Earlier today I talked about some of Nikon's newest Coolpix cameras, but I also mentioned that there are new rumors regarding the highly anticipated Nikon D7000 which is the confirmed name for the D90 replacement, not D95 as I expected. Based on Nikon's release schedules in other years leading up to Photokina and information reported on Nikonrumors.com Nikon is expected to announce new products on September 15th. In addition to the D7000 it is almost certain that a new 200mm f/2.0G N VR II lens will be introduced as well. More recent information also hints at a 35mm f1/.4G N, but there is also a chance this lens will be announced early in 2011. Also a long needed SB-600 replacement, SB-700 has been mentioned as a high possibility of also being announced on September 15th. Expected D7000 specs after the break.
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| A fake/photoshop image of the soon to be announced D7000. Photo Credit: Nikonrumors.com |
Sensor: 16.2 Megapixel CMOS ISO Range: 100-25,600 (100 may be lo-1 and 25,600 is probably hi-2) Continuous Burst: 6 frames per second Video: Full 1080p HD video at 24fps with smooth continuous AF Construction: Magnesium Alloy shell with weather sealing similar to the D300s AF System: New 39 Point layout with 3D tracking Memory: 2 SD card slots. There is a chance one will be CF, but I doubt it Battery: New, unknown name Viewfinder: 100% Coverage LCD: 3" 921K (Non-articulating or swivel/tilt) Price: $1,199 body only Thoughts:
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| The new Canon 60D |
Again according to Nikonrumors.com these specs are 90% certain. Over the past year Nikon Rumors has been extremely accurate with predictions. So I believe they will be pretty close. This camera seems like a straight shot at the Canon 60D and the Canon 7D. Even though it is in a totally different price point, the D7000 has specs that are very competitive with the popular EOS 7D.
So based on this, the major factor here is if Nikon can deliver this camera. The pro-body D3s is one of the best DSLR cameras released to date, but Nikon hasn't been able to provide enough cameras to satisfy the demand. I know this because even though my main job here is creating web content, I have looked and seen how heavily back ordered this camera is in our inventory. It's sad to see such a great tool not available to photographers who are willing to pay for it right now! It's not just us either, you will be hard pressed to find a US Warranty D3s camera anywhere. If you do, it's probably marked up to $6,000, instead of it's normal $5199.95 price tag. Sorry about the sidetrack there, but the success of the D7000 depends on this alone because it's so well spec'd that it will sell itself.