Nikon D800 36mp $4,000 rumor

jpc · October 3, 2011

http://nikonrumors.com/2011/10/03/the-name-will-be-nikon-d800-the-sensor-will-be-36mp-99-probability.aspx/comment-page-3/#comment-167118

Hmmm.... I wonder what could live in the massive hole they've now created, beneath the $4,000 D800.

Could it be......

AN ENTRY-LEVEL FF D400 FOR $2700.00, PERHAPS?!?!?!?!?

HA!

Matthew Saville · October 3, 2011

jpc wrote: »

http://nikonrumors.com/2011/10/03/the-name-will-be-nikon-d800-the-sensor-will-be-36mp-99-probability.aspx/comment-page-3/#comment-167118

Hmmm.... I wonder what could live in the massive hole they've now created, beneath the $4,000 D800.

Could it be......

AN ENTRY-LEVEL FF D400 FOR $2700.00, PERHAPS?!?!?!?!?

HA!

Oh dear, please no! Gimme a 16 megapixel "D4 lite" any day, over this rumored monstrosity. As long as it has dual card slots and great ISO, it's my next wedding workhorse...

=Matt=

Foques · October 3, 2011

well, looks like i'll be renting a d700 for a while.. I am not springing 4K for a new camera right now

maybe d3s will get cheaper... hmmm..

borrowlenses.com · October 3, 2011

Wow, was not expecting this news about the D800. Sounds like an amazing camera for landscape and studio photographers.

jpc · October 3, 2011

Matthew Saville wrote: »

Oh dear, please no! Gimme a 16 megapixel "D4 lite" any day, over this rumored monstrosity. As long as it has dual card slots and great ISO, it's my next wedding workhorse...

=Matt=

I agree. I still think D400 has great potential as a second FF body along side my D700. D800 will NOT be it!

ThatCanonGuy · October 3, 2011

This will NOT be the only FF DSLR below the D4, trust me. They will not abandon the huge market for a low-light D700-type FF camera. The D400 may be FF, or maybe they will keep the D400 APS-C and make a new product in between the two.

jpc · October 3, 2011

ThatCanonGuy wrote: »

The D400 may be FF....

And another sees the light...

NeilL · October 3, 2011

It's right in line with my prediction that Nikon and Canon will develop a range of gear in direct competition with MF!

Neil

Wayupthere · October 3, 2011

Well this is exactly what I was afraid of when I pulled the trigger on the 700 last week..

. But then again I still don't have a grasp of 20% of the settings yet..so a little early to say much from me

In fact I logged on to post some pictures and ask some basic questions when I seen this

Gary

NeilL · October 4, 2011

Wayupthere wrote: »

Well this is exactly what I was afraid of when I pulled the trigger on the 700 last week... But then again I still don't have a grasp of 20% of the settings yet..so a little early to say much from me
In fact I logged on to post some pictures and ask some basic questions when I seen this
Gary

You are sitting pretty with the D700, no need to look what's on the next hill!

Neil

thegridrunner · October 4, 2011

Nikon D800??? Are the rumors true?
All of a sudden, numerous websites are reporting the update to the D700. Nikon rumors mentioned that the camera will use a 36mp sensor.

36mp seems a bit high, I will probably set the camera to shoot at 18mp for most of my shooting. I hope this is true, I've been waiting for an update of the D700 for awhile now. I just hope the sensor can shoot in 1080p 24fps as well as 30fps, otherwise this is a deal breaker.
What do you guys think?

http://nikonrumors.com/2011/10/03/the-name-will-be-nikon-d800-the-sensor-will-be-36mp-99-probability.aspx/

http://www.techindustriya.com/2011/10/04/nikon-d800-to-get-36mp-sensor-available-next-month/

http://gizmodo.com/36mp/

Matthew Saville · October 4, 2011

NeilL wrote: »

It's right in line with my prediction that Nikon and Canon will develop a range of gear in direct competition with MF!

Neil

I know, right? I remember back in school when we got to play around with 6 megapixel medium format backs, and then 16 megapixel backs. ...Now, 36 megapixels in a DSLR? Good grief, I dunno if there are more than a half-dozen lenses in the lineup that can resolve that much!

=Matt=

Matthew Saville · October 4, 2011

ThatCanonGuy wrote: »

This will NOT be the only FF DSLR below the D4, trust me. They will not abandon the huge market for a low-light D700-type FF camera. The D400 may be FF, or maybe they will keep the D400 APS-C and make a new product in between the two.

I'm betting:

D400 stays DX, but if the D800 does cost $4K then there WILL be a ~$2K FX alternative, for sure.

