ThomasMiller
Veteran Member
Today I got a call from my ex-girlfriend. She's done quite a bit of food photography for companies like Pepsi, Chilli's and Taco Bell. We had a long talk about the new Nikon bodies coming and we came to some interesting conclusions. Take them as you will.
The DX Format is dead.
Yep, I'm sorry to report this, but it's true. The D300 and 40D are among the last of the higher end DX based systems. The D300 may not be the last of it's kind, but the final step of it's evolution will be in a full sized sensor. As the FX sensors get cheaper to build, the DX sensor will go the way of the 1.3 MP cameras and the Atari 800.
There's just no logic in the DX sensor any more and Nikon and Canon surely know it. An FX sensor gives the type of images everyone wants and it can even mimic the 1.5 crop factor if desired. In fact it can do an even deeper crop with a high MP sensor and easily beat any current DX based cameras.
It's been a good run for DX and it will probably stick around on the level of D40's and D80's and Nikon might feel an obligation towards those who own DX lenses. But lets keep in mind that DX lenses can also work on FX sensors as well, so that brings us back to DX surviving a bit longer for entry level. Eventually that will be gone as well.
So...this is the prediction:
D300 final DX based high end camera from Nikon to be replaced by a FX based camera (D400) that will be like a D3 but probably back down to 5 FPS. It will use a further refined version of the D3 sensor. About 1500.00 US and we'll see this in about 2 years.
D2Hs to be replaced by a D3H. This camera will be a slower version of the current D3 and probably come out a year before the D400, or perhaps quite soon. At about 3500.00, they'll sell a lot of these.
The D3 will be replaced by the D4 which will have to be even faster than the D3 and probably go to 16 or even 20 MP. That will be a logical end spec for the FX sensor.
Eventually Nikon and Canon sensors will all be FX and all about the same. Like the "old" days of 35mm film, we'll buy cameras based on ergonomics, build quality and speed. Higher end models will get sensor tweaks of course, but they will mean much less than they do now. Within a few years a thousand dollar D80 type DSLR will have a better full sized sensor than is currently in the D3. These are good times, but better ones lay ahead.
Some of us will keep our old DX based cameras and they'll continue to take amazing pictures for years to come.
But make no mistake about it. DX is toast. It's dead, Jim. Shuttering off this mortal coil. Photographing the farm. Off to that big lab in the sky. Kicking the photobucket and joining Laser Discs, Pet Rocks, The Vic 20, and the AMC Pacer as a semi-fond techno memory. Okay, maybe not the Pet Rocks, but the Pacer was cool!
And there you have it.
Thomas
The DX Format is dead.
Yep, I'm sorry to report this, but it's true. The D300 and 40D are among the last of the higher end DX based systems. The D300 may not be the last of it's kind, but the final step of it's evolution will be in a full sized sensor. As the FX sensors get cheaper to build, the DX sensor will go the way of the 1.3 MP cameras and the Atari 800.
There's just no logic in the DX sensor any more and Nikon and Canon surely know it. An FX sensor gives the type of images everyone wants and it can even mimic the 1.5 crop factor if desired. In fact it can do an even deeper crop with a high MP sensor and easily beat any current DX based cameras.
It's been a good run for DX and it will probably stick around on the level of D40's and D80's and Nikon might feel an obligation towards those who own DX lenses. But lets keep in mind that DX lenses can also work on FX sensors as well, so that brings us back to DX surviving a bit longer for entry level. Eventually that will be gone as well.
So...this is the prediction:
D300 final DX based high end camera from Nikon to be replaced by a FX based camera (D400) that will be like a D3 but probably back down to 5 FPS. It will use a further refined version of the D3 sensor. About 1500.00 US and we'll see this in about 2 years.
D2Hs to be replaced by a D3H. This camera will be a slower version of the current D3 and probably come out a year before the D400, or perhaps quite soon. At about 3500.00, they'll sell a lot of these.
The D3 will be replaced by the D4 which will have to be even faster than the D3 and probably go to 16 or even 20 MP. That will be a logical end spec for the FX sensor.
Eventually Nikon and Canon sensors will all be FX and all about the same. Like the "old" days of 35mm film, we'll buy cameras based on ergonomics, build quality and speed. Higher end models will get sensor tweaks of course, but they will mean much less than they do now. Within a few years a thousand dollar D80 type DSLR will have a better full sized sensor than is currently in the D3. These are good times, but better ones lay ahead.
Some of us will keep our old DX based cameras and they'll continue to take amazing pictures for years to come.
But make no mistake about it. DX is toast. It's dead, Jim. Shuttering off this mortal coil. Photographing the farm. Off to that big lab in the sky. Kicking the photobucket and joining Laser Discs, Pet Rocks, The Vic 20, and the AMC Pacer as a semi-fond techno memory. Okay, maybe not the Pet Rocks, but the Pacer was cool!
And there you have it.
Thomas
