Having been primarily shooting with the Nikon D810 ever since the camera was announced (which as of today is my primary camera for most types of photography I am engaged in), I have been compiling a list of features that I would like to see on the upcoming Nikon D820, so I decided to share this list with our readers. My goal with this article is not only to share my list of most wanted features, but also to potentially expand it based on the feedback I get from other D800/D800E/D810 shooters out there.
So without further ado, let’s go ahead and kick off what I have gotten so far!
1) RAW Histogram and Blinkies
This one has been on my wishlist for a while now and it is not just limited to the Nikon D820 – we should see this feature on every digital camera! RAW histograms and blinkies are important, because that’s the only way to actually see if data is getting lost during the process of capturing images. Sadly, what we see on cameras today, is histogram and blinkie output from JPEG images that are embedded into RAW files. The moment you start changing your camera settings, the histogram changes, which means that you end up looking at data from 8-bit images, which has no way of showing what is actually happening to the 12+ bit RAW image.
You might be seeing overexposure on the histogram and the blinkies, when in reality, all of the data might be fully preserved in the actual RAW file. Nikon could be a true pioneer in the camera industry, by implementing true RAW histograms and blinkies first! It would be wonderful if Nikon did it right from the start though, which means RAW histogram output for each color channel, similar to what we see below (sample output from RawDigger):
And how awesome would it be, if blinkies were implemented differently for each color channel? Flash red for red channel loss, green for green channel loss and blue for blue channel loss. When multiple channels are lost, flash those areas white (thanks to Spencer Cox for the idea). Imagine how easy it would be to expose to the right – we would be able to make correct exposure choices without second guessing anything.
2) Exposure To The Right (ETTR) Metering
Speaking of exposing to the right, once RAW histograms and blinkies are implemented, it would be potentially possible to add a new metering preset based on this data! Imagine an extension to matrix metering, which looks at the last image captured, then suggests exposure based on the data. This could automate the process of getting the ideal exposure right on the camera, without blowing any of the highlights. And if you want to go fancy, how about reading sensor data right off sensor via live view and giving ETTR suggestions?
3) Fix Menu Banks System
Nikon does it right on lower-end cameras like Nikon D610 and D750, by giving easy presets right on the camera dial, and allowing to permanently store camera settings from the camera menu onto those presets. That’s how it needs to work on every camera! Sadly, Nikon decided to go with menu banks on every pro-level camera, including the D810. With the menu banks, one has to go into the camera menu and navigate to several places to change presets. And the worst part of it is that if the photographer changes any of the camera settings, those settings stay, which means that there is no way to make permanent changes to settings in the first place. This makes the menu bank system practically useless for most photographers, including myself.
Nikon should address this problem on the upcoming Nikon D820 and in fact, on every pro-level DSLR in the future. This particular change has been requested a lot in the past!
4) Fix sRAW Implementation
When Nikon introduced sRAW initially, many of us got excited about the feature. Thinking about not only potential space savings in some situations, but also about the different options we could have when shooting with a high resolution camera like the D810, it seemed like a wonderful option. However, after we looked deeper into the sRAW format, it turned out to be more of a marketing gimmick, with larger than desired file sizes, cooked / lossy data and other problems. Does this mean that sRAW is doomed forever? It does not have to be – Nikon could make sRAW very useful by reworking it completely. If one could shoot at 36 MP in full resolution, 24 MP in medium resolution (mRAW) and say 12 MP in low resolution (sRAW), but with real pixel binning to reduce noise levels in images and reduce their physical size, how awesome would that be? And please, no stripping of important data! We do not want to see 8-bit, 10-bit or 11-bit implementations of sRAW – all data should be preserved, which means storage of data in full 14+ bit lossless. This way, we do not have to worry about posterization and other related artifacts, as we had previously seen on Sony mirrorless cameras:
5) Live View Split-Screen Display Zoom Enhancement
When shooting landscapes and architecture, many of us have to calculate hyperfocal distance in order to get the entire scene look sharp. While the process is not very difficult, whenever calculation of distances is involved, there is always a chance for error. With the introduction of the D810, Nikon gave us a wonderful feature called “Split-Screen Display Zoom”, which allows one to get extremely accurate results in regards to calculating the best hyperfocal distance. In Live View mode, the screen is split into two halves and one can look at two areas of the frame independently and rotate the focusing ring in order to get both areas as sharp as possible while zoomed in:
I personally found it incredibly useful, as it leaves no room for error – one can really nail focus with this feature. However, there is one huge drawback to the way Nikon implemented the Split-Screen Display Zoom – it only allows for simultaneous vertical movement of the zoomed in area, which makes this feature only useful for shooting in vertical orientation. As soon as you switch to horizontal orientation, you can no longer look at both the foreground and the background at the same time! Nikon should really address this problem by allowing one to move the focused area independently of each other. This should have been addressed via a firmware update on the D810, but I really hope that Nikon fixes the issue on the upcoming Nikon D820.
6) Long Exposure Bulb Mode
It really upsets me that every time I need to shoot exposures longer than 30 seconds, I must use an external camera trigger / accessory. I do have one and I use it when needed, but sometimes I forget to grab it with me, and other times, it just takes time to pull it out, screw it in and get it going. Why can’t we have a camera menu option for shooting exposures longer than 30 seconds? We don’t have to use manual dials anymore for selecting shutter speeds, so why not remove this silly limitation and allow one to dial any exposure? I would love to be able to pick shutter speeds in 5 second increments (35, 40, 45, 50, etc) directly through the camera dial. Nikon pretty much liberated me from the remote shutter release with the introduction of Exposure Delay mode and Electronic First Curtain Shutter; now it is time to implement 30+ second exposures for me to leave this accessory at home permanently!
7) Lower ISO / Simulated Low ISO
I love the ability to shoot ISO 32 on my Nikon D810. Yes, I know it is a simulated / non-native ISO (the base ISO on the D810 is 64), but why not give us options to shoot other boosted ISOs like ISO 16, 8, 4 and 2? If this was possible, I would do away with using ND filters, which would save a lot of time and hassle in the field!
8) In Body Image Stabilization (IBIS)
By now, we know it is quite possible to build image stabilization right into the camera. Sony has done it with their second generation full-frame mirrorless cameras like the Sony A7R II and Pentax has done it on the Pentax K-1. Imagine how amazing it would be to shoot with all prime glass stabilized! It would make it so much more appealing to shoot with prime lenses like the Nikon 20mm f/1.8G, 24mm f/1.8G, 28mm f/1.8G, 35mm f/1.8G, 50mm f/1.8G and 85mm f/1.8G (all of which are fantastic!). The same obviously goes for all other zoom and prime lenses without VR.
One might wonder how IBIS would impact VR. Well, Sony started out with lens-based image stabilization and once they introduced IBIS, they made the two work well with each other. If Nikon finds it technically challenging to properly implement IBIS with VR, why not switch between the two? Simply disabling IBIS or VR should be relatively easy, since stabilization information is already communicated through the lens into the camera body. If the camera sees a lens with VR attached and VR is turned on, IBIS could be automatically turned off, so that the two do not conflict with one another.
9) High Resolution Pixel Shift Mode Using IBIS
Once IBIS is implemented, it opens up huge opportunities, such as high resolution pixel shift mode, where the sensor moves one pixel at a time in order to create a super high resolution image. We have seen this already implemented on some cameras like the Pentax K-1 (which works exceptionally well for still environments), so if Nikon were to add such a feature, it could be a huge selling point for many photographers. Perhaps Bob Vishneski’s satirical piece on the high resolution mode on the Nikon D800 could become a reality one day!
Pixel shift mode is amazing technology and I would love to see such a feature on the upcoming Nikon D820.
10) Ability to Charge Battery via USB Port
Having been shooting with a number of mirrorless cameras in the past few years, I have come to love the ability to charge a camera battery through camera’s USB port. Why would this be potentially important for field use? Because it allows one to use other accessories, such as external battery packs and solar power in order to charge batteries without a hassle, which is great! Many of us landscape photographers end up in places around the world that do not have reliable power sources and in such cases, being able to connect the camera via USB to charge the battery can be invaluable.
11) Backlit Buttons
Nikon typically only gives us backlit buttons on top-of-the-line DSLRs like the Nikon D5, but how many of us shoot with such cameras at night? In fact, I bet most D800/D810 users need this feature more than the D5 shooters do, simply because of the type of photography they are engaged in. Action / Wildlife photographers wrap up their shooting at night, whereas night time is when astrophotographers come out to photograph those stunning Milky Way shots:
NIKON D800E + 20mm f/1.8 @ 20mm, ISO 3200, 20 sec, f/2.2
So why not add backlit buttons to such cameras as the Nikon D810? Far more people would benefit from such a feature, particularly when shooting in very dim environments.
12) Built-in GPS
I would love to have a built-in GPS on my Nikon D810 that I could turn on and off when needed. When traveling to remote areas, it would be wonderful to know exactly where I captured images, so that I could share that information with others and potentially come back to the same location later, which I could do with accurate GPS coordinates. Sadly, Nikon has been pushing external GPS units, which are very impractical to carry around and use in the field, as they have to be connected via a wire to the camera to work. GPS is a very important feature for landscape and travel photographers and Nikon should include an integrated GPS chip in the upcoming D820. If Canon was able to do it on the new 5D Mark IV, it should be a no-brainer for Nikon to offer such comparable features.
13) Built-in, Working WiFi
The same goes for WiFi – Nikon should integrate a built-in WiFi chip on the D820! And not of the practically useless type we have seen on the Nikon D500, which did not even have an iOS app ready after the product already hit the market, but something that works seamlessly well with a number of different platforms. One should be able to easily copy images from the camera into a mobile device and use an app to be able to remotely control the camera.
