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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Nikonians, D4 bodies, and the waiting game
Paul Hayes, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Littleton | NH | USA | Posted: 6:29 PM on 06.25.11 |
->> Hey everyone. Looking at camera bodies. Wondered what your opinions were on buying a D3 versus waiting for the D4. With the understanding that I'm in no rush to buy.
Are any of you in the same boat? What are your plans? Planning to plunk down $5K+ on the D4 or waiting for the price on the D3 to drop when it becomes old generation equipment.
And any insight into exactly WHEN the D4 will drop? |
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Keith Coward, Photographer
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Charlotte | NC | USA | Posted: 7:41 PM on 06.25.11 |
->> Nikonrumors.com and a couple of other Nikon forums I follow seem to expect a release date 4th qtr of 2011, or 1st of 2012. Obviously the disasters in Japan pushed everything back.
I also doubt there is enough inventory of D3 or D3s left for us to expect much of a price drop when the D4 is finally intro'd. Used D3s with low mileage are almost bringing original msrp.
And if they move up in MP as is anticipated and likely, we'll have to upgrade memory cards, RAM, and everything else just to keep up.
I plan on sticking with the D3s for awhile. 12MP is fine for what I shoot, and any video enhancements don't interest me too much. |
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Chuck Steenburgh, Photographer
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Lexington | VA | USA | Posted: 9:31 PM on 06.25.11 |
| ->> If Nikon is true to form, just prior to or at the same time as the D4, they will release a D400 that will essentially be as good as or better than the D3/D3s and will cost under $2000. They know to undercut the used market - after all, they don't make any money from those used sales. |
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Rodrigo Pena, Photographer
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Beaumont | CA | USA | Posted: 3:07 AM on 06.26.11 |
| ->> I'm curious to see whether the rumor of the D4 camera selling for $10,000 to $15,000 will be true. If that's the case, I might have to think real hard about the D4 to see if the video is that important to me. The rumors say that the AF and the high ISO performance should be really great. An example is 6400 ISO looking like 400 ISO. That's SWEET!!!! |
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Michael Fischer, Photographer
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Spencer | Ia | USA | Posted: 9:09 PM on 06.26.11 |
->> Glad you posted your comments, Rodrigo. I'm not sure I care a whole lot about the video and higher megapixel, but if the ISO performance is vastly improved, then I'm totally in.
Chuck, I would tell anyone interested that the build quality is the difference in price between a D3 or D3s and a D400 type camera.
Michael |
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Keith Coward, Photographer
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Charlotte | NC | USA | Posted: 9:30 PM on 06.26.11 |
->> The D300, D300s replacement being referred to here as a D400 will also be a crop body vs a full frame body in the D3, D3s, D4.
In previous models, Nikon hasn't been able to get the same high ISO performance out of their crop bodies as they have from their full frame bodies. That makes most of us use the full frame body, even when a crop body would give us more reach.
If the Nikon D300s replacement, aka D400, can have usable images at ISO 3200 or even less, then a lot of pro and collegiate sports shooters will be fine with the cheaper body. And the way the technology has been advancing, this is very likely. Obviously, it wouldn't have all of the PRO features, but for $1000's less it may not matter.
...especially given the wholesale pricing markets we're operating in.
Now..the high school shooters like me, will get to keep using the higher priced bodies. Yeah boy, us high school shooters are the ones making the BIG bucks. |
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Keith Coward, Photographer
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