After 70 years, Nikon is ending its camera production in Japan
Dec 21, 2020
John Aldred
John Aldred is a photographer with over 25 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter – and occasional beta tester – of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
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AERAdot Asahi reports that Nikon is ending the production of camera bodies in Japan where it has been building cameras for over 70 years. Camera production at the Sendai Nikon plant in the Miyagi Prefecture in Japan will be transitioned to the Nikon Thailand NTC plant. The move is said to be being made in order to save costs.
Word of the struggling company’s impending transfer is not new, but now we have a timescale. The report says that Nikon Z6 & Z7 production was completed in September 2020, shortly before the announcement of the Nikon Z6 II and Z7 II. In October, preparations for the transition of camera production from the Japan factory to the Thailand factory began.
The Senai Nikon plant was founded in 1971 and has been producing cameras since the introduction of the Nikon EM, released in 1979. It was initially dubbed “Little Nikon” and gradually shifted production towards higher-end models, including today’s flagship Nikon D6 DSLR. At the moment the Nikon D6 is still reportedly being manufactured at Sendai Nikon, but will also transfer to Thailand by the end of 2021.
Despite no longer making cameras, the Sendai plant is not closing down and Nikon will apparently be using it to produce “high-performance and high-precision parts required for video products”. Essentially, producing components that will be required by the production plant in Thailand for assembly. They say it will also become a “start-up factory” for new business ventures in Nikon’s future.
[via Digicame-info]
John Aldred
John Aldred is a photographer with over 25 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter – and occasional beta tester – of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
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2 responses to “After 70 years, Nikon is ending its camera production in Japan”
Buuuuu Nikon is loosing market that why they cut costs. Old Nikon was really inventive now… Well in my opinion are really behind. Sony Canon and now Fuji competition is really strong.
I shoot Nikon after shooting Canon (stills) and Sony (video and smaller carry camera). Nikon cameras are not behind. They have better viewfinders, better controls and great lenses. The video features are not crippled like Canon (where 1080p is actually 480p or 720p in actual resolution – 5D III and M6 – and 4K is actually 1080p – M6 Mark II). Nikon cameras and lenses are fantastic for sport and for video and for general photography. The Z6 is great, the Z50 is great, the D850 is great (but not so much for video due to weak autofocus) and so is my D780 (great video autofocus, basically a Z6 in a DSLR body plus an optical viewfinder with very fast phase detect focus).