Rumour:- Nikon dumping DX Semi-pro/pro cameras!

[boff180]

Hi guys,

There are very strong rumours from those that say "I have friends in Nikon" that the fabled and overdue D300s replacement, aka D400 will not be coming.

In fact, Nikon have decided to pull the plug on semi pro DX format (1.5x crop) cameras completely and will concentrate on full frame in this market. The highest spec DX format camera will be a D600 to be released this September which will be lower spec than the D300s with a higher megapixel count (expected at 24mp).

Where does this leave us Nikon users that need DX and require a fast, rugged semi-pro camera?

Well the image below should show you how stuffed we are......

The image itself is an uncropped photo taken at 500mm on a Bigma using a Nikon D300s.
The black boundary represents how much bigger the image would be using DX mode on a Nikon D800 (full frame camera).
The white is the actual image that would be captured at full frame (ignore the D300s image for this, concentrate on black boundary)... note how little of the image is the black boundary to allow for cropping... you will be cropping a good 70% of your image out! Image size wise, DX images would be 12% bigger than if taken with the D300s. I highly doubt that would translate into 12% better quality images!


Nikon Image Size Comparison by evansaviography, on Flickr

I will wait and see what is announced by March next year, otherwise I might be selling up and moving to the dark side!

Andy

[Heidfirst]

The highest spec DX format camera will be a D600 to be released this September

mmm, isn't the D600 expected to be the lowest spec. FX body?
If so & if it uses a 24MP FF sensor then crop mode will give you a ~11-12MP image similar to a D3X (but of higher quality given sensor improvements in the intervening years).
That would actually give you an image size fractionally smaller than from your D300s & chances are that things like AF would also be an improvement over the D300s.
Better to wait & see what actually happens rather than announcing that the sky is falling beforehand?

[boff180]

Two rumours are going around the D600, one says FX, one says DX. All rumours agree that the spec though will be inferior to D300s, lower fps and slower AF and no magnesium/weather sealed body.

[Heidfirst]

OK, if you assume a 24 MP APS-C sensor then the physical % of the sensor area that the subject image represents won't change at all (but the no. of pixels making up the image will) so if you you frame as you currently do you won't be cropping anymore than you already do. This negates your argument in post #1.
Conversely the extra pixels will give you an ability to crop in further compared to a D300s for those shots where you couldn't get as close as you would have liked.

[boff180]

I agree, but there is more to the camera than the mp count, the D300s focus is superb with a very fast burst mode plus a metal body that is fully weatherproof. Granted though mp count is important when upgrading, a 12% increase (based on the 16mp D800 DX mode) isn't good enough to warrant the money.

Nikons newest DX sensor is 24mp (it's in the D3200) and this coupled with a D300s spec body would be an absolute beast.

Andy

[Heidfirst]

I agree, but there is more to the camera than the mp count, the D300s focus is superb with a very fast burst mode plus a metal body that is fully weatherproof.

if the D600 is to be the top DX body rather than low end FF then it's likely to have better (more modern, D800 derived?) AF than a D300s & I would assume similar fps.
Where does the D7000 fit in in your scenario? If it still exists then you can assume a body at least as solid as that (which admittedly afaik isn't quite as solid/water resistant as a D300s).
But do you really need a body that solid/weatherproof? If your scenario is correct then presumably Nikon marketing reckon that you are a pro & want you to pay pro prices ...

Granted though mp count is important when upgrading, a 12% increase (based on the 16mp D800 DX mode) isn't good enough to warrant the money.

well, it would be more MP than a D800 DX crop mode but a lot cheaper than a D800
Certainly the vast majority of current internet rumours seem to think that the D600 is a low end FF rather than high end DX.

[boff180]

Do you need a body that's waterproof? After the drowning my d300s took at RIAT Friday arrivals this year, yes. The D7000 spec just isn't there and the sensor gives the same equivelent image as the D800 in crop mode. The image quality is better than the D300s but it is let down by a poor autofocus system that really doesn't like dull light.

On the mp side, for an aviation photographer taking long range shots, an FF Nikon body would need a pixel count over 40mp (45 most likely) to make it a viable proposition in the cropping stakes over a 24mp DX body. The only other alternative is to buy 600/800mm lenses to avoid the crop.

Which would be cheaper, a DX semi pro body with 24mp+ or an 800mm lens?

Andy

[boff180]

Looks like we may know more next week.

Nikon are sending out press invites to a product launch in Dubai on 13th September. The invite clearly refers to a plural "latest additions to our DSLR range".

So it looks like the D600 will be known in a weeks time, but what else is being announced?

Andy

[Ben H]

Not being funny, but if the D300s is so good (which from what I've seen, it is), why not just...keep using it?!

[boff180]

The spec of the d300s body is perfect for aviation photography, the issue is the sensor, it is now 1 to 2 generations old and trails behind New generation sensors in dynamic range, megapixels, ISO sensitivity and noise.

A d300s with the sensor from the new d3200 tweaked for a semi pro body with the newest Nikon image processor would be the perfect camera, that is what many of us hope the d400 will be.

D300s sensor = 12mp ISO200-3200 dx format
D3200 sensor = 24mp ISO100-6400 dx format

Many have switched to the d7000 due to its better sensor but the body spec just isnt there for action photography and (imho) is a downgrade.

Andy

[Weather Watcher]

Nikon have all the right bits I just wish they would put them altogether. For me 16Mp would be fine if packaged with high spec AF, high fps, good high ISO performance (low noise) and good Dynamic range.

[225Mriya]

The crop modes on my D800E are very good indeed - with a grip the fps goes up to from 4 fps to 6fps, at a very nice 16MP at 1.5 crop. It gives me so much more flexability than with the D300 I had been using.

[Weather Watcher]

The crop modes on my D800E are very good indeed - with a grip the fps goes up to from 4 fps to 6fps, at a very nice 16MP at 1.5 crop. It gives me so much more flexability than with the D300 I had been using.

You are the first person I've come across saying good things about the crop mode on the D800, most concentrate on the dislike of the image in the viewfinder. Perhaps with a grip it is an option? I really would prefer a D400 though.

[boff180]

Nikon have announced the D600 this morning.

It is a nice spec however the DX crop mode provides a smaller image than the D300s.

Nikon Rumours (who were bang on with the D600) are stating there will be a further DSLR announced late this year or early next.

Andy

[Heidfirst]

Certainly still a gap ~£1500 msrp for a higher spec. Nikon DX body.

[boff180]

Certainly hope you are right mate.

Andy

[kichu]

boff - the 10 vs 12mpix difference in D600 vs D300s is neglible considering that in all other aspects the sensor
in D600 is much better than D300s (dynamic range, noise, high iso etc.)

d600 was tested in by dxomark and at the moment this is the second best sensor in the world in terms of image quality

i have been using d3x (also 24mpix) for a while in aviation photography and consider this camera (despite being full frame)
much better dx camera than d300s

as for wether we will see direct d300s replacement it's worth waiting untill the spring - the full frame aspect is all new at the moment
it's time to refresh the other part of nikon lineup

[boff180]

Nikon Rumors have today published a screenshot from a major US retailer showing the D90 and D300s as end of life... Is the replacement finally coming???