Possible Nikon D300s press material, originally uploaded by gcardinal.
Just got that from a reader @ flickr. Not sure if it is real (this is the first rumor I got via twitter).
NR rating: 40% (I think the D300 and the D300s will share the same body. If the above picture is real, it would be called the Nilon D400).
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102 Comments
Looks real to me, I just wish there were more detail suggesting an improved sensor or processor, but I guess that will trickle over the coming days
it has begun.
Did I see the opening for a mic? I don’t think so… Can’t believe it wont have movie mode.
I was looking for it too…
The D300s is definitely coming whether this is a fake or not. If you check out bythom.com, he mentions that the D300s is soon to be released. He wouldn’t mention this unless it is very very close to being released. He does have some connections in the right areas of Nikon.
Let’s don’t mix TH here please – he doesn’t know, he is guessing – and I don’t think he has any connections in Nikon. Same is valid for Ken who now has also the D300s specs online and claim to know when the release date will be.
I disagree about TH. KW specifically says its speculation, so I don’t know where you are getting that.
again, this blog is not about TH or KR. The last time I posted a rumor based on TH website the world stopped for a day, so as I said please no further “TH said” discussions – feel free to chat with him on dpreview, he will be happy to answer your questions – I cannot speak for him.
Why don’t you like Thom Hogan?
this is exactly the discussion I was trying to avoid, but you guys keep pushing… maybe because TH doesn’t like me – he has been trowing punches at NR way before the secret book incident… don’t know why (I have a theory, but I prefer to keep it to myself).
Since I’ve sold my D300 and moved on with the D700, 50% of the time I regret it. Apart of the image quality(in occasions), D300 was overall the better camera. Hopefully in the new D300s they keep the 100% viewfinder, the mass-storage option, and the really 16bit TIFFs…
neither is the better camera
Different strokes for different folks. My D300 collects dust while my D700 is w/ me every single day. If you regret it, go buy a used D300. Buy what you need.
the D700’s IQ make the D300 look so aged I’m not sure what you mean. but as fried toast said, if you’re so unhappy go get a D300 again. downgrading is always cheaper.
Really? Howso? I A/Bed them, can afford either, and I didn’t see a difference in RAW files, so I went with the d300.
Not looking for an argument, I’m just looking for anything I might have missed. There wasn’t $1k of difference to me.
The difference is mainly in high ISO – my D700 6400 ISO shots are comparable to the D300 2000 ISO. Almost 2 stops less noisy
Also, the D700 does not slow down as the D300 does when shooting bursts of 14 bit raws.
Zograf: What exactly you regret? The D300’s advantages?
hi, next time do a research. Everyone said, D700 is not so good.
Hi,
Do you have any links ?
If my D200 were to die I’d probably go for D700 rather than D300s.
Thanks.
Are you kidding? Virtually no one says the D700 is anything but exceptional. This thread is the first I’ve ever seen that said the D300 has better IQ than the D700, everywhere else the only advantage of the D300 has been reach for sports/wildlife.
Besides reach and the viewfinder coverage, there are ONLY 3 things I can think of where the D300 surpasses the D700…
1) Without the battery grip, the D700 shoots only 5 fps in high speed continuous and the D300 can do 6.
2) The D700 memory compartment does not have a lever type release as the D300 has. (easier to open accidentally)
3) Since they share the same 51 AF points and due to the larger size of the D700 sensor, the points are bunched up in the centre of the frame. ie you can select an AF point closer to the edge of the frame on a D300.
If these things don’t bother you too much, then the D700 is your camera =)
One thing I will love about D300s is 100% view finder. 95% is a bad deal.
The D700 viewfinder is larger and brighter than the D300, so the 95% vs 100% is a bit of a trade-off. I think I’d rather have the 95% with sensor cleaning than the D3’s 100% and no sensor cleaning.
I find it unusual that the mode and exposure compensation buttons are like the D200 instead of the round buttons seen on the D300.
I did notice that too and i don´t think Nikon will go back in design….
Looks like D700 body..
Agreed.
which already looks a lot like a D300 body…
This shits smells like shit… its fake
Sorry NR admin, i do agree with the previous poster, I have seen many times now, that TH posted things about upcoming Nikon stuff that nobody else knew, and that was way before this site existed, and the date was 100% correct always. There is no possible way he could nave always guessed right.