14) Infrared Remote instead of 10-Pin
With everything going wireless today, I wonder how long Nikon is planning to stick to its 10-pin wired connection? I understand that moving to a wireless option might make a lot of camera accessories unusable, but how about keeping that port for a few iterations, while simultaneously offering wireless options? Nikon could easily integrate infrared and Bluetooth ports on the D820 and start moving people away from wired connections. How about making a Bluetooth remote shutter release to kick that off?
15) Fix EFCS So That It Works Properly
I love the fact that the Nikon D810 has an Electronic First Curtain Shutter (EFCS). In fact, that’s the #1 reason why I personally decided to move up to the D810 from my D800E, as I wanted to be able to completely eliminate camera shake caused by the camera shutter mechanism (which is often worse than the mirror slap). Despite the fact that EFCS is a wonderful and truly useful feature, the fact that it only works in some modes like Mirror-Up is puzzling. Why couldn’t Nikon make EFCS work in other modes such as live view? With live view, the mirror is already raised and the shutter is open, so why the camera needs to close its shutter before capturing an image is beyond me. Nikon should seriously fix this flaw in the upcoming D820.
16) Silent Shooting Mode with EFCS
While at it, why not give us a truly “Silent Shooting Mode”? Wedding photographers would love to have such a feature, particularly when shooting in churches, allowing them to capture moments without any shutter release sound. Sure, there would be limitations to such a feature when shooting movement, but if one understands the limitations, they would be able to take advantage of such features when needed.
17) Shutter Speeds Faster than 1/8,000
With a proper EFCS implementation, which would put the D820 in live view mode, it would also be possible to utilize shutter speeds faster than 1/8,000 of a second. I am sure this one would be a big hit among portrait photographers, as they would no longer need to carry ND filters with them in order to shoot flash in daylight conditions when using lenses at large apertures. Another way to save time for a pro in the field!
18) Tilting, Touchscreen LCD and Pinch Zoom
A tilting screen on any digital camera is a very nice feature to have, because of the ability to capture both stills and video at odd angles, something that is much harder to achieve with a fixed LCD screen. Traditionally, tilting screens have been used on non-weather sealed point-and-shoot and entry-level DSLRs, so when the same feature started appearing on higher-end DSLRs, some photographers resisted the idea, making assumptions that a tilting LCD screen would compromise both weather sealing and build quality of the cameras. In reality, that’s certainly not the case – as we have seen by now, professional-level full-frame cameras like the Pentax K-1 feature tilting LCD screens without compromising on anything.
My Nikon D750s feature a tilting LCD as well and so far I have not had a single problem with this feature, after shooting both video and stills for many months. So there is no reason to exclude a tilting screen from high-end DSLRs like the Nikon D820! It would be nice if Nikon made the tilting angles a bit more versatile though, perhaps similar to what Pentax has done, but even the same tilting screen from the D750 would be good enough to start with.
19) 4K Video
This one is certainly not a priority for most stills shooters, but considering that every major camera announcement puts 4K in the headline, it would make sense for Nikon to feature 4K video recording on the Nikon D820. If Nikon can do it right, but giving us 4K at 30+ fps, uncompressed HDMI output, zebra and S-Log features, it would make the D820 a highly desirable camera among not only photographers, but also videographers. Even if one shoots 1080p video exclusively, being able to shoot at 4K opens up a lot of opportunities to increase video quality – one can downsample 4K footage to 1080p in order to yield crisp video footage. The advantage is similar to shooting with a high-resolution camera.
20) On-Sensor Phase Detection Pixels
When compared to mirrorless cameras, DSLRs use phase detection AF system that is located on the bottom chamber of the camera, as explained in our article on how phase detection autofocus works. Because of this, DSLRs can have potential accuracy issues with focusing, especially when lenses or even worse, camera AF system are not properly calibrated. We have written a detailed article on how to calibrate lenses and as you may already know, the process can be both overwhelming and frustrating, especially for beginners.
Why not integrate phase detection pixels on the camera sensor directly, as mirrorless camera manufacturers have been doing? This may not sound like a good idea for a DSLR, as the camera would have to be in live view mode to make use of such a feature, but it does present a few advantages. First, it allows the camera to focus much quicker than contrast detection AF in live view mode, which can be very useful for shooting video. Canon has been integrating on-sensor phase detection for this reason alone in its current generation DSLRs. Second, once phase detection sensors are located in two places, the camera can potentially take advantage of the two. Why not use the on-sensor phase detection to calibrate the camera AF module and lenses? Sensor is what actually captures images, so it would make sense to use the same plane of focus for accurate calibration of the AF system. Third, if Nikon implemented on-sensor phase detection, it would allow the company to improve the AF speed and accuracy of the system for the future mirrorless systems Nikon might be working on. Lastly, combining intelligence of the sensor output with on-sensor phase detection allows for many focusing opportunities, including face / eye / smile detection, etc, which are currently not possible with traditional phase-detection AF systems found on DSLRs.
21) Focus Trapping
This one is certainly a “nice to have” feature, something I found to be really cool when shooting with Pentax cameras. As soon as a subject gets in focus, the camera automatically takes a picture. Nikon could take this one to the next level, by combining on-sensor phase detection in live view to completely nail focus on the subject or its features before the image is taken.
22) Automated AF Fine Tune / Enhancement
We have already seen Nikon’s attempt at automating AF fine tune on the D500, but I feel like this could be improved even further. We know that lens calibration only works for specific distances and focal lengths, so calibration is not as simple as we would like it to be. Nikon should give us the ability to store AF fine tune for each focal length on zoom lenses and allow calibration of different subject distances. But it would be a nightmare if we had to do it manually – Nikon should help us automate the process, by giving us a good guidance system that tells us where to move and what focal length to change to during the calibration process. Images are taken, evaluated and re-taken to get the best out of each focal length and distance. If Nikon can do it, it will greatly enhance the AF system precision and keep DSLR shooters from having to send gear back to Nikon. Ideally, Nikon should allow lens calibration using a simple USB dock, similar to what Sigma has been doing on its latest generation lenses. Combine that with the automated AF Fine Tune feature and we will end all focusing frustrations in the field.
23) Dual XQD or Dual SD Option
Nikon should seriously consider moving away from CF cards completely. We already know that CF is not fast enough for the D5, so why continue giving us a single CF and a single SD card slot? I love being able to use two SD memory cards on my D750 – I don’t need to worry about carrying two different memory card types with me when traveling. That’s not the case with my D810 – if I want to shoot to two cards, I have to use one CF and one SD card, which is a nuisance. I would rather have either two CF or two SD cards. Better yet, give us the ability to choose between dual XQD and dual SD option on the D820. In fact, why not make it easy to swap out memory card modules? Nikon could make the D820 semi-modular this way and sell dual XQD, dual SD and even dual CF option for those who have a bunch of CF cards they want to use.
Although the list is quite exhaustive, I am sure there are a few other features / tweaks here and there that I totally missed. Please let me know what you would like to see added into the future Nikon D8x0 series cameras.
whatever they do I request a DSLR with a better auto focus system.. the D800/E and and D810 has lot of focusing issues where the users end up doing Fine tune… sometimes it works sometimes it doesnt.. specially in zoom lenses.. and sometimes even in prime lenses at different ranges….
I believe that a landscape photographer doesn’t need a sophisticated auto focus system. I used single spot focus all the time; I want to know and to be able to control where the camera is focusing on. And single spot focus works the best for that.
I own a D800 and am very happy about its auto focus system. Never had an issue with it.
It is possible though that some lenses have back or front focusing issues (like my 50mm 1.8 has). But that is fixable with focus fine tuning. This is a lens problem not a camera auto focus problem.
Pascal
“This is a lens problem not a camera auto focus problem.”
Not so.
It can be either one or both.
My D800 needed AF fine tune for almost all my lenses, but that was fixed with the D810 where I didn’t have to AF fine tune a single of my lenses.
It seems to me that the wish list here is becoming ever more idiotic.
If all these largely irrelevant niche needs were to be fulfilled, this poor overburdened camera would be so complex as to be unusable.
And then what?
Why of course people would complain that it was too complex, too heavy…..and demand we give them back a small handy camera with just the three essential controls like the good old days.
“..and demand we give them back a small handy camera with just the three essential controls like the good old days.”
That was the Df. Nobody bought it. So forget about the retro and good old days and move ever forward with progress.
> That was the Df. Nobody bought it.
I’m one of those thousands “nobody” folks.
Count me in, as well as many many others. Nikon knew exactly what niche to hit with the Df and it was successful. I would love to see Df2 with the most up-to-date specs – I would be the first in line to buy it.
It seems to be an irreconcilable dilemma.
On the one hand we have those who seem to want a camera so overburdened with features, indicators, Fn buttons, additional menus, readouts and options that the camera turns into an electronic game show and takes six months and a university degree to decipher the 800 page manual.
On the other hand, we have those that hanker after a slightly revamped Nikkormat!
Although I use a Fuji XE-2 as my ‘retro’ walkabout camera and love its image quality, I find altering shutter speed and aperture with knobs and collars both awkward and faintly ridiculous compared to the speed and convenience of the command dials on my D800E’s.
Iliah and Nasim, I’m also one those thousands of “nobody” folks.
I was one of those “nobody” also. and until today is my favorite camera. i love it. for me it will be sad if they stop the df series after the first camera. i will buy a df 2 without a doubt. i think the only people who didn’t like it was the people who didn’t buy it. if you have one, you love it.
about the d820 specs… i would not like to see tilt screen. please no.
I agree and it seems there is no more creativity on the part of the photographer these days, especially if the camera will do everything for you. Most top professionals I’m sure could care less about a lot of these features/gizmos. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m sure the pros would like some refinements, but I don’t think they sit around asking a camera to do everything for them.
sreeji nair
With respect, current focussing systems are superb with D800 series being up there with the very best.
Most ‘focus errors’ are a combination of inadequate technique and a failure to understand that high resolution sensors especially when combined with fast lenses will highlight the smallest focussing error which in the past, because of lower resolution and greater depth of field, would have gone unnoticed.
