Nikon D700 on July 1st?

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Jacobs Digital Photo and Video is touting a major announcement is coming on July 1st.

Everyone likes surprises, well we have one !! There will be a big surprise on the 1st July 2008, a major supplier will be announcing a brand new SLR. KEEP WATCHING !

[Jacobs]

This appears to confirm the prior rumors and speculation regarding an announcement from Nikon on July 1st. The rumors had previously been linked to a coming D3X; however, in light of the recent leaks, my money is on the Nikon D700. Additionally, note that Jacobs points out that “a” new SLR is coming, indicating only one new model, instead of the trio from Nikon we have been expecting. Perhaps Nikon will save something nice for Photokina 2008.

Also, I could always be wrong. Jacobs clearly has better info that I do at the moment, so maybe Canon has something up their sleeve with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II model? One things for sure, we’ve got about a week and a half to wait on the “surprise” announcement.

Nikon D90 to be Announced June 16th?

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Rumor has it, that is Nikon Rumors has it, the Nikon D90 may be announced by Nikon D90. Nikon Rumors has published the above photo, which looks like a “press” image and bears too many differences from current models to be a Photoshopped job. (I will say, however, that the “9″ on the badge looks a little jacked up.)

June 16th is significant because of Thom Hogan’s prior predictions for the release of a D90 and D3x from Nikon:

I’m tightening my D90 (or whatever they decide to call it) prediction date to between May 12th and June 16th.

If you’re interested in seeing a dissection of the above Nikon D90 image compared to other current Nikon DSLRs, check out Nikon Rumors for more.

Finally, for the latest news and rumors on the Nikon D90, stay tuned to Photography Bay’s Nikon D90 page.

UPDATE:  Sorry for the false alarm folks, but after further inspection, this is clearly a PS job based on the below image of the Nikon D300.  Look closely and you’ll find the similarities as well.  Pretty good PS job though, it had me pondering for a bit.

Canon 5D Mark II Ad Surfaces

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A Canon 5D Mark II ad has surfaced in the DP Review forums. In the Japanese ad, you can see that AF assist beam is in a different location of the current camera and you also see a “Mark II” emblem in the bottom right corner of the camera. Fake? Probabaly. Still, it’s more fuel to the rumor fire for the Canon 5D Mark II. For the latest word on the Canon 5D Mark II, stay tuned to Photography Bay’s Canon 5D Mark II page.

[via]

Sony A900 at Sub-$2000 Price Point

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Sony A900The latest and greatest rumors on the Sony A900 put the price point below $2000.  This info comes third-hand through the DP Review forums from a Sony Rep:

He told me that the company had sent out preliminary pricing on the a900 about a month ago to the reps. He said its not nailed down yet but that they are aiming at the sub-$2000 market.

(via)  For more on the coming A900, be sure to check out Photography Bay’s Sony A900 page.

Canon 5D Mark II Book on Amazon

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While we’ve seen signs of a Canon 5D Mark II for a while now, Amazon may have given us some insight to the availability of the 5D Mark II.  The Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide by Charlotte K. Lowrie is currently listed on Amazon and is available for pre-order with November 2008 availability.

The product details indicate that it has an ISBN of 0470409509.  Further confirmation can be found on the publisher’s website, Wiley.com, which indicates the book contains 272 pages and over 200 photos from Lowrie.  Of course, the Canon 5D Mark II doesn’t appear on Amazon, so it looks like just a few more bread crumbs for now; however, one has to wander whether Ms. Lowrie has gotten her hands on the new Canon camera to have her new book ready in time for the camera’s release.  To stay on top of the latest rumors, releases and news, bookmark Photography Bay’s Canon 5D Mark II page or subscribe to the RSS Feed.

Canon Rebel XS / 1000D Specs Surface

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UPDATED: The Canon Rebel XS / 1000D has been announced (June 10, 2008)!  Please go to Photography Bay’s Canon Rebel XS/1000D page for more info.

Specifications for the rumored Canon Rebel XS have began to surface online. The rumored specs seem to confirm the replacement of the Rebel XTi/400D. Still no news on release date, but we’ll continue to bank on Photokina. Kamera & Bild is the first place to tout the specs for the new camera, which are supposedly as follows:

  • 10.1 MP CMOS
  • Digic III
  • 7-point AF
  • 3 FPS
  • 2.5″ LCD
  • Live View
  • Similar Menus to the 450D (but more simplified)
  • Weight 540grams
  • Cheap Price

For the latest news and rumors, check out Photography Bay’s Canon Rebel XS / 1000D page.

Nikon D10

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Nikon D10

The rumor mill is starting to firm up a bit for the fall line up. On the Canon end of things, we’re seeing the 5D Mark II as a solid front runner for release, as well as a possible update to the 1D Mark III with a Canon 1D Mark IIIn or Mark IV. On the Nikon side of the coin, we’ve seen a load of rumors point toward a Nikon D90 and D3X, with the D90 being a follow up to the D80 and the D3X a an all-but-confirmed 24 megapixel full frame flagship camera.

