Let's address what it would take to fill this gap. Resolution, Low Noise
Resolution: A function of 1) Megapixels, 2) lens quality, 3) consistant and accurate focus, 4) low noise at high ISO (to freeze motion and still get a clean picture) plus some others.
A low noise high ISO sensor is hurt by too many MP for a given size, so can we back off from 8mp on a 1/1.8" and go the Nikon D70 route for 6Mp on a 2/3" sensor or there about? I know the D70 isn't 2/3", but they stopped at 6MP.
Then moving on from there, to something that has not been addressed well by anyone, the viewfinder. Either somebody needs to build in an accurate high res EVF with it's own processer so it doesn't freeze (expensive) or use an optical setup of some sort. Maybe a hybrid system that moves the EVF aside with a "head's up display" style OVF that uses an optical VF with the info projected in the VF the same as some cars use to display info reflected off the windshield. That still limits the OVF to about 5x and it won't be accurate unless it uses the SLR mirror that removes the live preview and movie capabilities. SO, we use an EVF that can be folded down in favor of the basic TTL OVF when you flick a switch or put it in rapid fire mode so we can follow the subject. This is similar to what Minolta did in the Z1, so it may be doable, the Z1 didn't have an OVF though, we would fold down the EVF for an OVF "over-ride."
Next - Zoom. A big sensor needs a big lens, and more zoom only multiplies this. So a Prosumer will have to make a tradeoff of zoom range versus size. The Pro-1 settled on 28mm wide+7x to keep from getting too big. The FZ series uses smaller sensors, or like the FZ30, just got big. Those two satisfy two different markets, but the sensors still are not yielding high ISO of the SLR variety - still too small for 8MP. A 10x lens with f/2.8 on a big sensor (2/3" in this case) would be about as big as the FZ30. (12*(2/3)
(1/1.8) = 10)
So what do we have? A series of options to make a range of quality cameras with ranges of zoom and sensor sizes. It takes a different set of compromises to get a good 6MP picture that will kill an 8MP picture from the current crop of small sensor 8MP cameras. The effective resolution could approach the best 8MP in good light and pass it in low light if we stick with 6MP on a 2/3" sensor and get a good f/2.5-3.1 8x lens so as to not get too big. And truthfully, 8Mp is less than 15% wider than a 6MP picture anyway!
Of course there will be options in this new range of cameras for 8x 28-224mm wide, 8x 38-304mm, and also a huge 36-432mm 12x FZ30 killer. Panasonic could supply that one in the FZ40 if they backed off on the MP battlefront to make a camera that actually works in more circumstances.
The Pro-2 could be a natural inheritor to the 28-224mm if it too backed off to 6MP on the same size sensor, but Nikon seems to be the only mnfctr that may stop pixel farming and pause at 6MP (witness the 6MP D70) until technology warrants moving on.
A Nikon 8600 or Canon S3 Pro could be made with the goods. We can only hope... and wait.
whew
I'm done. See you tomorrow.
The gap in the market has not been addressed, Speciafically useable
ISO800+ accurate focussing/zooming (optical viewfinder and manual
focus/zoom ring). I admire Kodak for giving it a go but again i'm
dissapointed.
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MjN
