Yet another d3 rumor

Upcoming Nikon D3 is rumored to have continuously variable crop control, basically working like electronic zoom on point and shoot cameras. For D3X with expected 1.1x sensor, that gives you almost 2X "zoom" assuming HSC-sized sensor coverage at the other end (5-18 mp?). So your 200mm f/2 becomes a 220-400mm f/2 zoom lens equivalent. Sweet. If you attach a DX lens, then the crop range will be automatically restricted to 1.4X - 2X.

Is there a source for this rumour or is it just speculation?

Nikon D50
Nikon 18-200mm VR
Nikon 18-55mm
Nikon 85mm 1.8f AF
Nikon 50mm 1.4f AF
SB-800

i said no text!

What's the source? Must be a good one to come out of retirement.

Cheers,
JB

mbraca said:

Upcoming Nikon D3 is rumored to have continuously variable crop
control, basically working like electronic zoom on point and shoot
cameras. For D3X with expected 1.1x sensor, that gives you almost
2X "zoom" assuming HSC-sized sensor coverage at the other end (5-18
mp?). So your 200mm f/2 becomes a 220-400mm f/2 zoom lens
equivalent. Sweet. If you attach a DX lens, then the crop range
will be automatically restricted to 1.4X - 2X.

Click to expand...

The only reason to have a crop factor at all is for a higher frame rate. Have one crop to achieve the high frame rate at whatever is needed and call it good.

Greg

Now Mbraca is a FUNNY guy!

L O f'ing L!
--
Z-Man

I like it.

Birger

Heeeerrrreeeee we go agaaaiiinnnnnnnn

The rumor mill!!!!
--
http://www.screamandfly.com/home

There are additional reasons for this feature:

1) Save card space when shooting RAW with prime lens, and HSC is too tight

2) With 1.1X sensor, it would make sense to have 3 stops - 1.1X, 1.4X and 2X. Since you have three positions now, why not make it continuous?

3) Frame rate will also be continuously variable (rate is limited by the total amount of data being processed). Sp let's say I get 10 FPS at 2X, why not give me 8 FPS if I loosen up a bit to 1.7X?

Greg Matty said:

The only reason to have a crop factor at all is for a higher frame
rate. Have one crop to achieve the high frame rate at whatever is
needed and call it good.

Greg

Click to expand...

While not saying that this rumor won't actually happen I must say that of all the features that Nikon could put into a new model that would rank waaaaaaay down on the request list.
--
Mike Dawson

Well, like all good rumors, a bit of both, of course - reliable "source" and well reasoned "speculation".

"Source" is a representative of a reputable camera retailer dropping a cryptic hint on the SportsShooter.com message board that Nikon users should hold on to their prime lenses.

http://www.sportsshooter.com/message_display.html?tid=25354

What can we read into this?

1) Because that is a web site catering to pros, he must be referring to an impending announcement regarding pro-level equipment.

2) Because he referred to "prime" lenses, this means that soon zooms will be of less relative value. Since many zooms are not DX-specific, he's probably not referring simply to the 1.1X sensor. Also, high-end prime lenses are capable of higher resolution than zooms, but nobody is suggesting that the sensor of the D3X is going to get more dense -- just the opposite, in fact (at D2X density the 1.1X sensor would comprise around 24 mp, more than the rumored 18.7).

"Speculation" comes from me, with D2Xs and 300mm, shooting golfers wearing white shirts and caps with visors on sunny days (hence shooting RAW for maximum exposure latitude), switching back and forth to HSC to save card space. It became instantly obvious to me what he was talking about.

SillyChris said:

Is there a source for this rumour or is it just speculation?

Click to expand...

...electronic zoom on a point and shoot.

After all, if it's continuously variable, then it only makes sense for it to be real-time. And if it's real-time, how do you effectively integrate it with the zoom ring?

And if it is continuous, how you you tell what your crop is in the viewfinder?

Everything you mentioned does not point to continuously variable zoom. "Hang on to your prime lenses" cannot be interpreted to mean anything more than a FF body.
--
Mike Dawson

Maybe it means the D3 has a small steel mallet in the body that is triggered to break your lens if it senses you've mounted a zoom.

michaeladawson said:

"Hang on to your prime lenses" cannot be interpreted to mean
anything more than a FF body.
--
Mike Dawson

Click to expand...

