Nikon mirrorless getting closer, looking good.

Woodyg3

Senior Member
Contributor
I have sort of been following this, more out of interest in the frenzy that it is causing than the actual cameras. I hope they are great and that Nikon makes big sales, I want them to survive as a company. But, I don't foresee a new Nikon body in my bag for quite a while. The D500 and I are a perfect fit for the kind of photography I do.

Anyway, a few random thoughts about the new Nikons, keeping in mind that they haven't even been released yet.

* A high quality adapter to use F-mount lenses will be important, IMO. I hope this has been a priority. Initially, there will be very few lens choices with the new mount. Also, there are a LOT of Nikon DSLR users out there. They will be much more likely to buy in to the new system if they can use their old lenses with no performance penalty.

* The EVF needs to be good, really good. That's one of the things that has put off many DSLR users from mirrorless, and it seems like Sony has made huge progress with their latest models.

* AF needs to be as good or better than current DSLRs. I hope it is.
 

mikew_RIP

Senior Member
I have sort of been following this, more out of interest in the frenzy that it is causing than the actual cameras. I hope they are great and that Nikon makes big sales, I want them to survive as a company. But, I don't foresee a new Nikon body in my bag for quite a while. The D500 and I are a perfect fit for the kind of photography I do.

Anyway, a few random thoughts about the new Nikons, keeping in mind that they haven't even been released yet.

* A high quality adapter to use F-mount lenses will be important, IMO. I hope this has been a priority. Initially, there will be very few lens choices with the new mount. Also, there are a LOT of Nikon DSLR users out there. They will be much more likely to buy in to the new system if they can use their old lenses with no performance penalty.

* The EVF needs to be good, really good. That's one of the things that has put off many DSLR users from mirrorless, and it seems like Sony has made huge progress with their latest models.

* AF needs to be as good or better than current DSLRs. I hope it is.

From my point of view its only a interest in Nikons future from me, for several reasons i will never be buying in.
 

Daz

Senior Member
Just got an email from someone within the company. I am borrowing an 850 next week and asked if I could grab a spare battery and he said that they are all going to the event next week ... That says to me this camera is going to be using the same batteries as in the 850 and the 500, not smaller versions ...
 

mikew_RIP

Senior Member
Latest rumor the adapter will make nearly 400 lenses ( is there 400 Nikon lenses) compatible,it will also be nearly free with the camera.
 

mikew_RIP

Senior Member
From reading so much on the net, a lot of folks seem to have the opinion that Mirrorless = Magical

I think we need to allow for both especially if you want to see Nikon still viable in the future, they are not magical but then again a DSLR isnt, both types have their uses and its up to the consumer to decide which is for them.
A lot of the excitement is because a fair few Nikon users want to go mirrorless but dont want to move to Sony for full frame.
 

Bear Dale

Senior Member
I think we need to allow for both especially if you want to see Nikon still viable in the future, they are not magical but then again a DSLR isnt, both types have their uses and its up to the consumer to decide which is for them.
A lot of the excitement is because a fair few Nikon users want to go mirrorless but dont want to move to Sony for full frame.


Seems like a lot of mirrorless converts seem to become evangelical overnight and become DLSR haters and love shouting out that the 'DSLR dinosaur is dead" etc, I don't understand that and I don't understand getting ones knickers in a knot over what someone else enjoys using in their pursuit of photographic happiness and enjoyment.
 

Texas

Senior Member
I really like my used Nikons, and anything that drives there price down. Just wish the new mirrorless ones would not take the old F mount lenses.
 

Texas

Senior Member
I really like my used Nikons, and anything that drives their price down. Just wish the new mirrorless ones would not take the old F mount lenses.
 

spb_stan

Senior Member
The main advantages Nikon will have over Sony are the 60mm flange mount that really sets it apart from the competition. Sony can't have very fast, low distortion low T-stop lenses with the small E mount, unless they abandon their userbase and change.
An MF style lens is simpler, fewer elements for fast and low distortion. Having a large mount means Nikon can have a fast action camera, studio high res MF body, a general purpose low light camera all sharing the same lenses.
The reported 5-6 axis in body image stabilization further lowers the complexity of lenses which help keep weight and cost down. The 58 f/0.95 will be enough to cause a lot of people to move to Nikon. I will hold out hope for an 85 or 100-135 range prime f/1.2. I would not be so concerned about adaptors, my D800 is not going away.
Another advantage is at the wide end, a large flange is a big help there so landscape and architecture shooters will move from Sony which will always be weak on the wide end.
Other pluses will be ergonomics will be FAR superior over the too small, too imbalanced and too uncomfortable a7r3.
Without much doubt, a Nikon will be built better than an a7 series, which really is cheap in construction, flimsy in fact with tiny plastic connectors, doors and no weather sealing at all. If it did not have all the features gadget lovers crave, but never use, at $2000 for such construction and discomfort would be a joke.

