RiceHigh's Pentax Blog: Nikon Retro-Style Full Frame DSLR is Coming

Monday, October 21, 2013

Nikon Retro-Style Full Frame DSLR is Coming

See what Nikon Rumors have disclosed:

http://nikonrumors.com/2013/10/20/breaking-new-nikon-full-frame-hybrid-mirrorless-camera-coming-soon.aspx/

With brief rumoured specs as follows:

- Nikon FM2 like design

- Pentaxprism viewfinder

- 16.2MP 36x23,9 full frame sensor (same sensor as the D4's)

- SD memory card

- 2016-pixel RGB image sensor

- 9-cell framing grid display

- 3D color matrix metering II

- Native ISO range: 100-12,800 (incl. ISO 50 and ISO 108,200)

- 5.5 fps for up to 100 shots

- 3.2" LCD screen

- Battery:EN-EL14

- Dimensions: 143.5 x 110 x 66.5mm

- Weight: 765g

- It will come with a new AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G lens

Well, while this must be a really good camera I have to say, I am rather disappointed this idea was not first adopted by Pentax instead, which I made such a proposition back to 2008, for a retro-type DSLR of K1000D.

Comments (45)

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+5 Vote up Vote down

JohnC · 594 weeks ago

wow! Things are getting very interesting!

+1 Vote up Vote down

Anonimity is Great · 594 weeks ago

How can it be mirrorless but still have a "Pentaxprism" viewfinder?

+1 Vote up Vote down

PentaxWhy · 594 weeks ago

Looks good.

-5 Vote up Vote down

Nikon's Big Mistake · 594 weeks ago

It will have the Nikon "F" mount, so it won't be able to adapt other lenses. Didn't Nikon learn anything from the Pentax K-01 fiasco? If you're going to go mirrorless, develop a new mount! Don't carry over the old mount and flange distance!

1 reply · active 594 weeks ago

+2 Vote up Vote down

Yoku · 594 weeks ago

K-01 was really right move - to produce mirrorless camera without changing mount.
Where is FF K-02?

11 replies · active 593 weeks ago

+3 Vote up Vote down

Chris · 594 weeks ago

Love my K-01 as well as my K-5. Looking forward to K-3.

2 replies · active 593 weeks ago

0 Vote up Vote down

Heiko · 594 weeks ago

It's "new", it's old,. it is the real Retro deal!

Wait there's more: Nikon will put an aperture ring on all your previously purchased "G"-lenses - free of charge!
/sarcasm

Great idea with a flawed concept. Should they do it for real, I'm the first to applaud them. OTOH: Some fans just cannot get enough, can they?

Still: a strictly manual-focus ff-dslr would just make sense, since the market hasn't seen anything like it, yet. Should have patented the concept when I first thought about it like 15 years ago!

+10 Vote up Vote down

SNAPPERTIM · 594 weeks ago

Lets see clearly what's happening, Nikon Canon and Sony have launched several new cameras the common factor is they are all (except the 7100 and 5200 updates from Nikon) Full Frame !!!, are we living in the last days of APSC ? !!!.
Regards Snappertim

4 replies · active 594 weeks ago

+2 Vote up Vote down

anunnaki · 594 weeks ago

Don't want to sound overly dramatic, but if this comes true and Nikon manage to keep price at the same level as the A7 or lower ( nikon will probably dont have video so its possible) than Pentax may have some serious problem selling k-3 (at least for the current price)

2 replies · active 594 weeks ago

0 Vote up Vote down

Zizi · 594 weeks ago

Last rumor: Nikon will replace all old cameras pentaprisms by the new pentaxprism of Pentax.

-1 Vote up Vote down

Linus · 594 weeks ago

Nikon Rumors now says no video for this device. I'd rather it not have af.

0 Vote up Vote down

Sony camera do mundo · 594 weeks ago

has anybody checked the Pentax K3 video test on youtube.com . My conclusion is that it's not for prime time. It's no where on par with the gh2/gh3 or 5DMK3.

1 reply · active 594 weeks ago

+6 Vote up Vote down

Bzrkd · 594 weeks ago

This is indeed a good tribute to Rice's long time engagement about the subject; not only him, but many Pentax users advocated design of a more retro-inspired (using best design traits of old SLRs) to inspire new generations of users.

Some wanted a K1000 style, some suggested a more LX look. nevertheless, one thing is most important: like that, the K-mount offer would expand beyond the typical DSLR shapes shared across Nikon's and Canon's ranges and clearly separate Pentax.

But alas — it was all in vain. Ricoh has allowed that in 30 months of silence other players figure out that what Pentax should have 4 years ago thanks to its users.

0 Vote up Vote down

Dan Johnson · 594 weeks ago

Hey, you never know, when I heard EVFs would be the thing at Photokina 2014 it was based on the development of a new technology (which has come sooner than we thought) it could still be the biggest thing. If and when Ricoh rolls out a Full Frame DSLR it won't be the talk of all who attend Photokina 2014 (more like if a tree falls in the forest and nobody hears it does it make a sound) and like many I'll buy one so I'll have the last good K-5 (K-3) in silver and the last good Pentax DSLR (both unused) for sale, because it seem the price range of EVFs will be more in line with economy DSLRs than the high-end DSLRs. Evan though I don't see much difference in camera size (FF vs Cropped) those who say FF DSLRs are too big should love how much smaller an EVF is than a C-sized DSLR as well as the pancake lenses, I can see why some say all image sensors should be the same size evan though they don't realize it is becoming true for Full Frame!

