What's going on with Nikon?

Last year I sold all my Nikon Gear...Z6, Z50 and D7500 plus 13 lenses and switched over to Canon. I shoot mainly birds, so Canon's birds eye focus is a real plus, and it works very well. I was with Nikon since 2006 and felt sad to leave them. Nevertheless, what I noticed since the move is that Nikon is really dragging their feet. They can use a baby Z9 to compete with the R5. Maybe more lenses and cameras in the crop sensor area. All they seem to be doing is running sales on their current older Z cameras and lenses. Don't get me wrong, some of this stuff is very good equipment, however I feel like they are falling behind the competition. I'm getting used to my Canon gear more and more so, and am happy I made the switch, however it's sad to see Nikon lag behind the competition. I hope they get back to being the great Camera maker they once were.

Could this be a coping mechanism for buyer’s remorse?
Not sure why you would be so concerned about Nikon, now that you have moved over to the dark side.

Mama, don't take my Kodachrome Nikon away. lol

Nikon has a strategic plan that they have been following that has returned them to profitability. That plan includes catering to professional and high end consumers, and it seems to have worked for them. The Z9 is arguably one of the top, if not the best, mirrorless full frame cameras available, and it's priced (at least when it first came out) considerably less than flagship cameras from Canon and Sony. Their Z mount lens lineup is also pretty complete. They definitely need to release a Z8 and a refresh of at least the Z6II but in I think in their minds being the biggest does not necessarily mean being the best.

They don't have to. Their web marketing is now king. Look at the climate they've created; you point out their shortcomings and in less than an hour, damage control starts, and you've already been bullied for it. Nikon's shill program is on another level.

Is this supposed to be a fact, or just something you thought up? Most of my colleagues opt for full-frame, no matter the brand.

You didn't understand his point. He was pointing out that Nikon needs something to compete with the R5. A "baby Z9" would be a camera with Z9 like capability in a smaller form factor at a lower price.

Sure, they're profitable. That only proves that they're making money.

So I guess they're actually selling product, unless you can think of another way to be profitable

In terms of "capability" (not profitability), the Z6(ii) and Z7(ii) lines are easily in last place behind anything that Sony or Canon makes (mirrorless, fullframe). That's not to say that Nikon can't turn things around with the Z8. They can. But the Z8 will have to be on a level playing field with the R5 (or slightly better) and will need to be at a very similar price point.

Sure. The money a company brought in was more than their expenses.

More like walked into a bar full of Georgia fans and started cheering for Florida. :-).

Nikon was slow to transition to mirrorless but I think they are doing well. Don't forget Canon and Nikon are both playing catch up to Sony in mirrorless. I went from EF to Z in the same timeframe. I only had a few consumer-quality crop-factor EF lenses at the time, and I wanted to go full frame. Now the Z system that I have is far superior to the Canon system I had, (I don't know how I even took pictures before!) which is clearly enough to inspire me to go on-line and claim moral superiority even though I'm a traitorous scalawag. So take that!

Brands tend to leapfrog each other. So in a few months there will be a rush back to some new product that Nikon pushes out. We will get a load ofI am ditching canon posts, as they cannot cut it. Then it will be the turn of Sony. Does this neurotic need to have the latest aid such as fly's eye autofocus or some other trivial gizmo, such as train autofocus mode really make a difference.

My Z7 and D850 do everything I need, as did my D700 before it, which coped well once, with a huge St Bernard dog charging towards me did. The problem was not the camera.

My goodness, how ever did I get sharp shots, when I shot soccer with an FM2 and MF 300 2.8?

Nikon is playing catch up. Canon isn't.

Try an R5. You'll instantly regret buying into Nikon.

EDIT I guess I need to qualify that... assuming you don't have a Z9.

I have an R5 and a Z 7 II system (body and camera lenses). I prefer using Nikon, though Canon is quite nice as well.

As in Canon doesn't need to, or doesn't care to?

Haha. Me with either of those cameras would be like a bear trying origami.