Digital Nikon RF coming soon

Sounds too good to be true and that probably also means it is....

I would guess it is a 1,5 factor on the sensor or something like that if it is a camera to be launched in a not too distant future.... (Sigma DP1 camera with a fixed lens may show us a little bit of what could be possible with todays technology of sensors and leneses http://www.sigma-dp1.com/)

I think one of the critical questions is what lenses can be used. Nikon has allways focused hard on backward compatibility and if there is a possibility to use older lenses this one could find it´s nische.

/Jon
 
The thing that fascinates me about all this is ... if Nikon do go ahead and do this, there's no way Canon will sit back cooling their heels ... they will want in to this market also!

Bring it on! 😛
 
If true, and if the camera is building on the SP legacy, perhaps Nikon should include an acessory S-mount to M-mount adapter, so that Nikon RF owners can continue using their classic lenses.
 
it would be nice to have a complete new Nikkor Lens line in the Leica M mount.
imagine the choices for M Leica camera owners.
 
on the other hand, leica used to say a drf was impossible. i doubted it then, and i doubt a ff drf is impossible now. the d3 chip has those new, gapless microlenses, too. i'm sure they'll figure out something.
 
If true, and if the camera is building on the SP legacy, perhaps Nikon should include an acessory S-mount to M-mount adapter, so that Nikon RF owners can continue using their classic lenses.
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Yes I dare say you are right there. These orion type adapters have existed for ages and when attached to an M mount camera they can be left on the camera body effectively converting it to Nikon S mount with full rangefinder coupling. If they dont come with the camera I bet that Nikon will offer the adapter as an accessory. We certainly know they are still capable of making this mount from recent limited editions.
 
This adapter on ebay works with Contax lenses thru the entire focus range, and Nikon S lenses from medium distance to infinity...is there an adapter that works with Nikon S lenses thru the entire focus range?
 
digitalintrigue said:
This adapter on ebay works with Contax lenses thru the entire focus range, and Nikon S lenses from medium distance to infinity...is there an adapter that works with Nikon S lenses thru the entire focus range?
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in the 1950s the japanese Orion adapter was also made calibrated for the Nikon RF lens , along with the regular Contax lens compatible ones.
Cook & Perkins only made them for the Contax type lens register I believe.
both of these makes are now very expensive to buy.
 
digitalintrigue said:
This adapter on ebay works with Contax lenses thru the entire focus range, and Nikon S lenses from medium distance to infinity...is there an adapter that works with Nikon S lenses thru the entire focus range?
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Search the archives here for more info. Appparently, properly adjusted, these adapters work better with Nikon lenses than with Contax, according to Brian Sweeney, who was a regular here but has sadly disappeared.
 
...is there an adapter that works with Nikon S lenses thru the entire focus range?
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They exist. Extremely rare and valuable ($2,000 and over), and often need adjustment. For Nikon, the machining would be straightforward, because they've already done the tooling/research for the S3-2000 and SP-2005, plus the new version of the 35/1.8 lens.
 
sounds too good to be true, it's like everything anyone on any camera forum has ever wanted... so i don't really believe it.

i do believe a 'rangefinder' of the digital age will come out eventually (either from canon or nikon), but it will probably be more like the contax g than a leica m8...
 
f2eyelevel said:
BTW I don't see the point of having such a "digital rangefinder". Rangefinder cameras are nice in that they don't need batteries, have a full mechanical shutter, an optical focusing system, silent modus operandi, etc.
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i see a point, not everyone wants to lug around a slr but might still see the advantage of interchangeable lenses. as for battery life, the current cameras are amazing. i have a digital point and shoot in my bag all the time and i usually charge it once every two weeks just in case, not that it's ever ran out of batteries on me (oh, and its silent).
 
f2eyelevel said:
This sounds to be pure... ahem, a rumor and that's it.

Several years ago a rumor was insisting that Nikon would release a FM3D, that would have been : a FM3A with the 17x24 CCD sensor taken off the D70s, but with semi-auto and manual metering modes only, no AF, but the ring and dot around its F bayonet for mounting the AI and AI-S lenses on that body and get light metering.

That was pure... ahem, a rumor. We could even see photos of the camera on fantasy blogs like the one which is linked to on this thread.

"digital SP" to be true. Pure... ahem, rumor.

BTW I don't see the point of having such a "digital rangefinder". Rangefinder cameras are nice in that they don't need batteries, have a full mechanical shutter, an optical focusing system, silent modus operandi, etc.

As soon as a camera needs a SD card, a battery, a firmware, a LCD screen, an electronic shutter to work, well, I prefer that camera to be a (D)SLR for the comfort of the viewfinder and the AF, plus the matrix and spot metering etc.

What I would want from Nikon is that they do not continue to leave the AI and AI-S lenses owners on the roadside. Being obliged to buy at least a D300 to have metering with my AI-S lenses for which I paid top dollars not a century ago is beyond me.

An updated D40x (which is a entry-level small plastic body yet 10MP sensor rich and has enough features to take good photographs once in the hands of an experienced photographer) with the coupling ring and dot for mounting the AI-S and AI lenses and having at least one metering mode (central weighted is fine) plus AE-lock is hundreds of times more expected by many Nikon nuts than this so-said digital RF mounting lenses that don't exist yet !
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  1. I agree, the D-SP looks more fiction than reality.
  2. Batteries are very reliable now days, conservative as Leica couldn’t resist.
  3. The major advantage of RF camera over SLR is its Veiw/Rangefiner for many people.
  4. The main reason of D40’s success is because it gets rid of all mechanical parts in the body to make it priced attractive. It even does not work with AF-D lenses for AF.
  5. With D3/ D300 coming up the D200 price is dropping, it might be a good time to get one which is compatible with AI & AIS lenses.
 
Harry Lime said:
Here's the part that doesn't make sense.

It says that the RF will use the D3 chip and the M mount.

How is Nikon getting around all the problems there are with a full frame chip and current RF / Leica lenses?

This isn't a problem that is exclusive to Leica, it's a matter of physics. For the most part RF lenses are too close to the sensor and the rays strike the receptor wells at too shallow an angle, causing all sorts of issues. Thus the need for the offset micro lenses on a x1.3 chip in the M8.

Doesn't sound right to me. At least the part that is will use the D3 chip. Maybe it's a x1.5 or x1.3 version of that chip.

But what is good news is a 5D equivalent of the D3 for about $3000. If they put some weathersealing on it I'll buy one. Got a pile of Nikkors and Zeiss ZF glass sitting here ready to go. This would be a very clever move by Nikon. By sharing the D3 chip with other cameras in their lineup, they can take advantage of the economics of scale.


HL
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hear, hear! It seems to that this has to be repeated over and over again; forget full frame on a RF camera for forseeable future. If Nikon (Zeiss and Cosina) makes a digital RF, - which could be smart, it is a market segment with high camera prices, it will be with a 1,33 sensor crop. At least. Regardless; don't expect it to be very much cheaper than Leica M8. If at all.

The 10,000 $ high end Nikon with 20 megapixel + has been a roumor going around for a while. Such a camera is said to be just a few months away from launching.
 
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