D300s Successor-D400, what and when

TaoTeJared

Could the D7000 and the D300s merge ? it is difficult to see how
the D7000 is aimed at the consumer and part time professional
the D300 was aimed at the full time professional
at lot of professions, full time and part time, now use FX and that is exactly what Nikon want
if as suggested, the the D7200 comes out next with 24 mp , I think we cant forget a D300s replacement

I think that needs to be reversed, the D7xxx is gone, or becomes the D5xxx and the D3xxx becomes the new 5xxx series. What people want in the D400 DX is the pro functions and pro body, not the D7000. The only things the D7000 has over my D300 is slightly more resolution and maybe 1 stop in ISO and of course video. AF was better in the D300, metering was better, as well as the pro customization. If you wanted a beefy D5000 you got the D7000. If you wanted a pro DX we got nothing.

spraynpray

I can't - really can't - believe they will leave this market sector out of their plans. There will be a D400. Perhaps there will be a complete change - like mirrorless - after the D400 and so they are stretching it out to give the best traditional DSLR they can to last pro's maybe 5 years.

sevencrossing

<
I think that needs to be reversed,

I agree, IF, we get a D400 we may not get a D7200

but lets go back to the time the D300 was launched

The body and controls of the D300 were virtually identical to the D700
the D300 big advantage was price
It was very attractive to professionals switching from film to digital

If the D400 came out today, In order to provide the "pro" features people want it would probably have to have the same body as a D800 but with an DX sensor

The big question ? could be, made and sold, significantly cheaper than the D800

Given the success of the D800 Nikon may have recoup its R&D and tool up costs

So a new camera might be more expensive not cheaper

Time will tell what we get

Paperman

Maybe the reason we are not hearing anything from Nikon on the D300/s replacement is simply because there will be no replacement.

donaldejose

Personally, I don't believe the rumor that the D7000 and D300s successors will merge into one body. Perhaps, but if Nikon can produce replacements for both I think they will sell large numbers of both. However, what if Nikon cannot produce a DX sensor for the D400 which has any advantages over the one they will put into the D7200? Then, the only upgrades in a D400 would be a more durable build and more controls directly accessed through buttons rather than through the menu system. If Nikon cannot produce a DX sensor which is significantly better than a D800 shot in DX mode, then people may just spend a few hundred dollars more for the D800. This is one reason I think Nikon will try to obtain a native ISO range of 100 to 12,800 in a DX sensor. Then Nikon could advertise the D400 as being able to do something no other Nikon DX body can do.

sevencrossing

Maybe the reason we are not hearing anything from Nikon on the D300/s replacement is simply because there will be no replacement.

I think you are right and if you are, that means, this thread will never end, never ever

spraynpray

@donaldejose: Good point - we'll see.

What is the Canon D300s equivalent and how does it perform in those areas by comparison? I ask because I wonder why Nikon would put it's best sensor in a consumer camera like the D5200/D7100 and leave nowhere to go for the D400?

sevencrossing

What is the Canon D300s equivalent

It is the Canon 7D

Lots of reviews of the 7D vs the D300s

most suggest if you are a Nikon user stick with Nikon

if you are Canon fodder, stay with Canon

the Canon equivalent of the D400 is the 7D mark II

Msmoto

It is fairly obvious this is one of those never ending threads.....at least until we know something about what the D300s replacement will be.

More fodder...My understanding of Nikon's goal is to overtake Canon in the consumer and pro camera industry. The largest factor which has created problems for their plans to have come to fruition is most likely the Tsunami in Japan and the floods in Thailand.

These were major setbacks for nikon and in no way can they be ignored in any new camera development. With the problems in the D800 and D600, they may have simply taken a step back so as to not bring out anything which will have the major issues of these two cameras. Another disaster, and Nikon would be hurting.

We are also at the point where the mirrorless design will become at some point in the future, the primary camera for all pro and consumer folks. No one knows when the break through will occur, nor what the real progress is inside Nikon, Canon, etc. in the perfection of this design for the professional market.

The mirrorless design also opens up an entire new area for wide angle lenses which are no longer retro focus design. And the lack of distortion, flatter fields of focus, larger coverage for the PC lenses, all suggest we will see a total development effort on many fronts.

It may be that the major folks are all wondering who is going to be the one to grab the market with a pro level mirrorless, either crop or full sensor, and my suspicions are, they are all trying for it.

