$5,000,
full 35mm frame,
14 bit 12 megapixels,
9 FPS with AF tracking in between each pic. (WOW.)
brand-new 51 point AF system,
ISO 100-25600 with boost, (nope, not a typo… ISO 25600, most people haven’t even HEARD of it. It’s 2 stops above 6400, which is 2 stops above 1600…)
3″ LCD with live view + autofocus, (live view does not pause?)
DX crop with 11 FPS (no AF tracking at 11 FPS)
Oh and TWO compact flash compartments. LOL.
Nikon D300:
$1,800,
1.5x,
14 bit 12 megapixels,
6 FPS, (8 with battery pack)
brand-new 51 point AF system,
ISO 100-6400 with boost,
3″ LCD with live view + autofocus, (live view does not pause?)
Oh and a self-cleaning sensor…
Pretty interesting, eh? I totally thought Nikon would drop the ball and fall short here, but they DELIVERED.
“only” 12 megapixels on the D3, you say? ISO 25600, I say. My gosh, if it’s even halfway use-able, what the heck would I do with FOUR extra stops above the ISO 1600 I’ve been using? I could almost forget about f/1.4 primes and just shoot with f/2.8 zooms, how convenient…
Okay to be serious with regard to the D3 being just 12 MP- the D3 is probably just Nikon’s high-speed camera, equivalent to the Canon 1D mk III more than the 1Ds mk III. And as that kind of camera, it pretty much rules.
A Nikon D3X might have ~20 MP, maybe we’ll see that in a year or two.
All in all, what can I say? This is pretty weird. I guess I should have known better than to doubt Nikon. They have consistently delivered. The D70 was a ground-breaking camera of unprecedented value at under $1000, the D200 was another huge milestone that brought pro features to the masses for less than $2000… The only things that Nikon has rightfully been scolded for have been high ISO performance and lack of full-frame. And, if the D3′s native ISO 6400 is good, (let alone the 1280 or 25600) …Nikon has remedied these problems in one fell swoop.
Nikon still needs an affordable full frame camera though. The 5D is still completely un-paralleled. Yes, Nikon now as a 12 MP camera (with even higher ISO) but that won’t quiet down the people who swear by the “look” of full frame sensors. (And they do have a look, and it’s a nice look, the DOF is definitely sweet…) So, Nikon needs a 5D equivalent, like a D80 but with a full-frame 10-12 megapixel sensor. AND an equivalent to the behemoth 21 megapixel Canon…
=Matt=
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