I would rate this rumor @ 1% probability. Nikon D3xs specs:
Click on image for larger view.
I received those pictures two days ago and decided not post them online because I did not see any convincing evidence that the pictured camera is a Nikon D3xs – it could be any of the D3-D3x-D3s line with black tape over the logo and model. The story goes, that this person was testing some kind of a lens and when he noticed that he was photographed, he became nervous, turned around (see picture) and immediately changed the lens – see the full story @ photofan (computer translated).
So, why is this online? First to get your attention away from the Nikon D4x concept. This news is now hitting the wires and I have to cover it since it is Nikon rumors related, otherwise I will get dozens of emails about it. Also, take a look at those pictures, maybe you will see something unusual (I couldn’t). I know that there was a Nikon D2xs, but what is the D3xs suppose to be (if true)? A 24MP with very high ISO? The D3x will be 2 years old this year and since it appears that there will be no D4 in 2010, we may get another D3 refresh around December (this is an opinion/speculation, not a rumor).
Industrial Designer Marc Levinson created a Nikon D4x concept (click on image for larger view):
See more Nikon concepts here.
More pictures after the break:
The shuttle launch from 12 miles away with Nikon 200-400mm f/4 & D300s
Continue after the break:
Update: the picture was removed aprox. 3 hours after I published this post. The picture did not contain any EXIF data.
Michel Lammerse has a picture on his pbase stream that is labeled “cropmode, 85mm f/2.2 VR ON”:
I cannot think of an existing Nikon lens with 85mm focal length, f/2.2 and VR.
In the past Michel Lammerse (website) had provided some valid information regarding upcoming Nikon products, but he also had few misses.
The Nikon’s patent application (filed on February 25, 2009) also indicates that VR technology is present in the lens design.
Update: the ISO 3200 is not the maximum value but rather a comment from the photographer that ISO 3200 was very usable. Also, it was mentioned in the comments that this could be the replacement of the D300s (info sent by some native speakers – thanks).
This rumor came from the World Wide Web and I cannot vouch for its validity (thanks to everyone who sent that in).
The Russian nature photographer Igor Shpilenok has arrived in Kamchatka for 10 days and the rumor is that he will be testing a new camera from unidentified company (hint: he is a Nikon shooter, check his blog). The rumored specs are:
The source of this rumor (in English) has labeled this camera as D500, but this could be just a guess.
I am not sure if the camera on the picture is the actual test piece or just a reference photo (the Nikon logo is taped):
Some readers misunderstood my last post on the Nikon D4000 and the Nikon D90 refresh. The rumor I wrote about a month ago (indicating that 3 new Nikon DSLRs are in the pipeline) came from a different source. The information I receive is never complete and often I only get bits and pieces of the whole puzzle. I still consider both of those rumors to be plausible.
Also, I DO NOT have any reliable information that the D700 will not be replaced. In my last post I simply referred to the latest Internet chatter (in addition to what I read online, I classify “Internet chatter” as information coming from new, not yet proven sources).
