Pics of the New Nikons

I know I said it's better just to wait, but in case you're interested (and judging from my email tonight, many people are), Digicam-info.com has pictures of the new Nikons....

Mike

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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Øyvind Hansen: "Modern, professional and good looking cameras I think. The Sonys look under-designed and utilitarian in comparison. I hope this is a new beginning for Nikon."

Michael Matthews: "Diverting to marketing for a moment, Nikon has done such a spectacular job on the pre-game show that I’m already slightly tired of their new product before it’s released. I understand frequency and reach, but this inundation of teaser material has gotten to the point of building resistance. Each new mention makes me even more interested in what the other guys will come with."

Jim: "I'm sure many will be disappointed that it looks so much like a camera."

Comments

[Chuck Albertson]

Your link is to digicame-info.com

[D. Hufford]

Allow me to be the first to whine. There is a hump in the middle. An unnecessary hump. Sorta like a that evolved in a rain forest, but still has a hump. Why?

Oh well. It'll be a while before I would consider one even though I like Nikon cameras. I can pick up either of my Nikon dSLRs after not using them for months and in a second or two know exactly where everything is, even in the menus.

Anyway, in the comments below that article, it seems everyone is mostly happy with the Nikons.

"Oh, they've finally come!"

"I don't know the specs yet, but I'm gonna buy one."

Others like, or at least accept for "good or bad," the familiar Nikon design. Others mentioned the clean button-free designs of the prime lenses.

No real negative comments on Nikons when I went through. Mainly some concerns about the new mount, but otherwise a pretty positive.

Based on that weak evidence, I may be the first, at least in Japan, to complain. Victory!

[JG]

I suppose these photos are good news of a sort, because I won't be tempted to buy a new Nikon camera to replace my aging A7R and therefore won't have to wrestle with my conscience about funding yet another camera purchase.

That's because no matter how well the new Nikon performs, there is no way, no how, that I can make it work with any of my existing FrankenKameras in combination with my Contax 645 lenses given the depth of that big, honkin' grip. (Yes, I know that I'm a bit of an outlier in not liking huge grips on camera bodies and this was true even before I created my FrankenKameras, but it would be nice if a manufacturer [other than Leica!] catered to this preference...)

A quick test fit of my friend's A7RIII proved that I cannot use that camera, either (although it was close enough that I may be able to make it work by revising the lens-mount panel setup, but that is a task that will require more resources -- read: a mill -- than I have available at the moment. And while I can use the A7RII, previous testing has shown that it is not an improvement over the A7R for the type of nighttime photography I do, so there isn't much point in my making that "upgrade"...)

I guess this leaves only the upcoming Canon mirrorless camera as a possible replacement for my A7R.* But I'm not optimistic about that, either, because Canon loves big grips at least as much as any other camera manufacturer, if not even more so. (sigh)

* Besides modifying a dedicated astrophotography camera, which is a project I'm working on in the background, as finances permit.

[Peter Komar]

Really, NIKON Z7, wow so clever and unique why not steal all of the labeling from SONY and just label it A7?
I can't believe it, where did they come up with the 7?, did they have 6 other versions we missed somehow. Really bad corporate strategy, they must be desperate. Shame on NIKON, hope it goes the way of the V series line. Maybe they will charge exactly the same as the SONY A7III as well ?

[Rob Campbell]

Cute, but also so terribly "technical" looking. Yeah, I know folks feel better with all the tricks on show even if few are used...

Makes me reminisce about happy years with models F and F2.

At least it appears folks with old manual lenses will not find themselves out in the cold quite yet.

[Luke]

But do the lenses still screw on BACKWARDS??

Or did they fix that?

[Anthony Shaughnessy]

Looks like a camera.
Anthony

[Dogman]

Honestly, I haven't followed this at all, haven't looked at any of the "leaked" stories or trickling ads, haven't read any of the online comments. It's been almost 20 years since I used a Nikon but I respect the company, I wish them well and I hope they have a successful future with the Z-series.

