Nikon shares rise amid mirrorless speculation

Nikon mirrorless camera
Will we see Nikon's mirrorless camera in September?

Shares in Nikon have risen for the third day in a row after increased speculation about an impending launch of the company's first mirrorless camera.

A report in the Nikkei newspaper which claimed that the new Nikon compact system camera will be launched by the end of the year with a price of 70,000-100,000 yen (approximately £565-£800) with a kit lens seems to have been the major reason for the share price increase.

Nikon, along with its main rival, Canon, has yet to enter the mirrorless market, while Sony, Samsung, Panasonic, Olympus and Pentax all have models on the market.

The launch of the new camera has been rumoured for some time, with many expecting it will be announced as soon as the end of the month.

Yesterday it was reported that Nikon and Canon were losing market share in their native Japan, while Sony had increased its share twofold. The reason for the 35% downturn has been cited as the lack of mirrorless models from either company.

Last month, Nikon said it expected sales of its digital SLR cameras to rise by 26% in the year to March 2012, selling 5.4 million units.

Nikon's shares ended yesterday 2.6% higher in a broader market which was down 0.6%. Over the past three days, the shares have risen about 10%. Canon meanwhile, is only around 1% up over the same period, and Sony has gained 2.3%.

Earlier today, Nikon posted a "news update" on its page, stating that there was in fact, no news.

Keep following TechRadar for more on any impending Nikon mirrorless cameras.

Via Reuters.

Amy Davies

Amy has been writing about cameras, photography and associated tech since 2009. Amy was once part of the photography testing team for Future Publishing working across TechRadar, Digital Camera, PhotoPlus, N Photo and Photography Week. For her photography, she has won awards and has been exhibited. She often partakes in unusual projects - including one intense year where she used a different camera every single day. Amy is currently the Features Editor at Amateur Photographer magazine, and in her increasingly little spare time works across a number of high-profile publications including Wired, Stuff, Digital Camera World, Expert Reviews, and just a little off-tangent, PetsRadar.