I still do not have an exact date, but it seems that Nikon will be announcing the D5100 somewhere in late March/early April. I was told also that there will be new Coolpix camera(s). This is highly unusual, since the compact camera line is refreshed in February and August. Those rumored Coolpix camera(s) could actually be the new Nikon mirrorless system. Nikon already hinted that their EVIL system may be presented in March. Back in July of 2010 in an interview with Bloomberg, Nikon’s President Makoto Kimura also mentioned that Nikon could introduce their mirrorless camera “any time this fiscal year or the following year” (Nikon’s financial/fiscal year ends on March 31, 2011):
“The new concept model will probably have an enhanced function for video recording and may adopt the so-called mirrorless structure. It could be any time this fiscal year or the following year, as new models are starting to sell.”
Nikon has a history of March/April announcements:
- April 27th, 2010: the AF-S 200-400mm f/4G ED VR II lens was announced
- April 14th, 2009: the Nikon D5000 and the 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 lens were announced
- April 10th, 2008: several Coolpix cameras were announced
- April 25th, 2007: several Coolpix cameras were announced
- March 5th, 2007: the Nikon D40x and the 55-200mm f/4-5.6 lens were announced
- April 20th, 2005: the Nikon D70s and two DX lenses were announced
