Nikon D700 marks the end of DX sensors

gonzo — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 14:45:09 +0000

I’m very glad to see the arrival of Nikon’s second FX (full frame) digital SLR: Nikon D700. The new camera is essentially a D300 with a full frame sensor built in.

Nikon D700

DX vs FX format

In my humble opinion, the DX format has been a monumental waste of our precious terrestrial resources. Consider all those millions of DX lenses that have been produced over the last couple of years. At some stage they will no longer be used, while early AF Nikkors dating back to the 80s & 90s will still keep powering our FX cameras.

While this won’t happen overnight the FX format is likely to be taken up by many photographers when they next upgrade. Photographers will have to take this switch to FX format into consideration when deciding on whether to buy DX or FX lenses: while DX lenses are (still) cheaper, they can’t take advantage of the quality that can be achieved by FX sensors.

Thankfully Nikon allows their users to switch between DX and FX formats on the same camera, so the switch from DX to FX can be made gradually.

It will be interesting to see what Canon’s 5D Mk II will bring, and how it will be priced. Perhaps Sony, Olympus or Pentax will introduce a full frame dSLR before too long and things will really heat up…

SB-900 Speedlight

Nikon has also announced their newest addition to their speedlight line up. It has some interesting specs: faster recharge cycles compared to the SB-800, and wider range of the zoom head. Its specs are still very close to that of the SB-600/SB-800 though. I doubt whether many photographers will use the need to upgrade their old speedlights.

Still no Nikon RAW compact camera

I am still waiting for a Nikon compact that supports RAW files. Nikon used to build RAW support into some of their compacts—but that was some time ago.

Instead Nikon has jumped on the bandwagon and helped saturate the market with the same type of cameras as other manufacturers have produced—it’s clone central out there. Perhaps they have learned from Canon’s recent success with the Powershot G9 (heck, I bought one).

And while we are on the topic of enlarged sensors, why not build a compact with a DX sized sensor like the Sigma DP1? A DX sensor is almost twice as large as they normally are on a compact, and will give serious photographers digital rangefinder cameras with exceptional capabilities.

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Nikon D3 & D300

gonzo — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 12:02:39 +0000

Only days after Canon released its excellent 40d, Nikon did one better: it has released details of two new cameras — the D3 and the D300.

Nikon D300

Impressive Specs

3-inch LCD with 920,000-dot resolution
Live View LCD
Magnesium alloy body
51-point autofocus system
Viewfinder with 100% frame coverage
Compatible with older lenses (without losing metering — meaning that you can use bellows for Macro photography)

With the D3 Nikon has finally entered the full frame sensor arena. A lot of photographers have waited for this moment. It means that we can finally use proper wide angle lenses, without the annoying crop factor.

The LCD screens will be a real pleasure to use. Both cameras feature a 922k pixel 3-inch screen. That equates to having the same resolution as an older 15″ monitor packed into the 3″ high definition screen.

Another welcome addition is the live preview feature which allows you to hook it up to a laptop. That way you can use the laptop as a large viewfinder.

I’d be very tempted to get a Nikon WT-4 Wireless Transmitter so I could stick the camera on a large pole to take unusual, hard-to-get shots.

D3 vs D300

It is a shame that the D300 does not feature the full frame sensor, since the D3 is not only more expensive but also a lot heavier. I am tempted to purchase the D3 because of its potential benefits for landscape photography, but am reluctant to always have to carry the heavier body (the extra weight is not a problem on short hiking trips, but you will certainly start feeling the weight after several days in rough country).

I still don’t understand why both Canon and Nikon keep coming out with the inbuilt vertical grips for their pro range bodies rather than releasing them separately (like the Nikon D300 and Canon 40d). I’m sure they have their reasons (aside from being able to charge more), but they are not clear to me.

Nikon has also released details of a new professional wide angle zoom lens: AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED. That lens would work like a charm on the full frame D3. Can’t wait!

So, my wish list for Christmas would look like this:

Nikon D3 (or D300)
AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED
Nikon WT-4 wireless transmitter (& large pole)
might as well throw in a GPS gadget while we’re at it (don’t worry, I can always add more items)

The cameras are due to be released in November.

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