Nikon Retro F-Mount Camera (FM2 Style)

donaldejose

Well . . . . I do give Nikon credit for trying to find new types of product categories. I think their use of the term "hybrid" refers to controls incorporating both the pre F5 layout and the modern layout so you have a retro look with dials on top but also modern controls for G series lenses. I don't think Nikon is using the term "hybrid" to refer to mirrorless or EVF design. But we will have to wait to see what it is when it is announced.

But really, come on Nikon. Get with the D400 and produce a great one for less than $1,700 if you want to stimulate sales.

shawnino

What @elvishefer said. D4 sensor, small body. I have never cared what my gear looks like. I've been known to uglify my gear (at least temporarily) to make it less likely to be stolen.

What I want from the D4: FX sensor that rocks at high ISO. F-Mount (obviously) that can AF with D-glass and play nicely with my AI-S glass.

What I don't personally need from the D4: 10+ fps, industro-strength weather sealing, battery grip, etc. I know a lot of people need that stuff, so long live the D4, but I didn't even need that weather sealing for what I did in Antarctica.

So the reported specs are a dream for me if I needed another camera. I most certainly don't.

snakebunk

@NSTypeR, @Elvishefer: Thank you for your answers. I get small body, great sensor and good build quality.

I guess it might be perfect for the travelling serious photographer or for street photography. The retro look is boring to me, better to make a new classic than an old copy.

It will be interesting and fun to see the camera!

Golf007sd

This is truly a body for those that are seeking a body in line with the Fuji X and those that have owned previous bodies like the F2. PB_PM has it right.

The D4 sensor is awesome and I'm glad that Nikon is placing it within this new body. It will surely help those where lighting is an issue, hence, high ISO needed.

How much will price play in the purchase...not much. This is after all targeted at a niche end user. If the buyer find the performance, look and feel palatable to them...I predict they will buy it.

Personally, I really like the looks and feel of the D-SLR bodies. I'm not a "mini-me" kind of camera body user/buyer.

PB_PM

So this is a photographers camera, not a post processing photo hack camera. :P In all honesty I don't crop much more with the D800 than I did with the D700. I guess if you get the photo right in the first place it isn't an issue.

scoobysmak

I am looking to get a new body but just not sure what direction I might go:

I really need a second FX body but honestly kinda holding out to see if a D4x comes along, I like the D800 but just want more FPS. I would like to upgrade my DX body from my current D7000 but not sure if that will happen, want a D400 but just don't see it any time soon along with quite a few others. My dream now is that the D4x has 50MP and you can have a DX crop down to 24MP and with more than 6 FPS.

I guess I think it is cool but depending on the specs and the price not sure if I would get one. I have an FM3a and my D700 is way bigger but its easier to hold for longer periods of time. Having a smaller camera that you could mount a 1.4 lens on and take street pictures at night using high ISO's and get away with it sounds attractive though.

Depending on the price and specs though it might be a great temp body to hold me out to the next cycle of cameras so I can buy what I really wanted and not just something Nikon is selling.

sevencrossing

This seems to be a camera for Students of photography , rather than those of us who think they are past that stage
but would students buy a camera with No video?

may be it for those, who have decided finally to abandon film

Msmoto

I think the idea of a "hybrid" is very interesting. In spite of it having a pentaprism, could this be just to maintain some retro styling? And, maybe there is an EVF inside rather than a mirror and ground glass. The weight is a mystery as well....765 gms. Must include the lens....

The original FM2 weighed 540 gms. plus approx 180 gms for a lens comes up with about 720 gms.

I am looking forward to finding out exactly what this new retro FM2 is. At the very least we will have a good discussion.

Ade

So looking like this is exactly the "stripped down D4" camera we discussed a few months ago:

http://forum.nikonrumors.com/discussion/1460/stripped-down-d4-rumor/p1

Even the "no video" rumor might becoming true. ("I told you so" :P)

What's interesting is that @crizman heard this rumor originally on Facebook from a dealer. So maybe dealers do get info from Nikon well in advance sometimes... (a planned leak?)