For instance, when using a fast, long telephoto at large apertures (the worst case scenario) continuous focus has to be kept active at the moment of exposure as the slightest movement, even breathing, is likely to take the edge off sharpness.
Some lens/body combinations do undoubtedly need adjustment, but for many it’s just another misunderstood feature to obsess about.
Fully agree Betty. I can also add that the AF on the D810 is so fast and precise, that it can easily be used as a camera for sports or other very fast action.
Anders
I don’t know if the D810 focusses faster than my old D800E, but I shoot wildlife including BIF with no focussing problems, other than sometimes missing the shot entirely. Could do with a higher frame rate sometimes though…
This one I agreed. Need higher frame rate. That’s the only thing I need when shoot BIF. But given the higher pixel, I can accept what D810 has today, certainly hope D820 can improve, 10fps would be good, or perfect. Haha
Hi Betty,
I must say that as I have aged, I have become less strong and steady. In this circumstance, I will take every aid I can get! Give me the best image stabilization, and the most solid supports. I also find that small mistakes in hand holding technique cause major issues with sharpness. Sometimes I don’t get my feet far enough apart, providing a slightly less stable platform can have a noticeable impact.
I am much more concerned about these issues then lens adjustment.
Problem is, its a basic property of the phase-detection system. What really hurts me, is it can be perfectly corrected by 1 measure, or totally automated. The software would have all the input to correct the AF, for avoiding focus shift(worst one), back/front focus.
For landscape work an auto hyper-focal setting based on selected aperture is do-able and should be included on any high end camera
+1, I have same thought, why not have auto-hyperfocal setting or button.
+1, even if I think setting it means rotating the focusing ring in the lens automatically. And how does the camera know which is the right position to stop rotating the ring?
May be it needs a different algorithm, such as an aided hyperfocal setting, where the user rotates the focus ring and the camera “peaks” the hyperfocal – or at least the closest focus ring position – when something in the camera body has detected the hyperfocal is reached.
Lot’s of interesting ideas there Nasim !
But I guess this list would be too late to make it into the D810 successor if Nikon hasn’t already started working on those since quite a while ago. Maybe the next next gen?
Anyway, I’m very curious to see what Nikon brings to the table next for the D810 successor.
Actually some of the features, like raw histogram, automated AF fine tuning, menu banks, are improvements that only needs a firmware change, and hence can be made on existing cameras like D800, D800e and D810. Fuji is way better than Nikon to make this kind of feature updates, which makes the user feel that he gets a ‘new’ camera again from time to time.
My wish for Nikon is, that they learn from Fuji in this regard.
Hi Morten,
Totally agree here. Further, Fuji isn’t the only one doing this. Olympus fixed a number of problems and added features to several of their cameras through firmware as well.
I find it more then annoying that Nikon has not fixed the menu banks because users have been asking for what look like simple changes for at least 7 years. 7 years? Imagine a consumer company ignoring its users in such a cavalier fashion for this long in this day? It’s truly nuts.
Hallo sceptical1,
I think there are too many different opinions for this topic. To many pros like it the way it is and these Cameras are designed for pros. I do not like it either but I have read endless discussions why the way it is is the best way possible. So this time it is probably not Nikons fault :-).
I respectfully disagree. Nikon could give you the option for the banks to be sticky or not – so users can have what they want. Again, on this issue, they are tone deaf.
I’d add some seemingly esoteric ones, but easy to implement and useful:
– 3 exposures, with separate shutter speed settings, for 3 colour channels, combined into 1 raw, to add an ability to ETTR for each channel separately;
– “on-demand” long exposure noise reduction (if I want it for 1/4 of a sec, I can do it);
– programmable focus distance and focus stacking sequence;
– pair mirror-up and exposure delay with aperture action to reduce shake
Certainly a good list, and it’s good to capture and gather ideas…. And fun to dream…. But knowing what it takes to design and build technology products, I would venture that the design and features of the next D8xx body from Nikon, and in fact, probably the next 5 years of D8xx bodies is already frozen in design…. Minor tweaks to take advantage of something they learn from the D5 or D500, but basically, these designs are done already. So any list we dream up in 2016 won’t be a candidate til 2020 or later. They can’t risk making untested or bleeding edge changes and then put them in the hands of consumers. Anything released on the D5 or D500 was fully cooked in their labs years ago.
Quite a long wish list.
It would have been nice to have these wishes organized in order of preference. I assume the current ordering is not it, or is it?
BTW, I agree on many of the wishes. And I am glad that “MORE PIXELS” is not on the list.
If I had to put the most important updates in order I see them, they would be:
– tilting screen
– built in WiFi + GPS
– intelligent AF fine-tune (multiple distances/focal lengths)
– sRAW fix
– smooth AF tracking for video.
Ha ha,
I haven’t yet read the article, but it’s like a 6th sense – I was thinking and just decided to go on my computer and write down what I want to see from D820, and i receive a notification about your article.
I’m going to read it in details, and if I have something else I would like to see I’ll definitely share again here.
Thanks, Nasim!
I’d love to see a feature like the one on the Olympus mirror less where for bulb exposures it shows you the picture do far every x seconds so you don’t have to guesstimate so much whether your exposure is done yet.
Especially usefully in changing light when your calculations go out of the window.
No focus bugs
No oil drips
Battery cover that does not fall off
Hi Nasim,
Great article!
Please consider adding a way to better grab focus using manual lens via the viewfinder.
With D810 36Mp using a fast lens wide open to get a shot in focus is almost impossible.
It is almost against Nikon interest since almost all the new lens are AF, but even than in many cases precise manual focus is a needed in many cases.
Thank you
Yair
I believe this has been addressed in the D500, the F6 viewfinder glass is a real aid to manual focus.
This is positive point shown to me recently, when comparing various bodies.
Dear John ,
Thank you for your reply, can you be give more details
on how manual focus is easier on D500 ?
For me a D810 with nothing but a way to nail manual focus is worth it :)
Thanks again
Yair
I think being able to add your own presets to the manual white balance dial would be a great option. I was recently shooting at K5400 and I had to input it anew every time I changed to a different kelvin. Right now there is no way to add your own presets to the wb dial. The preset thing that they have is not meant for the wb dial but is meant for a shoot where you want certain presets. It will not put your desired permanent preset onto the dial.
And please, please, please, please Nasim, stop promoting the dropping of the CF card. I HATE using those tiny SD cards and my setup is not geared for QXD cards. I want my CF card slot! The speed of the upload is just fine with my 1066x card. I can upload 10 gigs of raw files in about 45 seconds or less. And I am sure that the technology can go even faster than 1066x in the nice big easy to use CF card. So PLEASE leave Nikon alone about CF cards!
I love the XQD card. No more missed action shots because the buffer is full.
for me i like #7 with a base iso of 25. #8 would be a great help for the senior set, like me, who have lost the steady hands of our youth and would be able to hand hold the old lenses that are still going strong. i like #18 and for #19 give the photographer a choice. a camera without video and a camera with video. something similar to the d800/d800e dslr. what wasn’t on your list but i would like to see is a high mp sensor, 60+mp. what i would really like to see is a camera that allows you to pick the major items that you need. example sensor mp, video or not, fps if that is possible, etc.
would love to see focus peaking in live view mode.
I really agree with what you are saying in this, but you really didn’t talk about specs all that much. I think in the D820/900 you could get the dynamic range of an D810 with a high megapixel sensor (42 like on the a7rII) but still have the iso capabilities of the D750/D5/D500 and maybe even have a backlit sensor if possible. Also getting a faster FPS like 6 or 6.5 straight out of the camera w/o a battery grip and cropping, and maybe even throw in a lesser version of the D5 autofocus system but have more cross type points.
Hi Nasim, I agree with all of the points you’ve brought up except for the first half of #6; on the D810, there is the time/”–” exposure mode past 30s that allows for just that – depress the shutter once to start exposing, and it will continue to expose until you depress the shutter again. This feature alone has made the D810 worthwhile for me, since I love being able to expose for >30s without having to remember bringing a remote cable with me. That being said, I do agree with your suggestions for custom exposure lengths with the dial, since the time mode still leaves the timing up to you. I know the D810A has the nice M* mode which does have some preset exposures going up to 900s, but those are spaced rather far apart. Anyways, just my .02; love the content on the site, and keep it up! :)
Thanks for the tip Bob, I never knew that!
Focus peaking has long been a must for video. It can also be turned off by those principled/disturbed by the fact that video is anywhere near their camera.
Never seen the point in sRaw, when media is ever cheaper and faster.
Nikon’s mechanical aperture lenses have been left high and dry by Canon, add Canon’s dual pixel AF on stepping motors and Nikon just looks plain silly.
Mirrorless, should be somewhere in their pro line.
Most of your suggestions seem sound. Thanks Nasim
Great list, especially built-in GPS and Wi-Fi. I tried using an Eye-Fi card with my D800 and it took so long to transfer RAW files to my iPad that I stopped using it. I use the Solmeta Geotagger external GPS and am constantly re-charging it to be sure it’s not dead when I want to use it.
One simple and low-cost wish I’d add would be to make the bottom and left side of the camera area-swiss compatible. That would obviate the need to buy costly plates and L-brackets.
Something I’d add to your tilt-screen wish would be a screen I can read in bright sunlight. I use the Hoodman Loupe to check my histogram, because I can’t see the rear LCD in bright sun. If I could read the screen, it’s one bit of kit, albeit a lightweight one, I could leave out of my already heavy backpack.
One overall suggestion I’d make to ANY future Nikon DSLR is to make it more smartphone-like. Falling annual DSLR sales figures from all manufacturers imply that most people use their phones to take all of their photos. More of us use them for serious landscape work, including some pros I know of. Nikon should do some extensive focus group analysis to see what people want to take pictures with and design cameras to meet that market. Note to Nikon: Hard to differentiate lines of multi-color Coolpix compact cameras aren’t isn’t the solution.
