Nikon FM3a with a Full Frame Sensor

[kshapero]

That would about do it for me, a Nikon FM3A with a FF sensor. At present everyone is gaga over the D700, D3, etc. Why because they point to what we always wanted. When will some one just make a simple Digital SLR where we can actually manually focus with a good manual lens? That means adding a split image focusing screen, etc. In the meantime I'll plug along as is.

 

[jaap]

There is a full frame nikon fm3a a beautiful camera. With every new shot a new mega giga sensor far better than digital AT LEAST WHEN YOU DO MORE WITH YOUR PICTURES THAN LOOKING AT IT ON A MONITOR

 

[splitimageview]

Even the D40/D40x/D60 could be smaller.

The nature of the market is that at every price level, Nikon and Canon (and now Olympus, etc.) are trying to outdo each other with features, adding more bells and whistles. Competiton makes for very nice products and prices them well...but it also tends to make them bigger than they have to be. (For example, make a camera without a motor. Offer an add-on motor for those customers that prefer it. That would save a lot of room.)

Until one of these companies decides that FEWER features is actually a selling feature, there will be no OM-1 of the DSLR world.

 

[squirrel$$$bandit]

This was the point of my previous "perfect DSLR" thread...I'd love the manufacturers to take a few steps back and offer simple, sturdy, ergonomic, and classically styled cameras for people like us. Rangefinders too of course!

We are not a significant part of the DSLR market, though.

 

[blazeicehockey]

This was the point of my previous "perfect DSLR" thread...I'd love the manufacturers to take a few steps back and offer simple, sturdy, ergonomic, and classically styled cameras for people like us. Rangefinders too of course!

We are not a significant part of the DSLR market, though.

Its all about marketing and market share. Lets take the simple rule for Canon IQ and Features:

xD(IQ + F) > xxD(IQ + F) > xxxD(IQ+F) must always hold true, where xD is the model number.

For Nikon, the D3 MUST have a better pro spec than the D700, then the D300, then the D60 etc etc. Its the simple rule of marketing. Given, that Nikon are grabbing pro market share from the 1DmkIIs et al, the next logical step was to target the pros back up camera, the 5D...tada...its the D700.

So whilst you think that the D3, D300, 5D, e-3 etc are all too big, the real reaon is that they are not aimed at you.

However...on the other side of the coin, the other market growth is not in P&S but in small DSLRs with kit lenses. Again, it is not you or I that dictate the size or the features these cameras posses, but Mrs Jo Public who will never buy another lens, will shoot jpeg and needs all those scene modes to be creative.

We must applaud Leica, Canon (G9), Ricoh, Epson (historically), Sigma, Zeiss, Fuji and Voigtlander for making cameras that niche enthusiasts use...but the profit won't necessarily be big here compared to pro and consumer segments.

 

[kshapero]

We must applaud Leica, Canon (G9), Ricoh, Epson (historically), Sigma, Zeiss, Fuji and Voigtlander for making cameras that niche enthusiasts use...but the profit won't necessarily be big here compared to pro and consumer segments.

Well then we ARE doing pretty good when you phrase that way.

 

[squirrel$$$bandit]

Yes, we are. I'm not complaining, just fantasizing. It's a great time to love taking pictures.

 

[anselwannab]

Interesting read over on LL about how Nikon's board told the camera ops to kick it up a notch, leading to the D300, D3, and D700. I still think if they wanted to harken back to their hey-days in the 70s and 80s, before EOS, they would kick it old school and bring out an FM3aD or a dRF.

Don't MF lenses work on the D300 and D700?

 

[fotobiblios]

Nikon FMD would be great, but I don't think it'll come from Nikon.

However there's still a Nikon F mount manual film camera out there - The Kenwood (even a higher spec 'limited' with 1/4000) - yes it looks like the same chassis as the FM10, but improved and yes it is closely related to various Cosina/Voigtlander product, which we know can be greatly improved in the rfdr versions and digitised a la Epson.

So this is my best bet for a simple manual FX digi body.

Oh yes, and Cosina-V (or whoever Kenwood's OEM) can also offer them easily (as they do with the film versions) in Pentax, Minolta, Konica, Olympus mounts for us to use our old lens favourites (and sell new Zeiss or Cosina-V glass).

I guess the biggest challenge is to source (license rather than write) good firmware.

Danny