Cost savings, factories needed a revamp for new product lines, and Nikon is in a financial slump (an understatement at the moment. It was inevitable. So far, i

Cost savings, factories needed a revamp for new product lines, and Nikon is in a financial slump (an understatement at the moment. It was inevitable. So far, it hasn't impacted a lot of their product line that was already being manufactured outside of Japan. But it does create a stain in the minds of those who know to look or have been on the Nikon train for years. Everyone always looked at their products with a level of quality that's going to be questioned now. Nikon has made some great strides in products recently. The mirrorless race has been progressing fast, and optically Nikon is in good shape. Their biggest issues are financials, professional markets to an AF system that's not as good as the competition, and really really bad marketing orders from their Japan office. Sony and Canon have managed to pickup so much momentum with great marketing and Nikon is moving the other direction. But the "death of Nikon" warnings have been going on since I first picked up a camera in the early 2000's. They've always been behind the curve the in digital, and caught up when it was just too late and Sony had already dominated the mirrorless market while everyone else was still on DSLRs. Disclaimer: I shoot on a Nikon D850 and Z6II.