Will there Be a Professional DX Body From Nikon?

haroldp

My D800 ate my computer. The D810 has not yet spit it out.

I does not help that Capture NX2 or NX-D is a real pig. It's workflow also sucks ( technical word we use).

ACR / CS6 processes Nikon Raw much faster, but does not match Captures color and lens corrections for Nikon Lens / Sensors.(IMHO).

I am thinking hard about a 6 core mac pro.

.... H

WestEndBoy

The price of the D610 is now competitive with the 7DM2. I think that Nikon's strategy is about getting the price of FX down, not producing better DX. While a disappointment to the D400 crowd, this strategy will appeal to a wider audience.

In a few years, a D6xx will not cost much more than a D7XXX.

sevencrossing

......While a disappointment to the D400 crowd, ......
In a few years, a D6xx will not cost much more than a D7XXX.

what the D400 crowd want is Dx that will not cost much more than a D7xxx
and I want one one too

Photobug

The price of the D610 is now competitive with the 7DM2. I think that Nikon's strategy is about getting the price of FX down, not producing better DX. While a disappointment to the D400 crowd, this strategy will appeal to a wider audience.

In a few years, a D6xx will not cost much more than a D7XXX.

+1 WestEndBoy
Some times people tend to miss the bigger picture...you are right on. I really am convinced that the FX models prices will continue to drop and the size and weight of the bodies as well for the entry level FX models.

I still do not see the D9300/D400 in the future.

WestEndBoy

It comes honestly.

After being slapped around by presidents and CEOs over the years for "missing the big picture", I have learned to think of that first.

nukuEX2

I think they have to drop the price of D6xx because it is simply an older model. They now have the newer and better D7xx so they are simply drooping the price, and that's how I see it. )

Photobug

It comes honestly.

After being slapped around by presidents and CEOs over the years for "missing the big picture", I have learned to think of that first.

Coming from industry jobs, as I matured this was one of those skill sets that I also had to develop and then team to my staff. It's a learned behavior for sure.

snakebunk

I believe it is expensive to build pro bodies. If Nikon could build a pro dx camera at the same price as the D750, I think it would be good value for the money.

manhattanboy

The price of the D610 is now competitive with the 7DM2. I think that Nikon's strategy is about getting the price of FX down, not producing better DX. While a disappointment to the D400 crowd, this strategy will appeal to a wider audience.

Also remember the 6D price is way down too
I would NEVER buy a 610 or 6D if I needed a 7DmII.
You just do not understand what people need shooting if you and Nikon are thinking like that.
Give me a d4s for the price of a 7d2 and I will jump on it.
Here is what I generally want in a nutshell:
Massive reach-like a thousand mm- that is hand hold able and not heavy to be paired with a massive optical viewfinder and autofocus that is top of the line and a silent shutter and the ability to shoot as many frames per second as humanly possible- I would take a 100 fps- all with unlimited buffer in RAW giving me razor sharp IQ for 6 foot prints and amazing HDR-like dynamic range. I would like all of this for less than $2000.
Whoever can get closest to this gets my money LOL.

BabaGanoush

My D800 ate my computer. The D810 has not yet spit it out.

I does not help that Capture NX2 or NX-D is a real pig. It's workflow also sucks ( technical word we use).

ACR / CS6 processes Nikon Raw much faster, but does not match Captures color and lens corrections for Nikon Lens / Sensors.(IMHO).

I am thinking hard about a 6 core mac pro.

.... H

I've had my 6 core Mac Pro since April and am pretty satisfied with its performance, although the trash can design of the MP is just downright dumb no matter what Apple claims (e.g., the power on/off switch is located at the base of the rear cable panel, partially hidden behind the Thunderbolt and USB 3 cables that hang off the machine, which for access to external drives had to be positioned at the far edge of the top of my work desk). The migration from my old Mac Pro 1,1 was seamless. I also moved my 4 X 2 TB hard drives from my old machine to a TB II enclosure running as a JBOD. I don't get the read/write advantage of external SSDs with this setup but I could not justify throwing away 4 perfectly good hard drives that have shown no signs of failing (as they do fail, I'll replace them with SSDs). So far I've had just a few minor problems with Mavericks, which sometimes randomly forgets which of my dual displays is the primary one and also sometimes refuses to wake up from deep sleep. Presumably any machine you get will have Yosemite installed as the OS. If you can afford to get the 1 TB SSD system drive, I'd recommend it. That's where I keep my Lightroom photo files for faster access while I'm reviewing and editing. Time Machine and regularly scheduled SuperDuper backup copies then go to 2 of the 4 different external hard drives. Before you pull the trigger, however, you might give careful thought to the way you will arrange your setup, i.e., where all the components will physically go, including the main CPU unit, your external hard/SSD drives, any external optical drive(s), your audio components, UPS, printers/scanners, etc. The setup I used for my old machine, with most of the gear located out of sight under my desk, did not work for the new machine.