TH has to have some sort of connection with Nikon.
sure – he was talking about the D400 until the day I posted the D300s specs. The next day he changed his mind – maybe coincidence, maybe not… I don’t know, I can just say that nobody is 100% correct.
I understand your point because he isn’t always right. Have to say, tho’, that he’s pretty perceptive and his guesses (IMO) fall more more towards the correct than not. I think people aren’t paying attention to you in that he guesses a lot. He openly states that. Nothing wrong w/ guessing a lot- problem comes when fanboys skim over that and take everything for honest to goodness gonna-come-true truth.
That being said, I think there are times when he *does* know some things in advance. Just like you try to juggle what information to present, he’s probably faced with the same conundrum- except I get the impression that he has to wiggle around NDAs oftentimes.
Exactly my point. I don’t think any of us knows anything for sure – this is why I suggested to the reader above to ask Thom directly, I just gave my opinion (which could be wrong of course).
Well, this is a rumors site. And since you can’t seme to get away from the “thom says…” post in here. Maybe it’s time for a new article that says “TH is reporting, here… and KR is guessing here…” You don’t need to quote them, just point folks to their articles. Then the TH discussion can take place in the comments to that article and the rest of us can concentrate on what really matters… when will the follow-on to the D300 be announced, what will it be called, and what will it look like?
I doubt that this is real. The cover for the plugs on the left side of the cam are round just as they are on the D700. I believe that they are round, because the viewfinder on any FX camera are round as well.
Though unless the D300s has a FX sensor, which is highly unlikely, I’m very sure that it will look just like a D300, but with a mic and an additional s in the logo.
(oh, and those “it has begun” comments at almost every single rumor, always make me smile. I wonder if it’s always the same guy)
D700’s round plugs are because it has a round view finder? I didn’t know the shape of the viewfinder was related to the plugs on the front of the camera. More than likely the newer 700 went with the round design on the plugs because they are more convenient to access that way and seem sturdier. (I have both 300 and 700 and the round design is better). So it makes sense to use the better design on the new camera regardless of the viewfinder shape.
This picture, whether real or fake, seems very plausible since it continues to use the 300/700 body for the most part with just a few tweaks. It seems like the natural progression. I really like the idea of the new “mode” button. Seems to be a better shape in in a better spot.
I think he meant from a visual design standpoint, not functional. Designers like to repeat shapes to keep the design cohesive.
this is a tool first, something nice to look at second. forgive but I call BS
If design and camera was BS, why did Nikon hire the famous Italian designer Giugiaro to design some of their cameras? F3, F4…. D3 are Giugiaro designs…
note how I said it is a tool first, then something nice to look at. then read the above post by aaron. all will become clear
Thank you NR for this posting, at least it shows us what you can get your hands on.
Honestly, there’s not a lot of excitment about the D300s, sure it’s a new release. That’s about it. And what if it’s true… D700 and up is better but different (FX), D90 down is good enough if slower than the older D300 but with video. It’s only a nice step up to those didn’t make a jump to the D300 with older DSLR or without and would like similar sensor to that of the D700 in DX form (cheaper lenses), meaning improved low light shooting sensor over the original. Most would like to see what the NEXT generation Nikons, namely the D4 could bring all the way down the line, including those with eventually improved video too.
It just upsets me something so far up the chain can still be released so late and create a market with just a fair update with current generation technology, and we all know the next generation technology is just around the corner. Have you ever seen an TV episodes with too many fillers or commercials, this is really no different!
I have trouble believing that Nikon would make their press shots of a new D*** camera with a cheap consumer lens on it (18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR AF-S – $360 USD at B&H). Look at the product launch shots from the D300 and the D700. They use high grade consumer or pro lenses for the launch and then tone down the grade of glass a little bit over time to make newer offerings seem more impressive. As the D300 press photos currently feature an 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G (a premium consumer lens – $700 USD at B&H), it is hard to believe that they would downgrade the lens selection considerably for the front cover of any new, promotional material.
Hmm not so sure about 18-105mm is an indicator. After all it is ED and VR. Check out this D300 with 18-70mm http://tinyurl.com/l2erse
18-105 is “consumer grade” with a plastic mount. You risk ripping the mount apart if you pick a d300 up by a 18-105. Not so with the lesser models which are lighter.
