D400 Rumor: too good to be true?

Wednesday, December 10th, 2008

Devin Coldewey is a Seattle-based writer and photographer. He has written for the TechCrunch network since 2007. Some posts he’d like you to read: The Dangers of Externalizing Knowledge | Generation i | Surveillant Society | Choose Two | Frame Wars | The User’s Manifesto | Our Great Sin His personal website is coldewey.cc. → Learn More


That repository for all things both shadowy and Nikon-related, Nikon Rumors, has posted an anonymous tip they got concerning possible specs for the Nikon D400. The rumors have been a bit irresponsible concerning this camera, endowing it with two sensors, GPS, and multi-touch. The truth is probably a little more like these specs seem to indicate: a really sweet $2000 prosumer camera with lots of new in-camera features.

Here are the specs as quoted in the rumor:

Nikon D400
MSRP $1,999.00
Key Features:

* New 14.8 megapixel DX format CMOS sensor effective 14.3 megapixel
* Self-cleaning sensor unit (low-pass filter vibration)
* ISO 100 – 6400 (with boost up to ISO 25600 and down to ISO 50)
* 14-bit A/D conversion
* Movie capture at up to 1080p 24 fps with stereo sound
* Nikon EXPEED Plus image processor 30% faster than previous EXPEED image processor
* Super fast operation (power-up 13 ms, shutter lag 40 ms, black-out 90 ms)
* Kevlar / carbon fibre composite shutter with 200,000 exposure durability
* Multi-CAM3500DX Auto Focus sensor (51-point, 15 cross-type, more vertical coverage)
* Auto-focus tracking by color (using information from 1005-pixel AE sensor)
* Auto-focus calibration (fine-tuning) now available (fixed body or up to 20 separate lens settings)
* Vignetting control in-camera
* Automatic chromatic aberration correction
* Custom image parameters now support brightness as well as contrast
* Seven frames per second continuous shooting (nine frames per second with battery pack)
* 3.0″ 922,000 pixel LCD monitor
* Live View with either phase detect (mirror up/down) or contrast-detect AF, face detection
* ‘Active D-Lighting’ (adjusts metering as well as applying D-Lighting curve)
* Detailed ‘Control Panel’ type display on LCD monitor, changes color in darkness
* Buttons sealed against moisture
* Same ultra-fast startup and shutter lag as D700
* Scene Recognition System (uses AE sensor, AF sensor)
* Picture Control image parameter presets
* UDMA compatible single CF card slot
* Virtual horizon indicates if camera is level (like an aircraft cockpit display)
* Extensive in-camera retouching
* HDMI HD video output
* Magnesium alloy body with connections and buttons sealed against moisture

I’m skeptical of a few of these things. Different burst frames per second depending on whether there’s a battery pack? Generally that sort of thing is limited by the in-camera memory and how fast it can offload onto the card. And the Kevlar/Carbon fiber shutter sounds a bit off as well Commenters below point out these two features are already present in Nikon Cameras. Sorry, I’m a Canon guy… the battery thing still seems weird. Still other than the few questionable features, if this rumor turned out to be true, it would be a hell of a camera. I like the chromatic aberration correction in camera idea.

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