Nikon Announces Development of Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera

Megalith

Megalith

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Nikon’s full-frame mirrorless camera is no longer a rumor: the company has officially announced its development with a new microsite and teaser video. While the camera has been built around a brand-new lens mount, an F-mount adapter will be available for compatibility with existing Nikon DSLR lenses.

Nikon is also making it clear that its existing DSLR business isn’t going anywhere. “Soon, Nikon users will have two industry-leading camera systems to choose from, giving consumers the choice to enjoy the unique values that each system offers,” Nikon says. The official unveiling of the camera, including features, specs, and pricing, will be at a later date.
 
It's only a matter of time before the elimination of points of failure removes the mirror from all camera bodies. Moving parts are points of failure, the only barriers are the resolution and the frame rate of what you see on the back of the camera or in the eyepiece.

If you can get 100+fps at 1080p in the eyepiece the mirror becomes more of a hindrance than a boon.
 
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I'm going to miss the sound of the mirror .

Not for decades though, since the current DSLR models are very, very nice.
 
If the rumored prices of $3k for the lower MP unit and $4k for the higher MP camera are true this is dead on arrival. Sony will still be dominating the mirror-less market.
 
Neato. So I'll look forward to getting a camera with this technology in perhaps 4-5 years or so...
 
Pretty video. Too bad it says jack-diddly-shit about the camera. Useless waste of bits.
 
Twisted Kidney said:
It's only a matter of time before the elimination of points of failure removes the mirror from all camera bodies. Moving parts are points of failure, the only barriers are the resolution and the frame rate of what you see on the back of the camera or in the eyepiece.

If you can get 100+fps at 1080p in the eyepiece the mirror becomes more of a hindrance than a boon.
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Given that nikon still sells 2 film bodies, I'm going to go out on a limb and say they'll still be making DSLRs in the 2030s.
I've got 2 DSLRs and I'm interested to see reviews of the various mirrorless units they release (Thom Hogan wrote that their are 2 full frame and 2 crop bodies coming), but for me this will be a wait and see. The one positive is that it will be compatible with F-Mount lenses, which will help get some people to give it a try, since they dont' have to buy new glass to use it.
DyNamiC. said:
If the rumored prices of $3k for the lower MP unit and $4k for the higher MP camera are true this is dead on arrival. Sony will still be dominating the mirror-less market.
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We'll see, but those prices are not out of line for prosumer bodies. I'll add that 4k was the price people expected for the d850 and it's 3300. My guess is that there will be a version that doesn't come with the F mount adapter and a more expensive package that has it and will cost more. If you use Nikon glass, the odds a cheaper sony body isn't going to affect your decision making process.
 
nilepez said:
Given that nikon still sells 2 film bodies, I'm going to go out on a limb and say they'll still be making DSLRs in the 2030s.
I've got 2 DSLRs and I'm interested to see reviews of the various mirrorless units they release (Thom Hogan wrote that their are 2 full frame and 2 crop bodies coming), but for me this will be a wait and see. The one positive is that it will be compatible with F-Mount lenses, which will help get some people to give it a try, since they dont' have to buy new glass to use it.
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It's NIKON, they'll still be making a film camera in the 2030s.
 
DyNamiC. said:
If the rumored prices of $3k for the lower MP unit and $4k for the higher MP camera are true this is dead on arrival. Sony will still be dominating the mirror-less market.
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I think you underestimate how dedicated nikon fans are. Especially if they already have a huge variety of lenses where most of the money is tied up anyhow.
 
Dekoth-E- said:
I think you underestimate how dedicated nikon fans are. Especially if they already have a huge variety of lenses where most of the money is tied up anyhow.
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Biggest problem is that even with their, Nikon will not survive- they must have converts, either from other brands or as initiates.

They also have zero ecosystem support for these. While Canon's mirrorless cameras aren't great, their technology is, and the ecosystem around EOS-M is at least non-zero.

I'm glad Nikon is making noise about full-frame mirrorless first and I hope they release first, as they're going to need the head start!
 
From what I've rad and watched from the various photo news websites and peeps on youtube, alot of rumor says Nikon dropped the announcement to slow the exodus of Nikon shooters going to Sony. If that's the case, that's a good strategy on their part, even if the actual release is still some time away.

At least they put something news-wise out there so the Nikon faithful know something is coming. Canon only has the EOS-M (which is a crop sensor, I have the M1 and M3) and there are rumors that beta Canon mirrorless FF bodies are out there testing BUT no official announcement has been made yet to calm down the Canon shooters or to persuade them to stay in the Canon ecosystem.

