Will there Be a Professional DX Body From Nikon?

manhattanboy

Course, I would care less about DX if they would just release an updated 300 f4.

The current 300f4 is not too shabby. It is pretty razor sharp. I too would love VR, but have gotten used to shooting at 1/2,000 and higher ISOs.

I'd say Nikon needs to scrap the useless DF and D610 Both of these models are redundant now that D750 is out and start paying attention to DX Pro body.

Or reduce the price of the 610 to as close to $1000 as possible.

I would like to think that Nikon will counter the 7DM2. I really wonder if it will happen though. If they just tweaked the D7100 a little, bigger buffer, higher FPS and a dedicated AF-On (I'm currently using a FN button for ae-l which is a little annoying) and threw it in their newer shell with good weather sealing and a Mag Alloy chassis, I would be pretty happy. I can see a lot of my type (bird photographers) "flocking" to the 7dm2 and the 400 F5.6 for less money than buying either a D810 or a 80-400G

I agree...dare I say birders of a feather flock together

WestEndBoy

I'd say Nikon needs to scrap the useless DF and D610 Both of these models are redundant now that D750 is out and pay attention to DX Pro body. Now that 7D MkII is a reality.

You seem to be implying that the reason Nikon has not come out with a pro DX body is that they don't have the ability to do so because of the DF and D610.

And I don't want them to scrap the DF until I can buy one (nukuEX2, as you can see form my signature, I have a D800 - what is your take on that?).

Msmoto

RE: Grip on a D800…. I have found it easy to tell which body I have in hand, the D4 and D800E have complexity different purposes, and having to twist my hand a bit for the verticals is no real issue, as of yet.

While we can all have our wish list, dreams of a perfect, for us, camera body, I have this feeling Nikon has little intention of delivering a pro body crop sensor camera. We have a large assortment, albeit, not very low in price, of FX bodies which are so good in IQ that cropping to a smaller format is just a part of the game. I continue to be amazed regarding the D800E and the cropped image. Either that or my old eyes are simply failing... :O

Photobug

+1 Msmoto Nicely said.

Give it time and you will have that battery pack on your D800. As your eyes fail and hands start to tremble you will need to hold that camera longer in a vertical position for that 'perfect shot' and the battery grip makes it so much easier. :-O

heartyfisher

What is the point of restarting a thread with a different title and the same subject matter?

Beats me. :-??

So that people who quit the other thread can continue posting ;-)

nukuEX2

WestEndBoy

You seemed mad about my suggestion that Nikon should scrap Df. well don't take it too personally All I'm saying is Nikon needs to consolidate their product lines D750 can carry the weight of D610 and DF and By scrapping D610 and DF Nikon can concentrate developing a newer bodies with more features and robust than the D7100 I have no real answer for your D800. I think D800 is a fine camera however way out of my budget.

I'm currently saving money for D750 and Sigma 70-200mm f2.8

donaldejose

Nikon is in business to sell cameras and lenses to make money. If they see a significant market niche for which they can produce a good product they likely will go after it rather than lose those sales for lack of trying. I suggest they see one more round of "pro DX body" sales, as does Cannon, so we will see a pro DX body in the first half of 2015 along with some new DX high megapixel fast lenses. Nikon will elect to gather one more round of $1999 pro body DX sales before the mirrorless era appears. But it is a close question.

What can Nikon offer in a pro DX other than body build, fps and buffer? Can they offer higher image quality than in the D7100? Can they offer more than 24mp in a DX sensor? Can they offer a better direct connection to the internet from the camera so a photojournalist could upload images from the camera to an employer's company website or attach an image from the camera to an e-mail right from the LCD sensor on the back of the camera and send that e-mail to his employer through Wi-Fi? "Pro" doesn't just have to mean "robust body build with more direct access buttons." It could also come to mean "direct link of camera to internet for quick and easy transmission of images to client." The D750 now has built in Wi-Fi. The hardware exists. Now it is a matter of developing the software a professional would like to be able to use so they no longer have to first transfer images to a laptop and then use the laptop to send the image to the employer. Can the step of using a laptop be eliminated? Some consideration should be given to that aspect of a "pro body."