Honestly though, I'm not really happy about that idea. Partly because of the fear that they'll simply make an FX version of the D7000, and to me that is un-acceptable for professional use. I need my near-flagship controls and functions of the D700 / D300.

So, personally I'm hoping that this rumor is wrong. If you ask me, the status quo would be:

Any day now, we see a 16 megapixel D4. Then, within a year, we see a D800 with the same sensor. THEN, later on, we see a D4X with the 36 megapixel sensor. If you ask me, that's the most likely path.

=Matt=

NeilL · October 4, 2011

Matthew Saville wrote: »

I know, right? I remember back in school when we got to play around with 6 megapixel medium format backs, and then 16 megapixel backs. ...Now, 36 megapixels in a DSLR? Good grief, I dunno if there are more than a half-dozen lenses in the lineup that can resolve that much!

=Matt=

Neil

ThatCanonGuy · October 4, 2011

I think that there will be another FF camera below this $4000 mini-D3x. This camera is nothing like the D700, which is huge in the market because of its fast low-light FF capabilities. Nikon won't abandon that market. I'm guessing that Canon will enter it too.

Wayupthere · October 4, 2011

You are sitting pretty with the D700, no need to look what's on the next hill!

Neil

Neil,
You are right there. My thinking was that if (when) they come up with something that I really want later I will just add to the collection. The 700 is a proven entity, so no regrets there.
Would be nice to at least have the packing put up before the announcement though.:D
Gary

jpc · October 4, 2011

Matthew Saville wrote: »

I'm betting:

D400 stays DX, but if the D800 does cost $4K then there WILL be a ~$2K FX alternative, for sure.

Honestly though, I'm not really happy about that idea. Partly because of the fear that they'll simply make an FX version of the D7000, and to me that is un-acceptable for professional use. I need my near-flagship controls and functions of the D700 / D300.

So, personally I'm hoping that this rumor is wrong. If you ask me, the status quo would be:

Any day now, we see a 16 megapixel D4. Then, within a year, we see a D800 with the same sensor. THEN, later on, we see a D4X with the 36 megapixel sensor. If you ask me, that's the most likely path.

=Matt=

Matt, you have nothing to fear, here. Why on earth would Nikon release a $2500 D7000? That's obviously not what the D700 market wants. The D800 has created a space in the lineup exactly where D700 lives now. There is simply no way that a FF camera with the feature set of the D7000 will fill that void.

I'll say it again, just so I'm super-double-secret-officially on record: The D400 will be FF and it will be of the same caliber as D300/D700, $2500, with better performance than D700, AF-ON and all of the other pro features that we love. With any luck, they'll also see fit to replace the rediculous QUAL button with BRKT!

If I'm wrong... oh wait, I'm not

ziggy53 · October 4, 2011

I created a singular thread for all of these Nikon D800 rumors. Carry on.

Zerodog · October 4, 2011

36mega pixels? That is a really big file.

MGRPhoto · October 4, 2011

So the D800 rumored has a small audience. Studio and landscapers are really the only target here and very few of them will drop that much $$ on this thing. The interesting point from this though is the 2nd mystery body that is supposed to be announced around the same time. The D400 being FF is an interesting concept. The only way this could make everyone happy is it if had enough resolution in FX mode to keep 12mp in DX mode.... now I don't believe it's a linear scale but what does the 12mp DX pixel density equate to in FX?

I guess a better way to ask that question is.... what is the DX pixel density equivalent of 36mp FX? If it's between 12 and 16mp then I could see the D400 being the body to end all bodies.

Qarik · October 4, 2011

bahh..I don't like it!

zoomer · October 4, 2011

I just want a D3s sensor in a d700 sized camera with dual slots. Don't need more megapixels, don't care about movies.

jpc · October 4, 2011

You might just have described the D400, Zoomer, but I'll bet it's still more than 12 mp.

Matthew Saville · October 4, 2011

jpc wrote: »

You might just have described the D400, Zoomer, but I'll bet it's still more than 12 mp.

I just don't see how a camera better than the D700 can be given a numerical title far below. Historically speaking, this has never happened. When Nikon made the D70, the D40, D50 and D60 were all lesser cameras in one way or another. (Namely, the lack of dual command dials and an AF motor)

I can totally agree that a gap is growing in the lineup, especially with cameras like the $1999 Sony A850 being out there. I can also envision a "D7000 with a full-frame sensor", in that price range. But as we discussed previously, I don't see Nikon abandoning the semi-pro body format for DX altogether, and changing the 3-digit lineup wholly to the FX format.

=Matt=

cab.in.boston · October 4, 2011

MGRPhoto wrote: »

(snip) I don't believe it's a linear scale but what does the 12mp DX pixel density equate to in FX?

