In an interview with the British Journal of Photography, Nikon are really talking sense. It has taken a few years! Let’s listen to what Nikon group marketing manager for the UK, Jeremy Gilbert has to say about the company’s direction with their DSLRs and video.
“We make cameras for photographers – but also for videographers because this sector is growing and the two are merging.”
Nikon now claim that the original brief of DSLR video has changed and become far more serious. Newspaper and print journalists didn’t really want a video mode for the web, says Jeremy, as they had other organisations with proper video gathering capabilities to provide material and they were still relying a lot on print.
“What did happen is that these cameras received a lot of interest from videographers and people that are doing shorts, movies, advertising…These people understood the range of lenses that we have and what they could achieve visually with them. From the D90 to the D3s, and now with the D800 and D4, we’ve just been trying to listen to as much input as possible.”
Nikon believe the D800 has answered everything Canon did with the 5D Mark II and Mark III. However Nikon recognise they need to listen to *us* in order to keep up the momentum…
I hope they listen to the right people. This is key.
“Being in the lead now may be a temporary position, so what we do and what we learn when we’re in that position, who we talk to, is important. For me, we need to get a group of leading users, whether they are photographers or videographers, and work closely with them, monitor their usage and making it work for them. It’s about staying in front.”
“People are interested in us as a brand [for video] now, and, actually, what’s happened is that people are now contacting us with ideas and requests. They would have perhaps traditionally gone somewhere else – they are now knocking on our door, and we’ll be working with as many people as we can to try to establish content to show what can be done with the D4 and D800.”
“I think it’s a fantastic time for us to learn because it’s not our traditional marketplace. We are trying to cater to all areas of the market. We’re building up a new relationship with new clients and customers.”
“So far, the reaction to the D4 and D800 has been ‘unprecedented’. It’s the best word I can use. The last three to six months have been very interesting for the business - right from the launch of the Nikon 1 to the D4 and D800. Pre-orders for the D4 have been impressive, and for the D800 it has been absolutely manic.”
Looks like Canon, Sony and Panasonic have some new competition. This can only be a good thing.