Recent days, however, have seen rumors surface of a Nikon D10. Thom Hogan, who (as I’ve quoted before) has a good ear to the ground for Nikon gear, has eluded to the possibility of a mid-grade full frame Nikon D10 coming as well. Of course, this is still in rumor mode; however, the D10 would be positioned in Nikon’s lineup at a spot above the D300 and below the D3. The D10 would compete more directly with Canon’s 5D (and, perhaps, 5D Mark II).

The best that I can tell, the clues go back to Nikon’s release of the MB-10 vertical grip for the Nikon D300.  If you recall, a similar thing happened with Sony when they announced the vertical grip (the VG-B30AM) with the A200 DSLR at CES, which led everyone to suspect a A300 in the works (and we saw it and the A350 appear at PMA).

Prior to the D300, all add-on vertical grips were named for the body on which they would mount (e.g. MB-D200 was for the D200). When Nikon announced the D300, one of my first questions was why is the vertical grip called the MB-D10? I’ve NEVER known Nikon to deviate from their naming policies, so I asked them where the D10 was. (via)

Discussing the upcoming Olympic Games:

There certainly will be D3, 200mm f/2, 300mm f/2.8, 400mm f/2.8, 500mm f/4, and 600mm f/4 all available for the sports, but it would be a missed opportunity not to have a D3x, D10, and any new lenses there, as well. (via)

Discussing Fuji’s position relative to Nikon’s DSLR lineup:

Case in point: imagine if a D10 had the D300-type body with the D3 sensor, but at a “moderate” price. Of, the D10 had the D300-type body with a sensor mid-range between the D3 and D3x, say 18mp, but at a “moderate” price. (via)

Responding to claims that he has no inside knowledge of Nikon’s R&D:

. . . . Actually, quite a bit of what I’ve posted in the past has come from within Nikon. The problem is that Nikon, like most companies, has multiple things going on simultaneously and the actual products that make it to market are a subset of what is tested. There were so many prototypes in the D3 process, for instance, that it became increasingly unclear what was going on and what the final product might look like. . . .

. . . the MB-D10 is an interesting clue. Nikon hasn’t really deviated in naming for some time, so this was a real puzzler. As for how long it might have taken for a D10 to appear, I think Canon’s long delay in introducing a 5DII and Sony’s delay in the A900 are probably part of the reason. Perhaps they were prepared to go one way (D3 sensor) if they had to move faster, another (the rumored 18mp sensor) if they had more time.

. . . if Nikon MISSES the Olympics with the D3x intro (and possibly the D10), they miss a HUGE opportunity . . .  (via)

On the timing of releasing a new D10 or D3X:

*”Olympics”–the biggest gathering of pro photographers in one place this year, and a clear pro opportunity. Announce just before (July), provide loaners at the event would be the usual scenario.

*”Photokina”–not much after the Olympics, but the biggest gathering of photo retailers and decision influencers this year. If you haven’t announced by Photokina, you lose a great deal of press and retail leverage. (via)

So, is the Nikon D10 a sure thing?  No, we’re still in rumor and speculation world at this point.  Does Thom raise some interesting points about a potential Nikon D10 in the near future?  I think so.  We’ll see if these rumors bear fruit in the months ahead and keep the D10 on the Photokina watch list.

UPDATES

6/10/08:  Purported images of the Nikon D10 surface. (Read more)

5/22/08:  More rumors on the Nikon D10 from Thom Hogan.  (Read more)

Olympus E-520 Leak

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Olympus UK apparently slipped up and posted the model number of the forthcoming successor to the Olympus E-510 on an info page regarding image quality.  The offending text has been removed; however, this is the passage that was purportedly published by Olympus:

So that you don’t need to carry a heavy tripod or invest extra money into every single stabilised lens, Olympus integrated a built-in image stabiliser into the camera body of the E-3, E-510 and E-520. It stabilises up to 5 EV steps (up to 4 EV steps with the E-510 and E-520), making it the most effective solution on the market.

You can see the can see the redacted version of the page here.  Note that the “and E-520″ is gone, which makes the listing of “E-3, E-510″ read awkward since there is a comma in a list of only two items.  The cached version of the page shows this current version as well.  (via dslruser.co.uk)

Since the E-420 was just recently released, the follow-on of the E-520 certainly comes as no surprise.  We’ll keep our ears to the ground and pass along the latest news and rumors on the Olympus E-520 when it arrives.

Cheaper Nikon Full Frame DSLR on the Horizon

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Amidst the recent discussions of the rumored Nikon D3X, insights on a cheaper full frame DSLR from Nikon surfaced again.  The exchange between a couple of forum posters occurred on DPReview’s forums; however, one of the forum posters was Thom Hogan.  The original poster noted that a cheaper full frame Nikon DSLR was in the rumor mill.  Thom replied with:

Yep. But I still hear this as being further out than the D3x.

(via)

As you may know, Thom seems to have his ear keenly to the ground regarding Nikon news, rumors and equipment developments.  I’m sure Nikon users would love to see a mid-range FF DSLR that’s in the same price range as the current Canon 5D.  We’ll keep you posted with the latest on this rumor and the Nikon D3X.