A lot of features of the a7 could be left off and no one but amateurs would mind. Eye tracking or focus peaking are two that are useless as implemented. Peaking is way too broad and ineffective on any aperture wider than f/2.8 and eye tracking assumes every shot is a conventional portrait when it gets it close. Getting the appropriate focal plane is better left to the photographer who has the advantages of knowing what his intended composition is or needs.
Rumors suggest just under 500 focus points. Again, I don't care much as long as it is over a wider area of the VF than current Nikon FF cameras. The D500 has a really good coverage.
Speed of the 24mpx Z6 is rumored to 20fps, and 10 for the Z7 46mpx. We will see in a few days. I never cared much for high frame rates, a lot of frames to examine with hi pixel count cameras.
Is it a Sony fab sensor or TowerJazz? Combining the very efficient backside illuminated tech with FAST lenses and Nikon superior noise and DR track record, these will be the low light kings.
Personally, I think the low light demand has gotten ridiculous....low light IS noisy and has little color information by the nature of light, regardless whether a camera is involved. There is less detail and edge acuity in low light, The colors and contrast is synthesized and not realistic when people try to use the low noise cameras as nightscopes.

In summary, the cameras will be a success if they have only a few things nailed:
FAST lenses
Great ergonomics
Rugged
great IQ
Weather tolerant
Decent battery life
Useful Video
Less than 2500 for the Z6 and less than $3500 for the Z7
Lenses and grip available at release

These items would blow Sony out of the competition.
 

Woodyg3

Senior Member
Contributor
Seems like a lot of mirrorless converts seem to become evangelical overnight and become DLSR haters and love shouting out that the 'DSLR dinosaur is dead" etc, I don't understand that and I don't understand getting ones knickers in a knot over what someone else enjoys using in their pursuit of photographic happiness and enjoyment.

I agree that there is a bit of hysteria for some, and there will always be fan boys who have to feel that their equipment is ten times better than anyone else's. I choose not to "get my knickers in a knot" about those people, either. :)

A few months ago I was talking to a guy who was a long time photographer who had quit for a while, but was getting back into it and wanted to pursue wildlife shooting. He had a Nikon D7100, and lamented the "fact" that he would have to sell that and all his lenses and get a new Sony mirrorless system. A fellow wildlife photographer and I assured him that his D7100 would be fine, and that if he wanted upgrades a lens and maybe a D500 would, in the end, cost less and work out quite well for wildlife. He listened, but we could tell that "the Internet" must be right on this, and that Sony mirrorless was the only way to go. He almost seemed to think there was no real reason to try shooting wildlife with his Nikon, it just wouldn't work in his mind. I wish I could have shown him some pictures I took with my "ancient" 6 MP D70. :)

Well, people are free to spend their money any way they want. I really hope the new Nikons are amazing cameras.
 

pforsell

Senior Member
No need to worry. The F mount is doing well and will be here for quite some time.

One new lens has just been announced and another is rumored to be announced in the next few months.

https://nikonrumors.com/2018/08/20/...ofocus-lens-for-nikon-f-mount-announced.aspx/

https://nikonrumors.com/2018/08/20/...-lens-rumored-to-be-announced-this-year.aspx/

There is no faster or more certain way in the camera industry to go bankrupt in a blink of an eye than abandoning the F-mount. I will add a new mirrorless body at some point in the future, but I will not "convert" my current gear to mirrorless, ever. What I want or will get will be lenses that simply aren't available in F-mount, like the Z-Noct 58mm f/0.95. I do have the AI 58/1.2 Noct and the 58/1.4 NeoNoct-wannabe, but I will sell the latter when I get the Z-Noct-Nikkor. My Nikon SLR and DSLR bodies will keep on clicking for a long time to come. Some will definitely outlast me by a good margin.

About lens adapters... mmm not for me. Native is the way to go. I'll keep my native F-mount collection and when people start panicking and selling good stuff cheaply, I'll buy a lot more. :)
 

Bear Dale

Senior Member
I agree that there is a bit of hysteria for some, and there will always be fan boys who have to feel that their equipment is ten times better than anyone else's. I choose not to "get my knickers in a knot" about those people, either. :)

A few months ago I was talking to a guy who was a long time photographer who had quit for a while, but was getting back into it and wanted to pursue wildlife shooting. He had a Nikon D7100, and lamented the "fact" that he would have to sell that and all his lenses and get a new Sony mirrorless system. A fellow wildlife photographer and I assured him that his D7100 would be fine, and that if he wanted upgrades a lens and maybe a D500 would, in the end, cost less and work out quite well for wildlife. He listened, but we could tell that "the Internet" must be right on this, and that Sony mirrorless was the only way to go. He almost seemed to think there was no real reason to try shooting wildlife with his Nikon, it just wouldn't work in his mind. I wish I could have shown him some pictures I took with my "ancient" 6 MP D70. :)

Well, people are free to spend their money any way they want. I really hope the new Nikons are amazing cameras.

I used a friends Canon 5D on the weekend, a body that was released in 2005. The IQ is wonderful, if for some reason that was the only cam that I was able to own, I'd be happy with it.
Another friend amazes me with the macro's he takes with his D90, I mentioned to him about mirrorless camera's and he said "What's a mirrorless camera"? with a very puzzled frown. Yes, he spends his time shooting pics and not gear lusting!


I really hope the new Nikons are amazing cameras

Hear hear.
 
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