Has anyone heard if Nikon is producing a digital camera body or cameraback that will allow one with a large investment in Nikon Lenses to use them on a digital body/back.

I know they have the Pro models costing many thousand dollars. However, imagine a camera body using the new 950 guts that would allow one to use the standard Nikon lenses on a body costing the same as the 950.

David

-- David Borden (david.j.borden@intel.com), July 13, 1999

Answers

It's both a marketing and technical issue. Marketing won't let it happen because they want to sell the "many thousand" dollar units, not a 950 body for all the pro-gear that's out there. The truth is that the quality would be good enough for nearly all of the applications currently required in the digitally mastered "professional" arena... if it would work! Next the technical one. The size of the pick-up area in the 950 is about the equivelent of a 16mm frame. This makes your 50mm lens a long telephoto, your 200mm a virtual telescope, etc. You'd need a 16mm to 20mm lens for "normal" shooting. Check the price of a rectilinear 17mm lens from Nikon and you'll see just how much you'd actually save by buying the pro-model.

Des

-- Dan Desjardins (dan.desjardins@avstarnews.com), July 13, 1999.

Probably not until the next product cycle. The new D1 is going to list at what the old E3 cameras sell at on the street, though, so maybe used a E3 (which would preserve the angle of view of your 35mm lenses) would be a deal when the D1 comes out. I doubt you'll see one for 950 prices though.

Just to give you an idea of the price reduction, the E3 listed for ~$10k and sold at B&H for $6k: the D1 is going to list under $6k and have lots more resolution.

-- John O'Connell (oconnell@siam.org), July 13, 1999.