improvements to cameras-wishlist

been thinking about this for many years now. just wondering how much more improvements do cameras need. the goal is to get features of a D4s trickling down into cheaper cameras. look at the D600. it has the same IQ as a D3X. yes it takes time. but for instance the D4s can shoot at 20000 without an issue and 12 fps. where elses can it improve?

the thing Id like most is to pass the D600 D3 iso limit of 6400 for an acceptable image. basically a D3s in a D4. My D3 went in for repair 2 weeks ago and used my friends D3S and man what a treat that camera is.I was shooting the dance floor all night at iso 8000. usually im running 4-5000 with off cameras flashes running 1/32. man it was something else. grain is minimal. you D3s/D4/D4s have it good. I have to say im a bit spoiled. when I was shooting film we used iso 200 on the dance floor and I couldnt wait when I pulled out a few rolls of superia 1600 for low light shots. 1600 film looks worse than iso 6400 in a D3. what an amazing feat.

I would like to see better AF. better accuracy/sensitivity. but truthfully, at times im in shock how basically in no light, the camera will focus when I cant see anything in the finder.

but where I think cameras are very behind is metering. camera and flash. accuracy is no where as good as it could be. people accept what there is and say, well my flash is great and the camera meters just fine. it doesnt. I shoot in constantly changing light and it doesnt. I can shoot 4 frames of a group shot, standing in the same place and the exposre will be different for each. and its happened many times, that I shoot in manual mode (no flash) shoot 3-4 images and 2 of the 4 are not the same exposure.

no matter how much you go back and look at past camera models and till now, its still the same. place a bride with a white dress in the frame and it will underexpose. put a groom in the frame with a black tux and it will overexpose. you say, well thats the light meter. because its reflective. well if they can make a camera shoot at 20000 iso with almost no noise and 12 FPS im POSITIVE they can do it. when they launched the F5 they boasted how the 3d matrix COLOR metering has 36000 (or something like that) different lighting patterns inside and can perfectly meter any scene. well no. its still the same today. backlit images come out underexposed and when I shoot a wedding outdoors, the EC button is working overtime. the flash is not accurate and needs to be fixed. its nothing better than an old SB28 did when i was shooting with the F5. the TTL BL is a bit better but it will underexpose when there is a strong ambient light in the background. I use TTL and TTL BL.

and what about the damn rubbers on the cameras and lenses? will this never end? since the N90s and till today they havent fixed the rubber coming off.

video is where Nikon is clearly behind. the DSLR wedding videographers market is dominated by canon. well they are a video camera company and nikon is not. I was shooting video in a wedding about 2 weeks ago and on the screen, it looks more 720p in a 1920x1080 fraame. very soft. used the 35 f/2 at f/11 mostly.

whats your wishlist of features?

this is not a rant, but just wondering what direction nikon is going and assessing what their weak points are.

Features cost money. Putting the features found on the D3s in a D5300 would make the 5300 cost allot more. Most people who buy a D3200 don't know anything about it before buying. So why would Nikon pack an entry level camera with features most people won't use or want? Not sure what you mean about the rubbers. I don't have a problem with any of mine. I guess it depends on how you treat your gear. Not saying your not careful but people treat things differently.

I wish most camera's features would just go away. At least much of the firmware stuff. Things like Scene Modes and the entire gamut of the Retouch menu are totally useless to me.

I'd replace them with:

1. Ability to create and name files directories. No more of this 101, 102, 103 etc. crap. I ain't no mathematician. I use words, not numbers. Let me name them with the King's English.

2. More User Modes. U1 and U2 are nice, and handy on the Mode dial. But U3 through U20 accessible through a menu has more value to me than Scene modes.
3. C'mon.... 3 frames for bracketing? Just a measly three? Gimme at least 9. It won't kill you, and I promise I won't either.

4. Remember the old days, when shooting Tri-X meant you got the shot,.... but it was crap? Yeah, it worked for the paper or yearbook. But if you wanted IQ, you shot ASA 50 max. I know we dreamt of shooting 4-digit film speed back then, but ISO 5 still has viability these days. 6-digit ISO capability is nice, but gimme a prosumer-grade body with ISO 5-400.

5. Integration (re; wireless) with other gear would be nice. Such as: setting exposure with a handheld meter (reflection, incident, spot.. I don't care!) and having the camera 'read' the meter and set the exposure to that. Damn, wouldn't that be nice?

6. I know I'm going out on a limb here, but I'd love to see built-in QR plates. No, not permanent, but something so the QR plates don't stick out like the add-on plates they are today.

7. Every body that's 'above' the D5300 should have a VF shutter. Period. Yes, even the D7100 should have it.

I have to say that when writing this I completely forgot about DX. my mind is in the FF arena. what I would like to see is a D620 with D3s hi iso performance. I dont think they can get D3s low iso performance in a dx camera but I could be wrong. thats just my personal opinion. I dont think the tech is there. of course im talking about trickling hi end features into the next camera down and thats how nikon has been doing it. trickling the high iso from a D3s into a D5300 is quite a few levels down.

D5300 is out. so you must be talking about the d5400.

regarding rubbers, no, it has nothing to do with how you treat your gear. its a known problem with nikon since the N90. my F5's when they were new. my F100 as well and so on and so one. this is nothing new. lenses just as much. stretching out and being loose & worn out prematurely. treating the gear carefully is not the issue.

No particular order:
1. Better top lcd with LARGER print & icons. Possibly programmable so the user could select which info to display.
2. Best weatherproofing more models.
3. On-camera flash with more features; diffuseable, able to adjust angle, etc.
4. Changeable grip panels to accommodate different size hands.