Viewfinder Size

Paperman

Surprised no one has mentioned that smaller is NOT necessarily better....

I know many people who do not take a FF body like D600 seriously because the body feels too much like entry level. Many photographers prefer larger bodies which are more ergonomic/provide ease of use thanks to dedicated buttons - which can only happen if the body is "big" enough / has enough surface area. No photographer wants to fiddle with small/too-close-to-eachother controls

Let's not forget smaller bodies tend to shake more where a body like D800/D4 is more stable simply due to weight.

Plus, with lenses staying the same size and weighing kilos, it is pointless trying to make bodies smaller.

D300 and D3000 (/3100/3200 ) - both APS-C sensor bodies. Nikon can probably squeeze all or most of what D300 has in a D3000 body. The question is - will anyone buy it ?

TaoTeJared

I hope no one minds if I kick back to the OP

What do you shoot that you are basing your question against?

Hey Tao, D60.  I can't remember exactly but I think I spent $600+ on an OM-2 ~1983, so I guess with inflation, that's >$1300 today, so I'm buying the idea that it's a matter of premium~ness.

Well your question makes since you are coming from a D60. If you take a look at the higher updated bodies, especially the pro ones, you will find the high end viewfinder you are looking for. If I'm not mistaken the viewfinder you have is only mirrors bouncing the image rather than a true pentaprism.

TaoTeJared

D300 and D3000 (/3100/3200 ) - both APS-C sensor bodies. Nikon can probably squeeze all or most of what D300 has in a D3000 body. The question is - will anyone buy it ?

Don't forget much of the size of the D300 is due to robustness, magnesium alloy frame, battery, and mostly due to ergonomics. Nikon's attention to ergonomics is well known especially to other brand owners to speak to it regularly. People who do not use a camera or have one in their hand for 8+ hours a day miss that as a very important feature.

adamz

+1 to body size, when I take my d3s into my hand it fits like a glow, which I can't say about my d800, which is nice though not as comfortable. also, bigger body allows me to go lower in shutter speed - as it's heavier.

Golf007sd

@adamz: I totally agree with you on the bigger body and hand grip. Even with the battery grip on my D7000, their is not comparison in how my hand just fits around the D4. It blows my mind how slow of a shutter speed I can take a shot in very, very dark setting with high ISO and get perfectly good usable images. Here is an example shot at 1/6 second hand held:



D4 14-24 2.8 1/6 ISO 8000 @ f/2.8

Symphotic

...That would be like saying you wanted a corvette engine and a Tahoe windshield put into a 77' Volkswagen bug....  

TTJ: That would be a good thing, right?

But I do notice wish I could get a "Sports Finder" option for my D800! The interchangeable finders were one of the good things about the old F2s. It is not the same thing as staring at the live view monitor.