Couldn’t care less about video stuff. It’s a DSLR, don’t see video anywhere there. If I want PRO-quality video I’ll use a dedicated video camera with all it’s features.
You nailed it. Offer the ability to shoot M-Raw in addition to S-Raw as offered on Canon.
Button Illumination for shooting in dark conditions would be great.
Depending on the outcome, its the body I would consider replacing my D750 with.
I would be happy if Nikon doesn’t drop the builtin-flash from the D810 successor (like from the D500)! And pls. Nikon, put a radio-transmitter-modul directly in the camera to be able to trigger the sb-5000 without any needed accessory!
Also want;
Less menu sillyness; If storing NEF to CF and JPEG to SDXC, make them both go away when I press the delete button.
Parallel writing; in the above case of storing NEF on CF and JPEG on SDXC, the camera writes one after the other. Write times could be cut in half by doing that at the same time.
Impressive list. I agree with your points but I think there is one (very) important thing Nikon should work on: simplicity. Nowadays taking a picture can feel like making a drawing with a complicated computerized machine instead of using a pencil. Long time ago I used an analog Nikkormat camera and all you had to think about was shutterspeed, lensopening and (manual) focussing. The results were great! Modern camera’s with their countless settings and options just offer too many choices. Nice for technofreaks but distracting for me. Simlicity helps creativity (at least for me)!
Absolutely agree! Less gadgets, options, configurations, modes, settings, menus and sub-menus, buttons, duplications of buttons and distractions.
I agree with both of you, but we haven’t to forget that DSRLs have now more options to set than in Nikkormat era.
At that time still TTL didn’t exist, neither AF or 1/3 stops ..
But photographing shouldn’t be complicated and time consuming, instead must be as H.C. bresson said, an instinctive alligning the mind, the eye (both photographer’s heart and art keys to creativity) and the camera.
Cars todays are more complicated than in Nikkormat era, but we nowadays don’t press tens of buttons and leverages to drive ;)
Hallo,
I do not want to discredit you, but why do you (try) to use these options. Just ignore the menu all together. To not use a existing feature is always possible, but to use a feature not build in is not possible. So in my option it is good that these options exist. There are so many different use cases that with one set of options you are most of the time wrong.
E.g. we could do away with the focus ring, because for certain landscape photographers the hyperfocal distance will always do ;-).
As far as I know there is even a menu which can be customized to the few items you want to see.
No one (single person) will ever use all options, most will only use a very small subset, but these subsets differ from person to person culminating to all options are used extensively by someone.
I’m sorry if I was unclear, it seems to me we are sayng the same :-)
I wouldn’t pull away the options a modern DSLR provides, I’ll only “simplify” the way some of them are recalled “on the fly”, possibly without moving the camera from the eye when you are framing looking through the viewfinder, I think the “normal” way we use DSLRs.
The “My Menu” aims at doing this, but I’d like a more ergonomic camera in buttons and dials.
S.
What’s keeping you from using your D810 that way? Customizable auto ISO though is a huge benefit, and could even be better (adjusting it on the fly, toggling between different minimum shutterspeeds). A joystick to quickly move your focus point around would be nice, a better spread would be nice, even better focus points would be nice.
Actually, it’s a fine camera as it is and it will last me for years. The pleasure of using it and the jaw dropping image quality keep amazing me.
Completely agree. 90% of everything I shoot is in manual and even though cameras have excellent light metering capabilities I still use a hand held light meter to check the environment around me and make adjustments as needed utilizing the on board meter as a reference compared to my hand held light meter.
I will use the on board WB as I find it to be useful rather than making adjustments in post, (which often needs to be done anyway).
For me and my style of photography I find many of the presets and programs useless as I am a geezer and like the old way of photography. I like to set things myself.
I requested that Nikon add an audio note option for stills so you could record notes on visualization when you are taking the photo. Since the camera has a mic and media recording capabilities, you would not think this to be a big stretch – maybe a firmware update for my D800. Nikon told me to buy a D5 :-(
Like the already existing ‘voice memo’?
not on the D810 though
Time to dump the old and unreliable AF system of the D800/D810 for the one in D5.
I also want to add better live-view screen. Full touch-screen like on Canon 5D MIV. Better menus. They really need to work on the interface and I am saying they should look in to Android platform. Faster live-view like on D500 or better. Also I like two viewfinders capability OPTICAL and ELECTRONIC and to be able to switch between them on the fly. Asking too much?
I’d add live view focus peaking to the list.
I agree with everything on Nasim’s list. Interesting that the Pentax K-1 is now becoming a model for others to follow!
Yes, Pentax deserves more attention and respect! Pentax K-1 seems to be the more up to date than Nikon and even for a lower price! The dwarve beats the giant.
i hope Nikon in the d820 gets rid of TIFF Storage format nobody uses and it is not visible better than jpg fine but takes 109mg storage
When you have the 5 axis stabilized cameras like Pentax and Nikon, like Nasim says– you can use the non-stabilized primes. What he didn’t mention is that lenses are sharper with less in them. Self- stabilized lenses are just not as sharp as the non- stabilized lenses. All the physics goes into making a sharp lens, prime or zoom, and then let the body do the work on keeping the entire system steady.
Sorry meant Pentax and Sony.
Love your ideas, but as I was going through the list, I couldn’t help but think that Nikon and third party manufacturers would be losing a lot of money on all the accessories that they sell, if some of your features were included in the camera. Also, agree with the comment above about leaving video off the DSLR. I never understood why that was combined with still pictures, forcing me to pay for something I never use.
I have Df, D750 and D4s bodies and am always curious as to what the current shutter release count is on each of them. Currently, you have to dig deep into the EXIF data to get that tidbit (I currently use the ImageExifViewer app on Mac OS for the purpose) but I would like to see Nikon add that to some logical place in the the Menu System. While that would be a neat new feature for the D820, it sure seems that should be implementable on all bodies via a firmware update.
Total stealth mode = a total silent operating body
Anything Nikon does to aid shooting with manual lenses will be huge selling point!
Doesn’the the highlight priority mode (typically with + 0.7ev dialed in) already provide ETTR?
Thinking the same! maybe someone knows if there is some kind of difference.
Easy to agree the desirability of the items on the list. I’d say ‘yes, please’ to all. Some are more fundamental changes than others. IBIS, for instance — however desirable it is, I somehow can’t see Nikon going down that path having eschewed the option in favour of VR in lenses early on. But others are pretty straightforward. A tilting screen would have saved me a small fortune in washing powder over the years. The split-screen display could be so much more useful … why hasn’t Nikon been able to make it so through a firmware update? (They are not as good as Fuji at keeping their customers ‘on side’ in that way.) I was for a while convinced I’d misunderstood the operation of the electronic shutter — it surely couldn’t really be crippled in that way.
And so on. But all said and done, they came up with a very fine camera. And the suggestions here, if adopted, will make its successors better.
– wider Dynamic Range
– more focus points (especially on the sides)
– D5 autofocus system
– tilting screen
– in camera depth of field measure display;
Adding: Face/eye auto focus mode!
That’s already there!
Essential.
Couldn’t live without it.?
All are good suggestions Nasim.
Ditto to even wider dynamic range. As an architectural shooter, the base ISO of 64 with its almost 14 stops of DR is what brought me to the D810. If Nikon can improve that by achieving a true base ISO of 50 (or better?), then I could quit dreaming about moving over to Phase One.
Raw histograms would be next on my wishlist, followed by longer shutter speeds built into the dial (1 min, 2 min, 4 min, 8 min, etc).
At ISO 64 D810 has photographically usable dynamic range below 12 stops, about 11.5. 99% of lenses can’t handle anything above 11 stops in a linear fashion anyway. Theoretically, an FX sensor can reach 12 1/3 stops of photographically usable dynamic range in next 3 years. The only way to improve noise in shadows currently is multi-shot technique and subtraction of black frame.
I don’t understand this statement: “lenses can’t handle anything above 11 stops in a linear fashion anyway”
Can you explain what the lens has to do with DR?
Thanks.
Hey, I’m still trying to learn and figure out all the things my D810 will do! :-)
Great list!!! You mentioned everything I had in mind. Highest priority for me are silent shutter, on sensor phase detection autofocus, simplify the remote shutter like on the D 750, and tilt / touch screen.
Great idea! I’d add only wish: a mirrorless sister
Faster horses, older whiskey…..
We are so spoilt with today’s cameras… Yes, there could be improvements and there will be improvements… It is highly probable that Nikon will put the new D5 /D500 focusing system in the new D800 series camera. I like many of your suggestions, particularly the Raw histograms. if only Nikon would incorporate the Raw digger histograms I would be in heaven…
I know some think more pixels is not wanted, I think there is still room for more pixels. For example, if the new camera had the same density of pixels as the D500 we would have a camera with about 54MP with the same resolution as the D500 which would be good.
For landscape work I would like more dynamic range say 14 stops plus? This would require a 16bit A to D and a larger well depth for the pixels but it is all doable.
We can all dream.
cheers,
alexis
I agree 1000% on getting rid of the CF, nobody has ever given me a reason why there are two different formats, makes on slot worthless to me. Also I would like the image quality removed from the top of the camera, so many times I have attempted to change ISO only to have discovered I have gone from RAW to JPEG. I ONLY shoot RAW in the 1st card or 2nd card video.
Losing time with those…
You tell months ago for 2nd part of 24-70 VR for portrtairs an everyday time.. where is it?
thank you
In body stabilization is something I don’t want nor would most other, I think. Take a look at
blog.mingthein.com/2016/…o-a-point/
Even if it has an off switch, the sensor may park in a misaligned position.
If the D820 has in body stabilization, I’ll either buy another D810 to use when my present one dies or quit using Nikon equipment.
