New Sony and Nikon flagships?

[pierces]

I realize that most cruisers don really care about the latest and greatest in camera tech other than it will eventually trickle down to daily shooters. For those that keep up with the latest and greatest, the rumor mill is grinding out what they grind out best.

 

Nikon D6 (announcement tomorrow):

• 24MP
• Stabilized body 😮
• 4K 60p video.
• Longer exposure - up to 120 sec.

 

Sony A9II (1-2 weeks?):

• 33MP or 36MP
• "Mind-blowing" specs. (Yeah...it already has that. 🙂)
• Tenuous rumor of global shutter, or at least even faster readout than current camera.

 

Sony A7s III (IV?) (1-2 weeks?):

• Sony state secret. No reliable leaks so far except for knowing smiles from Sony honchos when asked.

 

APS-C "Pro" level Sony (Q3-ish):

• Center located EVF
• Somewhat larger body with more controls
• A9 performance
• Weather sealing upgraded

 

 

Vague murmurings about a Canon mirrorless pro camera. Maybe an A7rIII competitor? 😉

 

 

If you've heard anything, please post.

 

If you have a wish list, post that too!

 

 

Dave

Edited September 3, 2019 by pierces

[pierces]

Full announcement of the Nikon D6 today...not.

 

"There will be a D6 and it will be good"

 

Details to follow.

 

Oh, well...

 

120-300 f/2.8 coming too, which is interesting.

 

Dave

Edited September 4, 2019 by pierces

[havoc315]

18 hours ago, pierces said:

I realize that most cruisers don really care about the latest and greatest in camera tech other than it will eventually trickle down to daily shooters. For those that keep up with the latest and greatest, the rumor mill is grinding out what they grind out best.

 

Nikon D6 (announcement tomorrow):

• 24MP
• Stabilized body 😮
• 4K 60p video.
• Longer exposure - up to 120 sec.

 

Sony A9II (1-2 weeks?):

• 33MP or 36MP
• "Mind-blowing" specs. (Yeah...it already has that. 🙂)
• Tenuous rumor of global shutter, or at least even faster readout than current camera.

 

Sony A7s III (IV?) (1-2 weeks?):

• Sony state secret. No reliable leaks so far except for knowing smiles from Sony honchos when asked.

 

APS-C "Pro" level Sony (Q3-ish):

• Center located EVF
• Somewhat larger body with more controls
• A9 performance
• Weather sealing upgraded

 

 

Vague murmurings about a Canon mirrorless pro camera. Maybe an A7rIII competitor? 😉

 

 

If you've heard anything, please post.

 

If you have a wish list, post that too!

 

 

Dave

 

A9ii --- Definitely coming within 3-6 months, rumors coming very soon. Flagship sports cameras are always released for the Olympics

A 36mp A9 with the A7r4 ergonomic and functional upgrades would make me drool. The perfect... that extra boost of resolution, but don't need the insanity of 61mp. Amazing af and performance. Ultra high resolution EVF.

I mean, it will probably be priced $5,000..... so kinda hard to justify buying. But apart from price, the perfect all purpose camera. 

 

A7siii -- Sony has basically confirmed it's coming. I wouldn't have been shocked if they dropped it from the product line... if they improved the video in the A7riv. But with keeping the A7riv at 4k30, I'm confident an A7siii is coming.

 

APS-C pro -- Not coming. I thought it was. I would have bet on it. But now... if such a camera is coming, it's 2020 at the earliest.

It's the reality of a shrinking market. Due to economies of scale, it's difficult and expensive to produce a lot of different low volume models. 

Go back to 2012... Canon was selling about 10-12 million ILC cameras per year. Nikon was at about 8-10 million. Sony at about 2-3 million. Projected numbers for 2020: Canon at about 3 million, Nikon and Sony tied at about 1.2 million.

Cameras are combinations of parts that either need to be purchased or custom manufactured. It's much cheaper, on a per unit basis, to buy 1 million sensors then to buy 100,000. Much cheaper to build 1 million identical bodies, then to constantly re-tool to build 200,000 of 5 different bodies.

So the reality of the shrinking market: The camera makers MUST cut back on models. 

Go back to the height of the market.. around 2012, Sony released 5 or 6 different cameras.. the A37, A57, A77, A99, Nex 5R, Nex 6...  A bunch of different camera bodies, a bunch of different AF systems, a bunch of different processors, a bunch of different sensors.

Now.... A6400, A6100, A6700: Exact same LCD, almost exact same body with minor differences, exact same sensor, exact same AF system, same 11 fps, same card slot.... The cameras are 98% the same. 

So what Sony has done, to keep costs down yet still offer different models, they have tweaked tiny cheap changes into 3 models. A cheaper EVF in 1 of the models, and turning off picture profiles. In the higher model, turning back on picture profiles, changing a couple things on the control dial, IBIS and a bigger battery. Minor changes, while re-using most of the same parts and molds.

 

Point is, at $1400, the A6600 is the "high end" aps-c. They didn't leave themselves much room to realistically price an aps-c pro camera.... and it wouldn't generate enough volume to create all new parts, for a single niche camera. 

You could do a niche camera in 2012.. when a niche ILC might still sell 200,000 units.

But it's too costly and not profitable to do a niche camera that will only sell 50,000 units. 

When you do a niche camera like that, you need to price it very high -- Like the $3,500 A9 -- But there probably isn't a market for a $2999 aps-c A9. You simply can't create enough volume in today's market to rationalize a niche aps-c camera.

 

This will sound cynical but it's true: The A6100 and A6600 are Sony's attempt to sell off all their extra supply of the old 24mp sensor. 

 

The A6600 was their chance:  To keep costs down, they could have used an A7iii body shell, with a newly designed aps-c sensor. Then filter that sensor down to lower models in a couple of years.  But it appears Sony decided against that direction. 

It's disappointing -- I don't mind the resolution of the A6100-A6600 sensor. But it's an old sensor that could have been improved. And based on Sony's schedule, it means you shouldn't expect a new aps-c sensor until at least 2021-2022. 

 

[chipmaster]

11 hours ago, pierces said:

Full announcement of the Nikon D6 today...not.

 

"There will be a D6 and it will be good"

 

Details to follow.

 

Oh, well...

 

120-300 f/2.8 coming too, which is interesting.

 

Dave

 

 

Nikon, what a joke non-announcement, of course there is a D6 coming after D5, it is an Olympic Year and before each summer there has been a D announcement, but this one was so weak, only there to stop the bleeders and defectors.   

 

Frankly more FPS and or resolution can’t move me, nor bump in real sensitivity.  I frankly don’t crop that much, peep that much, nor shoot in the that dark caves,  but the fate of Canikon and Sony will be interesting to watch this coming decade, one of not two will be gone IMHO

Edited September 4, 2019 by chipmaster