The Nikon D80 Replacement...
August 5--The D80 is now the granddad in Nikon's DSLR lineup. On a specification level, the D80 is missing a lot of check marks that the competition can now boast about in their marketing, and the fact that we're now almost exactly two years into the D80's life seems unusual given how fast the other Nikon consumer models iterated.
Well, that's about to end. The replacement for the D80 will be called the D90, as expected. Curiously, at a casual glance the only thing that most people will notice different from a D80 is the presence of a much bigger color LCD on the back. Indeed, most of the controls look pretty much the same (though the buttons are round now) and are in the same place on the D90 as they were on the D80. However, there are a few odds and ends that catch your notice on closer examination. On the back, for example, we now have Live View and Info buttons, and the OK button is in the middle of the direction pad. On the front there's a microphone grill next to the infrared receiver. On the side, the labels on the rubber doors reveal HDMI and GPS connectors in addition to the expected ones.
So what is a D90? Well, a 12mp, ~4.5 fps DSLR, basically. On paper those seem like modest boosts from the D80. In practice, they are a distinct notch forward in performance. The big news, however, is that Live View now has a twist that other DSLRs can't currently claim: it can record video (thus the microphone grill).
We also get a new lens for kitting with the D90: the 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G DX VR. Modest in size (67mm filter size), this seems like a nice addition to the lineup and well targeted to the D80/D90 type of user. Essentially, this is a 28-150mm equivalent. Not truly superzoom, but a good compromise between size and reach. This new lens also plugs the VR hole Nikon had in the DX lens lineup (essentially no VR in the kit lenses if you wanted more than 55 but less than 200 at the long end).
Don't ask when or how much. To my knowledge, Nikon hasn't scheduled a press conference for product introduction yet, though they have a first quarter financial results meeting later this week. Since high-quality photos of production models appear to be circulating on the Internet, I'd guess that soon is the answer to the first question, and I wouldn't expect any big surprises (up or down from the original D80 list price) in cost.
Canon and Nikon are good contrasts in their release schedules.Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny
holy crap. 'bout damn time?
Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny
holy crap. 'bout damn time?
Originally posted by: jpeyton
Well the D80 already uses EN-EL3e batteries, just like the D200/D300. The move from CCD to CMOS and other upgraded internals gave the D300 about triple the battery life of the D200 using the same exact battery (CIPA numbers).
The D90 should see a similar increase; at least 1000 shots per charge (CIPA), possibly more.
Of course recording video will drain the batteries faster; how much faster remains to be seen. But you guys are completely missing the bus on this new feature. We're talking about recording high quality (crossing my fingers for at least 720p) video on an interchangeable lens camera. That means I could slap on any high quality piece of glass onto the camera and record video using it. In the amateur video world, being able to use SLR lenses on an amateur video camera usually requires the use of very expensive powered lens adapters (Google: Brevis Flip). Taking video with the DOF control that an SLR lens offers would be insanely awesome.
Nikon *hopefully* didn't just add video so it could be some rinky-dink feature. It really has the potential to be a cult hit in the amateur video camera scene. It will ultimately boil down to the resolution, format, compression/quality settings, and battery life.
Originally posted by: ivan2
if it really works, why wouldn't they sell it for twice the price easily as a camcorder and then make a boat load in lens by retaining the F mount.
Originally posted by: abaez
$1,300 rumored according to an inventory screen.
$1299 is the price with the 18-105mm VR kit lens.Originally posted by: soydios
Originally posted by: abaez
$1,300 rumored according to an inventory screen.
!
I was hoping for the $1000-mark. It had better trounce the Canon 40D in almost every way then, because a 40D can be had for $950-$1000. $1300 is close enough to the D300 that I might just get that instead.
Originally posted by: jpeyton
$1299 is the price with the 18-105mm VR kit lens.
I'm guessing that $1099 or $999 is the price for the body only.
That is in line with the D80/D70 prices at launch.
Originally posted by: abaez
$1,300 rumored according to an inventory screen.
Originally posted by: IeraseU
Originally posted by: abaez
$1,300 rumored according to an inventory screen.
Too high. I've seen D300's for $15xx new. If that's the price including kit lens it makes sense, for just the body I'm expecting $999.
Originally posted by: foghorn67
This.
Amazing that very few understand that it's hard to compare prices with a camera that is brand new to the market vs. ones that have been on the shelf for months or years.
This cycle will continue. When the D90 has been around for about a year, Nikon will introduce 1 or more entry level cameras below the D90's specs. Then, in comes the herd of guys going, "OMG, why is that so expensive? I'll just buy a D90 instead."
Originally posted by: ivan2
Originally posted by: foghorn67
This.
Amazing that very few understand that it's hard to compare prices with a camera that is brand new to the market vs. ones that have been on the shelf for months or years.
This cycle will continue. When the D90 has been around for about a year, Nikon will introduce 1 or more entry level cameras below the D90's specs. Then, in comes the herd of guys going, "OMG, why is that so expensive? I'll just buy a D90 instead."
Canon is demonstrating this with the XS now and that's how not to release an entry level camera. I don't see anyone is exciting about the XS.