Ron
Ron
Negative- the less the better when it comes to lenses. In lens stabilization is too much! Let the body do it!
You have brought up many great ideas but like someone said Nikon is big enough the most likely have most of the successor to the 820 figured out. Wish Nikon was more like Fuji and worked more closely with their pros and gave us want we need in the field when asked.
That being said I guess they kinda do. I have the F810 and love it but for the d820 I want: 1, the d5/500 af system but with even more af points or them spread a little wider and taller than the d5. Make more of them x type . 2, I want , like Nasim said ,to have phase detect on sensor. I’ve always loved using the view finder and never thought I’d want or need live view. Now I’ve started using it a lot . I shoot bands and concerts and the contrast detect just doesn’t cut it. I miss so any great shots . 3, make this thing have tilt screen at least up, down and portrait. Usable portrait with the grip. And for grips keep the d810 grip but add a joy stick in the same place as on the camera body . Oh so that’s # 4 joy stick.. 5, Keep the 36 mp sensor but improve it. It’s so good now keep the great dynamic range or better it . Better high ISO noise 2 stops would be nice. I am forced to shoot at ISO 12,800 all the time and it’s too noisy. 6400s noise at 12,800 is what I want, please Nikon. 6, The new processor of the d5 and up the frame rate to 7 fps . Or at least 6 and then with the grip 8 fps. A 36mp camera with a great af system and 8 fps and say 9 in crop mode . If this could be done and still get a 80% keeper rate on say a sprinter with the 70-200 f/2.8 . Wow this thing would sell like no other . 7, All the stuff Nasium said about what he wants with electronic front curtain. Not going to write all that but awesome idea. 8, 4K video for 29.9 min and not cropped so heavily. With S- log . Better/smoother af system. I’m not into video yet but but make it work closer to a true professional video camera. One being able to handle action and changing lighting situations . 9, Please don’t go away from a full mag frame and keep or better the weather/dust sealing. Pro/semipro cameras are the true workhorses. People use these more than the $6500 cameras so keep them tough.
I got the d810 over other cameras because of its versatility over other cameras . Improve upon this and make it the working mans Real camera. (Keep it that way) . Make the af system better than anyone else’s, make it process faster Dual XQD , bigger buffer , best handling and most usable. Then you have the best seller. Good luck to us and what Nikon gives us.
Don’t mind that eejit..
Very interesting list, I would say a bit lighter and no loss in battery life or even better longer life. Self cleaning sensor and 7fps like new Canon.
Thank you for excellent article Nasim and how long after 5D IV?
i think weather sealing is a must for a landscape camera. Anything that improves the waterproofness is a good thing.
If a tilt screen comes at the expense of weather sealing, I don’t want it.
I would like that the autofocus points cover almost all the sensor.
You have brought up many great ideas but like someone said Nikon is big enough the most likely have most of the successor to the 820 figured out. Wish Nikon was more like Fuji and worked more closely with their pros and gave us want we need in the field when asked.
That being said I guess they kinda do. I have the F810 and love it but for the d820 I want: 1, the d5/500 af system but with even more af points or them spread a little wider and taller than the d5. Make more of them x type . 2, I want , like Nasim said ,to have phase detect on sensor. I’ve always loved using the view finder and never thought I’d want or need live view. Now I’ve started using it a lot . I shoot bands and concerts and the contrast detect just doesn’t cut it. I miss so any great shots . 3, make this thing have tilt screen at least up, down and portrait. Usable portrait with the grip. And for grips keep the d810 grip but add a joy stick in the same place as on the camera body . Oh so that’s # 4 joy stick.. 5, Keep the 36 mp sensor but improve it. It’s so good now keep the great dynamic range or better it . Better high ISO noise 2 stops would be nice. I am forced to shoot at ISO 12,800 all the time and it’s too noisy. 6400s noise at 12,800 is what I want, please Nikon. 6, The new processor of the d5 and up the frame rate to 7 fps . Or at least 6 and then with the grip 8 fps. A 36mp camera with a great af system and 8 fps and say 9 in crop mode . If this could be done and still get a 80% keeper rate on say a sprinter with the 70-200 f/2.8 . Wow this thing would sell like no other . 7, All the stuff Nasium said about what he wants with electronic front curtain. Not going to write all that but awesome idea. 8, 4K video for 29.9 min and not cropped so heavily. With S- log . Better/smoother af system. I’m not into video yet but but make it work closer to a true professional video camera. One being able to handle action and changing lighting situations . 9, Please don’t go away from a full mag frame and keep or better the weather/dust sealing. Pro/semipro cameras are the true workhorses. People use these more than the $6500 cameras so keep them tough.
I got the d810 over other cameras because of its versatility over other cameras . Improve upon this and make it the working mans Real camera. (Keep it that way) . Make the af system better than anyone else’s, make it process faster Dual XQD , bigger buffer , best handling and most usable. Then you have the best seller. Good luck to us and what Nikon gives us.
1. Make the camera user programmable so I can customize it to work exactly the way I want. A good example is taking focus stacks, which currently requires a quite cumbersome process of commanding the camera from a phone to pick a focus point and increment the focus between shots. While you’re at it, publish an SDK and encourage third parties to publish and sell scripts (also known as apps) to run on the camera. Enough of this silly reverse engineering such as the folks at magic lantern are doing.
2. Add a locking mechanism to the lens mount so I can’t accidently release the lens by pushing the big release button while I’m carrying the camera. That big release button sure is handy when I’m wearing gloves but it is risky when carrying large telephotos on a rapid strap.
3. Add a shutter just inside the lens mount that closes whenever you remove a lens and opens again when a lens is replaced. This would make it way easier to change lenses in hostile environments.
4. Keep the mirror, but in LV mode replace the OVF with EVF. Best of both worlds.
I REALLY like #3.
>>1. Make the camera user programmable so I can customize it to work exactly the way I want.
This is great, and I think easy to do if the camera had more than one Fn button.
I have a D300, and for example I really don’t understand why you cannot benefit of the behaviour of AE/AF lock + main and + second dial to quickly recall some other 2 settings …
Ergonomy – also of the GUI, menu or buttons – should be a must
The lock suggestion is very good. My Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 VR was twice accidentally unlocked when I was carrying my camera on a rapid strap. It survived by miracle, but it has some indentations that reduced its reselling prize.
HI, Right now if I want to reformat the CF card I have to take out the SD card, and vice versa. Opening the camera to remove either card just to reformat is something that should be corrected.
Huh? you don’t need to remove either card to format the other????
Now that the flash is radio controlled (SB 500) the camera should have a built in radio control
Wow! All these bells and whistles wish list. It’s as if no one has any real photography skills anymore. How is it that the pro’s can get excellent pictures without all of these “wish list” items? I get it, we all want technology where we don’t have to think or use our own creativity, but come on already.
TY
So true.
We already have have complexity gone mad with a function or preset for every conceivable need, yet it seems it’s never enough.
It’s driven by this ridiculous belief that “if only I had a function for this or that my photography would rise to the next level”, yet the evidence to support this is demonstrably absent.
Just look at the internet, photo sharing sites and even PL’s own forums and you quickly see the absence of any meaningful photographic progress. By and large the standard is dismally low – both technically and creatively.
These suggestions are not suggesting an improvement in image quality or creativity as referred to. They are merely suggestions that would primarily help either improve the usability of the equipment or provide more/better/more detailed real time feedback on exposure and focus.
I would argue that too often these additional ‘improvements’ aka coloured flashing LEDs, knobs, knockers, buttons, wheels, joy sticks, displays, bells, whistles and beeps do nothing more than make the camera so complicated that the average user becomes more and more confused and rather than making image making easier, it actually leads to an exponential increase in the ‘fumble factor’ and a fall in success rate.
I have seen so many instances where in the time that it has taken our erstwhile Cartier Bresson to decipher all his camera settings, the moment has passed, the light has changed or the bird has flown.
Admittedly some improvements represent genuine advances, but for the most part the improvement increments become ever smaller and many are no more than gimmicks to justify the high price of the next model and to give sad geeks something to pseudo scientifically measure in their bedrooms and then argue about on the internet.
Nail hit’s head. I taught a workshop on pet photography and was astonished at the push back I got from some serious photographers regarding using a light meter to adjust studio light. Then they wonder why their photos don’t have that extra pop?
Technical aspects are the least of my concerns though, because I see so many “well exposed” photos that are inspired. I will tell on myself with this. Recently, I was carrying my camera (with a flash and small softbox) taking pet pictures at a local coffee shop. I got some just okay pictures of a beautiful long haired dachshund that were “properly exposed” Just one problem… the dog was uptight and it showed clearly in the pictures. The woman showed me two photos on her iPhone, both were slightly overexposed, but clearly better then the pictures I had just taken. Why, because one showed the dog with a beautiful head tilt. In the other photo, the dog was in a swing and was literally smiling (as much as a dog can). Despite the fact that they are overexposed, they are compelling! So, while technical perfection is important, composition is king,
Agree on dual cards of same format like D5. A lot of what you list will make no difference to my work and just add a lot of additional electronics that make it expensive with limited value add. But for others it is important. Same focus system as D5, 7fps like the new 5Div. 1/10 000 shutter speed. Improved ISO range that is clean from 50 -12800. I don’t care if it goes to 1 mil. I just need 50-12800 to be clean and retain great DR. Produce 2 bodies. I want a body that does not shoot video. The demand video puts on the focus, processor, and more complex and demanding menu systems and string of others is starting to change the nature of design to be video dominant and the simplicity but effective functioning of a top end stills camera is lost. You cannot build a top end video and stills camera in one body. You compromise both. If you buy a 36 mp body why do you need sRAW files? Build a camera with the “full” wish list for those who might need it. But give us a body dedicated to stills and ensure every aspect is top end.
If they follow your list, I would buy one. I use the D610 because of the U1 and U2 settings on top of the camera. I have U! set for HDR and U2 for movies. I might move to the 800 series if they just added that feature.