I sold off what Canon DSLR stuff I could to fund my new Sony toys and don't regret it at all. Beyond the new tech, the weight savings really add up if you like to do wilderness / travel photography (or even weddings too I suppose) where you are on your feet a long time or don't have alot of room in your pack for everything + the kitchen sink.
 
Twisted Kidney said:
It's NIKON, they'll still be making a film camera in the 2030s.
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Heh well that kinda contradicts your statement that all SLRs will be gone in a matter of time...unless by time you meant some date far in the future ;) But I do agree that mirrorless is likely the future...but if I'm using a F Mount lens with it, I'm not sure I"m really saving enough weight to care and for now I don't need the ability to shoot 100 FPS. I rarely (if ever) fill the buffer on the d850 (using an XQD card)
 
Dekoth-E- said:
I think you underestimate how dedicated nikon fans are. Especially if they already have a huge variety of lenses where most of the money is tied up anyhow.
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And that'd apply to Cannon too, though there's some that argue you can sell the glass for enough money that switching isn't that big a deal, especially for pros. I've seen some move from Canon to Nikon (or vice versa) and from one of those to Sony, but in some cases, I think the manufacturer paid them to change. Most of the pros can shoot with anything once they learn the new system.
 
dvsman said:
From what I've rad and watched from the various photo news websites and peeps on youtube, alot of rumor says Nikon dropped the announcement to slow the exodus of Nikon shooters going to Sony. If that's the case, that's a good strategy on their part, even if the actual release is still some time away.

At least they put something news-wise out there so the Nikon faithful know something is coming. Canon only has the EOS-M (which is a crop sensor, I have the M1 and M3) and there are rumors that beta Canon mirrorless FF bodies are out there testing BUT no official announcement has been made yet to calm down the Canon shooters or to persuade them to stay in the Canon ecosystem.

I sold off what Canon DSLR stuff I could to fund my new Sony toys and don't regret it at all. Beyond the new tech, the weight savings really add up if you like to do wilderness / travel photography (or even weddings too I suppose) where you are on your feet a long time or don't have alot of room in your pack for everything + the kitchen sink.
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At least one of these cameras will be taking orders in 1-2 months. Nikon Rumors has been predicting this release for a long time (possibly as far back as last summer, but I think it was after then d850 came out). They also predicted the announcement on Nikons 101st anniversary. This is coming sooner, not later.

Edit:
https://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/mirrorless-is-coming.page
 
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nilepez said:
Heh well that kinda contradicts your statement that all SLRs will be gone in a matter of time...unless by time you meant some date far in the future ;) But I do agree that mirrorless is likely the future...but if I'm using a F Mount lens with it, I'm not sure I"m really saving enough weight to care and for now I don't need the ability to shoot 100 FPS. I rarely (if ever) fill the buffer on the d850 (using an XQD card)
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I didn't really mean they would go away completely, I shouldn't have phrased that differently, they'd be more like film is now. It's dead, nobody uses it except for a few ancient masters who hate this digital fad. So with high frame rates and high resolutions in our viewfinders most of us will happily leave the mirror and all of it's complications and points of failure behind.

Hipsters will use film, too.

Fuck hipsters.
 
Twisted Kidney said:
It's only a matter of time before the elimination of points of failure removes the mirror from all camera bodies. Moving parts are points of failure, the only barriers are the resolution and the frame rate of what you see on the back of the camera or in the eyepiece.

If you can get 100+fps at 1080p in the eyepiece the mirror becomes more of a hindrance than a boon.
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That comment is idiotic. You don't use a nikon in video mode with the mirror flapping up and down. Geez dude, go read the fucking manual before you comment. I have and use two Nikon DSLRs, the mirror is the least worrisome bit on the camera. I'm more worried about battery drain using the Liveview on the LCD screen...and getting rid of the mirror means greater battery drain.
 
Incontentia Buttocks said:
That comment is idiotic. You don't use a nikon in video mode with the mirror flapping up and down. Geez dude, go read the fucking manual before you comment. I have and use two Nikon DSLRs, the mirror is the least worrisome bit on the camera. I'm more worried about battery drain using the Liveview on the LCD screen...and getting rid of the mirror means greater battery drain.
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Where did video capture come into this? It's like you read something and made up a different version in your little head so you could have a fight on the internet.

When your camera fails and needs repair what do you generally repair? The mirror or the shutter. When you shoot in extreme conditions, what fails? The LCD? Nope. The lenses? Nope. The mirror or the shutter. What does dust eat? Mirrors and shutters.

