Unlike Sony Nikon isn’t leaking any bit fo info about their upcoming mirrorless cameras. Our friends over at Nikonrumors can give us only some bits of info about the camera:
“There is a good chance that more than one version/model of the new mirrorless camera wil be announced at the same time
The camera body will be very small, very compact, with a clean industrial design
Built-in high resolution EVF
Many video features
Compatible with F-mount lenses
The sensor will be slightly smaller than Micro Four Thirds (probably 17mm in diameter, 2.6x crop factor)
Four lenses to be released, one of them will be a pancake, the second will be a super zoom
Phase and contrast-detect AF
Camera code/project name: X810“
P.S.: My bet is that the camera will be called Nikon Coolpix Pro 😉
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I am really looking forward to seeing what the Nikon system has to offer. Clearly, a 2.6x crop factor will be at even more of a disadvantage than m43, but it’s still a long ways from a compact (sensor would still be over 4.5x the Pentax Q’s sensor.) If they can take advantage of the sensor size to make relatively small, high quality lenses, then it could be a nice system.
Nikon Rumors also says something about it being clean like a Coolpix P300 and without any dials on top. Since the rumor is that more than one model may be released, I’m wondering if some of the “facts” refer to one model (clean appearance, no dials), while some refer to the other (built-in high res EVF), but who knows what we’ll see.
> Built-in high resolution EVF
> Compatible with F-mount lenses
> Four lenses to be released, one of them will be a pancake, the second will be a super zoom
> Phase and contrast-detect AF
Oh my… Nikon takes the shit seriously. (And August 24th isn’t that far off!) Or those are fake rumors. But probably not: for Nikon’s MILC to be taken seriously, to appeal to their existing customer base, this is precisely what they had to do.
The PDAF is the most intriguing feature.
P.S. This, plus NEX-7, plus NX200 – the autumn promises to be rather busy 😀
While I was trying to understand Nikon’s strategy of releasing a mirrorless camera with even smaller sensor than the m4/3 I came up with this:
This is more like a safe test for Nikon, they know that mirrorless point to the future, but they still don’t have the knowledge to put that in their PRO line and their entry-level cameras are doing just fine – they would not want cannibalism, they need something under the D3100.
They understood that there is this sub-entry-level market for interchangeable lens cameras: GF3, E-PM1, NEX-C3, etc. and those people don’t get too much into tech specs and details. They care about price, DSLR-like-IQ, size, weight, design, brand maybe.
If Nikon can delivery some good IQ with a 2.6x crop factor sensor, they won’t really care about the sensor. It’s a safe way to test the technology and try to get into this “new market”. If they can delivery something like 400-500US$ for the kit, they will have an advantage against the 600US$ GF3, NEX-C3, etc. With a smaller sensor you can make smaller lenses which is more compatible with a smaller body than Sony NEX.
But at the same time I’m wondering if this is really to this sub-entry-level market because it will even have a hi-res EVF and both types of AF. And back then, when they started talking about mirrorless cameras, they said that they would create a new market. what does that mean? This sub-entry-level – that wasn’t so clear at the time – or are they trying something really new?
Focusing on video feats can be interesting, I just don’t know what king of focus will they use. Manual controls or effects? AVCHD 2.0? 60p/120p?
It will be compatible with Nikon lenses, but will it use an adapter, will it have AF?
Late August and early September will be full of announcements (Sony, Panasonic, Nikon and Samsung) it will be interesting.
Everything sounds good except the sensor size. I doubt they can match high ISO and DR of m4/3 sensor and that’s what people interested in system cameras pay attention to. Besides, one has to wonder why they even went the interchangeable lens way, because with 2.6x crop sensor they could have made a camera with decent 7-10x fixed zoom in a package not larger than Fuji HS10 for example.
“Compatible with F-mount lenses
Phase and contrast-detect AF”
That would require a mirror, so they release a DSLR with a smaller sensor :D? Sounds like a winner for me.
it would be a step back to go to a mirror, when they are clearly thying to go mirrorless.