Nikon: We’ve Bottomed, Will Be More Niche, Profitable

Nikon told a Japanese newspaper that it intends to have the camera business be profitable by the end of the coming fiscal year – a year in which it plans to average a lens release per month – and to further concentrate on high-end mirrorless. It gave itself the sea room to make these changes by selling some major assets to provide a cash cushion.

It is configuring the company to be able to be profitable at a much lower scale, in part due to its increased focus on professional and high-end hobbyist products that drive more margin. Of course, this concentration is also being pursued by the other manufacturers as well, as it reflects the reality of the low-end market having moved away from stand-alone cameras. Those product lines were profitable at large scale.

The next lenses rumored to be released are a mirrorless-native macro and some pancake primes.