one of the many Nikon patents for a mirrorless camera
I am going to re-publish the recap of the Photokina interview with Tetsuro Goto (Director of Laboratory Research and Development of the Nikon Imaging Company) where he said that the mirrorless solution from Nikon will probably not be targeted towards professionals and the main emphasis will be on small size and unique features:
When asked about interesting concepts at Photokina it seems the Samsung NX100 caught his eye with the camera’s small size as a key to this systems’ merit. The interviewer jumps at this and asks if it is OK to say that when so many people are waiting for Nikon to develop mirror less systems. He then asks that if Nikon was hypothetically willing to make a mirror less interchangeable lens system, would it be APS-C, considering the problem with size due to lenses used. He replies that going APS-C would only make things bigger and would detract from the F mount’s market value in terms of IQ and features. If the lens system and body are not smaller in total, the whole meaning of reducing size is lost. If it was up to him to make such a thing, a mount smaller than the F would be chosen (his personal opinion)
In the interview Mr. Gotou does not confirm whether they are developing mirror less systems, he says that they are “eagerly developing a new genre of camera” that president Kimura described (in a previous interview probably) as “something that no maker is currently making” and that there is a hush order on what that thing is and that Nikon president Kimura says “Nikon will introduce this product as soon as it is completed” but also Mr. Gotou added “Nikon will view the market movement to decide when to introduce this product”
When asked whether it is a concept that will appeal to people using such product for work (I guess he means a pro product) or more of an enthusiast type concept, he responds by saying that although it is not targeted towards people who use cameras in their work, some will look at this product as a really fun to use camera.
This is what Nikon’s President Makoto Kimura said on this new camera:
Mr Kimura revealed that Nikon is planning a next-generation product that is different from a compact or a mirrorless. He is quoted as saying “I cannot tell you when it will be launched because it is a strategic product” and also “We want to propose a domain that is different from SLRs and compacts. We want to create a new market.” He also said: “Various manufacturers have proposed mirrorless cameras and we are going to propose a new generation camera.” On timing he said it will be out during the mid-term management plan but will not comment further.
The new concept model will probably have an enhanced function for video recording and may adopt the so-called mirrorless structure. It could be any time this fiscal year or the following year, as new models are starting to sell.
