Alright, here are my 2008 Nikon DSLR body predictions:

Nikon D3X:
Same body as the D3, but with a 22 megapixel “FX” sensor. The extra 10 megapixels will probably mean that they have to slow down a little, maybe only 3-5 FPS, and possibly 5-8 FPS in a DX crop mode, somewhere around 10-12 megapixels… Oh and the extra megapixels will also probably hurt the high ISO performance by a stop or two, but this is not a high ISO camera, this is a fashion / commercial / landscape camera, duh! This bad boy will probably cost upwards of $7-8K

Nikon D3H:
Same body as the D3, but with a DX LBCAST 12 megapixel sensor that does 8 FPS standard and 12-14 FPS in high-speed crop mode. Its high ISO performance will be head and shoulders above any other 1.5x or 1.6x DSLR ever, busting out better than the D300 and *maybe* as good as the D3. Hopefully it will cost $3-4K.

Note:
The D3X in high speed crop mode will obviously NOT trump a D3H; the D3H will not only be thousands cheaper, it will also perform WAY better at high ISO’s. The D3H will be the ultimate sports and birding camera, the D3X will be the ultimate fashion, commercial and landscape camera. The D3 will simply go down in history as Nikon’s first full-frame 35mm DSLR, and might end up at least a thousand bucks cheaper by the time we see a D3H and X… However it will STILL be a freaking sweet all-around camera, performing especially beautifully at weddings and portrait sessions, thanks to it’s shallower DOF than the D3H and better high ISO performance than the D3X.

Last but not least, here’s the camera everyone will talk the most about, Nikon’s final triumph, if they can pull it off:

The D300X, I’ll call it.

What the heck is a D300X, you ask? Well, it will be a D300 with a D3 sensor in it. That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, a 5D killer, an ULTIMATE wedding photographer camera, and something to truly drool over. No high speed crop mode, just “FX”. Oh and just as the 6 megapixel in the D100, D70, D50 and D40 got progressively better and better, I expect a D300X sensor to be a bit tweaked, and maybe as good as one stop better than the D3 at high ISO.

Of course don’t expect it to blaze, it’ll probably do 3-5 FPS max.

*Disclaimer: By the time we see the D300X, Canon will have a 5D replacement out, and it will probably perform as good as or BETTER than the D300X’s sensor. However I expect Canon to continue in it’s “advanced amateur” body design with a 5D replacement, basically a 40D with a full frame sensor in it. And the D300X will, like the D300, be a burly semi-pro body. But that’s another topic for another blog entry! /Disclaimer

BTW, with the coolness of the D40 + D40X lineup, don’t expect Nikon to worry about debuting any new entry-level cameras…

However, speaking of the D40/X and it’s lack of an AF screw drive, I ALSO expect Nikon to get busy in 2008 with their lens lineup, updating as many lenses as possible to AFS (SWM) instead of the old screw drive. But that’s another topic for another blog entry!

Take care all you DSLR geeks out there!
=Matt=