I’ll add – and I think it’s very easy nowadays – Uc (c as “custom settings”) position to the Mode Dial, so that storing the user settings is not limited to 2 groups but can be, i.e. 8.
Ok, 8 may be a lot, but I imagine the “U mode” an easy to understand mode, where a short recap of the main options set are recalled on LCD the display when the user selects the mode.
Trying to be more clear, lets imagine I want to store 5 User Settings; the first 2 we’ll be set to U1 and U2, that can quickly recall from the main Dial, while the U3, U4 and U5 “modes” recalled selecting Um and then navigating the submenu via joistick or selector (like we now do when we press a menu buttun and we then after select the submenus and the option to change/set).
Now lets imagine I choose U3, where I set i.e. 51 AF points, AF tracking to fast, flash being in Manual mode at a choosen power and the Fn button assigned to AE-lock.
When the user selects U3 (via Um and then choosing U3 among U3, U4 and U5) the display than shows, i.e, such a quick recap: AF: 51pt, AF track: fast, the flash icon with “M”, and the fraction of full power set, and Fn: AE-lock.
In this way every time the user “stores” the settings hasn’t to think too much about which is the Um mode containing the wanted setting, he can simply scroll via the (U) mode dial.
All of this is simple as it’s only a matter of memory, and memory nowadays cost only a little.
replying to myself :)
I wrote Um to say Uc.
But one of them might be a good acronym .. I meant Uc as User Settings (more) “configurations”, while Um as User settings “mode”
Sorry for the confusion :)
Very well said . I didn’t realize video in the camera is so demanding on the stills portion. Guess it makes sense. So if it does then why even do it in the high end cameras and just make them perform the best they can.
Definitely with you on the ISO range and clean files .
#24, fokus stacking. Let the camera take a selectable number of pictures around the focus point or between two or more choosen focus points.
#25 install the same AF-module as in D5/D500 and the focus pin.
#26 loose the popup flash (better weather sealings).
#27, let the camera select an aperture based on two or more choosen focus points and the focal length of the lens.
#28, EVF assisted OVF. So that we can see the histograms and blinkies in the viewfinder. And with a beefier processor and faster readout we could have composational assist in the viewfinder. Won’t happen but this is a wishlist…
#29, change file system on the memory cards so that we can get longer filenames and bigger video files.
#30, flag off hot pixels in bulb mode so they dont appear in the photo. Already implemented?
Mostly this boils down to rather simple software changes
#27, excellent idea :)
As for my two cents worth, I would like to see the D820 have the same body as the D5 and the same battery. I know a lot of folks don’t like the size and weight, but the ergonomics and the feel are hard to beat, and so is the battery life.
I know this would be very expensive given the price point of the D5, but I think it would be cool to make a camera model (something like “Nikon Pro Camera”) where they have the same basic features but with different resolution sensors. That would allow for a lower resolution (like the current D5) faster shooting camera with better ISO and a higher resolution camera like the D810 and maybe higher yet. A DX version could also be available.They could then add a separate model for higher end video features like Panasonic does with their GH4. It would sure simplify things and improve performance.
Hi Nasim, very insightful article as usual. What’s really impressive is many of these stuff looks implementable & practical. Though Nikon must be ready with all fine details by now & time will tell how much they fulfill this time around. I would like to add on couple of points to what you have already articulated.
1. Adding on to point no. 4 on sRaw implementation, by doing so in efficient way, if Nikon can give us two cameras in one. What I mean, suppose D820 has 45MP resolution (Not wished though) with 5 FPS (45 x 5 = 225MP of data per second) & with proper sRaw 28MP with 8 FPS (28 x 8 = 224MP) & one truly low res. mode of around 12MP with or without increase in FPS if Nikon thinks that would intrude into D4/D5 category. This way, one can instantly switch between landscape mode to action mode with same camera with a click of a button. This would also mean that wishes of those who have been waiting for true D700 successor would also be met. This looks possible to me if Nikon can implement file size reduction in sRaw efficiently. That is how D810 allows for 7 FPS shooting in crop mode because essentially it has to deal with 16MP of data in 1.5X crop mode. D5 already churns out 250MP (20.8 x 12) of data per second & 225MP for D820 should be feasible. Similarly, Nikon can combine D610 & D750 successor into one as two cameras in such close price range for similar intents doesn’t make sense. Thus, Nikon can cover all kind of photographers with their entire photographic needs with just 3 cameras with 3 different body styles. Not sure, Nikon would want this as they may want a photographer to buy different cameras for different needs. This is why I felt launch of Canon 5D IV pointless. With above concept, canon could have had 1 camera instead of 3 5DS/5DSR/5DIV, meeting needs of all three in one.
2. Moving on to point no. 17, though shutter speed more than 1/8000s would be a welcome change, even more importantly if they can make sync speed up to or more than 1/500s. If I remember correctly D70 could do 1/500s sync due to electronic shutter. This would be huge plus for portrait photographers shooting outside their studios.
I am also one of those who are eagerly waiting for upgrade to D8xx series camera with my existing D750 serving as back up.
16MP
No tilt LCD (and no touchscreen either)
GPS
IBIS
A few USB Type C Ports instad of all the different Ports like Mini HDMI and Micro USB 3.0 would be nice because USB 3.0 is already outdated and in the future there will be mostly USB Type C and it would be much more convinient using the same cable streaming to the tv, transferring pictures to the pc, charginh the camera and all of your other devices like your phone and netbook. Furthermore the USB Type C standard is capable of mich more protocols and Nikon could implementiert more features.
I agree with this 100%
I think an articulated touch screen would by far be the best improvement of all the listed suggestions.
The automatic AF fine tune could be nice too, but personally I have had no need to AF fine tune any of my lenses on my D810.
The D800 which I owned previously, was really bad in that area and I had to fine tune many of my lenses manually.
MMXVI) Hybrid viewfinder
Hi Nasim great article. I’ve only two things to add to the wish list. Could the Bracketing segments go a lot higher than 1 + / – stop segments? And manual focusing in ‘Live View’, could there be some form of focusing assist that shows when an image is sharp (two lines coming together). I often shot in difficult light conditions where the LED screen can’t be seen clearly, that and my eyes aren’t getting better with age!!
Bracketing is available steps of 0.3 ev through to 3 ev, for up to 9 shots for ev steps up to 1, and 5 shots for ev steps of 2 or 3 (which gives you up to a max of +/- 6 ev).
A timely article, creating a lively response, well done.
The D8xxx series is still liked by Nature/wildlife users for its cropping abilities.
The D500/D5 AF System.
UHS II cards having full in camera support. This should allow extra frames a second in FX and allow the Buffer to clear extremely fast.
A 7/8 FPS DX crop mode equivalent to the D500 IQ.
Focus Trap is a excellent idea.
USB Charging is a excellent idea.
I think you forgot the C1, C2,c3 and leave out the auto, P mode for high-end camera. I found the auto, P mode on the camera is totally useless feature.
Presets covered in #3. Agree re Auto which is not on the D500. Surprisingly, Program works pretty well when coupled with Auto Exposure, with the ability to adjust aperture (auto-iso off) or ISO (auto-iso on). Good for snap shots but not for more serious work. Come on, Nikon, give us a firmware fix and replace those useless Banks with some decent presets! And how about a charger with a folding plug?
It is all about ergonomics and speed. GO IN, CAPTURE THE IMAGE (WITH THE BEST COMPOSITION), AND GO OUT, before the person next to you LOOKS DOWN AT THE MENU OF HIS CAMERA!!!
Yes, #3 was covered. But this item is VERY CRITICAL for all of us that take many kinds of photos in a shooting session, and… It should be PRIORITY 1 for Nikon to correct, OF COURSE THAT IS IF they ever want to catch up to Canon!!! (If I was not invested so much on Nikon glass, I would have gone to Canon so looooong ago….). BTW, It would not be too difficult to do a firmware update for all pro cameras going back to the D3/D700 to just add a software lock on the current Shooting Menu Banks!!!
With that said, my ideal camera would be a camera with these features in priority of importance:
1. Lockable U1 and U2 banks (actually up to U6 would be best) a la D7xxx, D6xx and D75x.
2. Rear optical view finder manual shutter screen, a la D3/x/s/4/s/5, D8xx. for night shots, so I do not have to use something else to cover it.
3. Do not take the DoF preview button.
4. Do not take away the Mode button from the right side of the camera (or be able to program the video button as a mode button as the D5/500 can).
5. Lid buttons a la D4/S/D5/500. But, also lid up the right ones too please.
6. In finder Auto lid AF points a la D3/x/s/4/s/5.
7. Left hand/eye and Right/eye versions of the same camera (for all of us that use our left-eye, to be able to better see through the view finder). If not possible, a View finder that protrudes to the back (without having to use a DK17M on a D3/x/s/4/s/5) to accommodate my BIG nose and fingers while trying to look through the view finder.
8. AF points spread a la D500.
9. 10 FPS on DX (with grip OK), slower FPS on FX is OK. Or… how about a D5x too?
10. 1/500s, or even better 1/1000s synch speed to be able to effectively use a fill flash with a super tele for birding.
11. Larger than 3.2 inch screen. Size of iPhone 6 would be great!
12. Manual control Knobs a la Df and F4.
13. Other important items for me are #6, 7, 8, 10, 13, 14, 17 and 22 of the original article we are talking about (no in priority order).
As you can tell, the amount of pixels are not that important to me (16Mp is large enough for a 1meter/yard size print in my book), the light quality and composition of them, that is the question.
I could say more… but I rather go out shooting :-)
Hugo said: “… just add a software lock on the current Shooting Menu Banks!!!”
I agree. My workaround is to keep my Menu Banks settings stored on my memory cards (and backup copies on my computer), and load them into each camera prior to every photo session. See the “Save/Load settings” section of your camera instruction manual. Also consider purchasing Nikon Camera Control Pro 2.
