It looks like Nikon is not only killing their riflescope lineup, they're also killing their authorized repair program:

https://www.ifixit.com/News/nikon-is-killing-its-authorized-repair-program

Maybe there's bigger issues for Nikon than originally recognized?

Why buy a camera when the phone you have in your pocket has a good one already?

Who makes the lenses for those phones?

The phone cameras I've looked at have all had digital zooms. That's pretty poor quality compared to the optical zooms found on even the cheapest P&S cameras. They're good for snapshots but not so much if you want to enlarge a photo.

Because, while OK for snapshots, the tiny sensor in your phone is not up to doing enlargements and IIRC also won't shoot in RAW.

Phones are fine for snapshots but for many types of photography (sports/wildlife), they will not work at all.

But unfortunately for Canon, Pentax, Nikon, Fuji, etc, 99% of the population thinks a snapshot is all there is to photography.

DAMN! I just ought a Nikon just last month. Bend right over and touch your toes; Nikon shows you where it goes. Damn! Damn! Damn!
Paul B.

First I heard they dropped the rifle scope line, now camera repair. WTH!!

I have bought a Nikon Laserforce binocular/range finder. I hope that dosen't go South as well. I have always liked Nikon products and have bought cameras, binos etc in the past. Sad to see a famous company wither slowly.

You need to revisit the cameras on current phones. Quite amazing..........as they should be on a $1000 phone.

Leica makes quite a few as does Zeiss

Yep, I have an Iphone 8 that has a pretty good camera , much better then my point and shoot Panasonic lumix but the iphone 11 blows it away.

Exactly.

And they are always with you.

I bought a point and shoot from Doug for close to $400 a couple years ago. It was purchased because we had some very sensitive and memorable pictures to take. I spent so much time trying to get that camera to take a picture that was even close to the quality of pictures my IPhone 8 takes To no avail. Only tried to use that camera that 1 time and it’s a $400 paperweight sitting in some drawer in my house!

When I heard that Nikon was getting out of the scope business, I assumed it was to distance the company from anything gun and shooting related. Be it hunting or whatever. It probably won’t be long until someone associates “super accurate sniper scopes that only belong on the battlefield” with a misdeed committed with a firearm somewhere somehow. I’m probably wrong just thinking out loud.

Afuggingmen!

Just as a dude in a dress is a chick to them, Olive Garden is REAL Italian food and JimConrad has ever met a Jew.

They aren't getting out of camera repair. Quite the opposite...they are moving it all in-house. Haven't most firearms manufacturers done the same thing?

Nikon cameras were the standard for years right up to the digital age. I sure hate to see them go out of the camera business but the telephone is so handy and most folks don't want to have to carry a second device to take a snap shot. I have several Nikon scopes and they are my favorite rifle scope.

kwg

You go Girl!!!!!!!!

The Iphone 8 has only a 2x optical, the rest is digital. My little $200 Panasonic gets me 20x optical and up to 30x with some additional digital. A better camera will do much better yet.
Optical zooms have a series of lenses that move back and forth to focus on the subject. Cameras use a single lens but some actually have as many as 3 separate cameras built in. It's not nearly as good as an optical but it sort of works. The results don't become apparent until you start enlarging. You'll never see it on a Facebook size shot which is where 95% of the photos end up. There's 1 phone, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom, that has a real optical zoom but it's a strange bird. This photo is looking down from the top of it.

It’s not a matter of what’s best, it’s the fact that a phone takes good enough photos for social media. (Or forums)

I've found that over the years (I'm 60), that I take fewer and fewer pictures, even on vacation. Others don't want to see them and I have them in my mind (so far) . To give that some reference, I got my first Nikkormat FTn in high school and got a Nikon N8008 in my later 20's. Now I have a Sony P&S but normally just look at stuff or take pictures with my phone. On vacations, I've seen too many people spend their entire time looking through the viewfinder instead of experiencing things in the present.

First photo IPhone 7
Second Photo Panasonic ZS60 with Leica lens

Same deer, same distance

Similar year technologies. The newer IPhones are much better but so are the newer Panasonic cameras.

They all have their place but my Panasonic stays in my backpack, it is a far superior camera.

I hate that Nikon is having market trouble as it seems. I have several of their Monarch scopes, three of their FX-1000 scopes and find them to be an excellent scope for the price. I tried to get an allen wrench for the stop adjustment for the first FX-1000 scope I purchased and found their customer service lacking to put it lightly. One less player and choice in the medium price range for quality scopes.

I learned long ago that panasonic camera’s are hard to beat.

This was taken with a Panasonic zs50 at about 1/4 mile. He was running, obviously. I doubt you could get this with a phone.

I have a Nikon camera but never use it, always have phone with me!

Reading the article carefully, it seems that they are still going to maintain their factory repair centers in CA and NY. So, the headline of the article is not quite accurate...

Ed

Same here. Not even worth charging

My Panasonic Lumix would struggle to get half the picture the ZS60 gets. I have my phone with me all the time, I would not carry a camera except on special occasions though.

I have a iphone 8 plus which is a little bit better then what comes on the 8

The phone camera has its place. That is as a limited use camera that you always have with you. Compared to a good P&S they do not process low light or movement nearly as well.

I am looking forward to scooping up some killer Nikon scope deals once they go on closeout. I have a few Leupolds that need to be rotated out.