WestEndBoy

WestEndBoy

You seemed mad about my suggestion that Nikon should scrap Df. well don't take it too personally All I'm saying is Nikon needs to consolidate their product lines D750 can carry the weight of D610 and DF and By scrapping D610 and DF Nikon can concentrate developing a newer bodies with more features and robust than the D7100 I have no real answer for your D800. I think D800 is a fine camera however way out of my budget.

I'm currently saving money for D750 and Sigma 70-200mm f2.8

Not mad, just a little incredulous that you would make such a statement. A pro DX body is useless to me, in fact DX in a DSLR is. But I would never say it is useless and imply that Nikon should discontinue DX because I find it useless. There are lots of users who find it useful and produce excellent results from it.

heartyfisher

WestEndBoy

You seemed mad about my suggestion that Nikon should scrap Df. well don't take it too personally All I'm saying is Nikon needs to consolidate their product lines D750 can carry the weight of D610 and DF and By scrapping D610 and DF Nikon can concentrate developing a newer bodies with more features and robust than the D7100 ...

LOL ! I just think your implication that "scraping" DF and D610 will allow Nikon to make a camera body that YOU want .. is .. oh I better not say .. you may take it personally .. ;-)

manhattanboy

LOL ! I just think your implication that "scraping" DF and D610 will allow Nikon to make a camera body that YOU want .. is .. oh I better not say .. you may take it personally .. ;-)

I think the gist of what is meant is that Nikon should stopping constantly turning out new bodies for the sake of having something new, and concentrate on fewer products and make them better. The issue is illustrated in Thom's picture below:

nukuEX2

manhattanboy

That is exactly what I meant.

heartyfisher

I think there may be an order of magnitude more phone models than camera models...

Further more on flickr the D600+D610 if taken together accounts for the highest activity of all the Nikon FX models (in spite of the Dust mess up). So again its the total opposite of what you have asserted without any basis.
And the Df is a great little camera. I would have got one if it had a built in CLS commander flash. Seriously the Df really only needs a small tweak in specifications and It would be just amazing. (add Commander Flash, D750 AF system, add Expeed4 )

Dont get me wrong .. I am a D400'er for more years than I care to count.
(Above the D600/D610 are half a dozen DX cameras )

spraynpray

Nikon is in business to sell cameras and lenses to make money. If they see a significant market niche for which they can produce a good product they likely will go after it rather than lose those sales for lack of trying. I suggest they see one more round of "pro DX body" sales, as does Cannon, so we will see a pro DX body in the first half of 2015 along with some new DX high megapixel fast lenses. Nikon will elect to gather one more round of $1999 pro body DX sales before the mirrorless era appears. But it is a close question.

What can Nikon offer in a pro DX other than body build, fps and buffer? Can they offer higher image quality than in the D7100? Can they offer more than 24mp in a DX sensor? Can they offer a better direct connection to the internet from the camera so a photojournalist could upload images from the camera to an employer's company website or attach an image from the camera to an e-mail right from the LCD sensor on the back of the camera and send that e-mail to his employer through Wi-Fi? "Pro" doesn't just have to mean "robust body build with more direct access buttons." It could also come to mean "direct link of camera to internet for quick and easy transmission of images to client." The D750 now has built in Wi-Fi. The hardware exists. Now it is a matter of developing the software a professional would like to be able to use so they no longer have to first transfer images to a laptop and then use the laptop to send the image to the employer. Can the step of using a laptop be eliminated? Some consideration should be given to that aspect of a "pro body."

Absolutely Donald.

BUT, why didn't Nikon call the D750 the D620? SURELY there is a bigger gap (gaping even) for a 7D2 counterpart than there ever was for an FX in between the D610 and D810? That's not even touching on the fact that the D750 is what the D600 should have been.

Ironheart

From the main blog:

New Nikon DX DSLR
There must be a new Nikon DX DSLR camera - D7200 or D9300 (especially after Canon announced the EOS 7D Mark II). I have not received info on a new DX body for months - it seems that everything is put on hold.

