New Nikon DSLR D70

Nikon announces development of D70 digital camera

http://www.steves-digicams.com/pr/nikon_12032003_d70_pr.html

James, couldn’t figure out how you edit the title to read DSLR ?

Marc

Size-wise it looks very similar to the D100. Maybe it will squeese into existing D100 housings?

Good new. I hope a little competition will force Canon to put the missing features back in the DR in a firmware update.

Looks like the rumours I mentioned in another thread were fairly close to the mark.

No mention of TTL compatibility. Will be interesting to see if D-TTL continues, or if there'll be i-TTL or just true TTL.

Will be also interesting to see what housing developments will occur, and if there will be any compatibility with the D100 base.

It appears Nikon preannounced this to discourage 300D sales during the holidays. I would prefer they compete on merit instead.

It sure looks like a 300D "me-too". I'd expect a D100 with features removed so a new sensor would surprise me. I believe true TTL is out of the question.

Perhaps they will introduce the D100 replacement, discontinue the D100, and deliver the D70 at the same time. Then the repackaging wouldn't look so bad.

Wonder what the new DX lens will be and if its development had anything to do with the 17-55 DX delay.

I agree with Craig, this looks like a Nikon version of the DReb. Stripped down from the D100, announced many months before it will be available so that they don't lose as many people to Canon over the holidays.

Good to see SOMETHING competitive come out of Nikon though.

With the DRebel package priced - with lens - at $999 US I don't see the Nikon as competitive for first time buyers (those without $$$ of Nikon lenses, like most of us).

I've had many people ask my advice re topside digital cameras this "holiday shopping season." Seems to be the hot item. I generally suggest they consider the DReb if they think they may want to do more than point and shoot. Digital SLR and lens for under $1000...

Too Much, Too Late, Nikon

Regards,

What a disappointment.

If Nikon is going to just strip off some features and put the D100 guts into a cheaper body, why didn't they get off their butts and do it sooner? Heck, I bet by the time the D70 hits stores, Canon will announce yet another camera and then start delivering it 30 days later....

I wouldn't consider this camera 'competition' to the 300D as it won't even be available until "spring 2004" which in Nikonese means June at the soonest. By that time, Canon will have sold most of the D-Rebels it plans to sell and moved on to the next thing.

On a positive side though, Nikon can move forward with this camera and make it better than the D100 by using their new lbcast sensor and other improvements, such as USB2.0 and improved speed... We'll see though.

And the announced price - I think it's a bit too high at $999 for just the body. For that price, Nikon needs to deliver a camera kit complete with software, camera/battery/charger, and a nice 17-55 f3.5 DX lens.

I don't see this announcement "scaring" anyone out of buying a Canon camera either, as the market is mostly for people who are upgrading from a prosumer point and shoot to a DSLR. Those folks aren't going to be doing their Christmas shopping and say "No, I think I'll wait 6 months and get a Nikon, since Nikon is a technically superior company." LOL

Cheers

James

How about using this as a backup? Anyone with Nikon glass interested from that point of view?

Hmm...well, it would make a tolerable backup for abovewater shooting, but I bet that it won't work in the existing D100 housings. Well, let me modify that - you might be able to take a photo with it in a D100 housing, but I doubt most of the buttons will be available. As long as the shutter and main and sub command dials work though...

I don't know, I'd probably spend the extra $600 to get a second D100 if I really felt I need a backup.

Cheers

James

Nothin' like a bit of competition. Now if only the UW housing manufacturers could do the same. If the camera is available in Spring 04 then may be UW housing by winter 04 or next Christmas. That's just a year away.... Don't think many of us going from P&S digi cams to DSLR could wait that long. What if Canon does a stripped down and repackaged 1D by then......that would really send the market into a spin.

Nice thought though......

That's about what I was thinking. Probably wouldn't make a great UW backup since it won't fit perfectly in the housings. I went through the same thought process on the Digital Rebel, i.e. wouldn't be bad for topside, wouldn't be a "backup" for UW, and I'd probably just buy the 10d instead of the DR.

The biggest reason I'd personally like a backup is that I'd like to be able to leave my housing setup and grab another camera for shooting topside occasionally. No real need for it to be exactly the same, as I'm not doing any 'mission critical' shooting UW.

All that said, I'm waiting for the next Canon, i.e. a 3d / 1d? / whatever to come out before I buy another camera. If I bought the 10d or 1d now, I'd be kicking myself in 3 months when the camera I really want comes out.

As another side note, there's an interesting thread at dpreview that talks about a Nikon "F6" that's in development. Read it here. Paul Pope generally has credible information and gets early previews of many of the cams. The most interesting concept of this supposed F6 is an interchangeable back that takes either film or digital. The cool thing would be that you could have multiple sensors in different backs, i.e. a high-speed lower MP or a FF lower speed back or a simple 35mm back. Give me a Canon version of that and I'm in heaven.

Heh, I was thinking along the same lines at you Tom RE: what are the "in the know" folks thinking and saying.

Thom Hogan think the D70 will be based on the N75 film camera. Here's Thom's review of the N75:

http://www.bythom.com/n75.htm

It does look VERY similar:

N75 (imagine black):

D70:

The controls are in the same place - it just remains to be seen what Nikon does w/ the back.

Cheers

James

James where is there information to read on this "lbcast sensor "?

I was interested in reading about the lbcast sensor as well and this is what I found

http://www.nikon.co.jp/main/eng/society/tec-rep/lbcast.htm

Well, I guess I am the market for these cameras...semipro shooter, wanting to move up off a film camera.

Good to see competition, although sure a premature announcement, not many features listed, etc.

I am going to be selling my MMII and going with a dSLR, but doubt I'll wait until next DEMA to find a housing for this one.

What does tempt me is the large base of lenses available for it.

I'm still not clear what lenses/ports I'd need for the Cannon 300d, has Ike released his housing yet? I sure hope they moved the location of the strobe port off the back faceplate...but I digress.

Looks nice, but as an active buyer, I'm not probably going to wait.

Jack

Jack:

I don't think Ikelite has complete a port and lens/diopter list for that housing yet. They will probably have to do some dives/and/or pool tests with the camera and lenses before that can happen. Read Dave Hass's review though - he dove the stock lens that comes w/ the kit (18-55 x 1.6x crop) using a dome port.

No, Ikelite has not moved the strobe bulkhead off of the back of the housing...

A good starter port set for the Ike housing would be (IMO) a flat port for the 50 or 100mm macro, the extended dome for the zoom and the 15mm fisheye.

Aquatica sent me their press release and photos of their aluminum housing for the 300d, but I haven't posted them on Wetpixel yet. It looks very impressive.

Cheers

James

Will you be posting it soon?

Inquiring minds want to know

ps Jack sold my MMIIEX last month on ebay with the same thoughts in mind.

Sure Todd, I already sent the photos to Herb, Craig, and Eric...:-)

Heck, we already got "scooped" by Ryan the other board so you can just go see the pix there... That's what I get for taking the night off to work on my GF's computer...:-/

Cheers

James

Damn competitive market.

Excellent I'll give it a read.