Kodak DCS-14n... Wow.

[Paul W. Walters]

I figured it would be a bit longer before a camera would come out that really made my heart skip a beat. However, this camera really does seem like they did their research and decided on something that really would be a delight.

Why am I posting this in the Fuji forum? Because I own the Fuji S2, and because prior to the Kodak DCS-14n, I believe the Fuji is the best DSLR available (as far as picture quality).

I haven't seen the Kodaks pictures, as is true with everyone else. But some of it's features are just really cool!

For instance:

• 1.7 fps with 8 frames maximum ABLE TO BE UPGRADED to 18 frames maximum by adding an additional 256MB ram in the camera
• Full Frame (we knew that would be next)
• Magnesium-alloy body
• Any color space (not limited to sRGB, Adobe RGB, or anything else)
• 13.7 Megapixels
• ERI-JPEG (which allows Two stops of exposure latitude, and extended color space)
• The camera senses what direction it's being held in, and automatically sets the picture to be rotated to Portrait mode, or Landscape, depending on how the camera was held when the picture was taken
• User defined crop of the image to the following aspect rations: 3x2, 5x4, and 2x2
• And last but not least, a very reasonable $4,000 list price.

Okay, my Fuji S2 takes BEAUTIFUL pictures able to be blown up as large as I need them to be... but still, there are some convenience points with this new camera that are pretty cool!

What do you think?

Paul

 

[allen Bock91889]

Hi Paul

Not so fast I do like the sound of Kodac DCS-14n BUT

At 4536 x 3024: ISO 80 - 640 = WHY SO LOW
At lower resolutions: ISO 80 - 800 " " "
body is still of a F80 wish it was a F100
burst rate is 1.7 fps
3D Matrix metering (10 segment SPD)
Center Weighted Average
Spot metering
Flash sync 1/125

A lot of these spec. look like the S2 now Phil can test the S2 to something and use the 12MB and the ISO at 100 of the S2. Is it worth 2X the price of the S2 ?

I figured it would be a bit longer before a camera would come out
that really made my heart skip a beat. However, this camera really
does seem like they did their research and decided on something
that really would be a delight.

Why am I posting this in the Fuji forum? Because I own the Fuji
S2, and because prior to the Kodak DCS-14n, I believe the Fuji is
the best DSLR available (as far as picture quality).

I haven't seen the Kodaks pictures, as is true with everyone else.
But some of it's features are just really cool!

For instance:

• 1.7 fps with 8 frames maximum ABLE TO BE UPGRADED to 18 frames

maximum by adding an additional 256MB ram in the camera

• Full Frame (we knew that would be next)
• Magnesium-alloy body
• Any color space (not limited to sRGB, Adobe RGB, or anything else)
• 13.7 Megapixels
• ERI-JPEG (which allows Two stops of exposure latitude, and

extended color space)

• The camera senses what direction it's being held in, and

automatically sets the picture to be rotated to Portrait mode, or
Landscape, depending on how the camera was held when the picture
was taken

• User defined crop of the image to the following aspect rations:

3x2, 5x4, and 2x2

• And last but not least, a very reasonable $4,000 list price.

Okay, my Fuji S2 takes BEAUTIFUL pictures able to be blown up as
large as I need them to be... but still, there are some
convenience points with this new camera that are pretty cool!

What do you think?

Paul

 

[yowsiang]

Not really impressive on the ISO.. only up to 640 at high res.....
and its US$4000, double that fuji S2 pro...

I figured it would be a bit longer before a camera would come out
that really made my heart skip a beat. However, this camera really
does seem like they did their research and decided on something
that really would be a delight.

Why am I posting this in the Fuji forum? Because I own the Fuji
S2, and because prior to the Kodak DCS-14n, I believe the Fuji is
the best DSLR available (as far as picture quality).

I haven't seen the Kodaks pictures, as is true with everyone else.
But some of it's features are just really cool!

