Nikon get S happy

The D3s joins the S-family of updates for Nikon (yes, you guessed it, video), and they throw in a DX 85mm f/3.5 prime with micro capabilities. Is this the announcement we've heard rumored? Will Nikon continue the S-trend with a D90s? Hmm.
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I bet many people are very disappointed now (so far). I don't need or want video in my CAMERA. Many people are waiting for 5d mark II competitor in D700x (or S)
Also I'd MUCH prefer 85mm 1.8 or 1.4 af-s instead of 3.5 macro.

There is a lot of competition in this segment( tamron, sigma) i think Nikon would have much more sales with "portrait" lens updated to af-s and maybe even VR rather then macro lens. They already have great 60mm and 105mm . All I have to say is WTF...
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The D3s improvements are what the market needs right now and follow Nikons usual procedure in upgrading. It is too early for a D4 and you will note that Canon are rumoured to be about to announce a counter to the D3s - so they must be worried that some pros will switch. It seems that Video is here to stay and is there for those that need it. Its no good saying I don't want it because it is now a market imperative and while I don't use it now I predict that in less than two years there will be a proliferation of short movie clips on the Internet taken on cameras like the D3s that are outstanding and this sort of movie will be used for all sorts of advertising. What I am interested to find out is whether there is an increase in Dynamic Range on the D3s over the D3.
Claude

WineO is quite right, video capability is a vital evolution in the way cameras are progressing - and it is a fantastic bonus for people like me who shoot video and stills for industry. I can use really wide lenses very easily, quickly shoot a short clip without setting up the big camera and use old manual lenses for fabulous effects.
Don't knock progress, it's useful.

I also shoot film on old Leicas and Mamiyas because I like the qualities each produces.
Cameras are just tools for the creative.

I agree... I'd love Nikon to produce a D90s with no 5 minute video limit and add an external stereo mic imput. Video is great... I'm going to embrace, learn and make money with it.

chrisk said:

WineO is quite right, video capability is a vital evolution in the way cameras are progressing - and it is a fantastic bonus for people like me who shoot video and stills for industry. I can use really wide lenses very easily, quickly shoot a short clip without setting up the big camera and use old manual lenses for fabulous effects.
Don't knock progress, it's useful.

I also shoot film on old Leicas and Mamiyas because I like the qualities each produces.
Cameras are just tools for the creative.

Click to expand...

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FoolyCooly said:

I agree... I'd love Nikon to produce a D90s with no 5 minute video limit and add an external stereo mic imput. Video is great... I'm going to embrace, learn and make money with it.

Click to expand...

Why people complain about the 5 minute limit I will never understand. There are less than 1% cases where you actually need to shoot continuously, for the rest of the shots, showing junk to get to those 2 seconds of interesting stuff is a waste of time. But people don't get it.

What the D90s (if it will exist) needs is full manual control over shooting, less obvious rolling shutter, fast AF with manual override, a decent lcd that can be used in the sun or even a tiny display in the viewfinder for video, external stereo for those who really need it.

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No D90s (what would it add, D90 already has video and sensor has been maintained for D300s).

The D3s has a new sensor, that's the big thing, with even better noise (likely DR) performance.

Good news for APS-C shooters, the 85 Micro, much cheaper than the 105 Micro, even though f/3.5 is a bit slow for strong bokeh (but not much actually).

Well-done Nikon.
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rhlpetrus said:

Good news for APS-C shooters, the 85 Micro, much cheaper than the 105 Micro, even though f/3.5 is a bit slow for strong bokeh (but not much actually).

Click to expand...

With the AF-S DX 35 mm and the new AF-S DX 85 Micro I finally get the impression that Nikon has a plan for DX.

Together with the traditional zooms Nikon starts to have a nice DX line up that take advantage of DX - small, light weight and inexpensive.

There are still holes in that line up, a wide prime and a portrait lens is missing, but I think Nikon will introduce these lenses in the near future.

I’m wondering if Nikon already has a 200-400 mm DX lens in development

myzel said:

rhlpetrus said:

Good news for APS-C shooters, the 85 Micro, much cheaper than the 105 Micro, even though f/3.5 is a bit slow for strong bokeh (but not much actually).

Click to expand...

With the AF-S DX 35 mm and the new AF-S DX 85 Micro I finally get the impression that Nikon has a plan for DX.

Together with the traditional zooms Nikon starts to have a nice DX line up that take advantage of DX - small, light weight and inexpensive.

There are still holes in that line up, a wide prime and a portrait lens is missing, but I think Nikon will introduce these lenses in the near future.

