I went from A7II to A7III and then to EOS R

Sure dream on Lawny - Your PS5 might beat or might not beat the new XBOX to come.

Sorry Ed, while my friend’s in Canon USA’s appreciate your free but misguided attempts at helping them market a product, the delays are due to consumer demand outstripping supply for this Nikkor Z lens.

Ellis - did you read Nikons announcement? It said the delay was "making final adjustments as part of our production process in order to ensure the highest quality product" which means they are having production problems for the lens that isn't performing up to standards. It has nothing to do with demand and supply at this time!

It doesn't need to be the whole lens built in China to disrupt production. Just components of it. The whole supply chain has been affected.

All it takes is one batch of circuit boards sitting in a crate at Wuhan airport waiting for a flight to Sendai.....

steelhead3...so are you saying that Nikon should make the same products in multiple factories in multiple countries just in case a virus/earthquake/other event happens in any of those said countries??

Because those are made in China. Pick up a newspaper and see what’s going on there.

It is amazing how people jump to conclusions like this one. Now it may be true; it has a certain logic to it.

But it may not be true at all. We just don't know. And it's not like Nikon or others have not had delays in when a product shipped before.

Why can't we just be honest with ourselves and admit that we don't know? Why not accept a little mystery in life?

It's not easy to replace China as a manufacturing base. There are indeed cost issues; are people willing to potentially pay more? It's easy to say, let's make stuff elsewhere, but ask yourself if you are willing to pay for that.

Second, China has a very sophisticated manufacturing base, not only for the end product but for all of the parts. So if you need a particular part built, you have options. It's hard to find that elsewhere.

So sure it can be done elsewhere. But you would have to build up the manufacturing base, not only for final assembly but for individual components, and then potentially accept higher costs. That's not easy.

It’s not only price. China is not a free country.
I did not understand why the free world thinks it’s ok to do any business with them.

China is the industrial giant elephant in the room. Gone are the days of ONLY crap products..companies around the world use their manufacturing prowess for lots of high end items. The blurb doesn't mention any issues with the lens itself, so it could be due to the coronavirus, or maybe there's some "bug" (yeah, intended!) in the lens that revealed itself in beta testing. This is the beast Nikon wants to be ready for the Olympics, I imagine, though a longer zoom would probably be ideal for sports.

It would be wise to learn from Canon's mistake.

Another anti-Nikon youtube video idea there Tony?

Sounds like nonsense really. If you go any further out on that limb can you find a source for that theory? In any event it hasn't stopped Sony (your sponsor of course), Canon, Olympus from using telephotos on ML PDAF/DPAF, or indeed Nikon with their J and V 1 series cameras.

Northrups are becoming increasingly like the Angry Photographer. It’s a shame when YT-influencers (these people have no training in journalism and can’t be labelled as such) use their platforms for personal vendettas against whatever brand.

It's sad how all they care about is their YouTube clicks - who cares about facts if it generates controversy and views.

content creators do not speak for photographers

It’s respectful for DPR community that a photographer and educator like TN is commenting here. It’s a shame on us and DPR moderators tolerating childish responses.

Man, hatin' on the Northrups. Not my favorite YT reviewers, but I learn from them, too! I think his comment is as good as any of the other ones in this snark-filled thread. In fact, given that they've handled more of this gear than a lot of us, his comment has a ring of probability to it. At least as valid as the assumptions that Chinese workers suffering from the zombie plague are smashing up the lenses (LOL)! Seriously, his observation from a marketing standpoint is possibly very valid, and seems like an uninformed though plausible insight from a distribution POV. But hey, Trollz be trollin', right?

This theory is rubbish, the Nikon Z6 and Z7 can focus with adapted telephoto lenses just fine. Also, Nikon specifically stated production issue related to manufacturing, not a firmware related delay. Just going out on a limb here is not an excuse for starting fake rumors... Sounds mode like they are spending extra time to tweak the manufacturing process.

Exactly what kind of superhuman logic stands behind your DL body / new Nikon 70-200 Z lens parallel?

@Ethan very unlikely in this case. If Nikon cancelled a 70-200 for the Z, they might as well close their doors. It's likely a QC issue or perhaps an issue similar to what happened with Canon. Either way, I'd rather have a product late, but more polished, than rushed and flawed. (And some will argue the Z FF was rushed--yes it probably was, but at least with the bodies, Nikon can update them with firmware and address most issues. Not as easy with the lenses, especially since Nikon doesn't have a dock for their lenses).

Which I'm surprised Nikon doesn't have firmware updating for lenses through camera bodies, like Fuji does. I think Nikon would earn more bonus points from users if they implemented something like that.

@sirhawkeye64 You can update lens firmware through the Z bodies. They released an update for the 50/1.8 a while back.

@sirhawkeye64
Of course they do, I just updated my lens firmware for my D850 - currently running LD version 2.018

I know the guy who manage to get the 58mm... I don't know if Nikon actually made more than one of those.

The only "boring" thing about it is that it isn't collapsible. We know literally nothing else about it, and if that's the only thing we can criticize it for when it releases, it'll be just fine.

Nikon's last 70 -200 was best in class

@Ruekon.... "boring" = "colors" = "skin tones" = .... I don't have anything valid to criticize.

Being collapsable is a matter of preference. Most people who buy a 70-200 2.8 generally know what they're getting into (ie. a big, and probably heavy longer lens). For me I could care less about collapsable, and more about optical performance.

Being collapsible is nice. Being optically excellent is essential.

Whether a person finds an object boring says little about the object and much about the person.

To defend Nikon too: the 300/4 and 500/5.6 PF are innovative. The 200-500/5.6 is attractive due to price. Those lenses seem to sell like hotcakes. Showing that Nikon can make exciting lenses.

@ A Owens... I suspect there is a good chance the Canon lens safely meets the definition of optically excellent. I think for many people being optically excellent is essential while being optically superior is nice.