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What could the D400 have?
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lol, the D300s just released and now its the D400 already? Well depending on the situation, it could be either improved image quality (I expect the D300s will have the same image quality as D90 and D5000, maybe slightly very slightly improvement).
So what I expect the D400 will be is improved video and with full manual control. There is a chance the D400 will be FF (depending on what Sony does within this couple of years). Other then that, nothing much I think.
The section where I prefer Nikon to put some effort now is in primes! They are soo old (well not that it is wrong, but it could get some updates) So far they have been focusing on the DX prime which is to me quite sad cause they could have made the 35mm as a FX glass instead of a DX glass and it will still give the same FOV.
And I can't believe they just updated the 18-200 DX, now that's a new glass. The 70-200 was kinda expected though, can't wait to see its review though
So what I expect the D400 will be is improved video and with full manual control. There is a chance the D400 will be FF (depending on what Sony does within this couple of years). Other then that, nothing much I think.
The section where I prefer Nikon to put some effort now is in primes! They are soo old (well not that it is wrong, but it could get some updates) So far they have been focusing on the DX prime which is to me quite sad cause they could have made the 35mm as a FX glass instead of a DX glass and it will still give the same FOV.
And I can't believe they just updated the 18-200 DX, now that's a new glass. The 70-200 was kinda expected though, can't wait to see its review though
Actually, given that an "s" model seems to only be an interim thing, wondering whether it could be worthwhile to wait for a D400 would be the normal thing to do.
Well here is my take.
If you are the owner of a D300, then D300s won't make a huge difference, a D700 will
If you are the owner of a D90, well again D700 will make a huge difference but if you are not enough budget and want to get familiarize with the D700 interface or would want better ergonomics, then the D300s could be it.
Now if you are an owner of a D40/D60/D5000, then a D300s will be a huge improvement.
As for me, since I am switching over from Canon to Nikon, I will likely be going for the D300s, if the D300 price is around the same.
So for D300 owners, for me its either you go FF or wait for D400 and hopefully it will be much improved image quality or it might be just be a FF
If you are the owner of a D300, then D300s won't make a huge difference, a D700 will
If you are the owner of a D90, well again D700 will make a huge difference but if you are not enough budget and want to get familiarize with the D700 interface or would want better ergonomics, then the D300s could be it.
Now if you are an owner of a D40/D60/D5000, then a D300s will be a huge improvement.
As for me, since I am switching over from Canon to Nikon, I will likely be going for the D300s, if the D300 price is around the same.
So for D300 owners, for me its either you go FF or wait for D400 and hopefully it will be much improved image quality or it might be just be a FF
wait for D400 and hopefully it will be much improved image quality or it might be just be a FF
It won't be FF, otherwise that's the name they would have used for the D700.
I know that but I mean, a cheaper FF in the form of D400. Cause it all depends on what Sony does. If Sony releases a FF that is around the price of D300s (possible cause they want the market share). Expect Canon to release something similar and Nikon will likely force to use FF in D400 if they expect to compete with the other manufactures, also since Nikon uses sensor manufactured by Sony, this is a huge possibility indeed
What Sony does has little to no bearing on Nikon's pro and prosumer camera lines.
Many of the new pro zooms outperform older primes at the same FL, so I don't think there's as much of a feeling of necessity there. For instance, the 14-24 sounds like it outperforms the 14mm, 20mm and 24mm primes, the 17-35mm outperforms the 20mm and probably the 35mm primes- or at least comes close. The 24-70 is a little worse than the 35mm prime, but probably not enough to notice in most prints. We've had updated 50mm, 60mm, and 105mm lenses.
And I can't believe they just updated the 18-200 DX, now that's a new glass. The 70-200 was kinda expected though, can't wait to see its review though
The 18-200 is one of Nikon's best-selling lenses and zoom creep its biggest complaint. It was a good move.
Well yeah, but don't tell me that Nikon and Canon will let Sony have a free ride on <$2000 FF body. Sony A850 (rumored to be <$2000)
Yeah, you got the point. Unless Nikon is prepping to release f/1.4 primes?
Well yeah, but they still have other lenses to improve right? and right now, Nikon 18-200 is the best APS-C superzoom so far.
One question does the New D300s auto focus on movie mode? I would upgrade my D90 if that was the case!
We've seen what happens with pricing rumors- and frankly Sony *has* to compete on price because they don't have the share or lens line of Canon or Nikon- even $2000 isn't a general consumer item, and Canon and Nikon may stick to the "get 'em at the low end and grow 'em" strategy- out of the three, only Nikon's making profits with digital cameras at the moment, so it's really difficult to predict what would make a pricing war break out- Sony can't afford to keep losing money- and Alpha didn't even get a single mention in the last annual report.
