Nikon Losing the Plot?

spraynpray

'Do we even need video' has been done to death in another thread, but the outcome was; as it is there, it should be useful. Obviously a pukka video camera will be better for most uses.

I tried it the other day for the fun of it - interesting.

WestEndFoto

We are all getting excited about the new D5 and possible D400 with 4K video. yet other manufactures are testing Min 8K up to 16k, Are Nikon falling behind in the cutting edge of technology? It would seem that the "K" race is becoming like the "Pixel" race.

I don't care about video. I'm a photographer. Anyone genuinely interested in motion footage at 4K, 8K, 16K, 32K and the like, should get themselves a video camera.

I am in the same camp.

kanuck

I agree Dominique and the fact that a dslr can take such high quality images and very usable video the way that they do is remarkable. Anyone who needs more quality in terms of motion footage should just go all in and buy a video cam.

PB_PM

Indeed, DSLR's design is not optimized for video anyway. It's a tack on feature, designed for those who need specific types of shots on a budget. A true video camera is much better for anyone who wants to shoot video on a regular basis simply due to the layout, controls and device inputs.

Msmoto

To lighten this up a bit....if one wants video...here is one option...but remember, the $58,000 does not include the lens, an option at $14,000 and oh, yes, a viewfinder for another $4,000. But golly, think of the broadcast quality video....

DenverShooter

Need 4K video? Black Magic 4K video camera $5K

https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/blackmagicursa

It has all of the features you need in a video camera and its upgradeable.

Denver Shooter

9viii

I think Nikon has been slacking in the video area and really should be leading, but then again, Sony makes the sensors, not Nikon, they might be to Nikon's spec, but they are still Sony fabs.

Since it is Nikon's design and spec, they could have anybody make them. Sony just won the bidding process.

The sensor plays only a small part in making video. The processor (expeed) does about 90% of the work, the sensor about 10%.

Let's get our terms straight anyway:

The term "fab" is short for "fabrication facility".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semiconductor_fabrication_plant

At the end of the day, a fab is nothing more than a fancy (i.e. expensive) photocopier, it's just that the "original" is a mask:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photomask

The "paper" is silicon wafers:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wafer_(electronics)

And the "toner or ink" is a combination of chemical etching and depositing of specific conducting, insulating, or semi-conducting material.

To produce a chip or die (a sensor is a fancy chip) the mask is used to photolithographically etch the various patterns, and the die is diced out of the wafer and mounted in a package to be handled and used in producing whatever you are making.

Nikon makes the masks (they may borrow or "license" someone else's as a starting point)
Nikon specifies the formula for etching and depositing
Nikon designs and applies the bayer array, microlenses and packaging

Sony (or Fujitsu or Toshiba, or Intel, or about 50 others) own the Fabs, which cost upwards of $1 billion to build these days. Getting one of these guys to make your chip is the equivalent of saying "Can I borrow your photocopier to make a few copies?"
If it is a complete Nikon design, the chip is no more Sony's than the copies you make of your document are Xerox's.

The lines get blurred when Nikon is licensing a existing complete design and only making minor tweaks.

All that being said, the sensor plays only a small part in making a video. The processor (expeed) does about 90% of the work, the sensor about 10%.

Zeiss, Nikon and Canon are currently the only producers of Immersion Lithography machines, which is kind of scary to think of since that means basically every microchip produced in the last few years has used machines from one of these companies (32nm and smaller needs Immersion Lithography).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immersion_lithography
Sensors aren't necessarily produced using the latest tech (thus, Canon sensors), but I would be surprised if Nikon sensors weren't produced on Nikon machines. They've been at it for a long time.
http://www.nikon.com/products/precision/business/history/index.htm


Intel has been pouring billions of dollars into ASML, I have to wonder how much the recent Otus lenses have to do with that.

WestEndFoto

Zeiss? Do you mean ASML? Is there a connection?