Earthquakes, technical issues delay Nikon products: no release date known for new DL-series cameras
posted Wednesday, April 20, 2016 at 11:51 AM EDT
The recent devastating Kumamoto earthquakes have had far-reaching effects on various industries, including the photo industry. In addition to temporarily closing a pair of Sony image sensor plants, the earthquakes have now affected Nikon's release targets for a variety of upcoming cameras. In addition to the earthquake, however, various production issues are also at play for Nikon.
Nikon's press release states that the Nikon KeyMission 360 action camera will not be available this spring, instead releasing this October because software adjustments must be made.
The Coolpix A300 and B500 will be available in May, which is a one-month delay. The Coolpix A900 and B700, also originally scheduled for a release this month, are now scheduled to arrive in July.
Photographers waiting for the premium compact DL-series will have to wait for an undisclosed period of time as Nikon works to address "serious issues with the integrated circuit for image processing" that is used in all three models. The DL18-50, DL24-85, and DL24-500 were all originally scheduled to release this June. Updated release information for these cameras is not yet available.
The Kumamoto earthquakes are having a vague and unknown impact on Nikon's digital cameras, interchangeable lenses, and compact cameras. Various parts suppliers were affected by the quakes and Nikon says that their production and sales will be "inevitably" impacted. They are in the investigation stage now and will announce details pending the results of the investigation.
Nikon closes their statement with the following message, "We sincerely apologize to our customers, business partners, and all those who have expressed interest in these models for the delays. We are making every effort to bring these models to market at the earliest possible date without compromising on our standards and the total Nikon product experience."
This is not the first time Nikon has delayed a product this year, as the new D500 was delayed from its original March launch until late this month.
(Read the Nikon press release here. Seen via Nikon Rumors.)
