Nikon has officially announced the development of a new FX-format mirrorless camera. However, the complete details and specs remain somewhat of a mystery.
While the camera will feature Nikon’s FX sensor format, it will use a different lens mount – instead of the traditional F-mount that’s been used for decades. Of course, Nikon is also introducing an F-mount adapter for the new mirrorless system that will enable a “wide variety” of existing Nikon F-mount lenses to work with it.
And that’s about all we know for sure now. Of course, the rumors and supposed leaks have given us about this much info leading up to this. Now, it’s just an official tease. Nikon says more info will be released later and directs customers to a teaser website: www.nikonusa.com/mirrorlessiscoming
Here’s a short teaser video from Nikon on the new mirrorless camera:
Whether the new Nikon or Canon mirrorless cameras will be enough to combat the growing Sony mirrorless user base is something we will have to continue to wait on. Features and price are going to be key with these new models. The target customer is a savvy one and I suspect we’re in the $2,000 to $4,000 market range for a full frame mirrorless body from Canon and Nikon. Given these parameters and the smaller camera market segment, it could be a bloodbath for king of the mirrorless hill.
As consumers though, this is great news. The competition among the big three should produce some incredible cameras in the coming months and years.
Where do you stand on the mirrorless vs. DSLR and Nikon/Canon vs. Sony debates? Do you think this will be too little too late for Nikon or are Sony’s days numbered now that Nikon is getting serious with mirrorless?
“Mystery” is with a “y”….
I like the term EVIL – Electronic Viewfinder Interchangeable Lens – that I saw some years ago instead of mirrorless – that said:
While EVIL cameras have certainly improved in terms of lag time, there is still a barely noticeable time lag between the action of the subject and the instant that action is visible in the EVF. Now this is understandable, given the reality that the camera’s computer must de mosaic the raw data coming off the chip and present it to the EVF’s driver. It’s like there’s a tiny TV studio in there… go to an electronics store and wave your hand in front of a camera and note the slight lag before you see that wave on the attached monitor. In comparison, a DSLR has photons bouncing off a few reflective surfaces at the speed of light.
On the resolution side, again, a DSLR has multi giga-pixel resolution (or however many photons are being bounced to your eye). An EVF is fine for most purposes, and certainly better in some – like if you have an 8 stop ND filter on the lens, where you cannot even see through it on a DSLR but the EVF acts as if it’s not there. But even with focus peeking it doesn’t come close to an OVF. For that matter, the effect of a CPL is all but impossible to discern in an EVF.
But those things are merely tech problems that will, no doubt, be addressed in time. Additionally, since the light path in an EVIL camera is no longer dependent on reflections, radical departure in design is possible. For instance, the entire notion of having to have the lens and the Viewfinder in the same box. While physics dictates that requirement for OVFs, there’s no reason the lens/chip unto can’t be separated from the EVF, which could lead to interesting new designs.
Thanks. My proofreading gets worse the older I get. Or, maybe I just stay up too late writing this stuff…
NOT too little, nor too late. There are more than a few Nikon owners that have learned patience with the smaller manufacturer, and if Nikon will reverse engineer the camera to use older Nikon lenses its a big win.
Also, I won’t discard my dslrs, but add a mirrorless system to them….
Nikon and Canon never took seriously the mirrorless market, now they would need to move mountains to lead it.
Why a Sony, Olympus or Panasonic user would switch to Nikon ?
If they do it differently and cheaper may be they have a chance but they lack audaciousness.
They all copy each other and nothing is really impressive, the users are still grumbling because they don’t see coming what they would like.
If one want to drain a market he has to re-think the way a camera is used and what is it for !
Then it is easy to draw a list of must have specifications and do not hesitate to eliminate the many useless features the cameras are full of nowdays.
Make it obvious, easy and plain simple instead of many times push buttons and scroll long list of nonsens settings nobody use.
For example, how stupid is this PSAM +++ icones wheel ? Film cameras did so much better !
Add more buttons so you are unable to take the camera without pressing one and to make thing worse the screen also is tactile !!!!
What you need is to control light getting in, focus accuraretly and control blurring. And you don’t need zillions of points to focus nor to mesure the light.
Much more than enough technology is present on the market, just chose the right ones, and again the first tech to be applied is simplicity.
Good luck Nikon bubt I already know you fail !
The ads for the new NIKON remind me of the original ads for the INFINIT auto vs the LEXYS. INFINIT did not show their carInstead all the lightning and sound was shown by INFINIT. They were a failure and the new LEXUS made a big hit and the New INFINITI failed. REMEBER!!!!
I think Canon and Nikon will do just fine with their mirrorless cameras. There’s still a very large part of the market that are still using DSLR’s and don’t want to go the Sony, Fuji or M4/3 route. If they see Canon and Nikon jumping on the mirrorless bandwagon, they will buy their brand of choice. I think Sony will always be ahead of Nikon and Canon in technology but Canon and Nikon will likely focus more on usability and image quality tweaks unique to their brand. Sony will likely stay at #3, even in mirrorless. I’m not a Nikon user, I shoot Pentax actually, but they (Nikon) have always had the best autofocus algorithm around and a full-frame mirrorless by Nikon will definitely turn my head. If they can put in an upgraded version of their AF module from the J5, they will have a real winner on their hands.