WestEndBoy

The price of the D610 is now competitive with the 7DM2. I think that Nikon's strategy is about getting the price of FX down, not producing better DX. While a disappointment to the D400 crowd, this strategy will appeal to a wider audience.

Also remember the 6D price is way down too
I would NEVER buy a 610 or 6D if I needed a 7DmII.
You just do not understand what people need shooting if you and Nikon are thinking like that.
Give me a d4s for the price of a 7d2 and I will jump on it.
Here is what I generally want in a nutshell:
Massive reach-like a thousand mm- that is hand hold able and not heavy to be paired with a massive optical viewfinder and autofocus that is top of the line and a silent shutter and the ability to shoot as many frames per second as humanly possible- I would take a 100 fps- all with unlimited buffer in RAW giving me razor sharp IQ for 6 foot prints and amazing HDR-like dynamic range. I would like all of this for less than $2000.
Whoever can get closest to this gets my money LOL.

I certainly appreciate that there is a market for a professional quality DX camera. I definitely understand the "pixel on the bird" point. I think the question is, "How big is the market?" I am not sure what the answer to that it. All I can say is that as FX comes down in price and pixel density increases, it is shrinking, not growing.

Ironheart

Perhaps. I think the pro-level DX market is a fixed percentage of the DSLR market, so it won't really take sales from a different configuration format. I simply don't want to carry anything larger than a 400mm. But I want 600mm FoV or PoB. I don't very often need FX, if I need it I'll rent it.

manhattanboy

I certainly appreciate that there is a market for a professional quality DX camera. I definitely understand the "pixel on the bird" point. I think the question is, "How big is the market?"

smartphones will obliterate the regular DX market leaving only telephoto left.
it would seriously help Nikon to realize this point sooner than later.
At least the enemy Canon seems to hedge some of that risk with a new 7DM2 release and a new 100-400 released next month.

FX will remain important, but even here smartphones will obliterate causal FX shooting...they are getting that good indoors and at night. The pics that people loved from some casual shooting yesterday weren't the FF monsters I shot, but rather the 6S smartphone pics that I could instantly edit and distribute. I believe this is what Thom keeps writing about with the process flow issues.

Perhaps. I think the pro-level DX market is a fixed percentage of the DSLR market, so it won't really take sales from a different configuration format. I simply don't want to carry anything larger than a 400mm. But I want 600mm FoV or PoB. I don't very often need FX, if I need it I'll rent it.

I almost always carry both crop and FF bodies, but I agree with the general principle you mention.

scoobysmak

Everyone keeps saying that a pro DX camera will not exist. I can handle that, if Nikon would produce a D4x that had 54 MP and in cropped mode could shoot 8-10 fps at 24MP and have the ISO of the D7100 I would take it even if it cost me an extra few bucks over the current D4s.

The big deal for a pro DX camera is PoB (pixels on bird) and fps with a decent buffer, in the Nikon world this doesn't really exist. The Cannon world just got there wish.

sevencrossing

coobysma ......54 MP and in cropped mode ..... The Canon world just got there wish.
The 7D2 has nowhere near 54 MP

retread

A 54 MP FX camera will shoot about 24 MP in DX mode. That is what he is talking about. I may go for that if the cost were less than a DX and a FX camera.

sevencrossing

Yes a Nikon 54 MP FX camera shooting about 24 MP in DX mode might happen and it might get 8 fps
However most Fx shooters will want better high ISO performance than the D7100
it seems getting high IQ, high ISO value , high dynamic range, high pixel density and high fps all in one camera is the tricky bit

snakebunk

it seems getting high IQ, high ISO value , high dynamic range, high pixel density and high fps all in one camera is the tricky bit

Yes, and this is why dx can be great. It makes it possible to have high fps and high pixel density in the same camera. You have to choose two of the three: high fps, high pixel density and large sensor. With the combination of D810, D4s and the pro dx you have all combinations covered.

