Like Paul (aka Tracer99 on Flickr), I am also a gear head when it comes to photography. Though not as much of one as he is :)
Anyways, here are the latest rumors in the Nikon/F-mount arena.
Possible D3 body in Photokina. A LBCAST-based D3H is rumored and a full-frame Nikon (as if I haven’t heard that before). Unless the new entrants have exceptionally good high ISO performance, I’ll be intrigued, but not overly excited. Turns out that I do a lot more low-light, no-tripod photographing than I expected… It would be nice to see a D70 successor and some mitigation of Nikon’s supply woes, but nary a peep on those two fronts. Supposedly a Fuji S4 is coming out too. I’d be real, real happy to see a Fuji SuperCCD sensor in a Nikon, but again, wishful thinking.
On the Olympus front, an E-3 is rumored to be displayed at Photokina, and there are some (mild) stirrings of another consumer-level body. We’ll see what happens.
Finally, Sony’s Alpha DSLR system (K-M mount) will make its debut there as well.
Hey Allen! I don’t know whether this comment will bump to the top or whether you monitor a status page in WordPress but here goes.
Regarding your comment about low-light no-tripod photography … I’ve been wondering the exact same thing. What’s the best camera for that purpose in the same $1000CDN class as the D70?
Because when it comes down to it, the major annoyances I have with my Canon S410 boil down to:
1) Not fast enough frame-rate (Any SLR beats a P&S)
2) Not wide-angle (Really love your panoramic shots. Any SLR, just get the appropriate lens.)
3) No short DoF (Gotta have that for your portraits. Any SLR can do it.)
And now the more problematic ones:
4) Blurry handheld shots…(I’ve improved in technique and have had better success with tripods…sometimes a 400 ISOs sure would be handy though….)
5) Blurry NIGHTTIME handheld shots…(The bane of my existence…impossible to do well. Really requires a tripod.)
The questions:
1) Given the emphasis on handheld nighttime shots, is the D70 Kit best in it’s class or is there another unit that might serves those needs better? Or is it really only made easier with a much more expensive SLR?
2) Are there Image Stabilizer lens for the D70 that might help? (Prohibitively expensive?…probably…) Might a completely different SLR be more appropriate?
3) Given what you know now, would you still go D70?
Surprisingly enough, you’ve caught me:
a) While I’m online
b) While I’m online with my email client open
c) While I’m online with my email client open in another province ;)
I guess one question I have to ask is – how “night-time” is night time for you? Are you trying to do PJ shots? Or more still-image shots? If it’s the latter, a sturdy tripod and a lot ISO will work out. If it’s the former, you need a lens with a really wide aperture and a body with a fairly high ISO.
Your body recommendation is much harder. First off, rumors are coming out that the D70 will be replaced with a D80 (or something) at Photokina. So, you’re probably best off waiting. But, I don’t think that camera will be priced at a grand or less _with lens_. If it’s replacing the D70, a grand without lenses. Maybe we should talk a bit via email?