Note to Iceman: I find the P Mode very useful because the Command Dial allows me to quickly override its default auto-exposure algorithm — even when AE Lock is activated. I have never used the S Mode on any camera, I use only the A, P, and M modes; and I occasionally use Auto ISO, but only in conjunction with M Mode. None of the four primary exposure modes are redundant.
After reading this precise request for improved features, and the respondents replies, I’m in agreement that some of the more technology aware folks here have already stated. I would agree that the next iteration of DSLR in the 8xx series is already written in stone and we could not begin to see some of these suggestions until around 2020. With all these new features my thoughts go to cost. What would all that cost? Even though the manufacturing cost to produce these features may not be that expensive to the manufacturer as we’ve seen in the Sony, Pentax, Fuji lines; we are discussing Nikon. Nikon will want to get paid for all this so what would this type of camera cost and would it put it out of reach for the avid amateur or semi-pro?
For my work, when working full time, (I have recently semi retired from full time photography), I found the D750 to be all I needed to continue my photography work. Utilizing the D750 95% of the time on full manual mode brings me back to my film days and am very happy with that process. At 71 years old, I guess I’ve rejected most of the technology the younger folks revere. Just a thought.
I really do get this. We are not far apart age wise :) I feel the same way you feel your D750 with my D500. It’s such a pleasure and a familiar feeling.
That said, I see photography evolving toward more hybrid / video and away from strictly stills. My hope is that Nikon sees that trend and provides even more technology for those that want it or need it. Why not a separate version oriented to stills (maybe with limited video capability like now) and a somewhat more expensive version that is more of a hybrid camera?
> the next iteration of DSLR in the 8xx series is already written in stone
Mostly so, apart from the firmware features.
You are dreaming Nasim. Nikon has never listened to their customer base. And that is why they are in the position they are in.
> Nikon has never listened to their customer base
Not so. Thought you might want to know from first-hand experience ;)
Iliah, you offer assertion based on (presumably) your first hand experience, but you don’t share any concrete proof. So share the “first-hand” experience you have. I really would like to know.
What proof are you after, confidential correspondence?
Chill. I didn’t ask for a confidence to be broken. A suggestion that is offered by an individual that Nikpn responds to doesn’t nessarily have to be confidential. So what feature that Nikon adopted can you demonstrate was the result of customer base input? That’s all I’m asking.
> Chill.
Dear Teacher, learn some manners :)
If I offended you, I am truly sorry.
But back to the question at hand–what was suggested to Nikon, that they incorporated into their design?
Didaskalos, please respect others in communication. Iliah asked you a question and your response is “chill”. I don’t think you know who you are talking to :) Google him and look up some of the articles he posted right here at PL – he is a team member here.
Fact is, Nikon established a special department to gather and analyze customer opinions and demands. They rarely refer directly to user feedback in their official statements, but the case when, by popular demand, they revised the body (D70 to D70s) to add a jack for a remote cord is well-documented. Nikon themselves refer to it in their
This is 100% true. I’ve been a long time user of Nikon cameras but I’m thinking of moving toward Fuji. But I’ll never totally go away from my Nikon DSLRs/Slrs. I just believe in the vision of Fujis people and love how they listen to and work with their customers.
I also hunt and Nikon optics are always good but rarely great. Even when they can make great. Years ago they made the best poro prism binoculars you could get Swarovski coming in next. But their Roof prism binoculars just stayed consumer grade at best with too high a price for the image quality. They relied on marketing for sales and not performance. They have just recently used their game and the only reason is because they had to. Everyone else made a superior product for less or the same price. Fully knowing they can make the better product for a reasonable price but holding back . This is to just make money and no other reason. Brands get truly faithful customers because of service or quality built product. Why not try to support your loyal customers and gain more if your a company like Nikon. Living on an old reputation and building only for profit is the downfall of this world. My two cents I could go on but why?
Your wish list is very well thought out.
Now if Nikon gave me a RAW histogram and threw in about 10 FPS frame rate and a bigger buffer I would be in photographic heaven.
All the other improvements, while useful, are not for me, game changers.
D500?
Kevin
I have thought about it but I just can’t get away from what 36Mp at 14bits can do.
I was toying with the idea of a getting a D500 and throwing away the 1.4 converter. That way I would get a ripping frame rate and an effective 1.5x increase in focal length.
After all, putting the cost aside for a moment, switching a body is probably faster than removing a lens, attaching a converter and then reattaching the lens.
On balance I will stay with the D800E for now and see what Nikon come up with in the D820/850.
Ans because you really want those features Nikon WILL NOT put them in.
I don’t know of another company that takes such effort NOT listening to their users.
‘wish list’ is just as useful as ‘dear Santa’…just keep photographing…
Santa always delivered, what’s your point? -:)
what you’re looking for in
6) Long Exposure Bulb Mode
is actually kind of implemented in the D750. It’s called time-Mode. You press the shutter to start the exposure and press it again to end. Works both with and without a remote. I too though would appreciate to be able to dial in an exposure time. I wouldn’t have to start my iphone timer then every time :-)
even my D3300 has T…
Fascinating article!
I would like to see any additional battery draining features (BlueTooth, WiFi, GPS, etc) have a colored (red) indicator in the viewfinder or live-view LCD when any one is engaged. I imagine that Nikon enjoys posting the increasing number of photos that they can squeeze out of a battery charge. They would be jealous to maintain those numbers. Any additional feature as named above will drag down that number. With an indicator light in the viewfinder or on the LCD screen the photographer is constantly reminded of the feature(s) being on and drawing power. Too often I forget the special settings I engage. The light will remind meto either check the features or turn them off when not needed.
One more point I neglected to make.
I wonder whether we are too late to influence the next iteration of the D8x0 camera. It’s been about 2 years since the 810 has been announced and the work on the replacement should be well on its way. The physical shell (button and dial placements and space for boards) has already been designed, I’m guessing. Perhaps this list will be filed in the draw for the replacement of the replacement for the D810.
Lots of great ideas. One I’d like to see is:
Bluetooth that allows you to connect to an external GPS as does the module from the folks foolography.com – basically build their module into the camera.
Unlike years past, Nikon seems to have no understanding of the needs of macro photographers. Granted, we are a niche. But why offer macro lenses that autofocus (useless) and DSLRs with viewfinders and live view functions that are unable to support the critical manual focus required in macro photography? Give us a virtual split screen viewfinder and live view mode that work well with, say, a 200mm macro lens, and I’ll be happy.
great!
How about variable and adjustable dynamic range with a button/dial combination like for exposure bias.
article and comments should be sent to nikon before they make the same mistake canon just did. but nikon isnt what it used to be and will never be again.
great stuff as usual
replying to myself!
so many things would cost to much, but options like on the new car you wish you could afford
if you wanted gold plated wire wheels, that would be an option, more money of course
Would love to see 2 D810 based versions. One 24mp designed for speed and low light (D500 FX), the other 42+ mp for high resolution. They should share most other features including 4K, backlit buttons and touch screens.
+1. Totally agree, please hear us nikon.
– detection if VR is on/off for auto-iso function
– more precise adjustment of “auto” speed with the auti-iso function
> I explain : on my D610, I can set 0,25x/0,5x/1x/2x/4x the focal lenght, I would like to be able to put 2.5x for example
detection if on/off for auto-iso function
Dear Nasim,
Another great article and hopefully well-timed so that these potential upgrades can be included in a D820/900.
Your list is detailed and whilst I think you know is somewhat idealised, it is certainly a useful straw-man for us to refine to a realistic request to Nikon. In the fast moving electronics world, of course you are right to push for all potential improvements.
On the other hand, what we should anticipate is a stereotypic response from Nikon to your list, and as you know the culture in Japan treats public questioning as anathema, being both disrespectful to current and previous staff, so we should always couch such response with acknowledging the following truths:
90% of the technical requirements to capture sharp photographic images were developed by about the mid-1990s. Sharp lenses, autofocus systems, metering systems, battery life, handling, bright clear viewfinders, shutter and frame release rates are (despite current marketing on new cameras) basically the same as those on the last film SLRs like the Nikon F5. Moreover, progresses in digital recording and processing technology from 2000-2008 mean that 99% of the functions in current DSLRs are essentially the same as the bodies from around 8-years ago. Take a look at the images produced by (and the function menus in) the Nikon D300/700/3 series, and you will find only incremental changes in the latest bodies. Is this because Nikon have found a solution that means every picture we take could be perfect out of camera and ready to print up to wall size, which they are nastily holding back to slowly improve bodies over the years? No! It’s because the list of refinements that could be added are just 1% issues, that would make only marginal differences to most people’s pictures, so it makes more sense for Nikon only to update when there is a noticeable improvement available. Any communication to Nikon should include this culturally important respect for the past.
Many of your list are functions that we see already on mirrorless bodies. However, we don’t see hundreds of mirrorless photographers at professional sporting / journalistic / wedding / magazine shoots. Why? Simply because battery life, handling, WYSIWYG viewfinders and sharp lenses will always be the first priorities.
So let’s take a look at the list and refine to some hopefully actionable features:
1. Raw histogram – Nice idea yes. Technically, there is no such thing as a Raw picture so should be called Tiff (16-bit) histogram. Nikon may indicate that the Flat profile jpeg provides very close to this.
2. ETTR functions. ETTR should not be trumpeted as an unalloyed advantage. ETTL is just as important in some scenes, so an improved histogram should suffice.
3. Menus – age old issue. Not critical as would confuse consistency with older bodies.
4. SRaw – no experience of this.
5. Split screen – I feel this should be trialled on a consumer DSLR or the new mirrorless bodies before adding to a pro SLR.
