D300s Successor-D400, what and when

Msmoto

Baron Münchhausen, the real author of so much on this thread... :-O

snakebunk

I think what drives this thread is lack of communication. I know that I would have bought my D300s replacement months ago if I only knew if the DXXX line has been discontinued or not. Nikon has never discontinued a DSLR product line before (given that the D7000 was a replacement for the D90) and it keeps us wondering instead of buying the tools we need.

I agree with manhattanboy that the dx product line could be simplified into two cameras. We need a simple product line with a clear vision.

I can of course only speak for myself.

PB_PM

Wasn't the D300s discontinued by Nikon Japan two years ago, with no replacement announced? It's that enough of a notice?

snakebunk

Wasn't the D300s discontinued by Nikon Japan two years ago, with no replacement announced? It's that enough of a notice?

I don't know. Is it a clear message to you? I would like a statement, for example "We have discontinued the pro dx line in favor of new great FX cameras that make the pro dx line redundant."

PB_PM

Seems clear to me, to date there is no D400...

spraynpray

I can see us in ten years when 'a' camera body called D400 arrives and the posts here are at 500K saying "see, I told you they hadn't dropped the D400"!!!

Sports

I can see us in ten years...

But watch out, Nikon, in ten years, 8 fps won't be enough. We'll complain if it's not 10 :-)
Not true, actually, we'll buy anything, as long as it's called D400:
D400

Sports

Wasn't the D300s discontinued by Nikon Japan two years ago, with no replacement announced? It's that enough of a notice?

Things were "delayed" due to the Thai flooding, Japanese earthquake and tsunami, etc., so at the time, it didn't seem clear at all.
Also, the "D7100 is the DX flagship"/"D7100 is not the DX flagship" didn't do much to clearify matters.

DaveyJ

I am personally certain PB PM is right. Nikon depends on a lot of "lesser" cameras for its overall sales volume. Too bad we don't have a better idea where these sales volumes come from but it would appear the D400 for some ODD reason is a long shot. I for one am not fond o the whole pure photography push. But that is exactly what a batch of purists have been pushing for some time. Large formats and glass plates and develop yourself like Matthew Brady or William Henry Jackson did. I would thing that is about as pure as it gets in this arena. Many think of pure as sans video. I for one think video on these DSLRs has been one of the single best developments. Owning quite a few regular video cameras I can say the results of video on Nikon DSLRs has some HUGE advantages over regular video cameras. First of all even with Final Cut Pro and the like, Nikon DSLR is easier to use in editing and replaying. I repeat again some subjects look way better on video than still. I am always amazed at crowd reaction with my slide sounds shows with lots of really good stills to see their reaction when a video that illustrates a particular thing is presented with both motion and live sound. If that isn't pure photography I still am very happy with the results and the archival value.

PB_PM

Wasn't the D300s discontinued by Nikon Japan two years ago, with no replacement announced? It's that enough of a notice?

Things were "delayed" due to the Thai flooding, Japanese earthquake and tsunami, etc., so at the time, it didn't seem clear at all.

Yet somehow they managed to release boat loads of P&S cameras, the five Nikon 1 cameras, the D3100, D3200, D5200, D5300, D7100, D600, D610, D800, D800E and D4 since those disasters happened. Now the DF is coming. The only one missing is the D400...

I agree things were not clear two years ago, even I was hopeful that a D400 would come, until this past spring. By the time the summer past, it became clear to me that no D400 was coming.

Photobug

Unfortunately I have to agree with PB-PM..I agree things were not clear two years ago, even I was hopeful that a D400 would come, until this past spring. By the time the summer past, it became clear to me that no D400 was coming.

I really had expected a D400 in August or September. I have moved on and love the new camera. I'll bet many are doing the same. Now that is not to say that if they were to release the D300 replacement I won't buy one. I would be right there with my preorder. )

spraynpray

But then like I said a few posts back, if Canon are bringing on their 7D2, Nikon are pretty much BOUND to bring on a D400 right?

PB_PM

Nikon isn't bound to do anything. The 7D MK2 is a rumor, if not faint wishes. There have been many rumors with many different spec lists, with release dates that have come and gone several times. Right now it all just seems like a crap shoot. The 70D really pushed the limits, as the D7000 and D7100 did for Nikon. I honestly don't see much of a space for the 7D MK2 in Canon's lineup either. Remember that the 7D came out the same year as the D300s.

