Jay Maisel also thinks the Nikkor 18-200 f/3.5-5.6 ED VR full frame lens is coming

By [NR] admin | Published: July 19, 2010

Many readers do not believe that Nikon will announce a new 18-200 f/3.5-5.6 ED VR full frame lens, some even think it’s impossible to produce a lens with such focal length.

Here is another rumor for you: Kelby Training (paid subscription required) has a series of videos online called “A Day With Jay Maisel” where he walks around NY with Scott Kelby talking about the way he works. Kelby was asking Jay Maisel about the 70-300 VR he shoots all the time on a D3. He was saying how much he liked it and then out of the blue mentioned that he had heard about an 18-200 FX lens Nikon was possibly going to make, and that he was excited about it.

Unfortunately the video is not freely available, but maybe some readers that have subscriptions can confirm and quote the exact line.

Jay Maisel website can be found here, I know what you are thinking… I could not find any EXIF data on his images.

Jay Maisel is no stranger to Nikon – check out this link.

Update: Here is the transcript of the proper portion of the Kelby video “A Day with Jay Maisel – Lunch”, Part 1 (at 5:28):

“Scott: You’re overseas on a project, how’s that.
Jay: Yeah.
Scott: You have to use one lens for the whole project, what is it?
Jay: It changes, right now it would be the 70 to 300.
Scott: You’re really loving that lens aren’t you.
Jay: Oh yeah. I like the 18 to 200 but it’s not a full frame lens.
Scott: No it’s not. That’s what’s interesting for $500 that it works on the full frame cameras.
Jay: Now I think… and you know how free Nikon is with prognostication of the future, they would lie just to keep in practice. But I think there may be an 18 to 200 full frame, and if that happens I’m buying it.
Scott: Oh that would be the first lens I would buy.
Jay: But the 70-300 is still terrific.”

—
BTW, Nikon D3s and 24mm 1.4 (higher price) are currently in stock on Amazon.

Posted in Nikon Lenses| Tagged | 117 Comments

New Nikon lenses to be announced

By [NR] admin | Published: July 19, 2010

Since rumors for most of those lenses have been circulating for months (and in the case of the AF-S 85mm f/1.4 – for years), this list should not really be a surprise to anyone:

  • Nikkor 18-200 f/3.5-5.6 ED VR – now this one is weird because it’s a… FX lens… yep, full frame! Previous rumors indicated a 28-300mm zoom, to compete directly with Canon, but it seems that Nikon decided to do this one differently (Nikon already has a 18-200mm lens for DX). Correct me if I am wrong, but I think this will be the first full frame 18-200mm lens in the world.
  • Future plans for a new set of lenses for the upcoming Nikon EVIL system should also be announced. Expected is a general zoom lens (maybe something in the range of 18-55) and a pancake lens (probably 35mm f/1.8). Note that those lenses will not be available for some time and the final production version may vary from the initial prototypes.

I do expect those lenses to be release between now and Photokina (September, 2010), not sure if they will come all together or in two separate announcements.

The above list was compiled over time from various tips, mainly from Asian forums and some small details could be wrong or lost in translation. I am also not sure if this is the complete list of lenses to be released prior to Photokina. The initial rumor was that Nikon will release 8 new lenses in 2010. So far they have released 3 (16-35mm f/4, 24mm f/1.4 and 200-400 f/4 VRII) and now we will have four more, which leave us with potentially one more lens announcement towards the end of the year. As previously reported the 35mm f/1.4 seems to be postponed till 2011.

[NR] rumor probability rating for the four lenses: 95%

Posted in Nikon Lenses| Tagged , | 233 Comments

Weekly Nikon related news/links

By [NR] admin | Published: July 17, 2010
Posted in Weekly Nikon News Flash| 51 Comments

Nikon Coolpix 1000pj replacement ready for release

By [NR] admin | Published: July 16, 2010

The Nikon Coolpix 1000pj replacement may look like this

The rumor of a Nikon Coolpix 1000pj replacement started last month (see previous posts here and here plus related patents). The new version will allow the camera to be connected to a computer and serve as an external conventional projector. Two new details surfaced up for this camera: the connection to the computer (when used as projector) will be via USB and the camera will have a touchscreen display (the previous model was not touchscreen).

FYI: Nikon was first on the market (and as of today the only manufacturer) to introduce a camera with a built-in projector.

Announcement date: few weeks away.

[NR] rating: 99%.

Posted in Nikon Point and Shoot| 55 Comments

Nikon D3100 is fine, but how about the D90 and D700 replacements?

By [NR] admin | Published: July 16, 2010

Reports are pouring in from all over the world that D90 is hard to find – here are some of the emails I have been receiving in the past few days:

“I work in *** and it seems that the Nikon D90 is extremely hard to get hold of in the 18-105 kit. The only kit we can get in is the 18-55 kit.”

“D90 out of stock
Got a 100% confidence that Nikon distributor here in Italy, Nital, is in “rottura di stock” (stock breaking) for the D90.
My source also added that it will become available briefly again in the middle of the next week.”

“Just wanted to share what has been going on in Slovenia for the last few weeks.
When Nikon D90 came out, it was all over the place. 2 years of silence, now it’s back again, extra cheaper. Also, a very big electronics site at us doesn’t have them anymore and usually when something like this happens at us (50D was also advertised), a new model gets out soon.”

“Our store owner is on the buyers group for a large chain in ***.  He has said the D90 is about to be replaced.  Also the D5000 and D3000 are going to be replaced with a camera that would be between them.”