For instance:

• 1.7 fps with 8 frames maximum ABLE TO BE UPGRADED to 18 frames

maximum by adding an additional 256MB ram in the camera

• Full Frame (we knew that would be next)
• Magnesium-alloy body
• Any color space (not limited to sRGB, Adobe RGB, or anything else)
• 13.7 Megapixels
• ERI-JPEG (which allows Two stops of exposure latitude, and

extended color space)

• The camera senses what direction it's being held in, and

automatically sets the picture to be rotated to Portrait mode, or
Landscape, depending on how the camera was held when the picture
was taken

• User defined crop of the image to the following aspect rations:

3x2, 5x4, and 2x2

• And last but not least, a very reasonable $4,000 list price.

Okay, my Fuji S2 takes BEAUTIFUL pictures able to be blown up as
large as I need them to be... but still, there are some
convenience points with this new camera that are pretty cool!

What do you think?

Paul

 

[GMD]

1/125 Flash Sync .. and again DX flashes
well if I have to buy a bloody DX flash I want high speed flash sync
for fill flash ... the rest .. forget it ...

this is how Nikon keeps them at distance ...
Hope the the D2 is based on the best body Nikon has available
at the time and I pay a k more ...
my 2c
gmd

Hi Paul

Not so fast I do like the sound of Kodac DCS-14n BUT

At 4536 x 3024: ISO 80 - 640 = WHY SO LOW
At lower resolutions: ISO 80 - 800 " " "
body is still of a F80 wish it was a F100
burst rate is 1.7 fps
3D Matrix metering (10 segment SPD)
Center Weighted Average
Spot metering
Flash sync 1/125

A lot of these spec. look like the S2 now Phil can test the S2 to
something and use the 12MB and the ISO at 100 of the S2. Is it
worth 2X the price of the S2 ?

 

[Mike Goebel]

I think Paul works for KODAK !!

I figured it would be a bit longer before a camera would come out
that really made my heart skip a beat. However, this camera really
does seem like they did their research and decided on something
that really would be a delight.

Why am I posting this in the Fuji forum? Because I own the Fuji
S2, and because prior to the Kodak DCS-14n, I believe the Fuji is
the best DSLR available (as far as picture quality).

I haven't seen the Kodaks pictures, as is true with everyone else.
But some of it's features are just really cool!

For instance:

• 1.7 fps with 8 frames maximum ABLE TO BE UPGRADED to 18 frames

maximum by adding an additional 256MB ram in the camera

• Full Frame (we knew that would be next)
• Magnesium-alloy body
• Any color space (not limited to sRGB, Adobe RGB, or anything else)
• 13.7 Megapixels
• ERI-JPEG (which allows Two stops of exposure latitude, and

extended color space)

• The camera senses what direction it's being held in, and

automatically sets the picture to be rotated to Portrait mode, or
Landscape, depending on how the camera was held when the picture
was taken

• User defined crop of the image to the following aspect rations:

3x2, 5x4, and 2x2

• And last but not least, a very reasonable $4,000 list price.

Okay, my Fuji S2 takes BEAUTIFUL pictures able to be blown up as
large as I need them to be... but still, there are some
convenience points with this new camera that are pretty cool!

What do you think?

Paul

--
Only the Dead have seen the end of War....PLATO

 

[Dirk Vermeirre]

Hi Paul,

Thanks for the info, here is what I find about it (still adore my S2!):

• 1.7 fps with 8 frames maximum ABLE TO BE UPGRADED to 18 frames

maximum by adding an additional 256MB ram in the camera

personally I don't need this

• Full Frame (we knew that would be next)

That would be a very bad thing for me, I really don't like that. Now my 300mm Nikor f4 is equal to a 450 f4 and for having something like that with the new sensor I would have to buy the 500mm f4 and for that price I could buy about 5 Fuji S2 Pro's or a decent car. About wide angle, I already have the 14 mm and I'm very happy with it. On the side of tele I have to spend lots less of money.

