"What Nikon Should Fix"

[John Ricard]

I just read a great article titled, "What Nikon Should Fix". The article can be found at http://www.bythom.com

Thom's view is that Nikon makes great products, but often does poor marketing. The D2h is a perfect example of this. There are tons of pros out there who don't follow the announcement and statistics of every new camera announced by every company. A lot of Nikon guys dont' know the model number of the Cannon cameras or the Kodak cameras.

For these professionals, who aren't very tech oriented, announcing the D2h FIRST, doesn't make a lot of sense. These pros don't understand why the "new" Nikon has fewer megapixel's than their current Nikon. And, with no "official" announcement that something better is coming soon, I don't see why these pros should "wait" if they feel the need for a higher megapixel camera.

It seems to me that Nikon would have been better off announcing the "big gun" D2x FIRST and then announcing the "speciality" camera, D2h, sometime later.

--
http://www.kaya.tv

 

[B Petterson]

Well I think that now that the French Games are just starting with a lot of D2H's in use,we will see some stunning photos.
Also with the photos will be quite a lot of info on the new D2H from Nikon.

The pro's do know about the D2H.

Nikon does not want to make the mistake that Kodak and Canon made in not delivering a top notch, bug free camera.

Bear with Nikon for your top camera's.

Birger

 

[Kit59087]

I just read a great article titled, "What Nikon Should Fix". The
article can be found at http://www.bythom.com

Thom's view is that Nikon makes great products, but often does poor
marketing. The D2h is a perfect example of this. There are tons
of pros out there who don't follow the announcement and statistics
of every new camera announced by every company. A lot of Nikon
guys dont' know the model number of the Cannon cameras or the Kodak
cameras.

For these professionals, who aren't very tech oriented, announcing
the D2h FIRST, doesn't make a lot of sense. These pros don't
understand why the "new" Nikon has fewer megapixel's than their
current Nikon. And, with no "official" announcement that something
better is coming soon, I don't see why these pros should "wait" if
they feel the need for a higher megapixel camera.

It seems to me that Nikon would have been better off announcing the
"big gun" D2x FIRST and then announcing the "speciality" camera,
D2h, sometime later.

--
http://www.kaya.tv

I'm really surprised that even him has that mentality that more pixels is the way to go.......

 

[fotogenetic]

I liked Thom's article. As an aspiring writer, artist, and photographer, I see the importance of mottos and images in marketing. I would like to propose an idea for a Nikon ad campaign.

But before Nikon can begin this campaign, they would have to hire sports car designers to design their next few camera bodies, like they did in the F3. They would also need to get a young Formula One driver like Juan Pablo Montoya, Ralf Schumacher, or Kimi Raikkonen to advertise for them. The similar themes of Nikon's superb engineering and that of race cars would be a perfect match! Examples:

"When I'm not racing, I'm shooting," with images of Montoya speeding through the Italian Grand Prix and the beautiful sound of the D2h firing off a 40 round burst at 8fps.

"Nikon, the Grand Prix of camera design," with images of the D2h with a 600mm AF-S and through-the-viewfinder flashes of Kimi Raikkonen passing up other cars.

"Nikon, built with the same engineering integrity as Formula One race cars," with images and sounds of Schumacher shifting gears and accelerating after making the hairpin turn at Imola.

What do you think?

I just read a great article titled, "What Nikon Should Fix". The
article can be found at http://www.bythom.com

Thom's view is that Nikon makes great products, but often does poor
marketing. The D2h is a perfect example of this. There are tons
of pros out there who don't follow the announcement and statistics
of every new camera announced by every company. A lot of Nikon
guys dont' know the model number of the Cannon cameras or the Kodak
cameras.

For these professionals, who aren't very tech oriented, announcing
the D2h FIRST, doesn't make a lot of sense. These pros don't
understand why the "new" Nikon has fewer megapixel's than their
current Nikon. And, with no "official" announcement that something
better is coming soon, I don't see why these pros should "wait" if
they feel the need for a higher megapixel camera.

It seems to me that Nikon would have been better off announcing the
"big gun" D2x FIRST and then announcing the "speciality" camera,
D2h, sometime later.

--
http://www.kaya.tv

I'm really surprised that even him has that mentality that more
pixels is the way to go.......

