Nikon D900 launch soon? 6 Months?

Just spitballin' here, but if Nikon follows course.
How long before we get the $3999.95 Full Frame 24MP Nikon D900.

Nikon finally seemed to positioned themselves wonderfully with there last several product launches. The D3,D300,D700 and D90 are all well positioned to compete in the market and have proved to outstanding products.

I feel they blew it with the D3X. I'm sure it will be a "great" product.
Here is the problem. Nikon 24MP @ 7999.95, Sony A900 @ 2999.95 or $3230.00 with battery pack. That is a $5000 difference!

I'm sure the D3X has features the Sony can't compare with.
Does that matter to a landscape photographer who can setup on a tripod @ ISO 100 and not worry about the camera's speed or noise?

How can Nikon launch a D900 Full Frame 24MP camera to compete with Sony without cutting the legs out from under the D3X?

If you use the same formula as the D3/D700 due to arrive at a price,
The Nikon D900(or whatever they call it) would still be $1000 higher in price.

Just food the thought.

Darth

.... and I'm hoping for a crop factor D3 !!! Haven't seen anything pointing in that direction but seems a logical step? For sports and some nature would be just fine !!

Al,
IMO that is the D3X.
Put it in crop mode and get 11-12MP 1.5 crop images.
I'll bet they will never make another D_ Camera with only a 1.5 crop sensor.
That is reserved for the D_ _ Cameras.

I foirone would dearlylike to see another 1.5 crop camera in a pro body.

After having used the D2 series for a couple of years I find the D300 just not to be of the same ergonomics and quality.

I guess I am spoiled due to moving backwards to gain the benefit of the advanced sensor technology over the Xs bodies I was shooting.

I think that Nikon is not going to produce more 1,5 crop bodies in the D_ series and that is not a great new for us, bird photographers. I totally agree with Jim about the D300, better than a D2X in some aspects, but not in the same league in terms of build quality or ergonomics. Shooting with a D300 is, by no way, comparble with shooting with a D2 body.
I am waiting for the arrival of a new FF D800-D900 (?) with the same built quality than a D700 (a truly pro body, not like the D300) that allows a decent croping (about 12-15Mp)

The D3X seems to be a terrific body but it is overpriced from my point of view.

Could Nikon have a menu option for full frame or 1.5 captures out of the same body?

Juan, a quick question about your statement concerning the build quality of D700 being "a truly pro body, not like the D300". Could you elaborate as from everything I have read and been told basically the D700 is a D300 with larger viewfinder and D3 sensor. What exactly is the better build quality to justify this statement. I have never looked at the D700 so would like to know. BTW I shoot both the D300 and D2 body and while the D300 will outperform the D2 bodies in every way(IMHO) there is something about the feel of the D2(H,X).

Todd

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ed Grella

Could Nikon have a menu option for full frame or 1.5 captures out of the same body?

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As I understand the write-ups, this is exactly what the D3x does (and it has a third crop factor as well).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Todd Frost

Juan, a quick question about your statement concerning the build quality of D700 being "a truly pro body, not like the D300". Could you elaborate as from everything I have read and been told basically the D700 is a D300 with larger viewfinder and D3 sensor. What exactly is the better build quality to justify this statement. I have never looked at the D700 so would like to know. BTW I shoot both the D300 and D2 body and while the D300 will outperform the D2 bodies in every way(IMHO) there is something about the feel of the D2(H,X).

Todd

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Todd, I think that the D300 is a terrific camera, much better than the D2X in a lot of things and, probably outperforms it. I am not complaining about its built quality (in fact I think that it is a serious improvement over the BQ of the D200), I am just saying that it is not comparable to the D3/D2 and to the D700. From my point of view initial focus acquisition is better in the D2X but the D300 can hold focus better than a D2X. Ergonomics are better in a D2X than in a D300 (with the MB-D10 grip, of course). I really do not have as much experience with the D300 as I have on the D2X so I am not sure the reason why but I “feel” that shooting with a D300 is very different than shooting with a D2X, I can not explain that but you have the same feeling about that. Isn´t it? ;)

“I have read and been told basically the D700 is a D300 with larger viewfinder and D3 sensor”: I do not think that a D700 is a D300 with some of the specifications of a D3, in fact, I think that a D700 is a D3 with some of the features of a D300 (auto cleaning system, small body, cover for the LCD, a useful pop-up flash). The most important features, the soul and heart of the D700, are from a D3 (viewfinder, sensor, Multicam 3500FX, ISO performance, reliability, built quality to the highest standards…). An additional note: the D700 is made in Sendai (Japan), the factory that Nikon uses to assembly its pro line, while the D300 is made in the Thailand factory. The viewfinder is really bright and circular… like in all the Nikon pro bodies and the same of the D3. You have to compare the viewfinder of the D300 with that of the D700/D3 in poor light conditions and you will see the differences.

The AF module in the D700 is the same that Nikon puts in the D3 (Multicam 3500FX). The D300 uses a very different AF module (Multicam 3500DX). Both AF modules are the same… on the paper, but reality is a different thing and once again the D700 (Multicam3500FX) wins, hands on, over the D300 (Multicam3500DX).

When you handhold a D700 with the battery grip you feel the same sensations that you feel when handhold a D2, D3 series (you feel that you can use it like a self-defensive weapon:D).

I love the crop bodies, great for bird photography, but I think that we hardly will see another pro “crop” body. In the future we will have to decide between a high res D_ body (FF with a crop mode or crop during processing in CS) and a lower res, crop D__ body with the limitations of a non-pro body.

The only thing that I do not like about the D700 is it full frame sensor but the image quality, AF performance, built quality, fps, very good fit to the MB-D10, viewfinder and pop-up flash makes me think that it is time to order one of those babies....:)

Thanks Juan, as I said I have never picked up a D700 and have been toying with the idea of either the 700 or D3. One aspect of the mb-d10 that I find very useful is the selector pad.

Todd

The selector pad iin the grip has a very good design, similar to the one in the new Nikon bodies, not like the one in the D2X (a very poor and tricky design)

IMO the D300 and D700 feel about the same in hand.
But there is some intangible quality about the D700 that makes it seem better.

It is an overall FASTER camera and that's and ever lovin' fact.
James