The decline and fall of Reflex.

[Ron Texas]

Nikon is slowly discontinuing more Nikkor F-mount lenses - Nikon Rumors

It's a mix of FX and DX lenses.

I'm of the view, and always have been is DX DSLR's will be the first to go away while the FX bodies will have a few more years of life beyond the end of DX. The new Z7II is a nice camera although I believe the viewfinder is of lower resolution than the competition. My D850 isn't even broken in yet. Since COVID has curtailed a lot of my shooting it's hard to get excited enough to buy any photo gear. I'm also on the old side and my D850 along with most of it's glass will likely outlast me. However, one senior opined if he waited for mirrorless to be perfect he would never get a chance to have one.

Mirrorless definitely has advantages in manufacturing and optical performance. The difference in how the viewfinder presents the scene does knock me off course. I don't expect any new F-Mount lenses from Nikon unless they are designs which could be easily ported to Z mount which means long telephotos. An improved 24-120 f/4 even as a 24-105 seems unlikely to happen in F-Mount.

The handwriting is on the wall...

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

I have a ton of DSLR gear but in the last couple years I've found myself using my cell phone camera almost exclusively since its 'good enough' most of the time. Lugging a DSLR kit with a few lenses in a backpack gets really old really quick for an extended day. The camera I use for product photography here is mirrorless but I still can't get used to not having the clarity of image from my DSLR's optical viewfinder.

 

[mhardy6647]

Well, that's depressing
But, then again, the F mount has had a pretty good run. If memory serves, the "F" was introduced in 1959.

Nikon F 300 mm chrome by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

Not quite as long as the service life of the US military B-52 BUFF* bomber (umm, I mean Stratofortress) -- which is planned out for nigh on a century before they're all gone, per wiki-p** -- but not bad.

B-52s are periodically refurbished at USAF maintenance depots such as Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma.[217] Even while the Air Force works on a new bomber, it intends to keep the B-52H in service until 2045, which is 90 years after the B-52 first entered service, an unprecedented length of service for any aircraft, civilian or military.

_______________________
* "Big Ugly Fat F**ker
** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_B-52_Stratofortress

 

[Blumlein 88]

I have a ton of DSLR gear but in the last couple years I've found myself using my cell phone camera almost exclusively since its 'good enough' most of the time. Lugging a DSLR kit with a few lenses in a backpack gets really old really quick for an extended day. The camera I use for product photography here is mirrorless but I still can't get used to not having the clarity of image from my DSLR's optical viewfinder.

I know what you mean. I have had in mind getting a mirrorless for about two or three years now to replace my rather old Canon DSLR. Cell phone cams can be used for most stuff however, and even the low light issue is somewhat helped with the software processing in recent phone cams.

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

I know what you mean. I have had in mind getting a mirrorless for about two or three years now to replace my rather old Canon DSLR. Cell phone cams can be used for most stuff however, and even the low light issue is somewhat helped with the software processing in recent phone cams.

The "Google Lens" processing in my Pixel phone makes some scarily good shots in very dark conditions.

 

[Blumlein 88]

The "Google Lens" processing in my Pixel phone makes some scarily good shots in very dark conditions.

Yes, I use a Pixel phone also.

 

[paolomo]

The handwriting is on the wall...

That’s the biggest problem, customers don’t really know what to expect. Or better, when to expect that.

Anyway, Nikon financial results are out. This means we might see some product announcements soon. Who knows, maybe there are some F-mount news coming.

 

[Chromatischism]

The new Z7II is a nice camera although I believe the viewfinder is of lower resolution than the competition.

I've heard this before, and it's true when you look on paper – however when reviewers use several of the top mirrorless cameras they find the Nikon Z to have the nicest-looking EVF. It's nicer than equivalent Sonys, for sure.

It's different to use but I came from 10+ years of DSLR use and there was very little transition time for me other than slight lag in lower light. It's great to be able to see the exposure and focus peaking highlights in real time.

 

[Chromatischism]

The "Google Lens" processing in my Pixel phone makes some scarily good shots in very dark conditions.

I think you mean Night Sight, but yeah, it's uncanny how it does the exposure and tone mapping. I've been of the opinion that Nikon should license this from Google for their Z series. It probably won't happen though since it's coded to run on ARM chips on the Android OS.

 

[Chromatischism]

An improved 24-120 f/4 even as a 24-105 seems unlikely to happen in F-Mount.

In F-mount, no. But there is an S-line Z lens on the way:

This was from October 2020, so they may update it soon.

I'm enjoying my 24-70 and look forward to the 100-400 S.