--
'I shall fight untruth with truth, and in doing so, suffer pain'
http://fotogenetic.how.to
http://www.pbase.com/atmabini

 

[James Riley]

It seems to me that Nikon would have been better off announcing the
"big gun" D2x FIRST and then announcing the "speciality" camera,
D2h, sometime later.

Here is one possible theory for D2H going first.

1) D2X has 6MP, but with LCAST it does much better picture than current 6MP.

2) If they were to annouce D2X first, then w/o looking at actual image, most people would be disappointed immediately and decided "I am keeping my D100", especially when they have not experience LCAST image first-hand.

3) But if people were to see D2H first, and D2H image first at 4MP and let say it produced better images and enlargements than even D100 and D1X, then the same people would instead say "I can't wait for D2X 6MP to come out".

Disclaimer: I do not know if D2X is 6MP, just a theory, I hope it is at least 10MP. I also do not know how good LCAST images are, and that if there is ever going to be a D2X.

Of course my real gut feeling is Nikon engineers are currently drowning in sake at the local bar and mumbling "how the hack are we going to squeeze 12MP into a 1.5x frame... the cell pitch is going to be too small to produce quality pictures... those idiots in marketing had to lock us into 1.5x... I want my mommy..."

I hope they come out with at least a 10MP camera soon, unless a new LCAST 6MP or 8MP can produce better enlargements than 1Ds. And if not FF, then come out with a line of new PC lenses also starting with 16mm PC DX.

--
JR

 

[Thom Hogan]

I just read a great article titled, "What Nikon Should Fix". The
article can be found at http://www.bythom.com

Thom's view is that Nikon makes great products, but often does poor
marketing. The D2h is a perfect example of this. There are tons
of pros out there who don't follow the announcement and statistics
of every new camera announced by every company. A lot of Nikon
guys dont' know the model number of the Cannon cameras or the Kodak
cameras.

I'm really surprised that even him has that mentality that more
pixels is the way to go.......

I assume by "him" you mean me. Go read my article. I didn't say that. The trouble with being a public figure is that you get misquoted or have your opinions melded with others. Starting with "The D2h is a perfect example of this..." the poster is expressing their own opinions, not mine.

--
Thom Hogan
author, Nikon Field Guide & Nikon Flash Guide
author, Complete Guides to the Nikon D100, D1, D1h, & D1x and Fujifilm S2
http://www.bythom.com

 

[Thom Hogan]

It seems to me that Nikon would have been better off announcing the
"big gun" D2x FIRST and then announcing the "speciality" camera,
D2h, sometime later.

Here is one possible theory for D2H going first.

The most likely theory would be this: when you build a new chip you don't start with the largest, most complex version. You want to ramp up production with the simpler, higher yield probability. Once you've got a bit of experience with the basic technology in actual production, then you extend it.

But there's another reason: D1 series bodies were purchased heavily by news organizations, and to a lessor degree, event photographers. They don't want or need more resolution, they want other things instead, and the D2h delivers most of what they've asked for.

I think Nikon's decision to introduce the D2h first is fine, as long as the wait for a D2x (or D3) doesn't extend beyond PMA.

Of course my real gut feeling is Nikon engineers are currently
drowning in sake at the local bar and mumbling "how the hack are we
going to squeeze 12MP into a 1.5x frame... the cell pitch is going
to be too small to produce quality pictures... those idiots in
marketing had to lock us into 1.5x... I want my mommy..."

I can assure you that the ENGINEERS, not marketing, made the decision about 1.5x, so your scenario doesn't wash. Moreover, there is more to "pitch" than photosite size. For most sensors, the light sensitive portion fo the photosite is significantly smaller than the photosite area in order to prevent photon migration. Much of the recent activity in sensor design has been towards improving the light active area, so I dont' think getting 12mp into a 1.5x-sized frame is going to be any trouble at all.

--
Thom Hogan
author, Nikon Field Guide & Nikon Flash Guide
author, Complete Guides to the Nikon D100, D1, D1h, & D1x and Fujifilm S2
http://www.bythom.com

 

[James Riley]

I can assure you that the ENGINEERS, not marketing, made the
decision about 1.5x, so your scenario doesn't wash. Moreover, there
is more to "pitch" than photosite size. For most sensors, the light
sensitive portion fo the photosite is significantly smaller than
the photosite area in order to prevent photon migration. Much of
the recent activity in sensor design has been towards improving the
light active area, so I dont' think getting 12mp into a 1.5x-sized
frame is going to be any trouble at all.