I’m wondering if Nikon already has a 200-400 mm DX lens in development

Click to expand...

That'd be interesting for tele shooters, but I'd be more interested in a good fast DX WA prime (16mm f/2, for example).
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rhlpetrus wrote:
.

rhlpetrus said:

Good news for APS-C shooters, the 85 Micro, much cheaper than the 105 Micro, even though f/3.5 is a bit slow for strong bokeh (but not much actually).

Click to expand...

at f3.5???????

If it had been f1.8, then my order would have been in. Who needs a dim, med-tele prime lens? A Sigma 50-150mm f2.8 will be about the same cost, more flexible, and brighter.

rhlpetrus said:

Good news for APS-C shooters, the 85 Micro, much cheaper than the 105 Micro, even though f/3.5 is a bit slow for strong bokeh (but not much actually).

Click to expand...

Am I missing something here? The RRP of this new lens is £499! Doesn't sound cheap to me, considering the 105 mm AF-S can be had for £585 and the 60 mm AF-S £375.

Steve82 said:

Steve82 said:

Good news for APS-C shooters, the 85 Micro, much cheaper than the 105 Micro, even though f/3.5 is a bit slow for strong bokeh (but not much actually).

Click to expand...

at f3.5???????

If it had been f1.8, then my order would have been in. Who needs a dim, med-tele prime lens? A Sigma 50-150mm f2.8 will be about the same cost, more flexible, and brighter.

Click to expand...

There are no Macro lenses at f/1.8 that I know of. A macro lens has to be designed to wrok perfectly across the frame wide open and close focusing distance. This is not a mid-tele prime, it's a specialist lens, frist DX macro.

The Sigma may be "brighter" and certainly more flexible, but try to use it as a Macro lens.
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myzel said:

Together with the traditional zooms Nikon starts to have a nice DX line up that take advantage of DX - small, light weight and inexpensive.

There are still holes in that line up, a wide prime and a portrait lens is missing, but I think Nikon will introduce these lenses in the near future.

Click to expand...

Surely the 85/1.8 covers the "small, light weight and inexpensive" portrait lens? Yes it's not DX but as it covers all the basics you would hope from a DX lens and with the advantage that you only use the sweet spot of the glass.

The 85/3.5 micro seems like a very odd choice - surely an update to the 85/1.8 to give it VR and a focus motor would have been better?

JoKing said:

rhlpetrus said:

Good news for APS-C shooters, the 85 Micro, much cheaper than the 105 Micro, even though f/3.5 is a bit slow for strong bokeh (but not much actually).

Click to expand...

Am I missing something here? The RRP of this new lens is £499! Doesn't sound cheap to me, considering the 105 mm AF-S can be had for £585 and the 60 mm AF-S £375.

Click to expand...

Launch price and UK prices not same as US'. The US street price is USD530, the 105 Micro is USD895 (Amazon), big difference. It's also cheaper than the 60mm Micro launch price (+-630USD, now discounted at 475USD). But the 85 makes more sense for macro than the 60mm. The loss in aperture speed is compensated by FL for bokeh.

of course, one can go with the 105 VR, I have it, it's a great lens, some say the sharpest Nikkor out there.
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Good shooting and good luck
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rhlpetrus said:

myzel said:

There are still holes in that line up, a wide prime and a portrait lens is missing, but I think Nikon will introduce these lenses in the near future.

I’m wondering if Nikon already has a 200-400 mm DX lens in development

Click to expand...

That'd be interesting for tele shooters, but I'd be more interested in a good fast DX WA prime (16mm f/2, for example).

Click to expand...

That’s the missing wide angle prime.
A 60 mm f/1.4 or a 70 mm f/1.8 as a portrait DX lens is missing.

I’m personally more interested in that two lenses (a wide angle and a portrait prime for DX), but I think a long DX zoom is missing too.

It’s often claimed that a long DX lens isn’t needed, but I think that a long DX lens is needed to get a complete line up of small(er), inexpensive lenses - what Nikon promised with DX.

I think the following line up would be great:
10-24 DX - ultra wide to wide angle zoom
missing wide angle prime (16 mm DX f/2 or f/2.8)
a lot of mid range zooms
missing fast 24 mm f/1.8 DX prime
35 DX as normal prime
missing fast portrait prime (60 mm or 70 mm f/1.8)
85 mm Micro as Micro and medium telephoto travel prime
55-200 DX as the standard telephoto lens

missing long DX zoom (200-400 or 150-300 or something like that - but small and inexpensive).

