Korean Job Discussion Forums

[SeoulnPepe]

It really breaks one's heart.

First it was getting Ashton Kutcher to be their spokesperson (who are they targeting anyway?). Now it's the D3X. Man, it's a sweet camera, and one that Nikon can honestly say will rival film, but at $8000US? Does this camera seem like it should've been out years ago? Say, to compete with the Canon 1Ds Mark II. Or perhaps even a year ago, when Canon brought out its 1Ds Mark III?

What will Nikon offer against the Canon EOS 5D Mark II? The D90 certainly can't compete with it.

Why pay 8000US, when for about 5000US you can get a D3, and for about half that you can get a D700?

It does make a hardcore Nikkonian like myself grit my teeth and look to see if the grass is really greener on the other side of the fence. The only thing I don't like about Canon is you can't use the older FD lenses, unless you're prepared to do some major surgery on them: http://www.ganymeta.org/~darren/photo_f1.2_conversion.php

[nosmallplans]

nikon takes their time and does things right. nikon would not give it a single digit name if it didn't belong in the ranks of the f3, f4, d2x, etc. buying nikon means buying into a heritage. there is an expectation of quality and service that canon simply has not been synonymous with as long.

besides, why even mess with megapixels in that range? leaf, mamiya, hasselblad, and phase one simply have more experience and money in the field. canon's time in the spotlight will end fast if they don't find they place in the market. by intruding into medium format and super high speed they're setting themselves up to be cut down by the likes of red's super hi-rez video cameras and the ridiculous resolving power of a 39mp hasselblad back.

nikon knows that professionals want something solid, dependable, and flexible. the camera needs to take great pictures and do it often, and that's what the d3x will do.

if your life doesn't depend on the d3x's capabilities, then you are not the intended buyer.

[SeoulnPepe]

Aren't you the dude who was trying to sell his Nikon D200 package, and then hinted that you had switched over to Olympus?

Anyway, my point was that Nikon looks like they shot themselves in the foot...and you seem to imply the same by talking about Hasselblad and LifePixel. Nikon's move came at a bad time...not many photographers, pros included, will be able to afford this new camera, which seems like it was the right thing at the wrong time (i.e. bad economy).

And I still don't see how Ashton Kutcher fits into Nikon's legacy...they could've done something a little more creative.

[superdave]

these are the camera wars.

<begin rant>

every company in the market has entered a war for more pixels and faster upgrades. even hasselblad and leica have joined in ... not because they want to make good cameras ... but because they want to make lots of money!

i kind of agree that there was really no reason for nikon to release a new camera.

in the past, nikon have always lagged behind canon with the upgrades. indeed, nikon lovers have always bemoaned the fact that nikon never had a full frame camera. ironically, even though canon fanboys constantly mocked nikon cameras for that very reason, when nikon released the D3, the canon camp was suddenly very, very quiet. nikon did the right thing. they waited for the right time and developed their technology. they lost a few people ... but they gained a lot. hardcore canon fans made the switch. a lot of canon fans made the switch.

but i don't like these brand wars ... nikon and canon both make good gear. what both companies need to do is stop releasing new bodies every 3 months and focus on releasing bodies with good upgrades.

who the hell cares about video?? personally, i hate the idea ... live view?? another stupid idea ... it drains battery and makes photographers lazy. whereas something useful like GPS seems to have been ignored completely. It's available as an attachment, but i want it built into the camera damnit!

i think camera companies should wait at least 2 years between upgrades. that might seem a long time for people with short attention spans, but it means that the upgrades are very real and very useful.

frankly, canon are the worst at this. ID mark i, ii, iii ... jeez, is this necessary??

i love my D200, and in a few months it's going to do some hard yards as i begin my travels. serious travels. i can afford a better camera. hell, i can afford a D3x ... but i'm not that frigging stupid.

any hobbyist who spends more than $3k on a body is either rich as hell or a complete moron ... there, i said it!

if you're serious about photography, and don't make much money from it, get yourself a decent midrange body and hang on to it for 2 or 3 years. follow the camera updates and watch for the camera that is developing the most useful upgrades. then trade in your camera body when its worth it ... not because nikon paint an x on to the body ... or because canon add 5 pixels and then make it mark 2000.

spend your money on good lenses ... because i can tell you now, and i'll bet every cent i own on this: i can take better pictures with a low grade body and good lens, than i can with a high grade body and crap lens.

the fact that lenses RARELY upgrade or are replaced is proof of this.

lest my D200 get lost, stolen or goes for a long swim *touch wood* ... i'll be keeping it. i might upgrade in a few years ... sure, a new body will be nice ... but only when it seems suitable.

it's like cars ... why the hell do people trade in their cars every time a new version comes out with different bumpers?? it's a consumer trap ... nikon and canon have finally figured out how to play the game!

</end rant>

[IlIlNine]

[nosmallplans]

people seem to forget all the time that nikon was never about spitting out cameras as fast as possible (ala canon). between the f1 and f2 there was something like 10 years of development, between the f2 and f3 another ten years. they move slow so that they don't screw up. when nikon gives a camera a single digit name it's designed to last for basically ever. that's why despite having 'outdated' technology cameras like d1's and d2's are still great cameras.

as far as 'switching' to olympus, i did no such thing. my photographic habits have changed in a way that no longer requires that i have a semi-professional system. i wanted something compact and more amateur.

same thing goes for ashton, their point and shoot department has nothing to do with their slr department. it's not even the same planet. nikon point and shoots suck, they'll do whatever they can to try to improve sales.

[SeoulnPepe]

[swigs]

There have been a couple mentions about Olympus in this thread. Although Olympus does not have sensors that compare to C or N's higher end market. Their sensors are comparable to C and N's mid range market; and Olympus's bodies are usually cheaper.

The thing that makes Olympus stand out though is for having the best digital lenses; they have minimal distortion and CA. Which is why they developed the 4/3 format. You can get "L" quality (and better) lenses for under a 1000 with Olympus. Olympus was originally an optics company; so its what they do best.

Although you can't beat N or C on overall sensor build; they have the best. And with sensors, bigger is better. (At least for now) High ISO's do not jive with Oly. Also I N and C have better computer interfaces with in the camera body.

The thing is though; with Oly you would never be able to upgrade to a 'full frame' sensor and use your amazing lenses.

But, how many people crop their pictures that much, or make huge prints?

Although, my dream camera at the moment would be the Canon 5d Mark II. That's alot of horse power and features, but a relatively fair price.

[nosmallplans]

i don't print hi rez or enjoy the massive waste of time that is raw editing. thats why i shoot olympus. everything is photographed jpeg srgb at 640x480 and is uploaded straight to the internet. having anything more than what i've got would be silly.

[superdave]

[agoodmouse]

I upload all my Nikon D80's 10.1 MP photographs to Flickr where they're stored in original size and quality. I've got the pro account, of course.