I can’t see the picture but if it’s the new d300s and it has an 18-105, I’m sure it’s not an official Nikon press image.
fake. you can see where the FX logo has been photoshop’ed out
i agree… looks like a photoshopped d700
Looking at the picture and then looking at my D700 right in front of me, I can say it is not a photoshopped D700 (or if it is, the guy did much more work than mask out the FX logo.) The mode and exposure comp buttons are angular, like on the D200. The mode and exposure comp buttons on the D700 are round. Also, the D700 has two small, but visible screws above the lens but below the pentaprism housing that don’t appear on the picture.
doing the same thing with my d700 in front of me and i say… good point. mode and exp. comp buttons are not the same. curious.
I do not know if it is real or not – Nikon and Rap? Was that the 18-105mm VR lens the alleged D300s had on? This is more interesting to me.
yes….its coming….excited….
I call fake. The left hand side looks identical to D700, but the right side looks like D200. See the elongated Mode and +/- buttons. Nikon’s style has gone to round buttons up and down the lineup. I doubt the new D300s will go back to the long buttons.
Agreed. Find it hard to believe that they’d revert to the oblong Mode & Exposure buttons.
Interesting that the mode and exp. comp buttons are shaped as on the D200 and it has the connection plugs of the D700. I can’t see the photoshopped out FX logo though. Don’t see why they would re-engineer the body in this way for an “s” modification so I have some doubts about credibility.
I do hope that the NR Admin and TH can put aside their public DPReview spat over who knew what first regarding the D300s. It’s very plausible that both learned from the same source independently around the same time.
Rick, it is not about that – I went to dpreview because readers were emailing me about his comments about NR and I just responded to what he has already started (this was not the first time). I don’t go around forums and write about how he should run his website (and there is a lot to be said on this topic). I think what pissed him off is that I called his secret book a publicity stunt – I was ready to apologize publicly for that, but he never said that this was the problem.
Wow. There is certainly a lot of drama in the Nikon web community. Coming from the Canon side to a D700 — it sure is interesting to see the differences. Rob Galbraith causes a ruckus to be sure, but he seems to be a one issue guy. On the other hand, everyone around here knows Thom Hogan and Ken Rockwell and they definitely get under people’s skin on a multitude of issues.
CanonRumors doesn’t have the community that this site does (and this site’s growing community and web-presence is awesome,) but with CanonRumors and Northlight I think there is a bit more discipline over rumors posted. I have absolutely no beef here, but I will point out that I’ve noticed on several recent occasions that NRAdmin will post a rumor and leave it to others to figure out its validity. What I’d like is a little more journalistic investigation up front — and maybe a rumors rating system like CR has.
Maybe I’ll start a Nikon blog if I have the time. One thing I’ve never liked on the Nikon side of things is that there really isn’t as great a resource for lens information as there is on the Canon side. Ken and Bjorn have the most in-depth information, but Ken’s information is very biased towards his general philosophy of photography which he espouses every chance he gets, and Bjorn’s site, well… what would be best in my opinion is Bjorn’s site mixed with the-digital-picture.com’s presentation. Maybe pictures of the lenses reviewed as well as comparison views. Maybe a bit about how they feel, handle too. Anyway…
Thank you NRAdmin for allowing the use of comments so I may have this small soapbox moment.
Thanks Mark, btw I do have the rumor rating system – just mine is in %
” but I will point out that I’ve noticed on several recent occasions that NRAdmin will post a rumor and leave it to others to figure out its validity. What I’d like is a little more journalistic investigation up front ”
I hope Admin DOESN’T do more journalistic investigation than he is currently doing. This is a rumor site, and the key element is speed. When he finds something and posts it, all of us dig around and find supporting material – or not.
Sometimes NR will get a faked photo, but that can be entertaining in itself. In that light, it is not a bad thing. Other sites are forced to perform deep journalistic investigation, which causes delay. Remember everyone calling the 35mm f/1.8 DX a fake? It didn’t seem likely, but it was real.
I have no problem with Admin reporting things that he suspect are fake, and share them with us. Its not like we are overflowing with material. This is a fun, don’t-take-this-stuff-too-serious site. And I love what Admin has built.
A sign of success is when competitors start taking potshots. It seems like NR is becoming somewhat successful.