PB_PM

This seems to be a camera for Students of photography , rather than those of us who think they are past that stage
but would students buy a camera with No video?

may be it for those, who have decided finally to abandon film

I doubt most students would drop $2k+ for a camera like this. This is a camera for photographers who enjoy the retro design and feel. When I'm picking one of my old film cameras (on the odd occasion I do) I still grab my FE over the F90x. With the split prism and a good AI/AI-S lens it is good enough for a walk about camera.

KnockKnock

Ah, I think it'd be pretty cool. But put it into the 'probably not for me' category. Would I love a small, light, FF camera? Hell yeah, that's half the weight of the D4. Exactly matching the D7100. Chances are good though, that I won't be able to afford what they will ask for this. Unless it's $1500. Sure, its value will be 2-3K, but my budget isn't ;-)

I love old looking stuff, but mostly because it's old. Not artificially old. Retro tech has something of a bad aftertaste. It's never as good as the old. Never as good as the truly new. Having said that, some interfaces are just superior and it's debatable that modern interfaces haven't bested the classic SLR UI. I would be very surprised if Nikon reinvents the UI for the modern world though.

These days, there is just so much more one does in-camera. White balance, dynamic range, ISO, AF modes, burst frame-rates, HDR, bracketing. It would be hard to feature-strip any of this out. Or from the classic body that controlled just shutter, aperture, iso and what... exposure compensation? I'm probably missing something else but that's just 4 controls, compared to today's dozens or hundreds.

Ade

Yea, if it's purely a styling exercise, then I will probably pass on this camera, not even as a backup. A D610 or D7100 would make for a better backup to my D800e. I can see Nikon selling a lot of these to street-oriented photographers, however.

Had they gone full retro and made this a special monochrome camera (no Bayer array) based on the D4 sensor, I'd buy it for sure. That would be the kind of differentiation I'd like to see in a "retro" camera such as this.

PB_PM

I don't understand the obsession with monochrome cameras. I guess since I never shot B&W film I never got into it. You think a camera like this is targeting a small niche now? Just throw in a monochrome sensor and they'll only sell 100 a year.

donaldejose

I think it will have a menu system for access to all sorts of controls with access to a few of the controls through dials on top of the camera looking like the old film rewind crank and the old shutter speed dial. The old front lever which set the self timer will now be used to control other functions. The AF system currently used can be places where it is now because it is so inconspicuous. The back will look like the back of any modern Nikon DSLR. The menu will be controlled as it is now. There will be a command dial placed just under the shutter release. No LCD will be placed on top of the body. The colors will be gray metal and black leather covering to make it look like the old ones. Hopefully, the buttons and dial control interface will allow for a simple operation of frequently used adjustments and the menu system will allow for settings which are less frequently used but deemed necessary to provide in the modern digital age.

NSXTypeR

@NSTypeR, @Elvishefer: Thank you for your answers. I get small body, great sensor and good build quality.

I guess it might be perfect for the travelling serious photographer or for street photography. The retro look is boring to me, better to make a new classic than an old copy.

It will be interesting and fun to see the camera!

Personally, I really like the look of the FM2. I know this won't be a cheap camera, but I like how Nikon is melding old with new.

I think the idea of a "hybrid" is very interesting. In spite of it having a pentaprism, could this be just to maintain some retro styling? And, maybe there is an EVF inside rather than a mirror and ground glass. The weight is a mystery as well....765 gms. Must include the lens....

The original FM2 weighed 540 gms. plus approx 180 gms for a lens comes up with about 720 gms.

I am looking forward to finding out exactly what this new retro FM2 is. At the very least we will have a good discussion.

You don't need an OVF to look retro. The Olympus OM-D cameras both have EVFs and don't have OVF.

