Nikon, a leading optics producer, stops making rifle scopes

[flamin lib]

4. I have been an insider in the camera industry since

1975. Seen boom, bust, boom and now bust again. I also know a bit about guns.

All the camera makers are trying to scrounge every % of loss reduction they can because they are trying to justify their existence to the home Corporation. This ain't about market share, it's about market segment. Nikon has some share of the optical market in telescopes, binoculars, microscopes and targeting optics; in all segments. The telephoto segment for wildlife photography is larger than that of wildlife hunters. When the larger segment takes the time and energy to make a statement, the company listens.

It's not the end of all hunting scopes and Nikon won't stop making cameras. It's a reality that the gun community at large doesn't pay much attention to but it is an indication of shifting ideology, an evolution in priorities.