Sorry, goes here:

http://nikonrumors.com/forum/topic.php?id=5160&page=32

No need for a second speculation thread on a camera which does not exist at present unless the data has background of a reliable nature.

heartyfisher said:

1) You will be using the sweet spot for all the FX lenses

I fail to get the "sweet spot" concept. the only Nikon lens I own that is not crisp at the edges is the 16 -35, which I mostly use for real estate interiors at 16 mm
I need need the FOV at 16mm so no advantage in cropping

It all ready exists, it's called a D800 in 1.2 crop mode

I don't think Nikon are going to to the expense of developing and marketing a new camera, that for all intentional purpose is identical to a D800 but with a slightly smaller sensor

given the R&D, tooling and marketing cost, would it be significantly cheaper than the D800 ? I don't think so

Sales of the D800 have exceeded Nikon a expectations, so the R&D costs will have been recovered and this has been reflected in a significant price drop

the D800s ( with a faster fps ) will be out soon and you will be able to get D800 at a price your wife will sanction

+

Why is this in a new thread? Anyway, 1.2 crop? The only sensor manufacture who made such a beast was Canon, I cannot see it happening. For one thing, it goes against every rumour to date, 24MP DX sensor, and secondly it would be illogical for Nikon to do so. 1.2 crop was on the D3 in 2007, so adding it to the D800 was just a continuation of moving features to a lower end body, hardly a sign of a native 1.2 crop frame body.

heartyfisher said:
Didnt Canon have specific 1.2x crop glass ? probably that was their downfall ? sorry never bothered to work out the canon EF EF-S mounts.. etc..

Maths like ? oh i see .. the 35mm DX1.8 becomes a 42 mm FX equivalent lens? :-) LOL ! or is it 29.1mm in the 1.2 crop mode if you want a 35mm FOV .. :-).

I'm pretty sure Canon didn't have any separate glass, it just used their pro L-line.

TaoTeJared said:
I wouldn't be surprised to see a 36mp +/- sensor in a D400. That and maybe beefed up Video capabilities.

1.2 crop - doubtful, Canon dropped that like a hot potato when they could. I don't see Nikon adding something that Canon dropped. Plus the dang math is a pain. ;) Interesting thought though!

I never shoot in any crop mode, so I don't pay much attention to it, but I was thinking the 1.2 crop mode was in the D3.

Didnt Canon have specific 1.2x crop glass ? probably that was their downfall ? sorry never bothered to work out the canon EF EF-S mounts.. etc..

Maths like ? oh i see .. the 35mm DX1.8 becomes a 42 mm FX equivalent lens? :-) LOL ! or is it 29.1mm in the 1.2 crop mode if you want a 35mm FOV .. :-).

I wouldn't be surprised to see a 36mp +/- sensor in a D400. That and maybe beefed up Video capabilities.

1.2 crop - doubtful, Canon dropped that like a hot potato when they could. I don't see Nikon adding something that Canon dropped. Plus the dang math is a pain. ;) Interesting thought though!

I never shoot in any crop mode, so I don't pay much attention to it, but I was thinking the 1.2 crop mode was in the D3.

I may be dreaming or recovering from my NAS but you know what? I have a surprising speculation regarding the D400 specifications...

Taking into account the long dev time and the new D800 sensor..

Consider this.

1) A body similar to the D800 / D300 .. no surprise there ..:-)
2) a 25MP sensor

and drum roll ..
3) a 1.2 crop sensor !!

advantages ...
1) You will be using the sweet spot for all the FX lenses
2) You will be able to use your DX lens in 1.5 crop mode
3) You can use many of your better DX lenses in full 1.2 crop.
4) price similar to D600 .. could even be cheaper!
5) best of both worlds ..

Why did it take so long ?? I think that is the clue..
1.2 crop mode requires new sensor, new body, shutters, mirrors and prism to be developed.

Other random thoughts..
1) D7xxx remains the most advanced DX. (Clue here is that the D7000 is way more advanced than the D90 class of cameras it replaces)
2) a very attractive option for the very advanced DX users who don't want to go FX.
3) Makes it even easier for these D400 users to get fx glass (good for nikon!). since many of these advanced DX users already use FX glass on DX bodies..
4) The D800 1.2 crop mode is a big clue. a curious capability .. when I first saw it. but it could mean that the software to handle 1.2 crop is already developed.
5) A lot of the old FX glass now becomes very attractive. due to the sweet spot effect of the 1.2 crop.
6) the larger sensor will improve the perceived sharpess of DX lenses that can cover 1.2 crop coverage.
7) 25MP 1.2 crop sensor has the same pixel size as the D800.