• Magnesium-alloy body

No problems with the plastic Fuji, dropped it on a stone floor without damage, so it's like a plastic tank

• Any color space (not limited to sRGB, Adobe RGB, or anything else)

Not very interested, as I mostly convert all my files to CMYK for printing

• 13.7 Megapixels

That's not bad at all but would it gives much difference with our S2 ?

• ERI-JPEG (which allows Two stops of exposure latitude, and

extended color space)

Something new for me and that sounds great.

• The camera senses what direction it's being held in, and

automatically sets the picture to be rotated to Portrait mode, or
Landscape, depending on how the camera was held when the picture
was taken

A pity that this isn't possible on our S2's but not a disaster

• User defined crop of the image to the following aspect rations:

3x2, 5x4, and 2x2

Don't know what this means or what the advantages are

Price is not bad but I can buy two S2's for that price.

With very kind regards,

Dirk
http://www.pbase.com/dievee
Pbase supporter

 

[rolland elliott]

body is still of a F80 wish it was a F100

It is a metal body with a plastic N80 top. Basically a hybrid. It is a lot closer to a F100 body than the S2 ever will be.

--
Rolland Elliott
http://home.carolina.rr.com/headshots/Nikonhome.htm

 

[Derrel87035]

Kodak has some ideas about software and productivity that nobody else has.I hope they allow the use of their various "looks" with the files this camera creates.

RE> the ERI JPEG mode. Some months back,when Kodak annouced the development of the ERI JPEG,I saw some badly overexposed shots that were successfully made MUCH better by processing with Kodak DCS software. These were badly overexposed full sunlight shots, with blown highlights in the off-the-card JPEG files, and the software restored enough detail in the shots to make them usable--not perfect--but usable.

Having post-shooting "salvage" capability with regard to blown highlights,while also getting the storage benefit of compressed image shooting would be very appealing to many shooters. Having the verticals rotated as they are written to the card....a HUGE time-saver to those that need to rotate images for presenting them in slide shows, for approval,etc,etc.

Having 14,6,and 3 megapixel capture sizes sounds good. I can imagine the 8.7 megabyte fine JPEG (my estimate) causing a run on 1-gig microdrives and 512MB CF cards. I can imagine some very BIG RAW files and some huge TIFFs being possible with the upcoming Kodak.

Having a full-frame sensor sounds appealing. Upgradeable firmware from Kodak,and Kodak's photo-handling software might make the workflow good when shooting a lot of images. I'd like to know the fee for the extra 256MB RAM, and hope it'll be available as a pre-order option,not requiring a service-center installation as is spec'd for the immediate future. Variable aspect ratio sounds great too.

From a convenience point of view, the 1/125 states flash synch speed kind of grates on me....having the high-speed flash capabilities of the D1-family or DCS-760 (F5) isn't too appealing in a $4,000 body. The better AF system of the underlying D100 makes the upcoming Kodak possibly a D-1 series contender for some uses. Using Nikon's D-TTL flash metering....that'll be a sore spot for some users who employ on-camera or cPC cord-connected flash units...I'd rather have seen the more-standard TTL flash system Fuji used in the S2...requiring a D-TTL flash.....I guess the proof will be in how well the camera shoots.

Overall, it SOUNDS on paper like a sweet,capable,nifty camera! I'll bet the entire package,camera,software,and results will be quite good overall.
----
Happy Shooting!
Derrel

 

[Paul W. Walters]

Come on. I've been posting on Fuji and saying good things about Fuji for a long time! Don't get me wrong, I love my Fuji S2 (which I say over and over again). I just think that Kodak took a direction on a few things that I didn't expect and I personally think the camera (If the picture quality is good) seems pretty darned cool!

I'm not going to buy another camera for many years. My Fuji S2 will work for me for at least a couple years. But it doesn't mean that I don't take notice when I see some new features I like.

Paul

I figured it would be a bit longer before a camera would come out
that really made my heart skip a beat. However, this camera really
does seem like they did their research and decided on something
that really would be a delight.

