Photo/Illutration The D6, Nikon Corp.’s latest model of digital single-lens reflex camera (Provided by Nikon Corp.)

Nikon Corp. has halted development of new models of digital single-lens reflex cameras to focus on the growing mirrorless camera market, sources said on July 12.

However, a Nikon official said there are no plans to completely abandon the DSLR market and the company will continue manufacturing and selling existing models.

“We would like our customers to rest assured and keep using our single-lens reflex cameras as we will still manufacture, sell and provide customer support for our existing products,” a Nikon official said. 

The company will now concentrate on developing new mirrorless camera products and manufacturing them, as they become increasingly popular.

Nikon, a leading company specializing in optics and imaging products, has sold a wide range of SLR cameras popular with amateur and professional photographers for more than 60 years.

The company started selling the iconic Nikon F, its first film SLR camera, in 1959. In the late 1990s, it shifted its focus to DSLR cameras.

The company has continued to produce more advanced DSLRs, with the D6, its latest model, hitting the market in June 2020.

With the market for SLR cameras shrinking, Nikon halted developing new products in the category.

However, the company also said that it could resume developing new models of SLR cameras in the future.

According to the Camera & Imaging Products Association, the product shipment value of SLR cameras was around 91.2 billion yen ($670 million) in 2021, down around 6 percent from the previous year.

By comparison, the product shipment value of mirrorless cameras, which have electronic viewfinders instead of reflex mirrors, was around 324.5 billion yen in 2021, a year-on-year increase of about 31 percent.

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