Excellent. I hope they do that, and soon.

But we will still need the 16/4PC DX. And contrary to what I said long along, now I want both tilt and shift.

--
JR

 

[Robert28393]

If I were shooting with the D1H, a 2.7mp camera designed for real "action", the announcement of the D2H with 4.1mp, more speed, and a lot of nice "new" features, I'd be thrilled! I took the less expensive route to get my D100, and when the D2H is available, I'll likely give up the megapixels for the performance. For sports photographers, especially those who currently have the D1H, the new D2H should be an awesome improvement, not a disappointment.
Robert

I just read a great article titled, "What Nikon Should Fix". The
article can be found at http://www.bythom.com

Thom's view is that Nikon makes great products, but often does poor
marketing. The D2h is a perfect example of this. There are tons
of pros out there who don't follow the announcement and statistics
of every new camera announced by every company. A lot of Nikon
guys dont' know the model number of the Cannon cameras or the Kodak
cameras.

For these professionals, who aren't very tech oriented, announcing
the D2h FIRST, doesn't make a lot of sense. These pros don't
understand why the "new" Nikon has fewer megapixel's than their
current Nikon. And, with no "official" announcement that something
better is coming soon, I don't see why these pros should "wait" if
they feel the need for a higher megapixel camera.

It seems to me that Nikon would have been better off announcing the
"big gun" D2x FIRST and then announcing the "speciality" camera,
D2h, sometime later.

--
http://www.kaya.tv

 

[John Doyle]

Hi Thom,

I'd add another paragraph to your article and request a little more openness from Nikon and a vague roadmap of future product developments. A little more info about what's in the pipeline would do them no harm at all.

Take the 300D. Were Nikon to announce before that they were working on a digital version of the F75, it would stop many potential customers (particularly those with a few Nikon lenses already) from considering the 300D until they saw what Nikon had to offer. It would have also stopped a lot of needless fretting in this forum as the standard response would have been "but the D75 will be out soon".

It would be really nice to know that a D2x was on its way rather than have to speculate about it.

John

I just read a great article titled, "What Nikon Should Fix". The
article can be found at http://www.bythom.com

Thom's view is that Nikon makes great products, but often does poor
marketing. The D2h is a perfect example of this. There are tons
of pros out there who don't follow the announcement and statistics
of every new camera announced by every company. A lot of Nikon
guys dont' know the model number of the Cannon cameras or the Kodak
cameras.

I'm really surprised that even him has that mentality that more
pixels is the way to go.......

I assume by "him" you mean me. Go read my article. I didn't say
that. The trouble with being a public figure is that you get
misquoted or have your opinions melded with others. Starting with
"The D2h is a perfect example of this..." the poster is expressing
their own opinions, not mine.

--
Thom Hogan
author, Nikon Field Guide & Nikon Flash Guide
author, Complete Guides to the Nikon D100, D1, D1h, & D1x and
Fujifilm S2
http://www.bythom.com

 

[shutterbugz]

I hope Nikon VP and everyone in Nikon gets to read it and debate on it in their next meeting!

Maybe we should all help Thom by emaiingl it to Nikon all over the world.

 

[Kevin Morris]

Hi Thom,

I'd add another paragraph to your article and request a little more
openness from Nikon and a vague roadmap of future product
developments. A little more info about what's in the pipeline would
do them no harm at all.

Take the 300D. Were Nikon to announce before that they were working
on a digital version of the F75, it would stop many potential
customers (particularly those with a few Nikon lenses already) from
considering the 300D until they saw what Nikon had to offer. It
would have also stopped a lot of needless fretting in this forum as
the standard response would have been "but the D75 will be out
soon".

It would be really nice to know that a D2x was on its way rather
than have to speculate about it.

John

I couldn't have said it better myself. I'm agonizing over the decision to "go Canon" because I want something with the capability of a IDs. I've considered the Kodak 14n but at this stage I'm not happy enough with spending that sort of money on a glorified N80 body. Maybne the D2x will be what I want, but maybe not. I can't wait forever when an alternative is available.

--
Tuktu Sijuktei
'Please tell me if the lens cap is on.'

