August 24, 2011. Nikon may finally give us the launches we have been waiting for. (Edited) Well, I guess not.
| Something like this, maybe? Credit: Denisa Mrackova |
| UPDATES: (24-08-11) DISAPPOINTED!. Heck, even the mirror-less fell through; we just got a bunch of Coolpix, which - as we all know - are not particularly noticeable in comparison with the rest of the P&S crowd, never have been. (18-08-11) Seems like we're getting a mirror-less and a bunch of Coolpix. Who cares? (02-08-2011): Nikon Rumors now says we will probably get a new version of the D3S (D4) plus the nextgen D700 (D800?). Still no rumors on specs, though, which makes me think that this might all be just hype... |
According to Nikon Rumors - generally well informed - Nikon has set a date for mayor press events in various countries: August 24, 2011.
This may very well be Nikon's most anticipated launch date in years, because we might finally get the nextgen Professional and Prosumer cameras many people feel they have been waiting for too long.
Two years have passed since the last update of the Nikon flagship line, which is normal given most manufacturer's historical upgrade cycles.
That is, if you count the D3S as an upgrade, which some of us apparently don't. To these people the last “serious” update was the 24 Mp. D3X in December 2008.
Moreover, Nikon's Prosumer segment is not only behind on its own “habitual” release schedules, but also way behind on those of the competition.
I - and many people like me - feel like we have been waiting forever for a replacement of the D700 FX camera (07-2008) - which was overtaken by the (Canon, Sony) competition less than 3 months later, even if only in specs.
However, after all these years, the camera is still only second in high ISO performance on DxO Mark, slightly behind the D3S, but way ahead of its nearest competitor, the EOS 5D Mk. II.
That said, if some of the rumors are true, we may have to wait some more: until the first half of 2012, possibly, although I'm praying that these particular rumors are false.
Most likely, Nikon will launch the flagship D4, and there is also a lot of speculation about the D400, which is pretty much overdue when considering that the D300S (07-2009) was a minor refresh rather than an update, IMHO.
If you agree with that point of view, it means that we have been waiting for more than 4 years for a real upgrade in Nikon's Prosumer DX line.
If you take a look at Nikon's habitual launch schedules (below), however, you may realize that they have only once launched Pro and Prosumer cameras together - the D3 and the D300 on August 23, 2007 - and that all their previous and posterior models were released at least six months apart.
The other thing we might expect in the next couple of weeks is a refresh of the Coolpix line, and maybe, just maybe, the launch of a Nikon mirror-less (EVIL) camera, even though it appears that those of us who were expecting something with a big(gish) sensor might be disappointed.
Nikon have definitely learned from the D700 launch debacle and are keeping the lid on extremely tight, this time around.
Even though we are only weeks away from the official presentation(s), virtually no specs are floating around just yet.
I'm not sure whether or not Nikon are doing themselves a favor here.
Although it is true that the D700 launch went wrong in every possible way, not giving the rumor machine anything at all to chew on seems like the other extreme.
I suppose I don't have to remind you of how skillfully Apple manages the same machine to create high levels of anticipation before launching almost anything.
Fact is, the "leak" dropper works - at least in Apple marketing...
Anyway, the only thing that appears to be fairly certain is that we may see a new (Sony) 24 Mp. chip appearing in one or more of these cameras.
So, I guess we'll just have to wait a little longer; until August 24 to be precise...
Timeline of Nikon Launches, 1999-2011.
Professional - FX/Full Frame sensor
Nikon D3S: October 14, 2009
Nikon D3X: December 1, 2008
Nikon D3: August 23, 2007
Prosumer - FX/Full Frame sensor
Nikon D700: July 1, 2008
Professional - DX/APS-C sensor
Nikon D2XS: June 1, 2006
Nikon D2HS: February 16, 2005
Nikon D2X: September 16, 2004
Nikon D2H: July 22, 2003
Nikon D1H: February 5, 2001
Nikon D1X: February 5, 2001
Nikon D1: June 15, 1999
Prosumer - DX/APS-C sensor
Nikon D300S: July 30, 2009
Nikon D300: August 23, 2007
Nikon D200: November 1, 2005
Nikon D100: February 21, 2002
Midrange - DX/APS-C sensor
Nikon D7000: September 15, 2010
Nikon D90: August 27, 2008
Nikon D80: August 9, 2006
Nikon D70S: April 20, 2005
Nikon D50: April 20, 2005 (entry-level, but with motor)
Nikon D70: January 28, 2004
Baby Nikon - DX/APS-C sensor - Motorless
Nikon D5100: April 5, 2011
Nikon D3100: August 19, 2010
Nikon D3000: July 30, 2009
Nikon D5000: April 14, 2009
Nikon D60: January 29, 2008
Nikon D40X: March 6, 2007
Nikon D40: November 16, 2006