Read more on NikonRumors.com: http://nikonrumors.com/#ixzz3Ff1f7gBc

richiero

Ironheart:

As several others have said, Nikon may choose not to build competition for the Canon Eos 7D II. In fact I am of the opinion that NIKON has closed the books on a professional DX camera. There are several reasons for this opinion:

1. All of Nikons FX cameras, are capable of shooting in cropped modes, many in the DX mode. The D8x0 series is capable of producing 15Mpixels in the DX mode.
2. Nikon FX cameras are capable of using DX lenses. The transition from full frame lens to DX lens can be detected automatically by the camera or controlled by the user. In contrast, Canon's full frame cameras, can not take cropped dedicated lenses (EF-S). So, as of now, Canon has two distinct camera lines: the full frame and cropped sensor lines. I repeat, while the cropped sensor line can take full frame lenses, its full frame line cannot take a EF-S lens.
3. Because Nikon FX cameras can be used in a cropped sensor mode, they feel they do not need to develop a professional DX camera, or professional DX type lenses. This allows Nikon to concentrate on one line of cameras and lenses, that covers all bases. The D810 is a professional camera, capable of 6-7fps in DX and 1.2 modes. Not as fast as the 7DmkII, but still very capable in movement action shots.
4. Nikon has developed a pretty comphrensive line of full frame lenses, while limiting the development of its DX line of lenses to "kit" and consumer type lenses. In its FX line, Nikon has both a 1.8g and 1.4g line of primes. In addition, Nikon has two sets of "the holy trinity" set of Zooms; the traditional f2.8 set, and the f4 set. Certainly they could have chosen to develop a DX "trinity," but have not.
In my mind, this is an indication that as of now pro/sumer DX is dead. However, if Canon is successful with its new 7D Mk II, that could change.

sevencrossing

That's not even touching on the fact that the D750 is what the D600 should have been.

In fact the D750 is what the D700 should have been
Had Nikon produced the D750 in 1999 instead of the D1. Canon would be dead in the water

Sports

@Ironheart: What you're saying is correct, and I know you're analyzing - it's not necessarily your own opinion.
But your analysis offers a $3000 solution to people that expects a $2000 solution. Pay more, and get less. Less speed, that is, as speed is one of the cornerstones of the D300 segment. It's Nikon and Canon that chose the price point of a pro DX, so you can't blame people for rejecting the "great" offer to pay 1000 more, regardless of the many other qualities of the D810. Many potential D300 buyers already have an FX, so it's no solution to offer one more FX. It just isn't what they're after. (Nikon misses the chance to sell an additional camera to that segment.)

Ironheart

Quotes from a Nikon exec at Photokina:

"You can expect some new DX lenses in the future. We haven’t forgotten about our DX customers"

"Nikon is still "studying the demand" for a D300s replacement"

( Read more on NikonRumors.com: http://nikonrumors.com/2014/09/23/nikon-large-sensor-mirrorless-camera-is-a-possibility.aspx/#ixzz3FgASnWnZ )

And here is a part of Thom Hogan's analysis of those statements:

"At the moment, I don’t believe it could appear before early 2015, but who knows, Nikon has launched important cameras in November/December before. "

( http://www.dslrbodies.com/newsviews/the-dpreview-nikon-intervie.html )

I stand by my previous statement: D400 announcement before Black Friday

snakebunk

Maybe Nikon simply cannot make a competitive pro dx camera? It could be shutter technology or something else that is causing problems, and there is tough competition from Canon and Samsung.

WestEndBoy

That's not even touching on the fact that the D750 is what the D600 should have been.

In fact the D750 is what the D700 should have been
Had Nikon produced the D750 in 1999 instead of the D1. Canon would be dead in the water

It would have been a hundred thousand dollar camera in 1999, assuming it was even possible from an engineering perspecive.

manhattanboy

Oh, I'm sorry. I thought I just walked in on the D400 thread.