Thus, I can understand at a very minimal level why we have not seen a "D400" yet. Maybe Nikon is going to try and bridge the "pro" DX camera with a D7200, and then bring out a crop sensor mirrorless with phenomenal performance. And of course, eventually come through with a full sensor mirrorless "D5m"

Well, just my thoughts today......frustrated at no D400...... :-O

donaldejose

I for one enjoy all the speculation. It is interesting to see what people think of and their reasoning behind their thoughts on what the D300s replacement will be. I remain hopeful for something like a DX D4 or mini-D4 or D4 -ite concept: put as much of the performance of a D4 as you can into a DX senor which you can sell for a bit over $2,000 dollars. I have not given up on Nikon's ability to produce a D400 this year.

TaoTeJared

<
I think that needs to be reversed,

but lets go back to the time the D300 was launched

The body and controls of the D300 were virtually identical to the D700
the D300 big advantage was price
It was very attractive to professionals switching from film to digital
If the D400 came out today, In order to provide the "pro" features people want it would probably have to have the same body as a D800 but with an DX sensor
The big question ? could be, made and sold, significantly cheaper than the D800
Given the success of the D800 Nikon may have recoup its R&D and tool up costs
So a new camera might be more expensive not cheaper
Time will tell what we get

There is no guessing or speculation here, and you have the history backwards. The D700 was a FX D300 as the D300, D200, D100 all came before and set the path for a D700. It will have a similar body as a D800 but not the same as the viewfinder which changes the design. It has always been smaller so there is little to "recoup from D800" to be had. Same build quality, same feature set, same AF, metering, etc.

Have you ever held a D300 &/or D700? You have been around long enough on here that I think you would have. It shouldn't be any surprise what it would be.

The D300 did not pull nor was the catalyst to get pros to move from film. It has always been an Advanced Amateur system, that appealed to people who either couldn't afford or need a pro body. Wedding photogs on a budget, wildlife shooters, birders, etc. Basically anyone who wanted the AF, Metering, Bit depth, of the pro system bought this for $3,000 less. The history of the D300 series didn't suddenly change and has always had the same group buying it.

TaoTeJared

I can't - really can't - believe they will leave this market sector out of their plans. There will be a D400. Perhaps there will be a complete change - like mirrorless - after the D400 and so they are stretching it out to give the best traditional DSLR they can to last pro's maybe 5 years.

Mirrorless systems are up to par with DSLRs yet. If you look close, they are a ways off yet. If Nikon comes out with mirrorless systems, it will replace the D3xxx & D5xxx systems first.

ricochet

Nikon needs to remember that wildlife and sports photographers are a large segment of the buyers of those big, expensive super-telephoto lenses and give them the DX camera they want.

spraynpray

@sevencrossing: 'Canon fodder' ) nice one.

I'm getting bad deja vue reading this thread!

HenryNikonFan

I agree with Paperman; what to do after the D300 is too confusing. I have positioned myself for full frame with the FX 28-300mm and the FX 50mm with the possible addition of the FX 18-35mm, but I hope I have not moved in the wrong direction. If the next DX high end body is not the same quaility of the D300 then it is FX for me, but I do not like the D600 that much from what I have seen and the D800 is alot of money.

For years now, Nikon has always kept me guessing!

Paperman

.....We are also at the point where the mirrorless design will become at some point in the future, the primary camera for all pro and consumer folks. .....
It may be that the major folks are all wondering who is going to be the one to grab the market with a pro level mirrorless, either crop or full sensor, and my suspicions are, they are all trying for it.

Thus, I can understand at a very minimal level why we have not seen a "D400" yet. Maybe Nikon is going to try and bridge the "pro" DX camera with a D7200, and then bring out a crop sensor mirrorless with phenomenal performance. And of course, eventually come through with a full sensor mirrorless "D5m"

Well, just my thoughts today......frustrated at no D400...... :-O

God save me from the day I hear a " chit " or "tick " sound when I press the shutter instead of the regular " chlonk " with the mirror slap. And are we talking about electronic shutters - no shutter mechanism ?? Oh my God, please please no ! !

I am OK with a mirrorless NEX type camera as a second camera ONLY or if I am 95 and can hardly carry more than a few hundred grams on my neck or I have near zero eyesight ... But I just don't want to live to see the day it takes over the professional market ! All those photographers along tennis courts shooting rectangular boxes with tubes - scaaarry ! !

