Nikon Corp. unveiled its first full-frame mirrorless cameras, seeking to make up lost ground against Sony Corp. in the professional photography market.
The new Nikon Z7 and Z6 devices will feature new lenses and lens mount, and will be lighter than the current pro-grade cameras, the company said.
The 440,000 yen ($4,000) Z7, which will have a 45.7 megapixel sensor, will go on sale in late September, followed by the Z6, which will have 24.5 megapixels, cost 270,000 yen and hit stores in November. “We will deliver new value to the mirrorless market,” Nikon President Kazuo Ushida said at a media conference in Tokyo on Thursday.
With Nikon’s entry, Sony will no longer have the only high-grade mirrorless cameras that excel at capturing sharp images of fast-moving objects. Canon Inc. has also said that it’s considering its own model, setting the stage for a battle for professionals and enthusiasts. Although smartphones have decimated digital-camera sales, the three Japanese companies benefit from the branding and sales boost that comes with being the main suppliers of high-end cameras and lenses for news and sports events.
“Mirrorless is no longer a niche product,” said Stephen Baker, a consumer-technology analyst at researcher NPD. “It offers advantages in size and weight and battery that make mirrorless a very competitive premium technology.”
While Nikon and Canon dominated the pro market for decades, first with film and then with digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras, it’s becoming clearer that devices without the mirror-and-prism system offer significant benefits. Thanks to advanced image sensors and sophisticated software, mirrorless systems can grab light faster and stay in focus, making it easier to capture crisp images of fast-moving objects.
“We will aim for the No. 1 spot in the mirrorless market,” said Nobuyoshi Gokyu, the chief of Nikon’s camera business. Asked about how the Z-series will stack up against Sony’s Alpha line of full-frame mirrorless cameras, he touted its optical performance, including the lens mount, which allows for the use of older Nikon lenses, with an adapter in some cases. “We believe we can lead the future in mirrorless.”
Mirrorless cameras have been around for more than a decade, but Sony’s efforts in recent years to embed them with the larger full-frame image sensors — the chips that convert light particles into digital bits — have put them on par with SLRs in terms of picture quality. The design also makes cameras lighter, smaller and quieter — important attributes for pro shooters. Nikon will continue making SLR cameras alongside the new devices, Gokyu said.
The new mirrorless designs have been a rare bright spot for the $11 billion industry, where digital camera shipments have plummeted 80 percent in the past decade, as more people use smartphones to take pictures. Mirrorless cameras now account for about a third of the sector’s revenue, up from 9 percent in 2012, according to industry body CIPA.
Source: Bloomberg
Nikon and Canon actually already offer mirrorless cameras, but they are aimed at consumers and amateur photographers. Nikon had delayed a push into the full-frame mirrorless cameras on concerns that it would cannibalize its existing SLR lineup, according to NPD. As a result, Nikon’s share of the combined SLR and mirrorless camera has fallen to about a quarter, which is about half its position a decade ago, according to company estimates.
Cameras and lenses now account for 41 percent of Nikon’s operating profit, down from 62 percent a decade ago. The Tokyo-based company has turned to precision-measurement tools and medical cameras, although shares are still trading at less than half of their peak in late 2007. Nikon shares rose less than 1 percent on Thursday, and are down about 8 percent this year.
Industry insiders are expecting Nikon’s main rival Canon to unveil its own full-frame mirrorless camera soon, setting the stage for a three-way battle in the professional photography market. Other camera makers are also stepping up investment, with Fujifilm Holdings Corp. announcing last month it will boost lens production by 70 percent in 2020 due to growing demand for mirrorless cameras.
Director and the Chief Operating Officer (COO), IBM Southern Africa
Ziaad Suleman is a Director and the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for IBM Southern
Africa. He joined the company 11 years ago and has been integral to the growth and development of the IBM business in the region.
In his role as COO, Ziaad is responsible for the overall business operations of the company. His main focus areas include strategy, transformation, operations; special projects and investments.
He also serves on the IBM South Africa Board of Directors, EXCO, as well as important
governing councils such the Social & Ethics Committee and the Disciplinary Board.
Prior to his role as COO, Ziaad was the head lawyer for IBM in Sub-Saharan Africa — a
territory which is challenging, both in geography and complexity.
Ziaad represents South Africa as the SA Chair of 4IR on BRICS. He is a member of the ICT 4IR Public Private Growth Initiative (PPGI), is a Member of the FNB Islamic Advisory Council, and is part of the Business Advisory Group to the president, amongst other roles.
