Successor

S

The D100 was already long in the tooth when I walked into the Brampton Henry’s that cold winter morning. Outgunned by the higher MP, newer D70 in many respects, new DSLR photographers were increasingly passing it up in favor of the Canon 20D.

The latest word from Chasseur d’Images (yeah…I know…rumors, the general ineptitude of Nikon reps, yada, yada…) is that the D100 successor is a 10MP camera. That itself wouldn’t be news, since Nikon would require at least a 10MP sensor to make it into the 20D’s ballpark, let alone compete.

It did touch off an interesting quote by Brendan in DP:

I don’t know the details of the D100 replacement, but I know for a fact that it’s targeted to compete with and surpass the 20D, with similar features and a higher MP count.

It will *****NOT***** be 6MP, as has been asserted by some(one). It will NOT have the D2 AF system, but it will have a couple of “nifty” features that no one has yet in any dSLR (save for a partial implementation of one such feature in Fuji’s new S3).

Speculation’s run rife, but opinion’s coalesced around a live-preview LCD. The S3 saw a limited form of it – monochrome, and if I remember correctly, usable in 30 second blocks only. Definitely very useful, but I see unfavorable implications for battery life. What’s more, unless that LCD’s of sufficient resolution, I question its utility beyond snapshots and general subject placement. Personally, I would rather have seen a Sony-Nikon-Fuji collaboration centered around the SuperCCD-type sensors and their increased dynamic range. That I’d really be interested in.

The question remains about whether Nikon’s entry is too little, too late. After all, Canon is rumored to release a 12MP 20D successor this fall as well as a “tweener” camera that’ll sit between the 20D and the higher end Mk series. If so, it would be a body slam for the market. Canon’s R&D, pricing power, lens lineup and a perfect “trade-up” body. Oh my…

Remember, you heard it here second :-)

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