UPDATE 4/14/09: The Nikon D5000 is official and, yes, it has a flip-screen LCD. Details here.
According to this forums post (you’ll have to look past the pop-up ads), someone nabbed this shot of what appears to be a Nikon D60-sized DSLR with a flip screen LCD. You can even seen the Nikon label upside down on the panel’s LCD.
Something Awful forum member indyjb got the shot and claims that it comes from a commercial shoot “somewhere in Eastern Europe.” indyjb also claims to have plenty more pics of the mystery-DSLR as well. He says:
Correct me if I’m wrong, but as far as I know there is not a Nikon DSLR with a flip screen.
I have more and better pictures if people are interested.
We’re interested. Please, do share.
[Thanks to the eagle-eyed reader that sent this in.]
Damn, I hate those swivel screens. I’ve been waiting for D40/D60 replacement, but if this is it, I will have to go with Canon 500D.
I’m more upset that there isn’t a D400 in the works or at least not leaked yet.
Dave
Five more pics at Engadget…
http://www.engadget.com/photos/mystery-nikon/1473368/
@Alex
I’m a bit unsure, but…you don’t have to use the swivel screen do you? I’m guessing you can just place it where it normally would be? Why throw away a good camera on a grudge for a feature?
@Driftwood
Since I don’t use swivel screen, all I get are disadvantages it brings: (1) it could break more easily (accidents, kids, etc.), (2) with camera like D40/D60 (or Cannon 500D) I am looking for smallest lightest package I can get (with the best features, like 3″ 640×480 screen of 500D). I really hope Nikon didn’t sacrifice screen size/quality to accommodate swivel mechanism. The swivel mechanism takes space, adds weight, brings more points of failure and more surfaces for dust and dirt collection. Nitpicking I know, but I want my camera to be perfect :-)
Alex is totally right. Look how many notebooks and car radio flipout-displays have problems just after a year of regular use because the wireband begins to mailfunction.
In addition, I experienced a big disadvantage when I had a Canon S3 IS in 2006. Because it is a flip-out display and probably weight was a issue for the joints, the display surface was “soft” and not protected like the very solid and hard surfaces of the build-in displays on recent DLSRs. It was expected that you rotate the LCD and turn it’s backside to the outside every time to put it back after use.
I really prefere the option of a non-rotating screen. Hopefully this “feature” will remain one of the entry class.
It looks like the info coming from the mentionned SomethingAwful forum is quite outdated: the post is from May 2006 !
http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3111896&userid=97497
oops, my mistake, the date I was looking at is probably the member’s registration date. Sorry.
Anyway we’ll know more on Tuesday next week (Apr 14th), when Nikon will do its announcements to the press.
D5000
http://imaging.nikon.com/products/imaging/lineup/microsite/d5000/en/main.html
seems the D5000 is not bad for entry level and the swivel screen is good for people like me who used to normal digigal camera and look for an upgrade. btw, i’m more interested in the exact location of those photos being taken in eastern europe seems quite nice, can anyone tell where exactly it is? tks