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« The Nikon D4 is coming. Lock up your credit cards... | Main | A hat-trick of What Mountain Bike covers »

January 06, 2012

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Jsparkphoto

You're so right about video.
I suspect the serious video shooters will all be migrating to mirrorless cameras in the next year or two. Maybe we all will, but maybe not that fast, and for the next few years I would really cheer for a new DSLR that didn't have video at all – or, more likely, was 100% designed for stills shooting so all the compromises were in video.
Count me in on the D700 with D4 sensor and no video. Are you listening Nikon?

Mike O


Good points about video on DSLR's although I can see DSLR's as a stepping stone for photographers to get more into video, especially if photographers want to branch out. But as you say, it's a stills camera first, and should be treated as such, and so never try to compete as a video camera. Hopefully we shall see a few more cameras along the lines of the C300, maybe around the same price as current mid/top end DSLRs. I.e a video camera being designed as a video camera, not as a bolt on onto a DSLR. That would remove the need for 'competitive' video on DSLRs.

As for the D700 with D4 sensor (and no video)? That's what I'm still hoping the D800 will be (it will have video though), although from the current rumours, the chances are slim. (Although they are still rumours). A s/h D700 may be on the cards...

Mike

Seb Rogers

I wonder if Nikon has actually put any serious market research into how many D3s users actually use video (and how many D3 users want it)? I'll put money on it being a relatively small proportion of the user base.

My issue is with the cost and design compromises necessary to build in a feature set that I suspect the majority of D4 owners don't need and won't use.

Anyone who thinks there's a pot of untapped gold at the end of the video rainbow is in for a nasty surprise, too. Videographers have suffered in the same way that photographers have over the past decade: falling budgets, static or falling fees, increasing client expectations. Stills photographers who own a video-enabled dSLR might be able to use video as a value-added enticement for clients, for sure. But good video production remains time-intensive - and therefore expensive.

Let's not forget that nearly £5k for a dSLR is a lot of money. 15 years ago an F5 was 1/3 of that, would probably last longer... and fees haven't gone up in the meantime. You do the math.

Alan

As a person who likes to take my DSLR out on outdoor adventures, I would appreciate a D4 sensor in a D700 like body too. For me the gopro hero2 is working out great and video built into my DSLR really is not necessary for me out during adventures. Recently Canon seems to recognize adventure photographers need smaller and lighter weight equipment shown by their latest lenses. I hope Nikon does not forget this segment of the market.

Seb Rogers

The ace up Canon's sleeve in the 'small, light but good quality' arena is the company's f/4 L lenses: pro quality but in a size and weight that's sane for carrying out and about. Nikon has no equivalent.

What Nikon does have, though, and has had for some time, is reasonably small, light and tough dSLR bodies. The D200, D300 and D700 in particular are plenty rugged enough for adventure sports. But the DX bodies throw up another problem: Nikon hasn't invested enough in really high quality DX lenses. Pro DX users have needed a 50-135mm f/2.8 for, ooh, the past 5 years. Where is it, Nikon?

I suspect the issue is limited resources and allocating them in a way that makes sense. Canon is a much, much bigger company than Nikon. In dSLR sales, Nikon punches way about its weight.

Kevn Storr

Have you looked at the spec of the new D800 just announced?

It s not what I was hoping for. I wanted more the D4 resolution and ISO in a smaller body.

However perhaps 36 pixels will have its place for my wall-art.

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