I guess a better way to ask that question is.... what is the DX pixel density equivalent of 36mp FX? If it's between 12 and 16mp then I could see the D400 being the body to end all bodies.

Yes, it is linear. DX is roughly 44% of an FX sensor. 36mmx24mm = 864mm^2 for FX. 24*16 = 384 for DX. 384/864 = 0.4444444...

Basically chop out the middle of the FX sensor and you have the size required for the DX image circle. So yeah, 36MP is basically spot on for an FX sensor with equivalent pixel density to a 16MP DX sensor.

Matthew Saville · October 4, 2011

cab.in.boston wrote: »

Yes, it is linear. DX is roughly 44% of an FX sensor. 36mmx24mm = 864mm^2 for FX. 24*16 = 384 for DX. 384/864 = 0.4444444...

Basically chop out the middle of the FX sensor and you have the size required for the DX image circle. So yeah, 36MP is basically spot on for an FX sensor with equivalent pixel density to a 16MP DX sensor.

So basically, 36 megapixels full-frame would give us roughly the ISO and per-pixel resolving power of the D7000's sensor, just in a larger format.

All I can say is, the EXPEED 3 image processor had better have quite a leap and a bound in it as far as ISO noise reduction goes, or I won't be buying a 36 MP D800 if it's got roughly the ISO performance of the D7000.

If you ask me, the current D800 spec (rumors) are not plausible because in Nikon's eyes, too many sales will be forfeited to used D3s's and D700's.

So, once again, I'm predicting what I've always predicted- a 16 MP D4, with a 16 MP D800 following inside of a year. Nikon will save 36 megapixels for the D4X, or D800X. To go from 12 to 36 is just far too great of a jump, historically speaking.

=Matt=

ThatCanonGuy · October 4, 2011

Matthew Saville wrote:

So, once again, I'm predicting what I've always predicted- a 16 MP D4, with a 16 MP D800 following inside of a year. Nikon will save 36 megapixels for the D4X, or D800X. To go from 12 to 36 is just far too great of a jump, historically speaking.

I think this rumor is about the D800x. It may be called the D800, and then the other would be called the D800s or something....

Or maybe the other FF camera will be called the D400. There are really a lot of possible options.

Matthew Saville · October 4, 2011

ThatCanonGuy wrote: »

I think this rumor is about the D800x. It may be called the D800, and then the other would be called the D800s or something....

Or maybe the other FF camera will be called the D400. There are really a lot of possible options.

The D800X / D800s idea is definitely something I've considered, but one thing doesn't make sense to me: The "s" version of a camera has always been a simple improvement of software and functionality, NOT a totally new sensor. I guess the sensor was slightly improved in the D3s, but it was the same megapixels, the same foundation as the D3. So, maybe we'll see a D800h or something? I know that is even less likely, but you know what I mean. Bottom line- I just don't see how they'll go that high in resolution in a mid-range, semi-pro DSLR body. The flagship *always* comes first when they're releasing a totally new sensor.

=Matt=

MGRPhoto · October 4, 2011

ThatCanonGuy wrote: »

I think this rumor is about the D800x. It may be called the D800, and then the other would be called the D800s or something....

Or maybe the other FF camera will be called the D400. There are really a lot of possible options.

Unless Nikon changes what X stands for then it won't be called D800x. X is a designation of an increase in megapixels from the body's original sensor. So there can't be an increase of a body with no original.

Matthew Saville · October 5, 2011

MGRPhoto wrote: »

Unless Nikon changes what X stands for then it won't be called D800x. X is a designation of an increase in megapixels from the body's original sensor. So there can't be an increase of a body with no original.

I think what he means is that this rumor is somehow backwards or in-accurate, and that 36 megapixels belongs in an "X" body, generally speaking.

We certainly won't be seeing a D800X before a D800, or before a D4 / D4X for that matter in my opinion.

MGRPhoto · October 5, 2011

Matthew Saville wrote: »

I think what he means is that this rumor is somehow backwards or in-accurate, and that 36 megapixels belongs in an "X" body, generally speaking.

We certainly won't be seeing a D800X before a D800, or before a D4 / D4X for that matter in my opinion.

Keep in mind X doesn't mean lots of megapixels. It means more than the original. D40x for example. Definitely not a high mp count. Just more than the original.

As people have stated around the web, this is most likely a new market for Nikon. It's not a replacement for the D700 nor is it a small D3x. Just like the 5DII lands somewhere between the D700 and D3x it would seem this new body fill that gap in Nikon's own lineup.

There have been additions to this rumor that would indicate a D700s is in the near future as well.

It's possible that the rumor is not true but there are apparently some very good sources that have provided this information. As in people that have them in hand.

Nikon D800 36mp $4,000 rumor

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