Reading mode: Light Dark

Will Nikon ever make another pro DX body?

Go to last post
J

Jim Kaye

Veteran Member
Messages
2,837
Solutions
1
Reaction score
269
Location
US
I love my D3, but still sometimes use my D2Xs in good light (or with flash indoors) with lenses like Tokina 50-135 -- similar FOV to 70-200 on FX, but a lot smaller and lighter -- or 17-55.

Is this a dead end, or will Nikon ever produce another DX sensor in a pro body? If so, what characteristics would justify the price enough to make it sell?
--
Jim Kaye

'I believe that the electronic image will be the next major advance. Such systems will have their own inherent and inescapable structural characteristics, and the artist and functional practitioner will again strive to comprehend and control them.' -- Ansel Adams, 1981
 
Whats wrong with the D300s?

--
Nikon D700, D300, D80, D40
Nikon N70
Kodak z712 IS
Canon sd1000

flickr.com/photos/cmacsutt
 
Jim Kaye said:
I love my D3, but still sometimes use my D2Xs in good light (or with flash indoors) with lenses like Tokina 50-135 -- similar FOV to 70-200 on FX, but a lot smaller and lighter -- or 17-55.

Is this a dead end, or will Nikon ever produce another DX sensor in a pro body? If so, what characteristics would justify the price enough to make it sell?
--
Jim Kaye

'I believe that the electronic image will be the next major advance. Such systems will have their own inherent and inescapable structural characteristics, and the artist and functional practitioner will again strive to comprehend and control them.' -- Ansel Adams, 1981
Click to expand...
 
It's highly unlikely they won't, timing is another question.

Most of Nikon's turn over and profit is related to the DX line. Why would they stymie development?

People who think DX is dead know BA about business.
--
Phil_L
 
If you mean another D + single digit camera, the answer is no. All the D(single digit) cameras Nikon has made represent the pinnacle of what they were able to achieve at that particular period of time. DX will continue, but not with the D4 or D5 or any other flagship camera.

Look at the F + single digit history. There have only been 6 ever made, and each one was revolutionary in it's own way.
--
http://www.southfloridapics.com
 
Depends what you mean by "pro".

Neither Canon or Nikon seem to have achieved 15% market share by body sales and Canon have indicated in the UK pro press the end of the line might come for a top end FF body due to relatively low sales.

There will be a replacement for the D300s. Whether there will be a more pro grade body than the D300s from Nikon is unknown
--
Leonard Shepherd

Practicing and thinking can do more for good photography than buying or consuming.
 
My opinion is that DX-size-sensors will continue to be put into pro-type bodies by Nikon for a long time. My reasons are (1) the latest sensors will always be far cheaper in DX size than FX size,single-digit-model-no. Nikons will always have the latest sensors (2) many pros and serious amateurs prefer the cropped sensor to get more "range" with a tele lens (putting a DX lens onto, say, a D3S will get you a small number of pixels and a D3X costs a great deal), (3) many pros and serious amateurs who want the lower weight and bulk of a DX-based system for many uses%, (4) the development cost is not that high as the body is designed and the electronics and sensor-interface work are very similar to that of the model above and below. Example: D90 and D3 have, between them, most of the features on the D300. Not making the D300 would not have cut the combined development costs of the D90 and D3 by that much. and (5) I don't have the sales figures, but I will bet that sales of D300/D300S cameras are still significant, even if many people expect DX to go away as a pro camera.

%Example: I'm going to spend some of the early fall in Cambodia and Vietnam, when it's still rainy season. I need a DX system because the lenses are lighter. I need a pro-type body to keep the rain out. Nikon's D300/D300S are the only choice for my trip.

--
Adrian
 
I thought people would know what I meant, but perhaps what I should have asked is, "Who thinks Nikon will make another DX body with an integrated vertical grip (as opposed to a screw-on accessory vertical grip) and other body features similar to the D2 and D3 series?"

I'm not knocking the D300 or its successor(s). I have one myself and enjoy it. In some ways it's preferable to the D2 and D3 bodies (lighter when I want it to be, more flexible), and I travel with mine all the time.

But there's something special about the integrated vertical grip, the round eyepiece with cover, the ISO/QUAL/WB buttons and readout below the main LCD, the ability to lock shutter speed (especially when using flash), etc., and when size and weight are not the main considerations, the D300 stays at home. So "Pro body" to me doesn't just mean a 6" x 6" brick -- it's the whole package. (If you don't agree with the term, that's fine, we're all entitled to our opinions here.)