Thanks for the good laugh!

--------------------------------------------
Joe Braun Photography
http://www.citrusmilo.com/

1) Prime lenses do not have zoom rings, because, well, they don't zoom. I don't understand what you mean by saying the continuous variability must be real-time.

2) The crop could be indicated the same way as in the D2Xs viewfinder, except the size of the mask would be variable. If they are particularly clever, there will be an electronic viewfinder option, so the viewfinder image would zoom.

Kenn Hwang said:

...electronic zoom on a point and shoot.

After all, if it's continuously variable, then it only makes sense
for it to be real-time. And if it's real-time, how do you
effectively integrate it with the zoom ring?

And if it is continuous, how you you tell what your crop is in the
viewfinder?

Click to expand...

Its good to hear a new twist to the rumours. Its gone a bit quiet lately and its been the same old story (rumour) over and over again and i was wondering if it was all just a myth.

I think any rumour has a hint of truth in it and this one sounds plausible and may well have come from a prototype.
TFS (Thanks for speculating)


--
A dpreview browser.

I may not understand the op correctly since I´m not an English native speaker, but a variable crop size sounds reasonable to me.

--
greetz, pam

mbraca said:

1) Prime lenses do not have zoom rings, because, well, they don't
zoom. I don't understand what you mean by saying the continuous
variability must be real-time.

Click to expand...

Of course prime lenses don't have zoom rings. Why bring this up? You never even mentioned primes in your original post, so I'm not sure how you expect anyone to know to constrain your argument to them? Also, when you say "If you attach a DX lens, the crop range will be restricted," how does that imply prime?

mbraca said:

2) The crop could be indicated the same way as in the D2Xs
viewfinder, except the size of the mask would be variable. If they
are particularly clever, there will be an electronic viewfinder
option, so the viewfinder image would zoom.

Click to expand...

An EVF might do the trick, but for a manual VF using a D2X LCD screen, exactly how many masks would you need to have for the VF to qualify as continuous? Would Nikon still be able to claim 100% frame coverage for every possible step? Nikon and Canon are incredibly conservative with their flagship VFs, with emphasis on maintaining accuracy, size, and brightness. I doubt we'll be seeing an EVF replacing an optical pentaprism VF in this generation, and I doubt they'll fudge with it and throw some kind of zooming "lens element" into it either.

Regarding interface, if you can't control a "continuously variable crop" in real-time (i.e., setting the range by a lens ring, W/T buttons, or command dial, while looking through the viewfinder), you're pretty left with going into the menu and scrolling through a list of "crops" to choose. Since you mention it will be continuous like a p&s cam, I assume that means in a menu you'll have to choose from at least 9 steppings (1.1x, 1.2x, etc.), or probably more. I have a hard time seeing the utility of having to go to the menu to adjust between a 1.4x and 1.45x, even on a prime, so I assume any utility this function would have would necessitate it being accessible "real-time."

The problem with real-time is it would then have this huge overlapping functionality with your zoom lenses, from which you're supposed to be able to quickly and intuitively span the range, but now you rack in and suddenly you're NOT wide enough because you're at 2.x crop, and have to then go to some other button to manipulate that as well.

Finally, assuming you're only talking about primes, your reply implies that this feature wouldn't be available with zoom lenses. Why would that be? And does it really make sense for Nikon to implement such specialized silicon, create a VF with dozens of LCD masks, and limit it to use with old lenses from which they derive little/no current profit?

Everything about this points to impractical, pointless, and confusing. That's all.

I really hope it's just a rumor, having a variable crop factor at the expense of an infamous electronic viewfinder is no good news... by the way, the size of the viewfinder for full frame would be big, but going to a x2 crop would leave a very small viewfinder that would not be very attractive to use... since memory cards are cheaper and cheaper, cropping in PP is a better option imho

mbraca said:

The crop could be indicated the same way as in the D2Xs
viewfinder, except the size of the mask would be variable. If they
are particularly clever, there will be an electronic viewfinder
option, so the viewfinder image would zoom.

mbraca said:

And if it is continuous, how you you tell what your crop is in the
viewfinder?

Click to expand...

Click to expand...