 

[Joseph S Wisniewski]

I liked Thom's article. As an aspiring writer, artist, and
photographer, I see the importance of mottos and images in
marketing. I would like to propose an idea for a Nikon ad campaign.

But before Nikon can begin this campaign, they would have to hire
sports car designers to design their next few camera bodies, like
they did in the F3.

The D2H was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, an Italian sports car designer (maybe "the" Italian sports car designer) who has sculpted everything from Daewoo to Audi to Bugatti.

http://www.designboom.com/eng/interview/giugiaro.html

They would also need to get a young Formula
One driver like Juan Pablo Montoya, Ralf Schumacher, or Kimi
Raikkonen to advertise for them.

I'm a NASCAR fan, myself.

"Nikon, the Grand Prix

Eeew! Pontiac! Eeeeeeeew!

of camera design," with images of the D2h
with a 600mm AF-S and through-the-viewfinder flashes of Kimi
Raikkonen passing up other cars.

"Nikon, built with the same engineering integrity as Formula One

Yuk. Chevy! Aaaarghg!

race cars," with images and sounds of Schumacher shifting gears and
accelerating after making the hairpin turn at Imola.

What do you think?

It has possibilities.

--
Ciao!

Joe

http://www.swissarmyfork.com

 

[Paul North]

My thoughts exactly Rob,

everyone is so cought up with megapixels, they want more and more! I've seen some shots taken with the D1H that wowed me! I am also giving up MP for Speen and controlle.

Paul.

I just read a great article titled, "What Nikon Should Fix". The
article can be found at http://www.bythom.com

Thom's view is that Nikon makes great products, but often does poor
marketing. The D2h is a perfect example of this. There are tons
of pros out there who don't follow the announcement and statistics
of every new camera announced by every company. A lot of Nikon
guys dont' know the model number of the Cannon cameras or the Kodak
cameras.

For these professionals, who aren't very tech oriented, announcing
the D2h FIRST, doesn't make a lot of sense. These pros don't
understand why the "new" Nikon has fewer megapixel's than their
current Nikon. And, with no "official" announcement that something
better is coming soon, I don't see why these pros should "wait" if
they feel the need for a higher megapixel camera.

It seems to me that Nikon would have been better off announcing the
"big gun" D2x FIRST and then announcing the "speciality" camera,
D2h, sometime later.

--
http://www.kaya.tv

--

--
check out my pics...
http://www.pbase.com/pnorth/root

 

[John Doyle]

Don't get too caught up Paul ... Speen and controlle is nothing without accuracy ;-)

John

everyone is so cought up with megapixels, they want more and more!
I've seen some shots taken with the D1H that wowed me! I am also
giving up MP for Speen and controlle.

Paul.

I just read a great article titled, "What Nikon Should Fix". The
article can be found at http://www.bythom.com

Thom's view is that Nikon makes great products, but often does poor
marketing. The D2h is a perfect example of this. There are tons
of pros out there who don't follow the announcement and statistics
of every new camera announced by every company. A lot of Nikon
guys dont' know the model number of the Cannon cameras or the Kodak
cameras.

For these professionals, who aren't very tech oriented, announcing
the D2h FIRST, doesn't make a lot of sense. These pros don't
understand why the "new" Nikon has fewer megapixel's than their
current Nikon. And, with no "official" announcement that something
better is coming soon, I don't see why these pros should "wait" if
they feel the need for a higher megapixel camera.

It seems to me that Nikon would have been better off announcing the
"big gun" D2x FIRST and then announcing the "speciality" camera,
D2h, sometime later.

--
http://www.kaya.tv

--

--
check out my pics...
http://www.pbase.com/pnorth/root

 

[fotogenetic]

I knew there was a great deal of inspiration in the looks of the D2h. When I first saw it, I immediately fell in love with it just for how it looked! Nikon has always had better aesthetic appeal than Canon. There's just not enough edge to them. They look like eggs. The D2h, on the other hand, has the perfect blend of contour and edge! Thanks for the link!

I liked Thom's article. As an aspiring writer, artist, and
photographer, I see the importance of mottos and images in
marketing. I would like to propose an idea for a Nikon ad campaign.

But before Nikon can begin this campaign, they would have to hire
sports car designers to design their next few camera bodies, like
they did in the F3.

