Nikon Developing Full-Frame Mirrorless

2018.07.25

After years of speculations about the re-entry of Nikon into the mirrorless digital camera market, Nikon confirms development of a full-frame mirrorless system. In an announcement released earlier today, Nikon describes their direction and some broad details of their to-be-launched Full-Frame Mirrorless platform.

The official press release is a development announcement, which is more preliminary than a launch. Two details are clear:

As the title says, Nikon is going straight to Full-Frame, skipping APS-C. This does not preclude APS-C being supported in the future by the platform, yet it is starting from Full-Frame. Nikon already sources some of the best full-frame sensors in the industry, so there is no reason to expect any less performance from their upcoming mirrorless digital cameras.

A new mount is coming. This is obvious given that mirrorless as slimmer and DSLRs and do not require such a large flange distance. Current Nikon F-mount Full-Frame (FX) lenses will be adaptable to the new mount. Again, one would not expect to be any different given the huge legacy of Nikon optics. Of course, new lenses will be tailored and improved given the increased flexibility of designing for mirrorless.

This certainly leaves much to be speculated. Nikon has to be careful to transition its user page from their DSLR to their mirrorless platform and is emphasizing their experience and advanced manufacturing capabilities. Given that full-frame mirrorless cameras are rather pricey, the first camera is likely to be a high-end product. Anywhere between 36 and 50 megapixels is likely.

The big question is will Nikon include built-in image-stabilization? They have long stated that in-lens optical image-stabilization - or Vibration Reduction in Nikon speak - is superior but we now know that this is not true. Not only that but dual-stabilization systems are pushing the limits of shutter-speed by combining both sensor-shift and lens-stabilization to compensate for complementary aspects of camera shake.

One can see from the camera outline shared by Nikon that a large EVF will be built-in to the flagship camera. By looking at proportions, it is also clear that lenses will remain rather sizable. This is necessary for a full-frame imaging circles, so systems with smaller sensors will be able to slash size at the expense of image-quality.

The rest is up to Nikon. Launching a high-end product with new lenses means they can make their new products weatherproof from the start and perhaps even freezeproof, unlike any existing Nikon DSLR. Digital cameras are extremely complex, so parts of get sourced from specialized manufacturers. They will probably use some of the best EVF panels, LCD screens, etc but many parts will be known as existing products from providers.

Nikon is doing well to aim right for the full-frame market which is the smallest and most high-margin segment. They will compete directly with Sony but no one else, unless they push sensor resolution to the point that blurs the lines between Medium-Format and Full-Frame.

No dates have been announced so this is to be continued. Photokina is right around the corner, so we are certain to hear more by then with a product announcement by the next Photokina which is in May 2019.

• Digital Camera