You eliminate the moving parts and you go from 10 to 20,000 frames between failures to millions. Will battery suffer? For sure, a 3/4 or 1 inch LCD in your viewfinder is still going to draw more power than your moving parts did, but the battery life lost will be far less troublesome than the short service cycle of your old SLR and its wiggling bits cost you.

I can carry another battery, you can't rebuild a body in the field.

You also get the added bonus of eliminating mirror slap and shutter stutter from those parts violently hammering around in the body, that means more reliable shots with less fiddling around. Especially in macro configurations. Of course in Macro we tend to use live view because it produces superior results every single time. On account of a camera with less moving parts being superior at taking pictures to one that shakes itself around for funsies.

The only thing that keeps mirrors around is the shitty frame rates and crap visibility of DSLR LCDs. Telephoto with the LCD is incredibly frustrating. You move that screen into the viewfinder and get a decent frame rate for the sake of focusing and you have a superior performing camera. Like, not even close. Plus you can make it MUCH smaller, lighter, and seal it up better.
 
Twisted Kidney said:
Where did video capture come into this? It's like you read something and made up a different version in your little head so you could have a fight on the internet.

When your camera fails and needs repair what do you generally repair? The mirror or the shutter. When you shoot in extreme conditions, what fails? The LCD? Nope. The lenses? Nope. The mirror or the shutter. What does dust eat? Mirrors and shutters.

You eliminate the moving parts and you go from 10 to 20,000 frames between failures to millions. Will battery suffer? For sure, a 3/4 or 1 inch LCD in your viewfinder is still going to draw more power than your moving parts did, but the battery life lost will be far less troublesome than the short service cycle of your old SLR and its wiggling bits cost you.

I can carry another battery, you can't rebuild a body in the field.

You also get the added bonus of eliminating mirror slap and shutter stutter from those parts violently hammering around in the body, that means more reliable shots with less fiddling around. Especially in macro configurations. Of course in Macro we tend to use live view because it produces superior results every single time. On account of a camera with less moving parts being superior at taking pictures to one that shakes itself around for funsies.

The only thing that keeps mirrors around is the shitty frame rates and crap visibility of DSLR LCDs. Telephoto with the LCD is incredibly frustrating. You move that screen into the viewfinder and get a decent frame rate for the sake of focusing and you have a superior performing camera. Like, not even close. Plus you can make it MUCH smaller, lighter, and seal it up better.
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Your post brought up capture- what- you can't even keep up with what you said. Moron: "If you can get 100+fps at 1080p in the eyepiece the mirror becomes more of a hindrance than a boon."

What the hell does your comment about 100+ FPS in the eyepiece even mean?

I'll repeat it- i've never had a mirror give a like of trouble even going back to film days starting in 1976. You're talking out your ass.
 
Incontentia Buttocks said:
Your post brought up capture- what- you can't even keep up with what you said. Moron: "If you can get 100+fps at 1080p in the eyepiece the mirror becomes more of a hindrance than a boon."

What the hell does your comment about 100+ FPS in the eyepiece even mean?

I'll repeat it- i've never had a mirror give a like of trouble even going back to film days starting in 1976. You're talking out your ass.
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That's what I thought, you're just picking fights on the internet.
 
Incontentia Buttocks said:
Your post brought up capture- what- you can't even keep up with what you said. Moron: "If you can get 100+fps at 1080p in the eyepiece the mirror becomes more of a hindrance than a boon."

What the hell does your comment about 100+ FPS in the eyepiece even mean?

I'll repeat it- i've never had a mirror give a like of trouble even going back to film days starting in 1976. You're talking out your ass.
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Mirrors can cause camera movement. There's a reason cameras have a mirror lockup and mirrorless completely eliminates that. There are pros and cons to both systems. I know good photographers, including pros, who use both systems.
 
nilepez said:
Mirrors can cause camera movement. There's a reason cameras have a mirror lockup and mirrorless completely eliminates that. There are pros and cons to both systems. I know good photographers, including pros, who use both systems.
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Yup.

And there's still usefulness for good OVFs; one patent that Canon received was for a 'hybrid' system, presumably where an EVF would be inserted into an OVF path, providing live-view through a DSLR viewfinder.

This would bring the technological benefits of mirrorless technology (or what we associate with mirrorless, which is really just shooting in live-view), while also retaining the benefits of an OVF, in exchange for having to keep the mirrorbox.

Personally, I run both, and see benefits from both.
 
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