The D2H was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, an Italian sports car
designer (maybe "the" Italian sports car designer) who has sculpted
everything from Daewoo to Audi to Bugatti.

http://www.designboom.com/eng/interview/giugiaro.html

They would also need to get a young Formula
One driver like Juan Pablo Montoya, Ralf Schumacher, or Kimi
Raikkonen to advertise for them.

I'm a NASCAR fan, myself.

"Nikon, the Grand Prix

Eeew! Pontiac! Eeeeeeeew!

of camera design," with images of the D2h
with a 600mm AF-S and through-the-viewfinder flashes of Kimi
Raikkonen passing up other cars.

"Nikon, built with the same engineering integrity as Formula One

Yuk. Chevy! Aaaarghg!

race cars," with images and sounds of Schumacher shifting gears and
accelerating after making the hairpin turn at Imola.

What do you think?

It has possibilities.

--
Ciao!

Joe

http://www.swissarmyfork.com

--
'I shall fight untruth with truth, and in doing so, suffer pain'
http://fotogenetic.how.to
http://www.pbase.com/atmabini

 

[Thom Hogan]

I'd add another paragraph to your article and request a little more
openness from Nikon and a vague roadmap of future product
developments. A little more info about what's in the pipeline would
do them no harm at all.

Perhaps. But I think they HAVE given us a vague roadmap for quite some time now, just that some of us didn't want to listen ; ). They were clear about 1.5x, for example, stating that there would be "no full frame [DSLR] in the foreseeable future." They have indicated that aperture rings are history and that AF-S and VR are likely to be in most new lenses. They stated that the DX idea would become a line of lenses, which is now clear. They were clear that the D1 series would be followed by a D2 series, though not clear on time frames. And they've even announced in public that they want to create a $1000 DSLR as soon as possible (and that statement was made almost 14 months ago, by the way).

Take the 300D. Were Nikon to announce before that they were working
on a digital version of the F75, it would stop many potential
customers (particularly those with a few Nikon lenses already) from
considering the 300D until they saw what Nikon had to offer. It
would have also stopped a lot of needless fretting in this forum as
the standard response would have been "but the D75 will be out
soon".

And it would have exposed Nikon to potential legal action, something they are VERY careful to avoid. While IBM and Microsoft (and others) have long used the old FUD (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt) technique to attempt to squash new products from competitors, it's not something that fits my personal ethics or something I'd ever want to see Nikon begin using. I'm almost certain that Canon's aggressive pricing has Nikon working even harder to match or better, but I'd really hate to see them announce "wait, we'll beat that benchmark soon." As I said in my article, I believe that Nikon's products stand up well (heck, the D1x still produces state-of-the-art imagery, and it's now over two years old). And they don't take engineering challenges lightly.

You know, some could interpret Canon's pricing as being fearful of what Nikon will produce. There really was no reason to price the 300D at US$899. There's not an existing price point there (though they might be targeting 100,000 yen instead), and the MENTAL barrier has always been US$999 for a DSLR body. Essentially, Canon's saying that the metal body and sturdier controls of the 10D are worth US$600. That seems very high and unsustainable to me. In short, I believe that Canon has almost certainly forced themselves to lower the 10D price.

It would be really nice to know that a D2x was on its way rather
than have to speculate about it.

Nikon has publically stated there will be a higher resolution DSLR, though some Nikon officials have also stated that they don't know if they'll call it a D2x or a D3.

What is more curious to me is that both Canon and Nikon felt that they had to announce and release something this fall. I suspect that they're both worried that silence while Olympus and Pentax joins the market would have been interpreted as weakness. As usual, Canon went the mass market direction with their salvo, Nikon went the geek direction with theirs (e.g., wireless and iTTL). I'm not sure either company is really in the position to meet the demand for the cameras they've just announced.

--
Thom Hogan
author, Nikon Field Guide & Nikon Flash Guide
author, Complete Guides to the Nikon D100, D1, D1h, & D1x and Fujifilm S2
http://www.bythom.com

 

[Thom Hogan]

But we will still need the 16/4PC DX. And contrary to what I said
long along, now I want both tilt and shift.

I'm with you on that. We need some wide PC lens for the 1.5x DSLRs, and 16mm sounds about right. But I'd take anything up to about 20mm.

--
Thom Hogan
author, Nikon Field Guide & Nikon Flash Guide
author, Complete Guides to the Nikon D100, D1, D1h, & D1x and Fujifilm S2
http://www.bythom.com