+1 Vote up Vote down

Heiko · 594 weeks ago

Dude, now it dawned on me!
All the time you wrote "EVF", you actually meant

'EVIL' as in (Electronic Viewfinder Interchangeable Lens)

So you were referring to the camera as a whole, and not to that single part where you're eye goes. Now it actually starts to makes sense.

May I suggest you start to type out "EVIL" (or 'mirror-less') whenever you mean precisely that, in future posts? I really thought you were going on about the specifics of the eye-piece...

well: If you say 2014 will be the year of cameras deploying an electronic viewfinder instead of an optical solution (bei it via mirror or a simple see-through glass) --
I see it like this: maybe. My reasoning is: we're already there. Most people who wanted an EVIL-camera might have already bought one and/or are getting one as we speak. Looking at sensors smaller than APS-c, even I agree: that concept makes a lot of sense.
Also anything bigger than say: 645-medium format might theoretically benefit from doing away with the mirror. If they get around the problem of light hitting the sensor at extreme angles - thereby inducing all kinds of false colour and detail at the image-borders. This is still one of the reasons why digital-ized SLRs still have the edge in wide-angle shots: their retro-focus lens-designs make sure the light hits the sensor at a near-optimal angle.

However: on smaller cameras like µ4/3 or Nikon-1 I think they really are the way to go. I really wish the Pentax-Q came with one, as well!
I still would not want to shoot events with those cameras for a living, (yet). At least not in bright daylight: http://www.imaging-resource.com/news/2013/03/27/w...

I think the EVFs (the eye-piece part that turns a mirrorless camera into a real "EVIL" ) still have one or two iterations left to mature. But: the days of entry-level DSLRs as the cashcows for camera-makers are numbered!
That I agree.

+1 Vote up Vote down

Dbean · 594 weeks ago

In defense of Pentax, we don't know what the original Pentax Research and Development team was working on when they were sold to Hoya and then to Ricoh. It's the corporate managers who decide what products are finally produced. The real tragedy of Pentax has been instability due to the company being sold twice in recent years. They've obviously been slowed down and really haven't had a chance to compete fairly with the big guys. So Pentax hasn't been able to produce whatever product you thought they should produce when you thought they should produce it. Fair enough, but you're just kicking a dog when he's down.

+2 Vote up Vote down

Dan Johnson · 594 weeks ago

This is why I feel Pentax may come out with a better EVF first, evan if they do use a Pentaprizm with a FF DSLR soon. The cutting edge technology is getting better and better EVFs, (LCD to OLED to IGZO) are already better for less money and everyone's R&D new it would see fruition in 2014. Some simply mock what's over their head but most of you know what's in the air, as I said before Ricoh wants a DSLR body that they can upgrade in the future (being removable would be nice too, USB-2 ain't saving you large coin, USB-3 is 10X as fast, and USB-3.1 is 10Gb ps), if I didn't make myself clear enough for all last time, Recoh will not sit by while everyone else comes out with an EVF but at the same time I hope they remember the photographers who will buy a FF DSLR while the price of C-size DSLRs gets closer to the price of FF DSLRs.
P. S. I see many of the people who spoke out against FF DSLRs don't want a Pentax K-3 until it's on clearance sale, why should Ricoh cater to them instead of offering Full Frame and Cropped ?

1 reply · active 593 weeks ago

+3 Vote up Vote down

Dan Johnson · 594 weeks ago

I see Ricoh has released the new Pentax HD DA lenses (15mm, 21mm, 40mm, and 35mm Macro), I'm still not buying anything but Full Frame lenses but if you want them they're out there.

1 reply · active 593 weeks ago

+1 Vote up Vote down

fullframehope · 594 weeks ago

Pentax can't have it both ways. On the one hand they say "APS-C" is good enough implying sensor size doesn't matter. On the other hand, they say if you need the best image quality, get our cropped MF larger sensor camera. Well, at least that's what the fanbozos say. All these FF cameras coming out are going to clobber the APS-C market, period. The bloggers people listen too will recommend the FF cameras to their audience.

1 reply · active 593 weeks ago

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rhermans · 593 weeks ago

As long as their flag-ship is something that weighs a ton, and cost's even more you don't think they are going to make this as good. With all dslr manufacturers if you need the best you'll have to buy their best, being a super large ff dslr. So if they make this, it will not have their heart in it. For Sony this new ff is the top, with all bells and whistles. You are not paying more for better dynamic range because the sensor is better, you are paying more not have the dynamic range scaled down in the software in your camera.

1 reply · active 593 weeks ago

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Monday, October 21, 2013

Nikon Retro-Style Full Frame DSLR is Coming

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