Are Fuji taking over Nikon?

I am not sure it is in Fuji interest to take over NIKON. It is true that Fuji is a big enough business to swallow them whole. but why should they if they are failing so badly.
there are parts of Nikon that would probably interest them, but the camera business is based on the DSLR which is on the way out except for specialist use. Their vast lens range would need a massive investment to take it down the mirror less route, and then it would be in competition with Fuji own range.
If Fuji do take over it will be very much a blood bath.
 
I can't see Fuji taking over the non camera parts of Nikon. Maybe they feel that they have some useful tech Fuji can use?
 
I was told that the vast majority of Fuji profits don't come from camera related business. Rather they have a vast array of coloured pigments left over from the film days and they are making their money from trading in these.
 
It would make more sense for Sony to take them over. They have made sensors for Nikon.
 
minnnt said:
If they did then they could use the bit that makes the IQ better, the bit that gets rid of the painterly effect and the bit that gives better skin tones. :D

:exit:
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He said Nikon, not Canon... :banana:
 
mickledore said:
I was told that the vast majority of Fuji profits don't come from camera related business. Rather they have a vast array of coloured pigments left over from the film days and they are making their money from trading in these.
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Fuji are a very large hi-tec industrial, chemical and medical product business branching into many specialist fields
 
srichards said:
It would make more sense for Sony to take them over. They have made sensors for Nikon.
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Not sure Sony has that much spare cash these days. many of their business interests are not doing that well. Their camera business is very small beer in the scale of things.
 
No

Probably been mooted because they have collaborated in the past when Fuji used Nikon DSLR bodies.

Why would they want to plough cash in propping up an ailing business that doesn't offer much.
 
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I'd be surprised, doesn't seem to make huge sense for Fuji, they're seem fairly committed to the APS-C line-up being their main line alongside the medium format GFX, also the other non-camera bits of Nikon probably aren't of much interest.

It sounds much more likely that we may see some sort of investment like Sony did with Olympus a few years back but well short of a merger/takeover, I honestly don't believe Nikon are in such a state that the Japanese government would advocate a full-on merger, imagine the job losses in Japan that would ensue from "efficiency".

Sony would be a much better partner for Nikon, Nikon must be the Sony Sensor division's biggest customer by some margin but as already said they might not financially be in a great place to do much.
 
Terrywoodenpic said:
Not sure Sony has that much spare cash these days. many of their business interests are not doing that well. Their camera business is very small beer in the scale of things.
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The physical camera business yes but the camera sensor business is one of the biggest parts of the Sony Group now making them for Nikon, Apple, etc, if Nikon failed then the Sony business would take a massive hit. (Not that I'm suggesting Nikon are anywhere near that)
 
I think Sony's main sensor sales comes from other markets (mobile devices, speciality cameras, etc). I don't think Nikon's demise will make much of a difference tbh.
 
chrism_scotland said:
It sounds much more likely that we may see some sort of investment like Sony did with Olympus a few years back but well short of a merger/takeover, I honestly don't believe Nikon are in such a state that the Japanese government would advocate a full-on merger, imagine the job losses in Japan that would ensue from "efficiency".
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I think this is the most likely outcome. Must be bad if the government have to step in.
 
Just looked through the Fuji annual report, Cameras and lenses are the smallest part of their smallest sector of interest, and provide less than 5% of their business, including TV lenses and other photo devices.
They need Nikon like a hole in the head.
 
chrism_scotland said:
The physical camera business yes but the camera sensor business is one of the biggest parts of the Sony Group now making them for Nikon, Apple, etc, if Nikon failed then the Sony business would take a massive hit. (Not that I'm suggesting Nikon are anywhere near that)
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I do not think you realise how tiny the camera market is. Though a number of companies would be interested in Nikon's Medical offshoots.

It is rather Like Hoover... their electric motor business, was massive compared to their vacuum cleaner and white goods business.
though it was never the bit that people noticed.
 
Sad to hear nikon is in trouble really, i really hope they carry on for many many years!
 
It seems to be the Japanese government are keen for Fuji to buy a stake in Nikon as a way to keep the company in Japanese hands.
 
Its not uncommon but in fact very much with Japanese culture to help keep fellow companies alive and within Japan even if they are competitors.
 
I'm sure there is some connection already One of Nikon's Japan addresses is Fujifilm House, or at least, it was a few years ago.


Steve.
 
Fuji built some of their early digital pro cameras into Nikon bodies, but that was just a business deal not a tie up.
 
minnnt said:
If they did then they could use the bit that makes the IQ better, the bit that gets rid of the painterly effect and the bit that gives better skin tones. :D

:exit:
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could you explain what you mean by painterly effect please ;)
 
Probably just a rumour started by a fund manager to boost the value of Nikon shares so they can flog theirs off with some value. Both businesses are highly diversified (Fuji more so, most of Nikon is imaging of some sort) but if it was going ahead it is quite normal for companies to have to buy the failing bit in order to get their hands on the good bit, then just restructure or get shot of the bits they don't want. Unusual in Japanese business but not unheard of.
 
DoctorJ said:
Probably just a rumour started by a fund manager to boost the value of Nikon shares so they can flog theirs off with some value. Both businesses are highly diversified (Fuji more so, most of Nikon is imaging of some sort) but if it was going ahead it is quite normal for companies to have to buy the failing bit in order to get their hands on the good bit, then just restructure or get shot of the bits they don't want. Unusual in Japanese business but not unheard of.
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Sony only bought the camera business of Minolta to get hold of their technology, patents and experience/brain power. none of the camera lines survived. The more profitable reprographics business still carries on asKonica Minolta. Some parts like binoculars and film scanners were left to die.
I find it hard to think what Fugi would want to keep out of the camera side of the purchase of Nikon. If they had wanted to compete in the Full frame market they would have already done so, the high end medium format sector has always been more their area of interest. The full frame market is only going to become more and more competitive as it shrinks to its basic core.
 
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Terrywoodenpic said:
Sony only bought the camera business of Minolta to get hold of their technology, patents and experience/brain power. none of the camera lines survived. The more profitable reprographics business still carries on asKonica Minolta. Some parts like binoculars and film scanners were left to die.
I find it hard to think what Fugi would want to keep out of the camera side of the purchase of Nikon. If they had wanted to compete in the Full frame market they would have already done so, the high end medium format sector has always been more their area of interest. The full frame market is only going to become more and more competitive as it shrinks to its basic core.
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If anything, I'd imagine the most valuable part of Nikon (to another company) is the brand itself. If you ask someone what cameras they've heard of, i'd expect that the large majority would still say Canon and Nikon.

I work for a huge global multinational (Unilever) that owns around 400 brands like Dove/Persil/Hellmans/Ben&Jerrys/Lynx etc. They've been in business for 125 years but up until around 4 years ago, the name Unilever wasn't even printed on the products anywhere as people know and buy the brand, not the manufacturer.
 
Terrywoodenpic said:
Not sure Sony has that much spare cash these days. many of their business interests are not doing that well. Their camera business is very small beer in the scale of things.
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Sony are top dogs in gamin and not far off in the TV side of things as well android devices
 
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