That said, today I decided to check out the camera that has so many people so excited. Okay. Feature-wise, I'm sure it has everything possible at this time but not enough to satisfy the unsatisfiable hoard of online camera enthusiasts. And I'll bet the Z will perform well for all but the terminally disappointed. As a guy who just takes pictures, my only observation is that it follows the Sony-inspired design theme of making cameras that look like they are cobbled together from mismatched parts.

[Kenneth Tanaka]

(raising hand wildly in back of room)

Ooh, ooh!! Mr. Johnston, I know what these new cameras look like! Call on me, Mr. Johnston!

(shockingly avant-garde, eh?)

[David Lee]

Aaaghhh. She’s ugly!

[MikeR]

Well, they just look like Nikon cameras.

[Omer]

Looks good, and unmistakably Nikon. Surprisingly small too if the new 24-70 f4 pictured is correspondingly the correct size. Now we wait for the inevitable comparisons and judgements from the forum habitué and the condescending, opportunistic experts.

[Hey! I resemble that remark. --Mike]

[JOHN GILLOOLY]

These cameras look beautiful. If they enter the market with functionality and price on par with the A7iii/A7riii/A9, I believe Nikon will have righted the ship.

I am a lifelong Nikon user but I have dipped my toe into Sony with the A7iii and a couple lenses as I have grown impatient with Nikon on mirrorless. The prospect of this camera and that adapter could possibly stop the transition. I hope this camera is what it could be!

[Jack]

Did you see where the sensor plane marker is?

[Dave Van de Mark]

Thanks for the pics!

Overall, having handled many Nikons in my life, the ergonomics look very promising. Possible problems might be big fingers accidentally pressing the FN1 & FN2 buttons while gripping camera; it looks a little button busy in lower corner; and I hope the record button can be reprogrammed or turned off when “Stills Mode” is selected by that rear switch (assuming some things obviously). Otherwise some key settings for focus, exposure comp, and ISO have dedicated buttons. Seems ready to go out of the box for a non animal and people chasing shooter like me!

[Eric Rose]

Well if those photos are accurate it will really piss off a lot of veteran Nikon zoom users. The zoom goes the wrong way!

[hugh crawford]

This is a joke right?
They couldn't even bother to retouch the LCD hinge in that picture of the Sony, and I know that's the one thing Nikon needs to improve.

[Gaspar Heurtley]

If those pictures are right, I’m surprised that the new Nikons lot a lot like Samsung’s NX1, a DSLR that was released almost four years ago. That’s like two decades in technology years!

[Chip]

Nikon seems to have blown it with its direct marketing emails, all of which link to a website with videos in Japanese only. I realize that Japan is a major market, but I imagine that the rest of the world, the overwhelming majority of which does not speak Japanese, is a nontrivial market as well. The company makes great products, but has a tin ear for marketing.

It's all just noise for me. I doubt that I'll be buying in, at least not on the first cameras. Too much good equipment in my bag now that more than meets my needs.

[Robert Pillow]

Maybe Nikon will make a ZZ TOP edition for fans of The Online Photographer.

[JohnMFlores]

I'm actually more interested in hearing about the new DJI Mavic Pro 2 drone with 1" Hasselblad-branded sensor tomorrow than I am about the new Nikons...

[Robert Gordon]

After 50 years of shooting Nikon I switched to the Olympus Pen F two years ago, subesequently bought a E-Mark II, and have sold all my Nikon gear. Zero regrets.

[Michael Houghton]

I am suitably impressed.

This is a camera I can’t afford, but having teetered on the edge of upgrading for a while I have found myself stuck in a quandary: buy one more secondhand DSLR (like a D810) or jump ship to a secondhand A7RII?

I’ve never been able to make myself make this decision, which reflects my discomfort with the A7RII’s viewfinder and rather gadgety demeanour more than anything else.

Now, paradoxically, I can buy one more secondhand DSLR, knowing that a gaggle of very happy early adopters will knock the rough edges off the Z series, and I look forward to being able to make this jump in the future. Some time after they get the 85mm f/1.8 done.