The Coming Digital F* Body
(File this under pure speculation on my part)
I like film, I really do. That’s why I love my F5 and my (used) F3 and my Hasselblad and others.
It wasn’t even until the D2x that I even considered digital good enough for shots that I really cared about.
But let’s face it- it’s curtains for the Nikon film bodies. IIRC (and I could be imagining things), Nikon has even said that there won’t be any more film bodies.
That’s why I’m betting that sooner (maybe not the next one…) than later, we’ll see digital models using the F* convention- maybe the F7.
I’m definitely going out on a limb here but I doubt (and I hope) that the F series won’t be discontinued, but will live on in digital when Nikon finally claims one of their digital bodies to be worthy of the F series designation and heritage.
April 16th, 2008 at 21:13
I hope they don’t kill off film bodies. That said, I miss my F4 that I sold, and if I ever shoot film again, I’d look to buy one back…
April 16th, 2008 at 21:14
PS – at $2800 for an F6… yes, film is dead.
April 16th, 2008 at 22:14
Insanity.
Nikon (plus Canon and most consumer product manufacturers) need to simplify their product lineups, not confuse them more.
The D80 is better than the D60, the D300 better than the D80 and the D3 the best of the bunch? D60D3? Now add F into the mix and see what we get. Look at the mess that is all the prefixes and suffixes of the Nikkor line.
Nikon and Canon need to look at the iPod; Nano, Classic, Touch. Three clearly defined models which are clearly replaced each cycle. No stupid and confusing code, no leaving the only model to limp on once its replacement is released. The Nano replaced the Nano before it, but did the D60 replace the D40?
Simplify the lineup. Give the products real names (but not crap ones like ‘Rebel’) and retire a product the moment its replacement is released. DSLRs are massive consumer products now and the marketing need to reflect this. Also, not all pros are massive geeks who love arcane and esoteric product naming.
April 16th, 2008 at 23:43
I thought Nikon used “D” for “Digital” and “F” for film (?) At least retroactively (?)
April 19th, 2008 at 17:17
Nikon has to do something about its nomenclature soon, since it is running out of numbers on the entry level end. I think the sanest approach is to go back to 2-letter prefixes like the FE, FA, etc.
The pro line should retain the D1 nomenclature for continuity. The semi-pro cameras could continue with D100. Everything else should get a 2-letter prefix, like DF, DE, DA, DM.
It is sad that the F units are probably coming to a close, but I think it would be confusing to revert to F-nomenclature now. The S prefix was also dropped once rangefinders were discontinued, despite their fame.
April 22nd, 2008 at 22:01
Ruuku: There is nothing complicated about the Nikon DSLR line. D40, D60, D80 at the bottom, D300 in the middle, D3 at the top. The D300 replaced the D200 and the D3 replaced the D2 line. OK…they shouldn’t have had the D40 replace the D50, but other than that, what’s the problem? Probably the D90 will replace the D80. Makes perfect sense to me. The only problem is that they’re running out of even numbers to use so as Deep Bokeh states, they’ll probably switch to another naming system, but I hope it’s not the 2-character alphas of the old mid-film line, because those were impossible to interpret.
An FG was an upgraded EM. An FE was similar to an FM body w/EL2’s components with aperture priority. In the Nikkormat line there was an FT, FS, FTN, EL, FT2, ELW, FT3, EL2. It’s impossible to discern anything from such nomenclature.
It is unrealistic to think they’re going to retire a camera the second a new model comes out because there are generally still tons in the retail pipeline. Besides, replacement models are generally priced higher than current models and they’re usually in short supply for months.
While Apple does this on their websites and in their own retail stores, it doesn’t happen in the rest of the retail chain. The older models are out there for months. What do you think they’re going to do: send cameras to the dump just to simplify the product line?
If you want to see a complicated product line, look at everyone’s ranges of point and shoot cameras. Nikon’s got 23 supposedly current models and Canon’s got even more.