The no video thing doesn't make much sense though- it would only seem appropriate to have video, every other Nikon DSLR has it. I'd assume with the D4's sensor it'd actually be pretty cool to use in low light situations. It'd be stupid for them to leave it out.

However, imagine if they release it with swappable pentaprisms like the original F? That'd be pretty cool! I would imagine you could swap in a EVF that way.

Ade

I don't understand the obsession with monochrome cameras. I guess since I never shot B&W film I never got into it. You think a camera like this is targeting a small niche now? Just throw in a monochrome sensor and they'll only sell 100 a year.

The Leica M Monochrom is so popular, it was backordered for over a year! At $8000 a pop. Lens not included.

A true monochrome F-mount Nikon in the $2000 price point would sell a ton.

It's about real choice. The presence of an RGB Bayer array will always degrade B&W images, reducing both resolution and dynamic range. You can't "fix" this in post production. A true monochrome sensor means more to me as a photographer than a mere retro-styling exercise which doesn't add anything new to my creative toolbox.

PB_PM

Being out of stock doesn't mean it's popular, it just means they were a limited production run camera. Somehow I doubt they sold in the millions, maybe a few thousand at best, considering the price tag.

TaoTeJared

Sorry PB_PM the Leica Monochrome is extremely popular. If I had money pouring out of every orifice I would have one as well. To have the 1-1 sensor (input and output the same) creates and extraordinary image and processing them are difficult, but the latitude is amazing. But as you said above you never got into B&W. My D300 now just stays in B&W jpeg mode. My X100 is usually there as well. With my work, I have clients that just want B&W for their images. Usually 1/3 of what I deliver are B&W.

TaoTeJared

I'm going to wait for the release and keep from speculating.

Some of it I have a hard time believing at the moment. Peter's stuff is usually very good and spot on but some of it sounds a bit too good to be true.

I'm willing to bet whatever is released, there will be something that will turn many off of it.

D@^^*! Nikon - First a 58mm 1.4 and now this...!!!! Ahhhhhhhh. I'll be bankrupt by x-mas!!!

PB_PM

Sorry PB_PM the Leica Monochrome is extremely popular.

I guess that depends on what you consider popular. Lets see, I can count the number of Leica cameras I've seen in my life (not other people on the net, I mean real life) on one hand. Two. Both were M9s'. And no, I don't live in a little whole in the ground town in the middle of nowhere.

Anyway, enough about monochrome and Leica. Back to this Nikon F mount camera, with a colour sensor!

shawnino

I'll be watching this from the sidelines. One of the most interesting developments in my mind will be the price point. If halfway between Fuji X100s and D610, this camera will be a monster for Nikon. If halfway between D610 and D800, I have no idea either way as to if it sells. Priced north of D800E, I hear crickets.

moreorless

I'm sure it would sell a few at any price but I agree below the D800 is really needed to make it an important release. The fact Nikon clearly seem to have timed this release to rain on the A7's parade to me suggests that the price might be competitive, if not then such timing could work against Nikon.

While I can see the logic of using the D4 sensor in a camera like this given its likely uses(street/people shooting etc) I think its worth noting that this is the only sensor Nikon make themselves. I'm guessing that could have been used to hide this camera's devolpment from Sony.

Video wise I can see a few reasons for removing it...

1.Pure marketing to focus on the camera's "serious" still's use.

2.If the camera body is going to be as small as possible perhaps Nikon simply didn't have space for manual controls and didn't want to offer a sub standard video system.

3.To help with product differentiation making sure it doesn't take away from D4 sales.

Photobug

Elvishefer...sorry no video. See the updated specs.

I find it interesting but would not buy one. I would expect a much lower price than $3K as someone said.

heartyfisher

With a monochrome sensor you basically gain 1.5 stops of light immediately. That surely is worth something :-)

PB_PM

With a monochrome sensor you basically gain 1.5 stops of light immediately. That surely is worth something :-)

Then again, you loose colour. Maybe I'm crazy, but I love colour and it is one of the main reasons I got into photography.