Why am I posting this in the Fuji forum? Because I own the Fuji
S2, and because prior to the Kodak DCS-14n, I believe the Fuji is
the best DSLR available (as far as picture quality).

I haven't seen the Kodaks pictures, as is true with everyone else.
But some of it's features are just really cool!

For instance:

• 1.7 fps with 8 frames maximum ABLE TO BE UPGRADED to 18 frames

maximum by adding an additional 256MB ram in the camera

• Full Frame (we knew that would be next)
• Magnesium-alloy body
• Any color space (not limited to sRGB, Adobe RGB, or anything else)
• 13.7 Megapixels
• ERI-JPEG (which allows Two stops of exposure latitude, and

extended color space)

• The camera senses what direction it's being held in, and

automatically sets the picture to be rotated to Portrait mode, or
Landscape, depending on how the camera was held when the picture
was taken

• User defined crop of the image to the following aspect rations:

3x2, 5x4, and 2x2

• And last but not least, a very reasonable $4,000 list price.

Okay, my Fuji S2 takes BEAUTIFUL pictures able to be blown up as
large as I need them to be... but still, there are some
convenience points with this new camera that are pretty cool!

What do you think?

Paul

--
Only the Dead have seen the end of War....PLATO

 

[Paul W. Walters]

Hi Dirk.

I don't know if I'd upgrade to 18 frames maximum either, but it's nice to have that possibility.

I think 13.7 actual pixels will make a difference over the S2. Maybe about the same difference the S2 made over the 6 MP, or perhaps a bit more. Not a lot, but noticable.

I admit, I don't really have anything against the plastic body of the S2.

We both agree the ERI-JPEG sounds good (as long as it doesn't increase in size too much)

And as small as it seems, the rotation of the images based on how you took the picture is a pretty nifty feature!

The user definable crops means that you could take the picture as 2/3 similar to how our S2 takes, or 4x5 (no croppying needed to make an 8x10), or even 2x2 (square crop). I think that's kind of cool too. I know, why crop some of the picture now instead of later since the resolution wouldn't change for the better? Smaller file size, and you'd still have plenty of resolution.

Anyway, all your points were valid, and after my excitement died down a bit, I figured I kind of agreed with you on a lot of the stuff. I just still think it's fun to see some of these new ideas they came up with. I will always welcome new technology and love every piece of it!

Paul

Thanks for the info, here is what I find about it (still adore my
S2!):

• 1.7 fps with 8 frames maximum ABLE TO BE UPGRADED to 18 frames

maximum by adding an additional 256MB ram in the camera

personally I don't need this

• Full Frame (we knew that would be next)

That would be a very bad thing for me, I really don't like that.
Now my 300mm Nikor f4 is equal to a 450 f4 and for having something
like that with the new sensor I would have to buy the 500mm f4 and
for that price I could buy about 5 Fuji S2 Pro's or a decent car.
About wide angle, I already have the 14 mm and I'm very happy with
it. On the side of tele I have to spend lots less of money.

• Magnesium-alloy body

No problems with the plastic Fuji, dropped it on a stone floor
without damage, so it's like a plastic tank

• Any color space (not limited to sRGB, Adobe RGB, or anything else)

Not very interested, as I mostly convert all my files to CMYK for
printing

• 13.7 Megapixels

That's not bad at all but would it gives much difference with our S2 ?

• ERI-JPEG (which allows Two stops of exposure latitude, and

extended color space)

Something new for me and that sounds great.

• The camera senses what direction it's being held in, and

automatically sets the picture to be rotated to Portrait mode, or
Landscape, depending on how the camera was held when the picture
was taken

A pity that this isn't possible on our S2's but not a disaster

• User defined crop of the image to the following aspect rations:

3x2, 5x4, and 2x2

Don't know what this means or what the advantages are

Price is not bad but I can buy two S2's for that price.