“Nikon D90 Removed from Sams Club
The Nikon D90 lens and camera kit has been removed from Sams Club’s website. A store employee told me today that a refresh is coming soon.”

Now, about the D700 replacement: I do not have any credible information that the Nikon D700 will be replaced in the next two months. This doesn’t mean that it won’t happen, I simply don’t know yet. Here are some related tips I got in the past few days:

“I was chit chatting with a friend who work in a camera store last Friday, and he told me that the Nikon sales person has told him that there will be no D700 replacement this year but a D90 replacement  and expect to be announce soon.”

“I just wanted to buy a Nikon D700 but on most big web shops it’s out of stock. Also the combination kits aren’t going to be restocked. Only the body has a ‘in delivery at supplier’ status.”

The Australian retailer ECS has a note on their front page that Nikon Australia has assured them that there will be no D700 replacement in 2010. Quoting the local Nikon headquarter on their main page should give some credibility to this statement:

European Nikon reps have been repeating the same story for months now (see here and here). If Nikon introduces a D700 replacement in addition to the Nikon D3100 and the new Nikon D90, then we will have three new DSLR in short period of time. Not to mention the upcoming new lenses, Coolpix cameras and EVIL system. Not impossible, but questionable.

More rebates in Sweden: buy a D700 and get a free SB-900.

Unless I post a [NR] rating above 90% for a given rumor, everything else should be considered only as informational posts.

Posted in Nikon D800, Nikon D90| 157 Comments

Continuous AF in video mode/live view patent (used in the upcoming Nikon D3100)

By [NR] admin | Published: July 15, 2010

As some readers already noted, this previously covered patent application could be the base of the new continuous AF in video mode/live view feature which will first be implemented in the new Nikon D3100 DSLR camera. As you can see from the drawings, Nikon produced various camera configuration as a possible implementations of this patent, which could indicate that this solution will spread across all future Nikon cameras, including the EVIL system.

Nikon patent application 20100150539 is for a focus adjustment solution (see wikipedia’s explanation of the two different passive focus solutions: phase detection and contrast measurement). Different implementations are shown in this patent application: the first drawing is a camera with a half mirror, the second is mirrorless (EVIL) camera, the third implementations is without a prism (Pellix camera?) and in the last drawing the sensor is located under the mirror (instead of behind the mirror):

Quotes from the patent application after the break:

Read More »

Posted in Nikon D3100, Nikon Patents| 24 Comments

Meet the new Nikon D3100

By [NR] admin | Published: July 15, 2010

D3100

Rumors about a new entry level DSLR between the Nikon D3000 and the D5000 started few months ago. This new camera will not be called D4000 as previously expected, but Nikon D3100.

This is a break down of the main specs/features:

  • continuous AF in video mode/live view (yes, that’s right – it seems that the continuous AF I mention earlier today will first be introduced in the upcoming Nikon D3100)
  • new AF points configuration which should cover a very large portion of the viewfinder. Total of 11 or 12 AF points.
  • 10 MP CMOS sensor
  • HD video: 1080p/24 and 720p 30/24!
  • AVCHD video codec
  • In camera video editing capabilities
  • 3fps (same as D3000)
  • will be sold in a kit with the 18-55mm lens
  • expected announcement in “few weeks”
  • no swivel display

[NR] rating: 99%

This could well be the first pictures taken with the Nikon D3100 (I know, the date is 2009, EXIF can be manipulated, etc.)

Posted in Nikon D3100| Tagged | 204 Comments

Nikon will release continuous AF in video mode/live view

By [NR] admin | Published: July 15, 2010

The way we AF while video recording may change soon (Nikon D300s in the picture)

Nikon was able to to implement continuous AF in video mode/live view. From the Google translation I got, it is not clear how exactly this will work or whether this technology is still in development, but my guess is that it will use contrast focus. This feature is expected to be present in the upcoming EVIL system and will probably jump to the DSLR line as well, but I am not sure which camera will be the first to have this feature (probably the D90 replacement, since the D90 was first to introduce DSLR video). Nikon’s main concentration was on the AF speed, so we should expect some really fast video mode/live view AF system.

[NR] rating: 95%

Posted in Nikon 1| 62 Comments

Nikon D90 listed as “clearance Item, limited availability”

By [NR] admin | Published: July 14, 2010

One of the big US retailers, J&R, has listed the Nikon D90 body only as “clearance Item, limited availability”:

The Nikon D90 kit (with 18-105mm lens) is listed as “Limit 1 per customer”.

Posted in Nikon D90| 82 Comments

Don’t forget the “G11 killer”

By [NR] admin | Published: July 14, 2010

Few months ago Nikon’s UK Senior Product Manager Kevin Egan told AP that they planned to release a Canon G11 competitor with the last batch of Coolpix cameras back in February, but the camera was not ready. Expect this new “G11 killer” to be released with the next batch of Coolpix camera somewhere in the middle of August (unless Nikon decides to make a separate announcement for it).

Today I received also this tip:

“I work at ***. The Nikon rep was in the store and I was pressing him for any info… He told me that Nikon had 3 big cameras to be coming soon, and a G11 competitor had been in development for a while… probably this fall for a release…”

Nikon reps have proved not to be reliable source of information in the past, but this rumor reminded me of the statement Nikon made few months ago and I think it is worth sharing.

Posted in Nikon Point and Shoot| Tagged | 31 Comments