Keep up the good work, Admin.
I agree there is not much journalistic investigation that can be done for a rumor. Of course there is always room for improvement.
Well, my observation of that discussion at the time was that TH, in my reading, was actually doing NR a favor and boost by validating similar information. There are many other rumor sites to be critical of other than NR and I believe that TH was being mindful of not naming names. He does, after all, have a longer track record in offering tidbits of information that he gains from confidants and I thought, as I followed that exchange, that he handled it well-or as far as he could comfortably go. You clearly face similar constraints.
I do get frustrated that TH spends a lot of time recently on the forums rather than on the website as I find his articles thought provoking and educational. I’m not bothered about clams of special projects and am uncertain why that rated as an NR rumor anyway. I hope he has special projects or “secret books” and can finish them in my lifetime (I believe he says “surprise book”, not secret).
That said, I am impressed with the way that NR, and associated sites, have progressed and I visit them regularly. They’re clean, straightforward, and you do the digging around the web for tidbits of news. That’s not insubstantial. Keep it up!!!
Cheers
I will really stop discussing this topic further. If you guys a interested in this discussion, we can move it to the NR forum – just let me know and I will start a new thread..
No reason to be defensive, but good indication of the need to develop thicker skin. Enough said here. Keep up the good work.
All of this he said, she said, who said it first, who said it last is getting boring. I don’t care about any of that, I just want to hear about more information on new gear. I do not care who or where it is reported first.
Can we just move on!
This is a rumor site. What do you expect? Move on to rumors? This is not the site for new gear, it’s the site for rumored new gear….
Good day
Yes this is a site for rumors since it is named “Nikon Rumors” which I am fully aware of. It also is a site that provides information that is actually true not to mention the links to current prices for “Gear” which I do not believe are rumors.
This site has also in the past provided information when new “Gear” is available which I do not believe are rumors.
So in conclusion it is a rumor site, but it has and I hope will continue to provide current and real information about “New Gear”
I’m pretty sure this is fake. It REALLY looks like he’s just pushed around a d700 with the liquify tool in photoshop. look at the bottom right side… looks miiiighty odd to me. i hate being pesemistic but this way i don’t get my hopes too high.
The bottom right side looks right to me. If you look at the D300 or a D700 you’ll see they share that design as they both use the same MB-D10 battery grip. I would assume this camera, if real, would use that same grip.
I would have to fall in with all those who believe this video is a fake. There is no reason for Nikon to change the basic body features of the D300 such as the Mode button and exposure compensation buttons etc. And, like others here, I see no evidence of a mic for video. Why anyone would go top the trouble of producing such a fake video, or any other fake image of a rumoured Nikon camera, is beyond me. Surely there are better things they could be doing with their life such as clipping their toenails for example. . .
I am very happy with my combo of Nikon D300 and Nikon D90 and have no compelling reason to buy a third Nikon DSLR body at the moment, especially since I also have a Pentax K20D and an “antique” Canon 20D as well. I am waiting for significantly improved video performance on par with that available on the Canon EOS 5D Mark II or better, combined with an articulated screen as on the Nikon D5000. If the Canon 5D Mark II had been available in November or December I might well have bought it instead of my D90 but I haven’t looked back and I am quite happy with my 90D and the additional lenses and flashes that I bought for less than what a Canon 5D kit would have cost me.
“Clipping toenails,” ha, ha! Nice one. It is really disturbing that people take a lot of time faking, only to confuse the masses. These folks are in the same ilk as virus-making hackers, just not nearly as smart.
Why make a video? They have the file looks like. Only reason I can see is to make a crappy resolution repro so noone can see the photoshoppedness. That and the long buttons makes me wonder.
And as for TH, no offence, seems he does a lot more thinking about what he posts. He always makes me think at least. I like him, and usually feel I can trust him more than many places.
Ever heard of NDA? This is a safer way of spreading it than sending the PDF that might have company information embedded.
I bet if the employer knew who the guy who shot the video, he’d be out of a job.
Kind’a looks like a D5000 body (at least the right side [It's left I mean]).
Dunno
@ E Man I agree with your opinion about why a video was made, i.e. to hide the fakery, but what I meant in my comment was why would anyone bother to create a fake Nikon brochure or ad etc. etc. at all? I don’t get it. What’s the pay off? Chuckling over a bunch of people debating whether it’s a fake or not?
