Whatever Pentax's next big 'thing' is

[CyberCoyote]

Holy crud.. that new Nikon is a monster and a half! ISO 100 to 25k? Is that a misprint? Plus live framing in the lcd like an Oly? And Canon's got the 21MP version of their full sized chip.. grr.....

http://www.steves-digicams.com/diginews.html#d3

I can only assume that if one company is figuring out how to pull off this kind of processing then the others must be hot on their heels. The K10D, although not officially touted as a 'pro' model is very much one none the less and exibits great leaps in manufacturing logic that the others seemed to miss out on.

Ben knows what's next.. I wanna know too!

[robar]

read that recently
and 11 fps to boot

roy

[mtngal]

You can't quite expect the other two camera manufacturers to sit still. I'll be interested in seeing the reviews, though I doubt I'd personally have any interest in a camera like that. It makes me wonder what Pentax will come out with further down the road in response.

[ennacac]

Don't forget the D3 and D300 have a full frame sensor!

Tom

[NonEntity1]

ennacac wrote:

Don't forget the D3 and D300 have a full frame sensor!

Tom

Are they? I had understood that they had a 1.1 FOV/crop factor. In either case, it does seem to indicate a move away from ASPc at the high end. What does this mean for the owners of high end Nikon glass that was built for the smaller sensor though? Upgrading might be much more expensive.

Tim

[inneyeseakay]

I thought that the D3 was FF, while the D300 was still APSc... maybe I read it wrong?

[vIZnquest]

[align=left]These cameras are made for sports, action and photojournalist style shooting.[/align]
[align=left]The D3 FXisfull-frame for those that are into wide angle shooting (as well as any other style).[/align]
[align=left]The D300 is a 12MP DX mode (1.5x crop factor), 6 FPS (8 FPS with grip), 3" LCD. [/align]
The D3 is 12 MP FX (full-frame) mode, 9 FPS. It's only 5MP in DX mode (1.5x crop factor), 11 FPS, 3" LCD. Shoots at 10.0 MP in4:5mode for 8x10 prints (no need for cropping).

[align=left]The D3 automatically recognizes DX lenses, masks the finder, and uses the central DX portion of the sensor. The D3 also has 20 memory spaces to save for lenses that have AF errors that can be calibrated by the user.[/align]
[align=left]Both cameras have a 3" LCD screen at 920,000 dots with live view and uses Nikon's new CMOS sensor. The also have 51 focus points (15 cross-type sensors). Especially helpful in tracking moving subjects.[/align]
[align=left]IMHO Pentax won't make a Pro Sports camera and the company doesn't need to either. The mere cost of these cameras and lenses to support it alone leaves most to look elsewhere. Thus, the popularity of Pentax. The cost, features and compatibility makes this the best camera line for anyone to own.[/align]
[align=left]The two aforementioned cameras are impressive in specs. One has to learn how to use them in order to get the most out of what it has to offer. The K10D is such a camera and produces great results for the general interest type of shooting. Capable of sports and action but not on the Professional level.[/align]
[align=left]The D3 is one serious camera and does best with serious lenses. Whether it truly delivers is yet to be seen. [/align]
[align=left]I don't feel that anyone should envy what the other two are producing since it can only be had by the select few due to the outrageous cost.[/align]
[align=left]I opt for the D300 w/ grip between the two if I were in the market to choose between the two.[/align]
[align=left][/align]
[align=left][/align]

[Monza76]

These are fantastic cameras, but, realistically the D3 represents far more camera than I would ever need (thet doesn't mean I don't "want" one).

vIZnquest has all of the pertinent information listed, only the D3 is full frame which means it is a star in wide angle and low light situations. Sports photographers may actually opt for a DX sensor camera for the greater reach supplied by the crop factor. Note that Canon uses a 1.3 crop factor on its high speed 1D probably for that reason.

As for Pentax? I don't seethem jumping into this market. They haven't had a "serious" pro camera model since the LX, but they have had cameras that were firmly planted in the real "bread and butter" of photography, the semi-professional or maybe I should say "budget professional" market The local newspaper photojournalists, the weekend wedding photographers, the serious amateurs, these are the people who bought and used the SuperA, the PZ-1 and the MZ-S. Now they have the K10D.

I am now using a *istDS, do I need more? Not really. What would I change about my camera if I could? Faster AF is really the only thing I feel I could truly use (after handling a Canon 30D and a Nikon D200 I would really like some of that AF performance) and the K10D seems to have a step up in that department.

Sorry, rambling again. My last word, I regularly read about Ferrari, Lamborghini, or even Ford GT in car magazines. Do I need one, of course not, do I want one, hell yes, will I ever own one... The D3 (and the 1D Canons) fit in that same financial zone that people in my income bracket are not likely to ever truly afford.

Ira

[ennacac]

Sorry I read the size of the D300 wrong!

When I was in Vegas last week when I came out of the Fashon Show Mall one day (went there to use the Apple Store's Wifi) there wasa a Ferrari parked on one side of my car and a Lamborghini on the other. My first thought was, they sure are small considering what they cost.

I don't have any interset in the new Nikons, although I would like a new high end Pentax DSLR of about 12MP to replace my DS, even though I works very well for me.

I see Nikon is making some new fast glass (AF-S 400 mm F2.8G ED VR, the AF-S 500 mm F4G ED VR and the AF-S 600 mm F4G ED VR) for their full frame camera too that I expect will be extremely expensive.

Tom

[robar]

extremely is probably not a sufficient adjective

roy