Stafford Masie
WeWork South Africa
Celebrity innovator and head of WeWork in South Africa, Stafford Masie, will be the keynote speaker of Fast Company’s inaugural Most Innovative Companies conference and awards ceremony taking place on 5 March 2020 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.
Masie is no stranger to the South African innovation community. He spent 7 years in the US where he played a significant role in the global open source software arena and was responsible for international partnerships and corporate technology strategy for a number of international territories including Latin America, the Middle East, sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Europe.
He returned to South Africa in 2004 as the country manager for Novell and in 2007, developed and launched Google’s initial local presence in South Africa. Shortly thereafter, he was appointed as Google’s regional Africa director and together with his team, established the local office and launched the Google business ecosystem. He was also responsible for the launch of google.co.za, as well as localised versions of Google AdWords, YouTube, Google Maps Street View, and more.
After a successful career at Google, he launched his own company called Thumbzup before developing mobile payment app, Payment Pebble which allows merchants and ordinary people to make easy card payments online.
Now, he heads up WeWork South Africa with a wealth of experience in the tech and innovation space under his belt.
Phathizwe Malinga
Managing Director, SqwidNet
As the Managing Director of SqwidNet, Phathizwe Malinga is responsible for building an IoT connectivity business in South Africa in partnership with International IoT giant SIGFOX.
In addition to his Managing Director role, he will continue overlooking the solutions division for SqwidNet, a fully owned subsidiary of Dark Fibre Africa. Malinga has made a natural transition into the role of leading SqwidNet because of the various leadership roles he has fulfilled over the years.
He is no stranger to the role of a strategist, as he consulted with both Max Healthcare and Life Healthcare Group in his previous position with the organisation. He has been involved in the information technology and telecommunication industry for over two decades, having held senior management level positions.
Before joining SqwidNet, Malinga was the Head of Application Strategy at Life Healthcare Group, where he was in charge of the IT Application strategy and Software Development for the group. Phathizwe completed his Executive MBA from the Graduate School of Business in Cape Town. He continues to guest lecture with the university and he sits on the board of Bizmod Consulting. Malinga is a Singularity University Faculty Candidate.
Jayshree Naidoo
YIEDI
Known for her position as a thought leader on innovation and entrepreneurship, Jayshree Naidoo is the CEO of YIEDI, a founding member and ex-chairperson of the Southern African Innovation Network and a member of the National Advisory Council on Innovation for South Africa (NACI).
Naidoo was previously a recipient of Fast Company South Africa’s Most Creative People in Business 2018 for “Putting Entrepreneurs First” and has held several leadership roles at large South African corporates, including Standard Bank, Discovery, Absa, Internet Solutions and Da Vinci.
Currently, Naidoo delivers the IBM Techscale, PROPreneurX anf the YIEDI Business in a Box programme that helps grow, develop and provide access to market linkages for entrepreneurs. In 2019, Naidoo was identified as one of South Africa’s Inspiring 50 winners. Inspiring 50 is a global initiative supported by the governments of the Netherlands and South Africa that recognizes the top 50 women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).
Rory Moore
Accenture
An innovation and emerging technology expert with years of experience growing and leading multi-disciplinary teams, Rory Moore aims to bring new ideas and technologies to life.
He is the lead for Africa and Asia Pacific of 10 Liquid Studios, the rapid application development teams of Accenture that works on projects in the experimental and emerging technologies space.
With his keen focus on conceptual development and proof of value through high-fidelity prototypes around artificial intelligence, virtual reality and blockchain, his role as adjunct faculty at top business schools across the country is no reach. Moore is also an inventor and patent holder of a collaborative innovation platform and has an MBA in innovation from the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business.
Reshaad Sha
Liquid Telecom
Reshaad Sha is the CEO of Liquid Telecom South Africa, a pan-African connectivity and digital service provider that offers services to telecom operators, governments and businesses across the African continent.
Before joining Liquid Telecom, Sha was the founder and CEO of SqwidNet, where he led the team entrusted to build an IoT connectivity business in South Africa in partnership with the world’s largest IoT operator, Sigfox.
Concurrently, Sha served as the chief strategy officer at DFA, where he led the company’s strategy to transform the business from infrastructure to telecommunications. In addition to holding various director-level positions in the telecommunications industry at LogicaCMG, Protek, Lifetree and Cisco, Sha has had the opportunity to work closely with many leading telecommunications operators in the United States, the Middle East, Africa, Russia, Turkey and South-East Asia.
Sha holds a national diploma in information technology from the Durban university of Technology and Technikon South Africa, an executive MBA from the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business and is a recent advanced management graduate of Harvard Business School.