I recall an interview Dpreview had with some Canon reps earlier this year saying they were no longer going to be developing high end crop sensor bodies. They might have meant the APS-H cameras, but I doubt it. To me that was an answer from them.

manhattanboy

I went back and re-read many of the older Nikon lens rumors from this site.
Nikon's core strength is in optics.
Why on earth are they waiting to release those awesome DO lenses?!!!
They are showcasing a retro styled camera as their major new achievement?!
Release the lenses. Canon won't have anything to counter as they haven't put out a new DO in years.
If Nikon wants to innovate in a camera body, then make one that shoots with both Nikon and Canon lenses. That would be real, useful innovation.

kyoshinikon

If Nikon wants to innovate in a camera body, then make one that shoots with both Nikon and Canon lenses. That would be real, useful innovation.

As one canut put it "why would a nikon shooter want our lenses?" Nikon is too large for their own good and any variation from the comfortable is a risk that could have a negative effect on profits. They care more about growing their profits up from what they are today than innovating and taking the risk. Every "new" product had R&D done from another company. The R&D for the D800 was the 5dmk2, the R&D for the "rumored" Nikon DF probably was the oly omd & Fuji x100... They are playing it really safe now.

PB_PM

It's more likely that the DF has been siting on the drawing board since the end of the FM3a. This is the D300s successor thread though, so I wont carry on about that here.

donaldejose

Very high quality DX optics will be expensive and sell in small numbers unless Nikon also offers a DX body capable of using them and actually demanding such optics to realize its full potent. The D7100 likely qualifies. A D400 would also. If Nikon does offer a D400 it would have two DX bodies capable of fully using expensive DX lens. So maybe we will see pro DX primes once we have a pro DX D400.

Msmoto

@manhattanboy

Canon EF Mount Flange to sensor is 44mm. Nikon F Mount is 46.5. I doubt Nikon is going to change that in a DSLR, thus it prevents any possibility of using Canon glass except for macro work. And, I do not know of an adapter for this.

shawnino

Not claiming this pyramid on the main blog is legit, but here it is for reference:
http://nikonrumors.com/2013/11/04/nikon-dslr-lineup-and-the-new-df-camera.aspx/

I'd been under the impression D300s was discontinued.

So is pyramid a total fraud or is D300s not discontinued?

(If fraud, no biggie--website is happily "Nikon Rumours", not "Nikon Confirmed Facts".)

sevencrossing

The D300s is marked as discontinued here
http://www.nikon-image.com/products/discontinue/camera/

catfish

According to that table so is the D3x and the D90, I believe that the D300s was disco'd in Japan because of the batteries, however they could still export cameras that use the EN-EL3(e) batteries. The D3x, D300s and the D90 are still actively marketed by Nikon USA

manhattanboy

@Msmoto - based off of your description is appears that it is actually easier for Canon to make a body that could accept Nikon lenses with a small adapter, which is unfortunate for Nikon.

Regarding the lack of a 300s successor, I have shot more photos recently with the 7100 in the 1.3 crop mode and I will say that even if a D400 comes out, I am actually quite happy with the 7100 and will stay put. The buffer and FPS speed are actually okay in crop mode and definitely faster than the 7000. Maybe its because there's less pixels being processed and stored, but in that mode it just feels a lot faster. I don't shot sports for a living, however, and with the 7DMark II coming out in March it will likely push all the crop sensor sports shooters towards Canon.

What Nikon could do that would significantly help with the buffer is to make it so that every other picture is written to the second SD card. Think of it like this: if the buffer fills at 10 pictures and needs X amount of time to be written, then having two "writers" cuts that time nearly in half. I know this is 100% possible, but will require a firmware upgrade on Nikon's part. Nikon should seriously consider doing this as it would require only minimal effort on their part with a tremendous payoff for those needing a deeper buffer on the 7100 (as well as other cameras like the 800, which also doesn't have a deep buffer). The amount of inconvenience experienced by having to drag the pictures from two SD cards into one folder after shooting is way way less than the benefit of having a deeper buffer allowing one to capture everything they wanted.

Photobug

I would think they should discontinue the D3x, D300s, and D90 and drop the price to clean out the supply chain inventory. Use that money to launch the D400 and update the D800/e and D4.

sevencrossing

I would think they should discontinue the D3x, D300s, and D90

they already have

Use that money to launch the D400 and update the D800/e and D4.

you do'nt make much money from a fire sale

spraynpray

...You make more than if you don't sell them at all and who the heck wants to pay a high price for an old tech body these days?