Leaked Nikon 2009 - 2010 Roadmap - Could it be?

[Daniel]

Copied and pasted from another board.

This was supposedly leaked from an anonymous source at a company that provides Nikon UK with IT services.

The huge 37 page document details Nikon’s planned releases until the end of 2010. It’s copied and pasted below for your perusal, but here’s a quick list.

2009

Nikon D3000
12.3MP
7 AF points
ISO 200-3200 extendable to 6400
3.5fps
Video unknown

Nikon D300s
12.3MP
7fps
HD video (1080p .mov h.264, 24fps)
CF and SD cards slots
920,000 pixel LCD screen

D700x
24.5MP
5fps
HD video (1080p .mov h.264, 24fps)

Plus a bunch of new lenses, mostly updating older classics with new G-version, the ones that come without an aperture ring, and adding internal autofocus motors to work with lower end models. These will be:

AF-S Nikkor 24 to 135 mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR
AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II
AF-S Nikkor 35 mm f/1.4G
AF-S Nikkor 85 mm f/1.4G

Then, 2010. Here come the big ones:

Nikon D4
15.7MP (more sensitive and with less noise)
Up to 16fps with “double exposure”
ISO 200-12800 (plus extended range)
61-point AF
1080p video at 30fps
CLS control (although no flash is mentioned)

Nikon D400
13.8MP (more sensitive and with less noise)
8fps
Up to 12fps with “double exposure”
ISO 200-6400 (plus extended range)
61-point AF
1080p video at 24fps

Nikon D4x
30.2MP
ISO 100 - 6400
6fps
1080p video at 30fps

Plus lenses for 2010

AF-S Nikkor 14 to 28 mm f/3.5-4.5G ED
AF-S Nikkor 120 to 450 mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR
AF-S Nikkor 300 mm f/4G VR
Nikkor AF-S VR 400 mm f/5.6G
AF-S Nikkor 70 to 240 mm f/3.5-4.5G VR
AF-S Nikkor 105 mm f/2G DC
AF-S Nikkor 24 to 85 mm f/4G VR
AF-S DX Nikkor 60 to 95 mm f/2G VR
AF-S DX Nikkor 17-60 mm f/2.8G VR

The oddities here are the video modes. 24p (p for “per” second in this case) is the preferred speed for pros as it matches film. It seems odd, then, the the top end D4 would run at 30fps and the cheaper bodies at 24p.

That the pixel-count has hardly jumped is a good thing, and shows that limiting the D3 and D700 to “just” 12MP hasn’t hurt sales.

Both the D4 and D400 have an unexplained “Double Exposure” feature on the list. This, combined with mentions of double histograms in this mode, hints at an in-camera HDR capability. It looks like the cameras will snap two pictures in quick succession and combine them to make one image with a huge exposure latitude. This would be the first time we have seen this in a DSLR. We have seen this in the Pentax K7. (Thanks to everyone who pointed this out).

Another interesting addition is the promise of “The possibility of the electronic image projection or additional information to the entire area of a large viewfinder”. This would, we presume, act like the frame-blocking of the D3, which crops out the edges of the viewfinder when using a DX lens, or like the overlay of a grid on the viewfinder screen on the same camera. A live, in-finder histogram? Yes please.

It all seems to be pedestrian enough to be real, with some genuine puzzlers thrown in there — like the dual histogram — to add authenticity. I’m going to say that this is looks legit. We’ll start to see if this is true in August, when the first prediction - the D300 - should appear.

One thing is notable by its absence, though: the D800, or updated D700.

[Jonathan Bird]

Originally Posted by Daniel

The oddities here are the video modes. 24p (p for “per” second in this case) is the preferred speed for pros as it matches film. It seems odd, then, the the top end D4 would run at 30fps and the cheaper bodies at 24p.

No. "p" stands for "progressive scan" as opposed to interlace.

30fps requires more bandwidth and therefore more processor power than 24p. I assure you that the cameras with 30p will also be able to produce 24p.

I still say that if you want to shoot video, do it with a proper video camera.

Jonathan

[Andrew]

I actually had an email this morning from a supplier in the UK for pre-orders of the 3000 and 300s (which I deleted straight away being a Canon user ) for delivery in 6 weeks.

The thing that caught my eye is that they were advertising the 300s with a huge stereo mic on the hotshoe (which was as long as the lens), now how unbalanced and top heavy would this feel? I use the video function on our pocket camera for quick movies of our baby to send family which are small files and not bad to keep people updated but I doubt I would use it to make decent movies, especially as the dedicated video cameras are not that expensive these days.

Andrew

[sorvju-f]

Originally Posted by Jonathan Bird

I still say that if you want to shoot video, do it with a proper video camera.

Jonathan

I really hope that all the DSLR cameras in future don't have video possibility...gives more price and more things to get failure. It is like this mirror live-view...totally useless in my opinion.

Video in DSLR can give memories, bur to more serious shooting it is still useless.

Jukka

[scubagirl]

I just hope the D400 fits in the D300 housing

I'm not keen on having video in my DSLR, but a better sensor is always good, as is the ability to use both CF and SD cards.

[tarczy]

I've had my Canon 5D MKII for a few months now and I have yet to even try to figure out how to use the high-def video function or the live view function. As Jukka so eloquently pointed out . . . totally useless.

I don't understand the necessity for the double-exposure function. Isn't double-exposure what you do with Photoshop . . . with much greater precision and control? Once again . . . another useless feature.

[solisti]

guys (and gals) dont limit yourselves! Sounds like its a miracle you are not all shooting film still...