I don’t think it’s real.
1) I don’t see anywhere having the mic holes which is needed for capturing the sound of HD movie.
2) The lens is most likely 18-105VR cos’ there is no distance scale. Why 18-105VR on the D300s brochure cover? Why not 16-85VR or 17-55, or AF-S 50/1.4 (which is more pro and less consumer)?
3) The strobe pc plug cover and the remote shutter socket cover are now D700 style, not D300 type. Personally, I never hear any complain about those covers. Why change them?
4) The two buttons closed to the main on/off switch in the movie is the old style type two rounded triangles (which is the style on D70). The new style of these two buttons are round shape, which is used in D3, D3x, D300, D700 and D90. I don’t see why the old design is re-used.
5) If there is a pdf file having that cover page, why not do a screen shot? Or just share the pdf file? If someone was secretly using a cell phone to capture that monitor screen, why capture it as movie? He/she should take pictures of the monitor screen, and not only the covering page, but also page 2, 3 and so on.
Sorry if any of these points have been covered by someone else already. I didn’t read thru all comments here.
I believe D300s is real. But not this movie.
Cheep photo-chop job. D300s/D400 coming soon? You bet.
D300s would be screw up by Nikon. People are expecting D400 already for a year now. Nikon needs to cash in, so D400 soon. if they release D300s then D400 will be later this year, and lots of people would be pissed off. Same as D70s-D80.
D300s would bring only video?! that is not worth anything.
D800- hopefully soon, Would like to get the new sony sensor
Video is useless, I can do that myself. Why not to flip to specs? or send us PDF ?
PR agency in France? hell ya… NOT
thank you NR for posting this and ignore anything coming from TH. Just keep on telling us the rumors. A D300s would be a huge discouragement for people like myself waiting for substantial improvement of D 90 capabilities in a D 300 body. A D 300s having specs as published here would be a marketing desaster for Nikon, and giving the Sonys, Pentax’s, Canon’s, and yes, also Olympus’s a good chance to steel market share. From this point of view, I think it’s fake and we have to wait until November when D 400 and D 800 will be announced, both having HD movie (which I don’t need) and improved sensors with slighty more pixels and less noise at higher ISO’s (in case of D400). If not, I’ll keep my D 90, 10-24, 16-85 and 70-300 and am happy all the time. My favorite is my Bentley F4 anyway. Kind regards,
You said it: a MARKETING disaster, but a good camera. Nikon doesn’t need to cram any more pixels on an APS-C sensor and video will come in hand for me using a f1.4 prime to get that lovely DOF that my Panasonic HMC150 can’t.
Nikon need something on the market to compete with the Canon EOS 5D Mark II, period. The closest thing price wise is the d700, and although the d700 has awesome iso features and full frame, it carnt match the Canon in mp or video. If the best Nikon can do is re-release the d300 with another card slot and video then who is this supposed to be aimed at?
And the 5D2 can’t match the D700 for AF accuracy, speed or build quality. It’s a great camera also but they are clearly aimed at different markets. I consider the Nikon to be far more versatile–it can do sports, candids, studio and reasonable landscapes. The 5D2 is better at landscapes but would struggle with fast sports.
fake !
it look like a D300 , no mic for video / sound , no change about the body.
I don´t know what type of forgers those people are. The Hollywood studios should hire them. I’v only seen a bare display without any feature or tech characteristic. not even a camera in a display case . The summer is coming and the budget for cameras is lowering May be in September when Nikon guys come back from their holidays think about to design a new camera with a lot of new technologies that the actual models lack. They should break their compromise with Sony an look for new CMOS, patterns, accessories, etc
Break with Sony? Do you realize that the new D3x sensor from Sony is the best available and makes Nikon best in class. Same with the D90, the D700, the D3, the D5000! Nothing wrong with sensors! Nothing wrong at all really, only subtleties in features.
Indeed, the sony hate seems rather baseless given every time a new nikon body w/ sony sensor comes out, it just blows the competition away. To this day nikon/sony sensors outperform anything canon has in resolution, noise, and dynamic range. is that good enough for ya?