 

[preload]

Nikon blew it with their backfocus fiasco with the D90. And they blew it again with AF issues with their D800. I finally had enough and dumped my entire Nikon setup and never looked back. Whats the point of sharp glass if your camera can't AF properly?

Meanwhile a Sony mirrorless can lock onto a subject's eye, continuously AF on it, all while firing off at 10 fps. Plus their equivalent lenses have better MTF performance. And their bodies are smaller and lighter. Nikon is the new Kodak.

 

[Chromatischism]

Meanwhile a Sony mirrorless can lock onto a subject's eye, continuously AF on it, all while firing off at 10 fps. Plus their equivalent lenses have better MTF performance. And their bodies are smaller and lighter. Nikon is the new Kodak.

Nikon Z does that too, but with better ergonomics and image quality.

 

[paolomo]

I'm enjoying my 24-70 and look forward to the 100-400 S.

The upcoming 100-400 S is definitely interesting. It might convince me to sell my beloved 70-200 FL in case I make the complete switch to Z.

 

[Ron Texas]

I have a Pixel 4 and must admit it takes very good photos. Mobile phones have wiped out the compact digital camera segment.

 

[cistercian]

I only use DSLR and all are DX so I can avoid vignetting and soft corner performance using some FX glass. (105mm F1.4G)
Using the sweet spot of the lens is nice. I saw the writing on the wall and prefer to look through my glass
so I stocked up on some gear I thought would go away. I was right about the 200mm F2VRG2.
Discontinued. It is unwieldy, heavy, has incredible auto focus both in speed and accuracy...and sublime
image quality. I have a D7200 and 2 D500 bodies. I can't see upgrading them...I am set.

 

[preload]

Nikon Z does that too, but with better ergonomics and image quality.

And how many years too late? Nikon has a history of lagging in innovation ever since the world went digital. I still remember Canon had 21+ MP offerings for years while Nikon was still putzing around with 12MP and 16MP. And when Nikon finally released a 36MP dslr, they screwed up the AF and had to issue a recall. The Nikon of today is nothing like the Nikon of the film era.

 

[LTig]

I have a ton of DSLR gear but in the last couple years I've found myself using my cell phone camera almost exclusively since its 'good enough' most of the time. Lugging a DSLR kit with a few lenses in a backpack gets really old really quick for an extended day.

I second that but my step down is not that steep .
I own a D800 since 2012 but also Panasonic MFTs. Last year I bought a DMC-GX9 bundled with a 12-60 mm lens which is the light version of the D800 with the Nikko 24-120 mm. Since that day I used the D800 very seldom, during almost all hikes I carried the GX9. Its pix are good enough for me.

And if I wish I can add the Pana/Leica 100-400 mm and don't exceed the weight of the Nikon. Don't even think about doing this with the Sigma 150-500 mm were you need a Series 3 Gitzo tripod as well, raising the weight by 4 kg ...

 

[Matias]

And how many years too late? Nikon has a history of lagging in innovation ever since the world went digital. I still remember Canon had 21+ MP offerings for years while Nikon was still putzing around with 12MP and 16MP. And when Nikon finally released a 36MP dslr, they screwed up the AF and had to issue a recall. The Nikon of today is nothing like the Nikon of the film era.

Nikon seems to be slower to innovate and react to the market, but exception aside, they get it done right with image quality and ergonomics.

I chose to remain at entry level DX and don't see myself migrating to mirrorless for several years.

 

[simbloke]

I have a D40 that I really like and keep thinking about upgrading, but the truth is I don't use it enough (though one factor for the past 5 years has been my wife's all time consuming business, put covid may have put paid to that).

I look at the Z50 and think that's small enough to carry around quite often, but I wonder if Nikon are going to stick with it. I don't really understand their reasoning of the smaller sensor behind the Z mount. Doesn't it just mean those people are going to be carrying around a bigger lens than they would otherwise have needed?

 

[Gorgonzola]

I don't miss the mirrored SLR, digital or much less film. I owned a Nikon F back in the day, circa 1966: I loved it then, but that was then. Before and after I used mirror film SLRs for Miranda, Canon, Fujifilm, Pentax, and Olympus; the latter especially the Olympus were excellent cameras and far lighter than the Nikon F which as quite a brute.

Today I use two APS-C format mirrorless cameras with, of course, an electronic view finder : a Fujifilm X-T2 and a fujifilm X-T10. I wouldn't for a fleeting moment think of going back to a mirrored DSLR. The APS-C format provides plenty of resolution for me who is strictly an amateur. The X mount lens are high quality, (especially Fujifilm's XF series), and a smaller, lighter, and cheaper than "full-frame" lenses whether for DSLR or mirrorless. The are also far cheaper in real money that Nikon's F lenses were back in the day.