We should see one more kit and at least 2-3 more releases this year, it's difficult to say what they'll be though- but I expect the 80-400 to be one of them.
The economy sucks, the Yen is too strong- updating a zoom ring on a line that's chunking them out is much smarter than tooling up a whole line on a lens that may not sell well.
On the topic of video, I would like to see continuous video shooting up to the maximum file size rather than 5 minutes. In fact, it's about time we break with FAT32 and its 4GB file size limit.
I would also like to see built-in GPS receivers not only on mid- and high-end DSLRs, but also on mid- and high-end compact digicams, particularly those that are geared for travel.
Profits are the wrong word- growing business is what I should have said- Nikon's net sales were up 1.8%, while Canon's sales declined by 9.6%. Sony's non-DSLR business declined by 6%, Camcorders by 19% (ouch!) easily outstripping the gains in Alpha sales for the fiscal year ended March 2009.
I realize you're probably referring to what Sony does with it's own camera line and not their chip business, but since (I believe) Sony makes all of Nikon's sensors what they do certainly could definitely impact the decision making at Nikon and pretty much everyone else who uses them. It'd be foolish to think their camera business drives their fabrication business (totally the other way around), but I would think if Sony was able to reduce the pricing of full frame sensors within a couple years that should directly play into either a less expensive D700 variant or something else lower in the line.
Personally, unless the price *really* came down, I have no interest in full frame. A D300s caliber camera is more than enough for me (far more camera than talent).
Just a thought..
Nikon leases fab space from Sony, and some of their sensors are based on Sony designs, but by and large, Nikon's sensor designs are proprietary.
edit: Nikon will be releasing their financial results tomorrow.
Didn't realize they went that far. I was under the impression that Nikon used a Sony sensor with a custom firmware and additional image processing. I thought Canon was the only big enough player to do their own sensors and pretty much everyone else used Sony.
Good to know!
Actually, while some Nikon sensors are fabricated by Sony it's not at all clear they all are. I read some recent conjecture about a completely different fab plant for the D700 sensor. Nikon describes the Sony sensor development as collaboration, not just a "go build me one of these!"
I didn't say that Sony did Nikon's fabrication. I said that Nikon leased fab facilities from Sony. And Sony leases steppers from Nikon. Japan's businesses are tightly intertwined.
My points are that Sony isn't likely to be the only fab source and that lots of sensor design isn't completely proprietary to Nikon.
Yeah, the economy is changing things And yup, upgrading their best selling zoom lens will like sort of guarantee sales (as long as their updated lens lives up to expectations)
Oh regarding the AF in movie mode, it is still not certain how fast is the AF since it is based on contrast detect. So ppl expect the performance to be similar to AF contrast detect Live View mode and the last I check, contrast detect live view isn't fast.
Besides, I only own 50mm f/1.8 and 100mm f/2.8 and 18-55 and 580EXII, so the cost of me switching wouldn't make me lose as much money as those who invested on L lenses, heck, I will still keep my 1000D w/ 100mm f/2.8 for macro uses and sell off my 580EXII (not sure how much the price I can get if I sell 50mm f/1.8 since it's cheap enough bought new already).
And yup, upgrading their best selling zoom lens will like sort of guarantee sales (as long as their updated lens lives up to expectations) Oh regarding the AF in movie mode, it is still not certain how fast is the AF since it is based on contrast detect. So ppl expect the performance to be similar to AF contrast detect Live View mode and the last I check, contrast detect live view isn't fast.
Ah alright, well currently I own a 1000D which is a great camera body by the way but why I am switching is cause I just can't stand the ergonomic (button layout to be more precise) of the 40D/50D/5D/5D Mark II, I felt that the main control dial just felt all weird and place wrongly. In fact, I actually used my friends D700 and another friend 5D before during 2 separate events and the D700 without battery grip felt much better to hold not to mention sturdier and use then the 5D with batter grip, weight wasn't a problem though, the button placement was (the D700 was mounted with a 80-200 f/2.8 while the 5D heaviest lens I think was the 24-105 f/4).
Besides, I only own 50mm f/1.8 and 100mm f/2.8 and 18-55 and 580EXII, so the cost of me switching wouldn't make me lose as much money as those who invested on L lenses, heck, I will still keep my 1000D w/ 100mm f/2.8 for macro uses and sell off my 580EXII (not sure how much the price I can get if I sell 50mm f/1.8 since it's cheap enough bought new already).