Nikon digital rangefinder M mount?

[migtex]

Bear with me,
Leica is germany company,
Photokina is held in Germany in September,
Nikon first camera, Nikon I (a RF camera) was out of the factory in September.. 1948,
Nikon is going to have the 60th birthday in September.. 2008!

 

[Athos6]

I doubt tat anyone is out to "kill" Leica. Though being a small market, there is a lot of interest in it.
For Nikon/Zeiss/Kinolta/VC it is more of a "filling" up a product line. For Nikon it would to round off the D3 "platform" with the coming high MP D3X and the "super" speed 52000 iso that is supposedly coming at the end of the year.
The M-mount is getting to be the standard rangefinder mount - somewhat like the M42 Pentax mount in the 60's.
As the sales are small, I suspect that less than 25000 Drf's have been sold since the 2004 introduction of the RD-1 (10 000 Rd-1's and around 14-15000 M8's), it makes sense to make a high performance, higher priced Rf than one aimed at the "masses" who most likely will stick with the consumer DSLR's anyway.
CV is already making lenses for the Nikon SLR cameras, The ZF series as well as the 40f2 Nokton and the 58/1,4 Topcon version. In Japan there is much more co-operation between manufaturers than we think.

It would be unfortunate if they priced it near the M8, but if they make it a limited type thing like thier new SP and S3's then it'll likely have a higher price tag. Thats why I'm hopeing to see a Cosina DRF, maybe at a $1200 price point, I'd buy that...

 

[Tom A]

If Nikon made a DRf and it had the capabilities of the D3 as to low noise, high ISO, full frame and a mount that would encompass M/LTM/Nikkor, both Rf and SLR with electronic focus confirmation and a 15-16Mp output- it would not be cheap (neither is the D3).
Both the 4:3 and the D format is "passe'" by now and the consumer tend to respond to "bigger, better" products and the marketing/manufacturing has to consider this. You can only "relabel" mundane products for so long until buyers go "Who cares!".
Using existing technology, even cutting edge one - it can be packaged and made to work. As with film, the camera is a box that holds film or sensor and it does not take rocket science to build one. However, the market segment is small, probably less 1% of the DSLR market, but it also a market that is not as price sensitive as the DSLR's (lots of alternatives) whilst at the moment only the M8 is available new and with the RD-1 being available used. Epson managed something pretty neat with the RD 1 - they created a cultcamera and this is every manufacturers dream of course.

 

[infrequent]

sure its a small niche but apple has proven that one can make significant profits with insignificant market share. as tom mentioned, it would be a small market but its at the higher end of the market and hence higher margin / profits. surely nikon is aware of this.

and what would you rather have -- 10% of a large market or 90% of a small niche? since there is only one supplier in this segment, there is a clear chance of cutting leica's air supply (err...read "opportunity for competition"). whether its sony / zeiss or nikon who knows.

 

[drewbarb]

It will come. With M mount and Leica registration distance. And mixed optical/electronic rangefinder (an LCD sensor segment overlayed over the viewfinder optic).

But some (3-4 stops ?) of the (D300) sensor's sensitivity will be lost to correct for vignetting - with menu-driven lens coding.

And M-mount versions of the new 35/1.8 and 50/1.4 Nikkors.

And a Nikon RF to M converter.

I do hope so 🙂

Oh...my.

I've read this thread with a certain amount of drooling. I have to doubt it all; but...would that it were so...