Do you imagine a Nikon camera with a Foveon sensor? or a Kodak pettern? Even Fuji implement a very interesting sensor. Raw is already stacked dont forget that it’s an advanced jpeg no more.
My local Best Buy only has the d300 floor model left, and it’s going for only $1,300 (oh so tempted). Again, it’s the last one there. I talked the Camera department suppervisor and he tolled his distributor said to get rid of all his stock. That’s all he knew (or at least all he’ed tell me).
I don’t know.
OOPS!! I miss wrote part of that.
(starting at line three)
suppervisor and he tolled Me that his distributor said to get rid of all his stock.
sorry.
Ken Rockwell is saying that it will be anounced on June 23rd and will be available a month later
$100 says it won’t be released on the 23rd then.
To me the D300s seems like a stupid upgrade, they aren’t really changing anything that matters in my opinion. It still has the same pixels, iso performance, and all the same features. Maybe they added a few more bells and whistles (which in my opinion don’t matter) and, according to Ken, they will want $1,900 for it. Which, if thats true, is a complete ripoff. They might as well just build a brand new camera, call it the D400 and make is worth the steep price.
I am still wondering about the white dot that is dropping at about 17s to the end. Has there ever been a similar animation for other models?
nice spotting. I think it is his mouse
still think it’s fake. How will Nikon sell a D300s priced at USD 1,900.-, and a price tag of less than that on a D700 at the same time? They need to launch substantial upgrades for both, D300 and D700, at the same time. Also, a 12 MP+ D400 would not be launched before an upgrade of D700. Nevertheless, I wish to see D400 soon, and wish all rumors on D300s to be BS. But am afraid they will come true.
Away from Sony, good idea though, Sony is learning fast and it is just a matter of time until they are able to equal with Nikon’s performance. And they will always be able to launch products with a new sonsor well before Nikon. In this industry of products with short life cycles, time is big money. Looking forward seeing Fuji’s technology in Dxxx cameras. Fuji is discontinuing their own APS DSLR’s (in D300 bodies), and in return, Nikon will purchase Fuji sensors and tech.
Still love my Bentley F4.
“Also, a 12 MP+ D400 would not be launched before an upgrade of D700.”
Why not? The D300 is a full year older than the D700. The D300 is still its segment leader but others are catching up; now that the D90 and D5000 are out its aggressive noise reduction at high ISOs is more apparent. The D700 is the best full-frame camera for sports on the market, short of the D3.
Although I believe the D300s/D400 release in the near future it’s very plausible, I don’t think this is a real leak.
FIrst of all, it’s weird that someone would randomly post something coming from the manual, and have nothing more about the camera itself. But let’s go with the assumption the source came across the cover of the manual for the manual for the D300s, why take a bad video of it instead of posting and actual screenshot? I call it fake.
Looks pretty much edited to me how come there is only one page of the pdf, specially on the toolbar. Someone’s trying to increase the hype by adding an S. Looks fishy if you ask me.
The pic should be a fake one since the “MODE” button is same style with the 2nd Generation Nikon DSLR
But it is quite impossible for Nikon to use 2nd Generation Model Design instead of the 3rd Generation Model Design ( the Rounded Buttons) in D300s
Why does it have D200 buttons? Stupid
Fake. next.
Looks fake to me, old Nikon styling. But the D300s concept interests me, I’d love to see Nikon develop the already very good 12MP sensor to its limits, with higher DR and better high ISO performance. It’s already (D90’s version) the best APS-C sensor around (RAW test at DxO Mark). Leave to Canon and Pentax to go for the MP races, stay with IQ and features. Plus better contrast AF in LV and movie mode. Those are really relevant issues, not MP.
freak! just freak. Turn that freakin page. Y is it showing the first page only.
Need to upgrade my legendry D80. Freakin rumors … X (
haha, I hope he turn every pages
Megapixels are not a superfluous luxury; they’re a necessity and a demand from lot of photographers who in these times of crisis can’t afford a Digital Hasselblad or medium format Leica, or anyone else. Nikon has enought technologies into his drawer to improve whatever camera anyone can imagine. But crisis is for everybody so to launch a new brand requires investment, skill labour an money. These days ther’re a great lack of all that.
The one who want to win the race of Mpx has to risk an offer good prices and better qualities. That’s what Canon is doing. A dumping: May be I lose money, but you era fired out from the business.