Is a “Mirrorless War” coming? Someone thinks so

Full Frame Mirrorless

Kevin Raber of Luminous Landscape introduces us to a possible upcoming “mirrorless war”. Is it going to be Canon and Nikon against the rest of the world?

In his own words:

The Mirrorless War is here. In the coming months, things will get real interesting in the mirrorless camera market as Nikon and Canon throw their hats into the ring. Now every major manufacturer will have a mirrorless offering. It’s the camera of the future.

In his video, Kevin Raber discusses today’s situation of the market, and gives some predictions for the future.

Exciting times are ahead. Nikon already officially stated they are developing a full frame mirrorless camera, and that they will announce it to the world on August 23, 2018 (all Nikon full frame mirrorless rumors).

And Canon? Hard to say since Canon started to be very secretive about their agendas. All Canon full frame mirrorless rumors are listed here.

Nikon’s full frame mirrorless camera coming August 23, 2018, Sales Starting in October, price between $1800-$2700, report

Full Frame Mirrorless Camera

In two different articles, Nikkei Asian Review gives some more hints about Nikon’s mirrorless agenda.

In this article, Nikkei confirms that Nikon’s full frame mirrorless camera is set to be announced on August 23, 2018.

In this article, Nikkei states that

The model (the upcoming MILC, editor’s note] is on the pricey side — 200,000 yen to 300,000 yen ($1,800 to $2,700). Sales are scheduled to start in autumn at the earliest.

Yesterday, Nikon officially announced the development of a “next generation full frame mirrorless camera“. A set of specifications is rumored but not yet official.

It’s official: Nikon Announces Development of Next Generation Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera

Full-frame Mirrorless Camera

Yep, “development”, not “launch”. Details, including the release date and suggested retail prices, are not yet disclosed. A dedicated teaser-site is online. Some specifications of Nikon’s full-frame mirrorless camera have already leaked.

And Canon’s Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera is coming too, very soon.

Nikon press release:

Nikon Announces Development of Next Generation Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera and NIKKOR Lenses—Featuring a New Mount—That Pursue a New Dimension in Optical Performance

MELVILLE, NY – Nikon Inc. is pleased to announce the development of a next-generation full-frame (Nikon FX-format) mirrorless camera and NIKKOR lenses featuring a new mount.
The new mirrorless camera and NIKKOR lenses that are in development will enable a new dimension in optical performance with the adoption of a new mount. The system is the result of Nikon’s unsurpassed optical and manufacturing capabilities gained through more than a century of imaging expertise. Proven reliability and trusted performance are core traits of Nikon Digital-SLRs, and decades of feedback from professional creators around the world has further contributed to the development of this system.

Through the development of this new mirrorless camera, Nikon reaffirms our commitment to providing photographers with the ability to capture images that are richer and more vivid than ever before.

Additionally, an F-Mount adapter is being developed that will enable the use of a wide variety of F-Mount NIKKOR lenses with the new camera.

Nikon will continue to lead imaging innovation with the launch of the new mirrorless camera and the continued development of Nikon Digital-SLR cameras as well as the impressive NIKKOR lens lineup. Soon, Nikon users will have two industry-leading camera systems to choose from, giving consumers the choice to enjoy the unique values that each system offers.

Content relating to this product is available for viewing at the following URL: http://www.nikonusa.com/mirrorlessiscoming. Please stay tuned for more information.

Details, including the release date and suggested retail prices, will be shared at a later date.

The Nikon Coolpix P1000 125x zoom is just C.R.A.Z.Y

Nikon Coolpix P1000

Nikon Coolpix P1000 at a glance:

  • NIKKOR 24-3000mm Lens (35mm Equivalent)
  • Aperture Range: f/2.8-8
  • 16MP BSI CMOS Sensor
  • EXPEED Image Processor
  • ISO 100-6400
  • 2.36m-Dot OLED EVF
  • 3.2″ 921k-Dot Vari-Angle LCD Monitor
  • 4K UHD Video Recording
  • SnapBridge via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
  • Auto, Aperture, Shutter, Manual Modes

A few days ago Nikon announced the Nikon Coolpix P1000, a compact camera with a 24-3000mm equivalent zoom, which translates to a 125x zoom.

125x zoom, you read right. If you want to learn what a 125x zoom, or a 24-3000mm (35mm-)equivalent lens means, then have a look at the videos below. Spoiler: it’s just C.R.A.Z.Y.

The Nikon Coolpix P1000 goes for $999, and can be pre-ordered at B&H, Adorama and Amazon.



Just for the fun to compare, this is what the Nikon P900 was able to do.

[via DIY Photography]

Did You Know Nikon Designs its own Sensors?

Nikon

I didn’t.

Imaging Resource’s Dave Etchells had the rare chance to visit Nikon’s super-secret sensor design laboratory. But, wait, didn’t Sony manufacture the sensors in Nikon cameras?

So what is Nikon exactly doing? Say’s Etchells:

Companies designing chips of whatever sort generally rely on standard processes established by the “foundry” company that does the actual manufacturing. In these cases, the design process is “just” a matter of defining the layout of the devices on the chip. I say “just” though, because it’s far from a routine process to do this. The size and shape of transistors, photodiodes, resistors and capacitors determines their electrical characteristics, and there are loads of tradeoffs involved in balancing light-gathering efficiency, noise levels, readout speeds, on and on. A big trick is designing the pixels and readout circuitry so there’s as little “dead” (non-light-sensitive) area as possible, while maintaining readout speeds and minimizing power consumption.

Nikon designs its sensors and Sony manufactures them. The surprising thing here is how deep into details Nikon’s sensor design goes, let alone all the simulations and the testing. The reason Nikon is doing this, has to do

with being able to optimize the camera system as a whole, in ways that you can’t if you’re just using off-the shelf parts

In other words: Nikon wants their sensors to be optimised for their lenses and to work at best with Nikon’s also in-house designed EXPEED image processing engine. The sensors featured in the Nikon D850 and Nikon D5 are an example of Nikon’s testing, simulation and overall sensor design.

To learn more about imaging sensors in general and about Nikon’s super-secret sensor design laboratory head over to Imaging Resource.

Nikon working on finger sensor able to understand photographer’s emotions, patent suggests

Nikon

Nikon patent application 2017-143581 describes a camera with a finger sensor that can understand basic emotions of the photographer.

The sensors are built into the sides of lenses and on the front and back of a DSLR. The sensor can detect biometric information like the heart rate, body temperature, blood pressure, perspiration, and also the pressure you put on the grip. From this data, a simple neuronal network (read basic AI) can get a hint about the photographer’s emotion and act accordingly.

Excerpt from the patent literature:

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem in which, while a viewer who views a photographed image can enjoy the photographed image more deeply if a photographer’s emotion at a time of photographing can be understood, how to enjoy such images cannot be realized with the conventional apparatus.
SOLUTION: The display device includes: an input unit for inputting biometric information of a photographer at a time of photographing an image; a display unit for displaying the image; and a processing unit for estimating an emotion at the time of photographing from the biological information of the photographer and processing an image to be displayed on the display unit on the basis of the estimated emotion.

Canon are you listening?

[via PP]