Nikon Cancels D300s and D700 in Japan

The press release is simple but clear: Nikon is cancelling its D300s and D700 cameras on its home turf.  The new models have found to breach Japanese safety standards, but because these rules don't apply anywhere else, the two cameras will remain on sale in the rest of the world.

A forum member first alerted us to the situation.  ''Apparently Nikon is no longer selling some cameras, including the D700 and the D300S, because they don't comply with the DENAN law.  Is there any link between this recall and the incident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant which is close to the factory where these, and other professional level cameras, are manufactured?  The article I've read claims that exports will continue, and products that aren't 'DENAN-compliant' will still be sold abroad.  Could there be any safety problems?''

First of all, there's no need to say ''apparently'': Nikon has made an official statement about this issue on its website.  As well as the two cameras in question, other products will be removed from sale in Japan, including the WT-3 wireless transmitter, spare handles with the model numbers MB-D10, MB-D200 and MB-D80, the battery cover BL-3 and the battery EN-EL9.

Next, it's got nothing to do with Fukushima.  The Den-An, which covers safety standards for electronic devices, was passed in 2008 to apply from 2011.  Nikon hasn't said exactly why these products don't meet the standard, but both the D300s and the D700 use the same body as the D300, first released in 2007, well before the new standards came into force.  More recent cameras aimed at amateur photographers, like the D3100, D5100 and D7000 use a different design and don't suffer from the same problem.  The D3s and D7x cameras also date back to 2007, but will still be on sale in Japan.

The standards only apply in Japan, so Nikon is free to continue experts.  Thomas Maquaire, who works for Nikon France, told us that ''currently no European standards exist that could threaten the D300s or the D700.''  Consumers needn't worry about either model disappearing from the shelves overnight.

But given how important the local market is for Nikon, we expect we'll see new versions of both cameras very soon.  If Nikon decided to give up on them rather than making the necessary adjustments to help them meet the relevant standards, then it's possible the firm was already thinking of getting rid of them ...


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