So my question is what people think the sensor would have to be able to do (especially in terms of ISO/DR) for it to be worth Nikon manufacturing another DX camera with a body like this?
--
Jim Kaye

'I believe that the electronic image will be the next major advance. Such systems will have their own inherent and inescapable structural characteristics, and the artist and functional practitioner will again strive to comprehend and control them.' -- Ansel Adams, 1981
 
integrated grips is a good one. I have a friend who really prefers those bodies. I don't think that we will ever see a DX sensor in one of those bodies again. I believe that Nikon will continue to reserve the bodies with the integrated grips for their FX sensors.
 
DX complements FX, and so every FX body owner will be a potential candidate for a DX pro body sale. Nikon managed to cater for both pros and enthusiasts quite nicely with the D3/D300 combo, but now the market pressure is different, with competitors' offerings in important areas of prosumerland where Nikon used to be practically alone with the D200 and D300.

Nikon will have to address this. They could cater for both groups with the D300, but can't load that much pro functionality and weight on enthusiasts in the future. At the same time they have to cater for the pros, and they need to differentiate prices because of sensor component costs. The potential market for a pro DX body is huge, but Nikon needs the extraordinary sensor to really tap into it. My guess is that they already have it, and that we will have purely pro combo release next year, 2010 being the enthusiasts' year.
 
Jim Kaye said:
I love my D3, but still sometimes use my D2Xs in good light (or with flash indoors) with lenses like Tokina 50-135 -- similar FOV to 70-200 on FX, but a lot smaller and lighter -- or 17-55.
Click to expand...
Hmm. My D300 can do that... I'm assuming when you say "pro" you are meaning more than what you wrote here.
Jim Kaye said:
Is this a dead end, or will Nikon ever produce another DX sensor in a pro body? If so, what characteristics would justify the price enough to make it sell?
Click to expand...
I won't play dumb. I think we can deduce that by "pro" you don't mean D300 or D300s or a follow-up D400. What do you have in mind? A vertical grip? Faster FPS? Larger viewfinder (how large was it for the D2X compared to the D300?)? It's hard to tell, but perhaps a more appropriate observation might be that a pro camera is one a pro photographer uses in his regular, money-making workflow . And alas, Nikon is already more than there with the D200 and D300 which are used as DX workhorses for many pros, several I know personally.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's easy to argue about equipment and technique, but hard to argue with a good photograph -- and more difficult to capture one .



Gallery and blog: http://esfotoclix.com
Special selections: http://esfotoclix.com/store
Flickr stream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/22061657@N03
 
Sorry I wasn't clear the first time. See what I wrote under "Let me rephrase the question."

What I really wish is that I could take the sensor out of my D2Xs and put the one from my D300 in there -- or something even better to come.
--
Jim Kaye

'I believe that the electronic image will be the next major advance. Such systems will have their own inherent and inescapable structural characteristics, and the artist and functional practitioner will again strive to comprehend and control them.' -- Ansel Adams, 1981
 
Jim Kaye said:
I love my D3, but still sometimes use my D2Xs in good light (or with flash indoors) with lenses like Tokina 50-135 -- similar FOV to 70-200 on FX, but a lot smaller and lighter -- or 17-55.

Is this a dead end, or will Nikon ever produce another DX sensor in a pro body? If so, what characteristics would justify the price enough to make it sell?
--
Jim Kaye

'I believe that the electronic image will be the next major advance. Such systems will have their own inherent and inescapable structural characteristics, and the artist and functional practitioner will again strive to comprehend and control them.' -- Ansel Adams, 1981
Click to expand...
We discuss this question now and then in different forums. The consensus is evident:

No there will not be and there is no need for a pro DX DSLR in a D# body. The arguments are two: the D300(s) D400 and D3x/D700x.

I am one of those that think it actually could be a good idea. Think D2x but with similar features to the D3s (AF, video, buffer, fps etc) but 18 MP in DX and a HSC mode with 11 fps, 9 MP, ISO range 100 - 3200, Hi-1, Hi-2, Lo-1.

A DX DLSR with 18 MP will always be cheaper than a FX camera giving us 18 MP in the DX mode.
 
When the modular camera comes out, a DX sensor will appear, either from Nikon or a 3rd party.
 
Nikon and many others consider the D300 to be a "pro" body just like the 5D is thought to be by its many pro users along with the 7D.

More likely with the increase in pixel count on sensors the DX crop as with your D3 will provide more pixels in crop mode and this will take the place of a dedicated body with a smaller than FX sensor size.

Perfect camera would have a 40MP FX sensor and provide for crops using less of the sensor's photosites to provide a APS-H 24MP or APC-C 12MP capability from the same body.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Keyboard shortcuts

f
Forum
m
My threads
Mobile site
About
Editorial content
Cameras & Lenses
Community
All content, design, and layout are Copyright © 1998–2025 Digital Photography Review All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission.
©GPS Media - Guides, Products, Services.
Back
Top