I agree with your last point. :-)

The management shake up at Nikon hasn't taken effect yet. The new guy(s) take reign this summer so that has nothing to do with their upcoming products for this year.

Nikon didn't care about the 5DmkII because it hadn't been announced yet. The D700 came out first. Nikon didn't care about the 1Dmk4 because the D3S is waaay better in terms of high ISO performance. I personally know several canon users who switched to Nikon because of the D3/S. Nikon ain't scared.

The rumors of the 5Dmk3 have been that canon has moved up the replacement to either later this year or early next. The 5D was over 3 years old when the 5Dmk2 came out. Why is canon in such a hurry to replace the 5Dmk2 this time?

Nikon For The Win :^)

I suppose, I just don't see it happening. Then again, Nikon has had a change in top level management, so anything is possible. Question is did the change happen soon enough to matter? Does Nikon even care if the specs are up to snuff with the upcoming 5D mk III? They didn't seem to worried about MP compared to the 5D Mk II when the D700 was released. Nor did they seem too worried about the D3s not being closer to par with the 1D mkIV.

As for the D700, D300, D3 issue. Again, different market segments. Where would this D800 fall into the market segment? Not at the same price point as the D700, IMO. It would be higher, $3500 would be my guess. Maybe we'll see both a D700s and D800?

My point is that spec-wise the D2X was a much better camera than the 4mp D2H AND they were in the same price point and Nikon didn't stop selling the D2H when the D2X came out. In fact the 4mp D2H/S were sold side by side from 2004 to 2007 with the 12mp D2X/S. So I think Nikon could sell a 16 or 18mp "D800" along side the current D3S even if it's a higher megapixel camera. Like you say the "D800" would cater to a different group then the pros who still need extreme low ISO and rugged tank build quality.

The D700 didn't kill the D3 or the D300 for that matter when it was announced.

So? The D3s and the D3x are separated by 12MP, thats a larger gap than between the D2H and D2X. In the end what difference does it make? The models are marketed at different segments. If the D700 replacement has better specs than the D3s, that would throw Nikon's marketing strategy to the wind. I'm just trying to be realistic, not say what I think Nikon should do. If I was Nikon I would make a D800 with a 16MP sensor, 1080p video, 9FPS, but I'm not Nikon and I don't think the way they do.

Yeah but the D2H was only 4mp! The D2X was 12!

True, but they were marketed at different people. The D2H was marketed to sports shooters, like the D3s, while the D2X was marketed to studio shooters and landscape photographers like the D3x. The D200 was the D700 of the day, and now there is the D700, an entry level "Pro FX" camera. I think moving it to a place where it is specd higher than a flagship model would be a mistake.

I don't think so. If the "D800" is "only" 14 or 16 mp it still won't have the high ISO ability of the D3S. Besides the D2X had better specs than the D2H and Nikon sold them side by side for a while too.

Okay, must have mixed up the two. Nikon seems to be defying logic in this generation of releases. We were saying the same thing before the D3s came out. We said, OMG if the D3s is another 12MP camera without 1080p video Nikon is DOOOMMMMMMEEEEEDDDD!!! I'm going to bet that the D700s/D800 or whatever will not have better specs than the D3s, it just wont. That is Nikon's mindset, whether that seems logical or not. If the D700 replacement has higher specs than the D3s it will kill all sales of that model, unless the D4 is due for release sooner than we have been led to believe. If that is the case, it might account for the low availability D3s cameras.

Nope the D700 is made in Japan. The D300S is made in Thailand. I think at this point it would be a big mistake for Nikon to only "slightly" upgrade the D700 to an "S" model. For some the D700 "barely" is able to compete with the 5Dmk2 and the 5Dmk3 is just around the corner so Nikon needs a new model. Otherwise Nikon's line up will be pretty "dull" with all "S" models (D300S, D700S, D3S, D3XS). Slight upgrades to two year old cameras isn't going to compete at all with newer cameras from others for the next two years.

Maybe, but the D700 is made in Thailand, not Japan like the D3s. So Nikon shouldn't have trouble with body making. The only slowdown could be due to sensors being taken away from D3s production, as you noted.

What's funny is that some of the gear he shows as out of stock at B&H is available in stock in major Canadian dealers.

Anyone see Thom Hogan's latest conjecture? It seems plausible to me that the D3s is so hard to get because they're building up inventory of that sensor for a D700s release.

JDeV said:
The way I shoot with available light most of the time, I was thinking along the lines of a D700. When I was asked about video, I thought about the D3s...now I'd like to wait and see what comes next, since at the very least, the prices on these may come down.

Jon

I know what you mean, Jon. It's looking like I'm going to have enough saved to buy a D3s by the time they actually release the D700 replacement! (I've been saving since 2008 for a D700 then its replacement when there were rumors it was coming and I was satisfied with my D300.)

kanuck said:
Yes there is a correlation between photography and film and I can see the use of both in a DSLR. Adding video to your still shots would be nice especially if you are in a special place. I just wish Nikon continued working on making the best straight still shooting camera on the market first, but I guess they have to compete with other manufacturers.

JDeV is the D5000 enough video for you? Its not too badly priced.

The way I shoot with available light most of the time, I was thinking along the lines of a D700. When I was asked about video, I thought about the D3s...now I'd like to wait and see what comes next, since at the very least, the prices on these may come down.

Jon

Nope. The current Nikon rebates will end on March 27, 2010.

The rebates will probably last until summer...

NikoDoby said:
Unfortunately as long as the current rebates are still going on Nikon will not be announcing any new DSLRs. A new EVIL camera is a very remote possibility but Nikon might just announce that they are working on one like Sony just did and not give out any specs.

This seam very reasonable and correct…

Unfortunately as long as the current rebates are still going on Nikon will not be announcing any new DSLRs. A new EVIL camera is a very remote possibility but Nikon might just announce that they are working on one like Sony just did and not give out any specs.

If Nikon strikes back at Canon they do so in an unparrelled way, as they have done in the past. I expect to see a new small pro-level dSLR with 1080p video and a good working AF while doing video. Probably won't get too many more MPs than the current models instead they'd have a whole new market of video artists that can use good high ISO images with a great set of lenses. Probably will take a while to get it right and maybe Canon will launch a new model in between, but the final product will probably be worth waiting for.

I guess I need to start saving again... digital photography is a lot of fun but sure develops so fast it's hard to keep up with the money.

Thats to bad if we don't get those DSLR on the 8th. I'm still waitng for that surprise that Nikon promesed us !

We will see a Nikon EVIL at Photokina in September.

Oh yeah, that's what I meant, Niko. Not new coolpixes, but a discussion about the ones that just got released. The EVIL is a long shot.

I'm not convinced we will even see a new COOLPIX on Monday jonny. It seems to just be a new marketing campaign and website launch for Nikon.

On the 8th it's probably just about coolpixes (maybe an EVIL camera?) and the efforts toward a closer Nikon community. I'd think it would be summer or fall for the next round of updates, but what do I know? I thought for sure they would have a D700s out by now. Maybe that will come early spring and will have 1080p video and the D3s sensor. It doesn't hurt to hope, right?

I seriously hope so Jonny. I hardly can wait for the 8th and se what comes up from NIkon
Regards