With very kind regards,

Dirk
http://www.pbase.com/dievee
Pbase supporter

 

[Arthur Dent]

1/125 Flash Sync .. and again DX flashes
well if I have to buy a bloody DX flash I want high speed flash sync
for fill flash ... the rest .. forget it ...

Dunno, looks pretty cool, but did anyone notice it has no
manual focus mode ?

 

[Sheyingshi]

I lost interest when I saw it weighed in at 907 grams (2 lbs). That plus the longer lenses I'd have to pack in to where I shoot because of the 1 to 1 lens ratio and my back already hurts.

 

[SongMi]

Why are we surprised with new cameras and feel shaken when we ONLY recently purchased our little expensive cameras and something new appears.

Just wait until next couple of years at this time. S2 will seem like the Apple IIe - do you remember it?

After the news about the Kodak I am more fond of Nikon and their approach to biz. Its LIKE this; Nikon's approach to technology is like the IBM vs Canon as Apple.

Nikon allowing traditional film power houses like Fuji and Kodak to use its camera bodies makes Nikon one or two step ahead of Canon, just as IBM is always faster and cheaper than the MAC.

Film companies, especially Fuji and Kodak will not slip away because of Digital, on the contrary, it will be these power houses who will be at the cutting edge of the digital technology and I am happy that these wonderful and very powerful companies use Nikon bodies.

Look at our Canon brothers. They have to wait or pay for what Canon has to offer unless they're willing to trade out their glass.

--
Have a good day!

 

[SongMi]

Why are we surprised with new cameras and feel shaken when we ONLY
recently purchased our little expensive cameras and something new
appears.

Just wait until next couple of years at this time. S2 will seem
like the Apple IIe - do you remember it?

After the news about the Kodak I am more fond of Nikon and their
approach to biz. Its LIKE this; Nikon's approach to technology is
like the IBM vs Canon as Apple.

Nikon allowing traditional film power houses like Fuji and Kodak to
use its camera bodies makes Nikon one or two step ahead of Canon,
just as IBM is always faster and cheaper than the MAC.

Film companies, especially Fuji and Kodak will not slip away
because of Digital, on the contrary, it will be these power houses
who will be at the cutting edge of the digital technology and I am
happy that these wonderful and very powerful companies use Nikon
bodies.

Look at our Canon brothers. They have to wait or pay for what
Canon has to offer unless they're willing to trade out their glass.

This is why I chose Nikon glass, even though I really believe that the Canon L glass is slightly better than of Nikon.

Have a good day!

 

[ajs2107922]

Hi,

Looks like Kodak have gone for a Portrait camera. Shame it's an F80 again, They used the F5 last time, so why not the F100 this time.

I think it shows the Digital cost element must be very high so they need to compromise. The must feel the $4000 is what customers will pay and Contax have it wrong?

More pix's & Metal body being the only offering?, I will wait before upgrade my backup film camera. Loads of Pix are nice to have , but not the main issue these days.

1. More on camera storage
2. Higher flash speeds
3. Better DM range
4. Better metering
5. Better PC links( wireless )

Role out the next one. Please......

Why are we surprised with new cameras and feel shaken when we ONLY
recently purchased our little expensive cameras and something new
appears.

Just wait until next couple of years at this time. S2 will seem
like the Apple IIe - do you remember it?

After the news about the Kodak I am more fond of Nikon and their
approach to biz. Its LIKE this; Nikon's approach to technology is
like the IBM vs Canon as Apple.

Nikon allowing traditional film power houses like Fuji and Kodak to
use its camera bodies makes Nikon one or two step ahead of Canon,
just as IBM is always faster and cheaper than the MAC.

Film companies, especially Fuji and Kodak will not slip away
because of Digital, on the contrary, it will be these power houses
who will be at the cutting edge of the digital technology and I am
happy that these wonderful and very powerful companies use Nikon
bodies.

Look at our Canon brothers. They have to wait or pay for what
Canon has to offer unless they're willing to trade out their glass.

This is why I chose Nikon glass, even though I really believe that
the Canon L glass is slightly better than of Nikon.

