NR - D4 and D400 to be announced in August

[arthurking83]

I think that which ever way we look at it all, there is one indisputable truth about these 'rumoured' Nikons ... Nikon will maintian whatever feature strategy they had signed off on all those months ago despite what any one 'really wants'.

if we wanted half the features we all seem to pine we'd never have purchased our D300's, D3's, D3s's, x'es, 700's and 7000's.

What ends up happening is that there will be an incremental change to the camera's specs over the last model, and even tho we don't get our much needed gigapixel beasts with a million ISO, we still do what Nikon expects us all to do..

... and that is, as soon as we can afford it we acquire the latest model in the range and rave on about how it's perfect, more than we wanted and the best thing since sliced bread.
This is the way it has been done for generations, and will be the way it's done for generations yet to come.

That's it! Lecture over!
Sermon finished.
You can all go home now, leave on your Sunday best, head straight on over to the nearest camera store and begin your vigil at the main entrance in anticipation for these almighty goods to appear.

[reaction]

What do you need faster than 7 fps for?
7's okay, 5 is too slow to risk missing the decisive moment.

OK, I'm not a pro, so what I'm about to say may be completely wrong. But IMHO fps is not for catching a decisive moment, it is for among other things capturing a sequence of moments. When I want a decisive moment I shoot in single mode. When I want a series for a person diving into a pool I use fps.

And as for stock work, I think that's a tiny minority of a tiny minority of togs in the world, let alone Nikon customers. I hear MF and LF is popular for stock work too.

[reaction]

Well now it's confirmed, tho it's still speculation what will be announced, and of course when the announced bodies will be available.

Seems bets are split btwn DX + FX body or 2 x FX body.
I'm due for a new purchase soon, wonder if it's worth waiting til after the date to see if there's a price drop.

[JM Tran]

got credit card ready and 15 weddings in 5 months to look forward to using a D4!

but rationally, I should just wait a bit for reviews to come out hehe

[ricktas]

I've merged some threads here, to keep the site tidy

[gqtuazon]

I don't know if I can part with my D700. It's been a great camera and i still enjoy using it. I'm not a pro so it may take a long while before I pull another trigger and once the prices have stabilized.

[reaction]

Yeh, hoping for a D700 price drop, I've been looking at prices and while other bodies are now back to pre-quake prices, the D700 is only getting more expensive!

[gqtuazon]

Yeh, hoping for a D700 price drop, I've been looking at prices and while other bodies are now back to pre-quake prices, the D700 is only getting more expensive!

That could only mean that the next D700 replacement will be at least $3,000 USD as it's MSRP. Just like when the D700 was released.

[I @ M]

That could only mean that the next D700 replacement will be at least $3,000 USD as it's MSRP. Just like when the D700 was released.

Did you honestly expect that it would be cheaper?

[Wayne]

That could only mean that the next D700 replacement will be at least $3,000 USD as it's MSRP. Just like when the D700 was released.

You can bet on it!

The D700 as I have previously predicted will maintain a high used value due to it being such a great body, and the want for many upgrading from DX. I suspect many are waiting for the replacement to come out hoping the used D700 price will drop, but as the replacement is no doubt going to be priced well above current used D700 prices, that will only keep the D700 used price high. Only once the replacement body starts to fall off in price will we see the D700 follow suit. The D700 is much sought after and lots of people are paying todays price on the used market without hesitation.

[gqtuazon]

Did you honestly expect that it would be cheaper?

Hahaha! Silly me. What was I thinking? A higher performance FX body that cost less than the current MSRP of the D700?

I'm expecting most D700 owners to sell or upgrade their camera body to the newer model, so we will probably see a lot of used D700 in the for sale section similar to what I saw when the Nikon 85mm f1.4G came out. The NAS BUG is too powerful sometimes. I might not be able to resist if that hits me.

[I @ M]

Glenn, resist the urge.

It won't worry me, the only things that I can "fault" with the D700 are the viewfinder coverage and that the base iso of 200 would suit my purposes better if it were 50. Having the focus points cover more of the view finder area would also be a step in the right direction but still not a deal maker or breaker. Inevitably video will be an inclusion along with probably a higher mega pickel count but those things aren't enough to make me want to go broke spend on a new body.

[gqtuazon]

Glenn, resist the urge.
It won't worry me, the only things that I can "fault" with the D700 are the viewfinder coverage and that the base iso of 200 would suit my purposes better if it were 50. Having the focus points cover more of the view finder area would also be a step in the right direction but still not a deal maker or breaker. Inevitably video will be an inclusion along with probably a higher mega pickel count but those things aren't enough to make me want to go broke spend on a new body.

August 24 was the predicted and now confirmed announcement date from Nikon Officials based on what NR have posted on their website. I agree with the subtle improvements might not be worth the upgrade but IF the sensor is two stops better or it can provide similar cleaner image output at higher ISO (like the D3s), that might be something that I could use and worth the upgrade. I hope Mrs Santa might be more understanding (again) this year. I am not a big fan in using the video feature either but it's something that I might be able to use on certain occasions.

[reaction]

I really doubt your wish of two stops, as the backlit tech only gave us a bit under a stop imho and only gave marked improvement in underexposed shadow areas. Haven't heard of any other major breakthrus. Given the MP count will skyrocket that will also pare back any new tech improvement in SNR.

[kiwi]

I can guarantee a two stop advantage, it's nikons prize asset over d3 upgrades compared to the evil empire

[swifty]

I can guarantee a two stop advantage, it's nikons prize asset over d3 upgrades compared to the evil empire

2 stops advantage over the D3s or 2 stops better than the competition.
Either way that's a pretty big call, I hope you're right though.
Personally I think if pixel count goes to 20+mp and noise remains around a D3s that would already be awesome (and base ISO at 100). Or sub 20mp but with ~1 stop better noise characteristics.

[zollo]

Wayne,

The D7000 never entered into my thoughts in this thread as it simply isn't a replecement or substitute for any of the Dxxx series bodies.

I hope you are kidding with that comment. its the best dx nikon by far. iq is miles ahead of my d300s and i decided that it is also good enough to stop me buying a d700 until the new model comes out. my d3s stays firmly put at the top of the heap though (obvious)

[I @ M]

I hope you are kidding with that comment. its the best dx nikon by far. iq is miles ahead of my d300s and i decided that it is also good enough to stop me buying a d700 until the new model comes out. my d3s stays firmly put at the top of the heap though (obvious)

Sorry to dash your hopes zollo but my opinion is that it isn't a substitute or replacement for the Dxxx series bodies because it doesn't have the control set or body strength that some may require.
It also doesn't seem to sit in my hand as well as the other bodies.
Granted, it has brilliant image quality and performs very well in most aspects but those reasons alone don't qualify it as better all over than the Dxxx series bodies. My assumption is that the D300s replacement will continue the tradition of a more advanced control set and build over the D7000 / D90 range and then trump it again with IQ. ( obviously at a price )

[zollo]

I agree its not as comfortable as the dxxx series and yes some functions take longer to get to.

[Lance B]

The D7000 is a great camera, but I would love that sensor in a D300s body. That way, I can seemlessly move from my D700 to it as they would be similar in their functions. As it stands, the D7000 can be a little fiddly when compared to the D700.