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Nikon discontinues its Nikon 1 lineup of mirrorless cameras

Nikon discontinues its Nikon 1 lineup of mirrorless cameras

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Nikon hasn’t found much success with its efforts to expand from DSLRs into the mirrorless camera market. The company made a halfhearted attempt to chip away at Sony, Panasonic, Olympus, and other mirrorless specialists a few years ago with the Nikon 1 line, but as reported by NikonRumors, the whole series has now been discontinued.

Nikon last updated the line with the J5 in 2015, which seemed like the most appealing product in the Nikon 1 series to that point. But the cameras were foiled by high prices, a one-inch sensor that was smaller than those used by the competition, and a confusing naming scheme.

But despite this long-expected discontinuation, Nikon is rumored to be working on a reset of its mirrorless plans. NikonRumors reports that the company could introduce two full-frame mirrorless cameras as soon as later this month. That would certainly resolve the sensor weakness of the 1 series. But luring people away from Sony will be no small challenge. Nikon needs to put together a compelling package that matches Sony’s well-regarded full-frame shooters, price it aggressively, and then back it up with good glass.

Earlier this week, Nikon unveiled the new $999 Coolpix P1000, which features a 125x optical zoom lens. It’s set to ship in September.