18-200 DX as the one lens solution

I don’t think that Nikon should make f/1.4 DX lenses - everybody who want’s such fast lenses and is willing to pay the price will probably buy FX anyway.

plesbit said:

Surely the 85/1.8 covers the "small, light weight and inexpensive" portrait lens? Yes it's not DX but as it covers all the basics you would hope from a DX lens and with the advantage that you only use the sweet spot of the glass.

Click to expand...

Yes the 85 mm f/1.8 can be used as a portrait lens for DX, but I think a dedicated DX lens would be smaller and cheaper.
(And I would like a 60 mm or 70 mm DX portrait prime)

plesbit said:

The 85/3.5 micro seems like a very odd choice - surely an update to the 85/1.8 to give it VR and a focus motor would have been better?

Click to expand...

Only if you don’t want a small and inexpensive Micro lens.

I think VR is not a good idea for a portrait lens, VR can have a strange, unpleasing effect on bokeh.

btw: isn’t it nice that the 85 mm Micro uses 52 mm filters?

What if I NEED to record 30 minutes of continuous footage? What if I need to hit record and walk away to do other things. Should I have to run back to my camera every 5 minutes to press the shutter again?

Punctu said:

FoolyCooly said:

I agree... I'd love Nikon to produce a D90s with no 5 minute video limit and add an external stereo mic imput. Video is great... I'm going to embrace, learn and make money with it.

Click to expand...

Why people complain about the 5 minute limit I will never understand. There are less than 1% cases where you actually need to shoot continuously, for the rest of the shots, showing junk to get to those 2 seconds of interesting stuff is a waste of time. But people don't get it.

What the D90s (if it will exist) needs is full manual control over shooting, less obvious rolling shutter, fast AF with manual override, a decent lcd that can be used in the sun or even a tiny display in the viewfinder for video, external stereo for those who really need it.

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Click to expand...

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The simple answer is you don't. People, stop bashing keys with stupid theories and get out there and use the camera.

Who the hell, needs to film 30 minutes long????? Or do you want to turn a dslr into a security camera?????

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myzel said:

Yes the 85 mm f/1.8 can be used as a portrait lens for DX, but I think a dedicated DX lens would be smaller and cheaper.

Click to expand...

The 85/1.8 is one of the smallest lenses I've ever seen. Making it any smaller would be pointless. There would be no benefit to doing that. And its annoying spinning focus ring already trips me up when I forget about it and place a couple of fingers on the lens when composing.

myzel said:

myzel said:

The 85/3.5 micro seems like a very odd choice - surely an update to the 85/1.8 to give it VR and a focus motor would have been better?

Click to expand...

Only if you don’t want a small and inexpensive Micro lens.

Click to expand...

But the 85/1.8 is small and inexpensive. Granted the addition of a motor and VR might offset that somewhat but I doubt making it "only" DX will do much to change that.

And you're right, I don't want a small and inexpensive micro lens at 85mm. I have the 60/2.8 micro already - the 105 might interest me but the 85 is not different enough to make me spend money all over again.

I just recently sold a Minolta 50/2.8 macro. It was a wonderful lens. I happily used is as a standard prime in addition to its macro duties. I find the Nikkor 60/2.8 micro a bit of a pain actually. It's a very good lens but just a little bit long to double as a standard prime in the way that I want. In the unlikely event that I wanted a lens in that range I'd far rather have something a genuine portrait lens - as far as I can tell this new one is too long to be a standard prime or short macro, too short to be a long macro and too slow to be a good portrait lens. It looks like it's trying to be all things to all people and ending up being nothing that special to anyone.

Still, if Nikon want to make it that's up to them. I already have my 60/2.8 micro and 85/1.8 and I am quite happy with both. If I did decide I needed a macro in that range I'd walk straight past the Nikkor and over to the Tamron 90/2.8.

eNo said:

The D3s joins the S-family of updates for Nikon (yes, you guessed it, video), and they throw in a DX 85mm f/3.5 prime with micro capabilities. Is this the announcement we've heard rumored? Will Nikon continue the S-trend with a D90s? Hmm.

Click to expand...

one thing that i do believe, 85mm at f/3.5, nikon is producing a macro lens with much better performance as it close aperture to f/16 and beyond. for the time being, most macro lenses perform best at f/5.6-f/8 or f/11. we do need more DOF in macro photography.

as for D90s, hold on the horse first. wait for couple or three years later. pending more further technologies improvement. this also prolong our current D90 price and used price too.....