PB_PM

Why is that scary? I don't understand the fear of mirrorless cameras. Most mirrorless cameras still have a physical shutter. What you are missing is the sound of mirror slap, something I wont miss for second. Why? It's an interruption, and makes people/subject matter notice that you have a camera. The day that cameras are totally silent will be a great day.

I suspect sports, action and wildlife shooters will be the last to move to mirrorless simply because mirrorless cameras cannot focus fast enough, even the best of them.

sevencrossing

Don't worry, in the same way you can change the "sound" on a smart phone, you will be able have have any sound you like , or none at all

sevencrossing

....as the D300, D200, D100 all came before and set the path for a D700.

So there we have have it, the replacement for the D300 was the D700*
somewhere on the old form, there is a " when will get a true replacement for D700" thread


Tao yes I have used a D700 and a D300 as you say one of the big improvements on the D700 was the lager view finder . For me one of the big disadvantages of Dx, is the small view finder and one reason I feel a D400 may not be popular with sport photographers

*Tao -Please don't take this post too seriously. I know, I should get to editing yesterday's shoot)

Msmoto

The issue, as I understand it, which holds back the mirrorless is the ability to have continuous servo focus as quickly as it is on the pro paparazzi bodies of today. But, once this is solved, the mirrorless "pro" body will shoot about as high an FPS as one could want...30? 60? And, we will no longer have a need for the mirror.

And, the noise of the shutter is something which has always been an objectionable feature since the day of my Canon 7 which was almost a client. My two old "F" bodies do make a very nice sound, but for a lot of venues, e.g., church, the sound is less than desirable.

MikeFrewer

Ok everyone. As I get the feeling that I'm not the only one getting frustrated about the lack of information regarding any upgrades. I decided to e mail Nikon about this. The first e mail was very blunt saying that they cannot comment on any future releases from Nikon. So I decided to rephrase the question a bit. I asked them about me upgrading my D40 and their advice as to what camera to choose. I told them that I knew they couldn't comment on any future releases, but asked them wether in their opinion it was worth waiting or to buy now. The following is the reply from Nikon UK.


Dear Sir/Madam,

Thank you for your email.

The D300s or the D7000 would be a decent upgrade after the D40. Both of these bodies feature a built in focus motor, which means they can be used with older AF Nikkor lenses as well. As both camera models are due to an upgrade, I would wait with the purchase, but as you said, we don't have information on future product releases, so I don't want you to have false expectations regarding our future cameras.

I apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Please do not hesitate to contact me should you require any further assistance.

So Nikon themselves have suggested that I wait. Sounds interesting.

donaldejose

At least Nikon admits "both camera models are due to (sic - for) an upgrade." But then, that upgrade for both could be just one model: a D7200.

jjdarling

I get the impression that whoever is answering emails at Nikon is remarkably out of touch with the marketing dept, and he or she likely went very off-script with this email.

TaoTeJared

@-sevencrossing taking noting serious at all - just surprised how history fades into a haze on these threads.
And I have been editing a lot! Don't do this stuff normally but I think some are turning out.


----
I am astonished that anyone believes that e-mailing, writing, or trying to speak to a company about unannounced future products is going to produce anything but a canned message. They are NEVER going to tell you anything. If someone send you something off script, they will get fired. Your curiosity is not worth their job, and their job is not important enough to know anything either.

Unless you are one of the a celebrity photogs (McNally, Kelby, Hobby) with some great idea for a release promo, you are not going to get anything.

And stop reading into it - they did not actually write it. As one who was assigned to a committee once to help create the "standard" messages when customers wrote, called, emailed into a company - I can't believe that anyone would think they are important enough to find this information out. The company I worked for made 25 different canned messages to reply to one issue, each one meant to try to make the person think you "the reply-er" was trying to hide something in it, just so they would go away. Sorry, but that's the sad truth.

Major product releases for public companies in this realm are a big deal - the wrong slip could send a companies stock into free-fall and effect their ability to actually conduct business. You may not think it is that big of a deal, but it really is when your stock is tied to future performance, and future products.
-----

DaveO

Well, I gave up waiting on the D 400 and ordered a used Nikon D 300s yesterday for about half of the expected cost.