DPReview, mentions in a review about the Canon EOS-M mirrorless camera, that DPReview thinks Nikon has ended development of the Nikon 1 system.
Nikon Rumors quotes DPReview saying that DPReview believes the Nikon 1 is no longer in development. DPReview does not provide a source – seems like its a guess, and as good as any other guess that we are making. The quote is buried in a sentence inside a review of the Canon EOS M, explaining why they are not including comparisons of the Canon mirrorless camera with the Nikon 1.
Will Nikon abandon the customers who have invested in the CX lenses? Or will they perhaps release a DL-camera body with an interchangeable lens feature?
The 1″ sensor is not dead at all. All the camera makers are moving to 1″ sensors as the smart phone market ate their point n shoot and compact camera sales. The 1″ sensor, with greater dynamic range, higher resolution and improved low light capabilities provides a differentiation from the smart phone.
Smart phone shooters, however, while interested in better image quality, are probably not going to start carrying camera bodies and a handful of lenses. They will opt for cameras with included zoom lenses. Sony, Panasonic, Canon all now have 1″ sensor cameras like that – because that is where the market has gone – and Nikon will be there with the DL-series. A 1″ sensor with a nice zoom (preferably fast) are clearly a step up from the smart phone.
This summer, while camping, I am noticing an up tick in the number of vacationers again shooting with a real camera (versus smart phone), and especially those using “bridge type” cameras. Those are the cameras that sort of look like a DSLR, but with a builtin zoom lens (not interchangeable). I suspect this is where the low end of the market is going – and where many smart phone shooters are also going, particularly when they seek zooms and megapixels.