Robert55555

I have to make the switch, I shot birds with a 500mm lens, Nikon has provide me with quality gear for years. But the more I become involved in Avian Photography. The more I feel Canon caters to Bird Photographers. Where as Nikon not so much. Importantly Their 500 and 600 lenses are lighter, The 7d 2, is close to what I have been hoping for. I suspect there are so many more just like me. And we all expect to pay $8000 to 12000 for a new lens. So for my birding gear I am going white, but for now I will keep all my other Nikon gear.

heartyfisher

I have been looking around the various forums.. and it seems that in most of them the tone of discussions is that the Nikon DX flagship is the D7100 and the new flagship will be the D7200 probably boosted a bit to challenge/beat the 7Dm2. D400/D9300 ? no one seems to care for one. at this time I am resigned to that. I would be more than happy with a D750 like D7200. if nikon is blind enough not to see the need for a pro DX. I really have no say. I will still keep an eye on the Olympus and Samsung.. and see what they do to their crop frame mirrorless cameras.

Oh BTW I got to play with a new Samsung Note4 camera which has similar sensor tech to the Samsung NX1. for a phone its awesome in low light and colour, at least 2 stops better in low light than my older Note2 phone! will run some tests and see how it fares against my Nikon1 and DX camera soon.

heartyfisher

I have to make the switch, I shot birds with a 500mm lens, Nikon has provide me with quality gear for years. But the more I become involved in Avian Photography. The more I feel Canon caters to Bird Photographers. Where as Nikon not so much. Importantly Their 500 and 600 lenses are lighter, The 7d 2, is close to what I have been hoping for. I suspect there are so many more just like me. And we all expect to pay $8000 to 12000 for a new lens. So for my birding gear I am going white, but for now I will keep all my other Nikon gear.

Seem a bit premature to me since the 7Dm2 is still not available yet, and the D7200 is expected in January. I have been looking at the D5300 and it looks nice. just up the spec a bit (minimal expected) for a D7200 and it already handily beats the 7Dm2 in many respects.

Photobug

+1 @heartyfisher. The D7100 does have it's pluses.

My hunch is that those good prices today on the D7100 (new under $1,000 and new lower prices for the refurbished) will still be around when the D7200 surfaces. In your shoes I would jump for the D7200 (moving from the D7000). I can just image all those D3200/D3100/D5100/D5200 buyers moving up to take advantage of the excellent price on the D7100 and those with bigger budgets moving to the D7200.

It's going to be very interesting to see exactly how far Nikon enhances the D7200. My hunch is that the middle or late of November we will see some preliminary specification rumors. If nothing surfaces until December then the D7200 slides to February.

I was in a mood tonight for predictions...so there is my two cents.

manhattanboy

Seem a bit premature to me since the 7Dm2 is still not available yet, and the D7200 is expected in January.
just up the spec a bit (minimal expected) for a D7200 and it already handily beats the 7Dm2 in many respects.

I like your wishful thinking but I seriously doubt the 7200 will handily beat the 7Dm2 (which is offically shipping as of today). Most of the 7D improvements are to the shooting mechanism and autofocus. Unless Nikon drops in their new carbon fiber shutter and steals the shooting machinery from the D4S with associated technology, I doubt the 7200 will come close. My hunch is that Nikon is waiting for the next generation of Sony DX sensor and will up the MP in the 7200. This would put the launch closer to late spring next year. Nikon knows its competitive advantage against Canon right now is image quality, and this is what they will continue to focus on to presumably stay ahead of Canon. Sadly those of us that want faster and better shooting on a DX camera are likely going to get very little out of the 7200. Nikon could drop in their new group autofocus, but the AF in the 7100 is limited by the lenses (AF chatter I am calling you out!) currently and not by the AF module per se. They need to expand the buffer, but they have known this since the D7K and have done sheet about it. Upping the Expeed processor is a given along with improved high ISO performance. They could add wifi and GPS. But the 7200 will lack that wow factor if this is it. The thing really needed to compete with the 7Dm2 is speed and buffer, both of which I think Nikon will be reluctant to put into the 7200 for God knows what reason.

haroldp

This is not strictly a DX issue, but for action photographers Canon AF fine tune allows separate offsets for zoom lenses at long and short ends. Any improvement to focus systems improves attainable vs theoretical IQ.

The 7DII also uses Canons pro UI.

... H

heartyfisher

seems simple to me.. no wishfull thinking needed at all.. just make it similar to D750 body and AF system and the D5300 sensor. no rocket science to it.. so what if the FPS is not as fast as the 7Dm2.. really who wants more than 7 or maybe 8 FPS ? every thing else Nikon wins .. no ? GPS and wifi already in D5300 why not in D7200 what else needed ..?