A D400 thread this is not.
This is obviously a D9300 thread

BabaGanoush

@donaldejose: "so a photojournalist could upload images from the camera to an employer's company website"

I don't know what the newspaper business is like outside the US, but newspapers in the US are depending more and more on freelance photographers who, technically, have no steady "employer". In 2013, for example, a major Chicago newspaper laid off its entire staff of full-time photographers. Within 5 years or so I can imagine nearly all the working professional photojournalists will be stringers/freelancers. That doesn't diminish the need for built-in WiFi but the paradigm of the working photojournalist may be entirely different from the one you are assuming in your post.

Msmoto

Just a note.......the title of the thread relates to both a possible DSLR and/or mirrorless, a camera with professional controls, similar to the high level of access to settings as found on a D4s, D810, etc.

Bokeh_Hunter

BUT, why didn't Nikon call the D750 the D620? SURELY there is a bigger gap (gaping even) for a 7D2 counterpart than there ever was for an FX in between the D610 and D810? That's not even touching on the fact that the D750 is what the D600 should have been.

That is easy - the D600 was such a fiasco, and everyone was wanting a D700 successor, they tried to build on that. Now why the "50" instead of "10" I will never understand that. That still gets them 4 more releases or about 10-12 years before they run out of names so what the hay I guess.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

@donaldejose: "so a photojournalist could upload images from the camera to an employer's company website"

I don't know what the newspaper business is like outside the US, but newspapers in the US are depending more and more on freelance photographers who, technically, have no steady "employer". In 2013, for example, a major Chicago newspaper laid off its entire staff of full-time photographers. Within 5 years or so I can imagine nearly all the working professional photojournalists will be stringers/freelancers. That doesn't diminish the need for built-in WiFi but the paradigm of the working photojournalist may be entirely different from the one you are assuming in your post.

Maybe @Donaldejose has seen some similar stories I have where many photojournalists (employed/stringers/freelancers - that really doesn't matter, they all still exist in some form, just not paid as well) have chosen the Canon 7D over FX and all Nikon's due to the pro controls, video, and being lighter than the FX counterpart with FX glass. If one is just submitting photos being a stringer/freelancer then Wifi in the camera is perfect. If they could stream from a camera ->phone -> studio/paper, that would be amazing. Just look how many journalists are used camera phones during the Ferguson, Mo marches/protests, just because a cellphone could stream live video. If you could get a DSLR with better IQ to do that easily, that would be something a lot of people would take a serious look at.

The Dongle solution is bad since it opens a weather seal, and it can break off. It was just a bad idea to begin with.

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DX is at a crossroads at this point for Nikon. We can already see that Nikon wants to push people to FX. FX provides higher priced lenses, accessories, and existing research,design and production. In essence they make a bit more money. It seems their new efforts are towards FX and not much at DX and it makes you wonder if they basically will just turn DX into a low-end consumer line (basically the compact digi cam of the DSLRs) and just allow the FX tech to eventually flow downward when it becomes cheap enough. Problem with that idea is that is what the S/J/V One series is.

In contrast, Fujifilm has gone full speed ahead with DX and have released pro level glass for it. The whole system is really impressive and it won't be long (maybe the next X-T1 release) until people wanting a sports DX should really look at that. That said, Pentax/Ricoh is still plowing along and so is Samsung. Sony really (just by paper specs) seems to be dominating the higher end DX still. M4/3rds is catching up as well.

I think there is a market for a DX D750. The D300 was a great line - it gave all the pro controls but in a cheaper formatt. After shooting a friends D5200 the other day, I about pulled my hair out - I hadn't used a consumer DSLR extensively for a long time, and I forgot how neutered they really are. I didn't enjoy it at all.

donaldejose

Yes, the old photojournalist is a dying breed and newspapers, TV and websites are pleading "if you are there send us some (free) video or photos." They are essentially using free content. However, my point remains true: when cell phones can so easily do what they do there is not good reason why a DSLR cannot also use Wi-Fi to directly send any image by e-mail. Such a direct transmission of an image from the camera could be considered a "pro" feature but may also be used mostly for facebook.