Have a good day!

 

[Louise Vessey]

I agree with Paul. It is fun to see a new innovative machine but for me the S2 does all I need for a long time. I'm totally eating up my hard disk space with my 6 megapixel camera. Can't imagine how I'd manage those huge 14 million pixel images. Plus I get all I need from the Fuji. Full frame is great for wide angle but I actually like what focal length I get from my Tamron with the conversion.

Louise
--
Fuji S2pro, Tamron 24-135, Nikkor 50mm 1.8,
Olympus E10, Olympus 2020z and a bunch of dusty film stuff!

http://www.lightandvision.com

 

[Peter Millard]

Hi

I'd like to know the
fee for the extra 256MB RAM, and hope it'll be available as a
pre-order option,not requiring a service-center installation

Quote from the Press Release at http://www.dpreview.com/news/0209/02092304kodakdcs14n.asp

"Unlike competitors' cameras, the DCS Pro DCS 14n can be taken to Kodak Service Qualified Sites to enable a deeper burst depth (from 8 frames to 18) by doubling the camera's built in RAM buffer from 256MB to 512MB image memory."

Which doesn't answer your question about pre-ordering, but the way I read it suggests that as it's only an option, it's something you'll have to organise yourself. No mention of the price anywhere, surprise, surprise...

I'd also be interested to see where Kodak thinks it'll fit into their product range; sounds to me like it'll kill the DCS760 stone dead (unless you really need the ruggedness of an F5 body) and may well take away from sales of the DCS Pro-Back.

All talk and speculation right now, of course, but I can't wait to examine some images...
--
Peter Millard
-------------------
[email protected]

 

[Carl Feather]

• Full Frame (we knew that would be next)

That would be a very bad thing for me, I really don't like that.
Now my 300mm Nikor f4 is equal to a 450 f4 and for having something
like that with the new sensor I would have to buy the 500mm f4 and
for that price I could buy about 5 Fuji S2 Pro's or a decent car.
About wide angle, I already have the 14 mm and I'm very happy with
it. On the side of tele I have to spend lots less of money.

Remember, however, that with that kind of resolution, you can crop the dickens out of the image and still end up with effective 500mm and high res.

 

[Martín Crespo]

I figured it would be a bit longer before a camera would come out
that really made my heart skip a beat. However, this camera really
does seem like they did their research and decided on something
that really would be a delight.

Why am I posting this in the Fuji forum? Because I own the Fuji
S2, and because prior to the Kodak DCS-14n, I believe the Fuji is
the best DSLR available (as far as picture quality).

I haven't seen the Kodaks pictures, as is true with everyone else.
But some of it's features are just really cool!

For instance:

• 1.7 fps with 8 frames maximum ABLE TO BE UPGRADED to 18 frames

maximum by adding an additional 256MB ram in the camera

• Full Frame (we knew that would be next)
• Magnesium-alloy body
• Any color space (not limited to sRGB, Adobe RGB, or anything else)
• 13.7 Megapixels
• ERI-JPEG (which allows Two stops of exposure latitude, and

extended color space)

• The camera senses what direction it's being held in, and

automatically sets the picture to be rotated to Portrait mode, or
Landscape, depending on how the camera was held when the picture
was taken

• User defined crop of the image to the following aspect rations:

3x2, 5x4, and 2x2

• And last but not least, a very reasonable $4,000 list price.

Okay, my Fuji S2 takes BEAUTIFUL pictures able to be blown up as
large as I need them to be... but still, there are some
convenience points with this new camera that are pretty cool!

What do you think?

Paul

--
Martín Crespo
http://latinphotography.com/

 

[Paul W. Walters]

Not a bad idea. By then I'll have used my S2 so much that it'll be worth it to upgrade. But to be honest, as much as I like the new features, the S2 really will be able to satisfy my NEEDS for quite a while to come! It's just those damned DESIRES that keep needing new stuff to satisfy them!