Photokina 2008 is coming up in about six weeks (Sept. 23-28)! Here is a summary of the rumors laying around: the Nikon D3X - a 24MP or 38MP full frame (FX) camera that should cost around $6,000 - $10,000.

According to Digitalfreak, Nikon D3x should bring us:

Nikon D700 does to Nikon what the 5D did to Canon at the moment it was released: puts a full frame, ‘FX’ format sensor into a more compact body and at a much lower price. Along with being smaller and lighter than the flagship D3, it’s also comfortably cheaper, making the D700 Nikon’s first ‘affordable’ full-frame DSLR. Like Canon’s EOS 5D, this puts it within reach of well-heeled enthusiasts who demand excellent performance at high sensitivities, along with pros looking for a backup body.

We were all curious, the moment it was rumored, about how it would perform when compared to the much more expensive and feature-packed D3. Cameralabs.com does the comparision for us, providing full resolution samples at high ISO speeds. Follow the read link for more.

Read: Cameralabs.com 

Nikon D700 vs Nikon D300 vs Canon EOS 5D High ISO Noise

To compare noise levels under real-life conditions we shot this scene with the Nikon D700, Nikon D300 and Canon EOS 5D within a few moments of each other using each of their ISO settings in Aperture Priority modes. The lenses on each camera were adjusted to deliver the same field of view.

The D700 and D300 were fitted with the same Nikkor AF-S 14-24mm lens, set to 24mm on the D700 and 16mm on the D300. The Canon EOS 5D was fitted with the Canon EF 17-40mm set to 24mm. The lens focal lengths were fine-tuned so the field-of-view was exactly matched.

All three bodies were set to their best quality JPEG modes with default settings for image processing and noise reduction. As such, both Nikons were set to Large Fine JPEG quality (optimised for quality), with Auto White Balance and the default Standard Picture Control, Normal High ISO NR and Active D-Lighting switched off. [...]

Read Cameralabs for more.

Nikon has been sending out press invites for an event on September 3rd. What could they possibly want to talk about just a few weeks before Germany’s Photokina expo? It could be Nikon’s sequel to their D80, the D90. Or, it could be the 24.4-megapixel D3x that was spotted in Nikon firmware. Or, in a slight breach of etiquette, Nikon could skip the D90 and just release the D100, making the entire photography world crap itself. Because that would be a photo op.

Read link: electronista

Good days for Nikon. In addition to the announcement of the D700, Nikon has revised the firmware of the D3 and D300.

• The D3 firmware adds new function button customization options though not the ones featured on the D700. In addition to these and a virtual horizon in live view mode,
• Nikon has also addressed the problem that some users experienced in which the battery indicator would incorrectly register an empty battery. This problem, which has come to be known as ‘Dead Battery Syndrome,’ has also been addressed in new firmware for the D300.
• D3 firmware makes improvements to AF and Auto White Balance mode, as well as correcting for the battery indicator errors.
• Many of the other changes are subtle tweaks to menus and behavior, such as the decision to only all auto-rotate of images in playback mode, not in the review image that appears after shooting (as the camera must already be in the correct orientation to have taken the shot).

The only D700 feature to appear is the addition of a visualization of the virtual horizon function to live view mode. Other than this, the new function button customization options are not as extensive as its new baby brother.

Here are the download links:

D3 firmware v2.00 LINK: Mac
D3 firmware v2.00 Link: PC

D300 firmware v1.03 LINK: Mac
D300 firmware v1.03 LINK: PC

More details about the D3 changes can be found by clicking here.

The Nikon D700 is now official. Dpreview.com already had an hands-on preview. The D700 and D300 are basically the same cameras, with the exception of the full frame sensor: the D700 inherits the (probably) the same sensor with D3, at a lower price and more compact body. D700 really only faces the Canon EOS 5D (and any replacement that may be in the works). Price is $2999 or €2599 body only, for sale in July.

The D700 key features after the break:

Read the rest of this entry »

Eight years after Nikon’s D1 camera changed professional digital photography forever, Nikon today introduced the D3 – a new digital SLR camera that is poised to once again revolutionize photography for professionals. The 12.1 effective megapixel D3 features Nikon’s new FX-format CMOS sensor, measuring 23.9 x 36mm, which is nearly identical to the size of 35mm film. With the fastest startup time, shortest viewfinder blackout time, and shortest shutter lag of any digital SLR camera as well as the capability to shoot up to nine frames per second at full FX-format resolution, the D3 is the world’s fastest digital SLR camera in its class.