6. Longer exposures. Doesn’t the D810 have a Time mode? D500 does ‘- -‘ indicated.
7. Very low ISOs. 64 iso is pretty low. Not critical.
8. IBIS. Same as 5.
9. IBIS. Same as 5.
10. In-body USB charging. Nice, or at least add a USB input to the charger.
11. Backlit buttons. Yes, on D500. Done.
12. GPS. Yes, so long as you can turn it off.
13. Better WiFi. Ibid.
14. IR remote. Yes, on D500. Done.
15. EFCS – no experience of this.
16. EFCS as above.
17. Faster the 1/8000s. Possibly, but pretty niche. Not critical.
18. Tilt screen. Yes. Essential. Don’t give me any of that guff about compromised weather sealing.
19. 4k. Yes, on D500. Done.
20. On pixel focusing. I don’t understand all this stuff about focus tuning etc. All my lenses focus on the spot exactly and I test with a ruler and tape measure. The D500 is peculiarly good.
21. Focus trapping – isn’t that just ‘Focus’ priority in CAF?
22. On sensor AF. See 20.
23. Swappable card modules. Don’t see the benefit really. 1 XQD and 1SD is ok.
So my respectful recommendations for the D820 would be:
a. Tiff histogram
b. Time mode shutter release
c. USB charging
d. Wifi and GPS, with ability to fully disable
d. IR remote
e. Tilt screen
f. 4k
As a number of these are already in the D500, there’s clearly room for a few more. Assuming they follow the progress from the D500, the D760/D820/D900 is looking 99.5% at least!
Hi Nasim,
thank you for giving us the possibility to express our desires, even if I think many of them will keep on being only dreams, I guess as didaskalos said the physical shell and the board layout might have been just finalized.
Anyway, here we are, so here there are some features I’d like to add, and possibly not only to the D820 but to all the DSLRs.
Feat_1) The possibility to shoot a burst of frames with *same exposure* where both the aperture and the shutter speeds change. It acts as automating the sequence you have with P mode manually changing the aperture/shutter couple.
I see the advantage of such program in all shooting conditions where creative narrow dof is looked for, but where you are unsure of which aperture to choose.
They may be macro or portrait, but any photo where a “selective bohek / controlled dof” is the art key.
I like to shoot flowers close-ups and macros, and even if flowers are quite still subjects sometimes you don’t know wich is the right aperture for a specific selective out of focus. And when time is short, i.e. at gardening or flower exibitions, to shoot and change the aperture and shoot again and again is not easy.
Also, the subject can move; ok, not flowers, but in portraits to babies it evenly happens.
As far as I know there is currently no automatic way to do so; bracketing (that I almost never use) changes the exposure.
Feat_2) Since the camera measures, at least somehow, the distance between the camera and the subject (using at least an AF-D or more recent lens), to have a coarse idea of how much is the front, back and total dof at the choosen focal lenght would be useful to avoid shoots with something desidered in-focus that is out of focus instead.
Think at all the low light shooting conditions; it’s for me difficult to extimate the distance between the subject and the camera, and how dof I really have.
And shooting shouldn’t be like calculating a mathematical expression, so to consult a dof calculatore before and then framing .. but something more “natural” and “quick”; as it was in the film era with film cameras where you set only aperture, shutter and, eventually, the ISO speed.
K.R. Sebastiano
I’ve seen plenty of rumors that the D820 or whatever they will call it will be released at Photokina next month. So if true, this is a little late.
I sure hope they don’t go back to all SD cards, whatever else they did besides that would be ok with me.
I would like the D5 af system, better high ISO performance, more FPS and fixing the stupid menu banks.
With extended ISO as low as you suggest, you’ll get the dynamic range of a brick.
No more megapixels please for all people. Nikon need two cameras.
-Nikon d810s with 29 or down megapixels, with 7fps in fx and 8 in dx crop and 25000 or 50000 iso.
-Nikon d810x with 45 or more megapixels, with 5fps in fx and 6 or 7 in dx crop and 12600 or 25000 iso.
Af same module that d5/d500
A version that’s a true D700 update. Meaning, a D810 body with a D4s sensor (not D5 because supposedly the low iso DR is subpar).
It’s no doubt that Nikon (and others) will increase the megapixels for their cameras in the future (it’s already happening).
In this case I think it’s nice to have a dedicated button for 4 crop modes: 1.25, 1.5, 1.75 and 2.0
There seems to be lots of people hating the D810 autofocus system. I’ve never had a single issue with it. It’s accurate, works exceptionally well in low light and tracks amazingly in 3D mode. If I was to write a wish list for the next iteration of the autofocus, I’d make it wider and taller than the current one to save cropping later, but apart from that it’s just about perfect.
Totally agreed!!!
I only wish it had a better way to achieve
precise manual focus :)
Yair
Justin, I don’t hate the D810 autofocus system – on the contrary, I think it is very good.
However, I have shot the D810 and D5 side by side – and the autofocus on the D5, particularly in amazingly low light, just blows the D810 away in that regard. So, if I get a wish list, I wish for the best AF.
Wider point spread would be really helpful too.
The d5 is the best autofocusing camera on the marked even my old d4 is better than my aging d810 but the d810 is verey good you get what you are paying for
Umm, well the D5 is built for speed and it’s the flagship camera, and it’s new, so of course it’s going to out perform the D810 and always will, even when the replacement camera comes for the D810.
Yes for what the D5 was designed for but for high resolution pictures the D8XX is THE body (in the Nikon line up). They are two very different birds for different purposes.. I wouldn’t trade my D800 except for a D820. Mine is an early one bought in June 2012 and has never missed a beat since with no issues at all.
While answering to another post I had another wish in my mind :)
And what do you think about if it also could be possibile to “change” the info we see in the viewfinder?
For example adding the possibility to have the ISO speed in light blue, or red instead than green, or have the metering mode in amber or yellow ..
I personally sometimes take some seconds to have a full look at all the info (all in green), and this sometimes leads me to some errors in ISO settings :(
But another option could be like in smart watches; you simply decide what are the main info you want to see in the view finder or not, changing also “the layout” (what, what color, how many) …
Holy Nikon,
Give us square format option
and panoramic too.
I own a D800E and am so disappointed to have put so much money in it. By increasing order of disapointment, I need better default colours (my OM-D EM-10 that costs10 times less does much better), no more shutter vibrations and especially a reliable (that is, both perfectly accurate and reproducible) AF with any lens at all focusing distances and over the full range of zooms (100% agree with 1st comment). Lighter would be better too.
IBIS, wifi, more pixels, lighter RAW, etc. all welcome but not the main issue.
Professional landscape photographer. 30 years with Nikon. Will most likely switch to something else.
May I ask you what raw converter are you using and how your monitor is calibrated?
Raw converters : View NX2, Capture NX2, Lightroom. Monitor is an (old) Lacie calibrated with its dedicated colorimeter. My remark on colors holds for Nikon in general, not for the D800 in particular. I have more difficulty obtaining colors to my taste (for landscapes), especially in the skies, for Nikon than for Olympus and Canon.
Although unrelated, this reminds me of a comparison I made back in the films days beween a Nikon 24mm AFD/2.8 and the 45mm of the Hasselblad XPan. Same scene, taken at the same time, same film (Velvia). I was shocked how the colors were better with the XPan (actually made by Fuji).
Have you tried adjusting the WB in camera, rather than in post? I find the GM-YB matrix more useful than the Kelvin sliders in Lightroom.
Agree with you on the lenses. Would love to see a review that shows the same scene and settings shot by a variety of lenses on one body to find the best colour rendition for landscapes.
Many photographers want to see something which helps them to focusing correctly when the subject is located outside the of limited AF array. In this case we use the well known focus and recompose technic, and we all know its drawback: the plane of focus follows the camera movement, and the result is an out focus shot, especially at large aperture settings. One sulotion could be the PDAF, but it only works in Live View mode, so OVF shooters (and situations when OVF is a must) are not supported.
There is a cheap and not complicated solution which solves the problem, Hassalblad already implemented it, named True Focus, which compensate for the shift in focus when recomposing.
if you are so disappointed with D800E why did you buy it? did you really buy it without testing it first ? then you’d seen what you bought
Absolutely, I bought it without testing it. Am I the only one to do error sometimes?
I’m not saying that it is a bad camera or that I can’t obtain sharp images with it. But I think the strong noise when pressing the shutter, the vibration level and the not 100% reliable AF (even with micro adjustement of each lens) are a shame for the price. I also have the feeling they were actually able to make the D810 directly but choose to add improvements latter (business strategy).
HI NASIM, FIRST OF ALL THANKS FOR THE ARTICLE & INITIATIVE TO WRITE TO NIKON. I WOULD LIKE TO ADD FEW POINTS: 1) ISO BUTTON SHIFTED TO RIGHT HAND CONTROL AREA, THIS HELPS ME A LOT WHILE USING D810 WITH HEAVY LENSES/HANDHELD. 2) TOUCH SCREEN WITH TAP TO FOCUS DURING LIVE VIEW. 3) FOCUS PEAKING. 4) MENU BANK SELECTION SHOULD BE ALL NEW & USE AN USER FRIENDLY GUI. 5) INTEGRATED WIRELESS RADIO FLASH OPERATION POSSIBLY WITH SELECTABLE FREQUENCY. 6) WIRELESS RADIO REMOTE WITH INTEGRATED WIRELESS RECEPTION(TRANSCEIVER WIRELESS RADIO IN THE BODY ITSELF SO THAT IT CAN OPERATE BOTH FLASH & REMOTE). 7) CAMERA SHAKE REDUCTION TECHS LIKE MODIFIED EFSC, IBIS SHOULD BE INTRODUCED/REINFORCED.
You can map the movie record button on the D810 to be ISO. I found that very useful.
thanks Tracy for info.
I could Add the following:
1
a shutter still as silent as the d810 but NOT interfering with the VR of some lenses ; like the 300PF lens.
Or /And better implemented Electronic shutter.
For now the very good VR of the 300PF lens only works with the ELectronic shutter ON
2
split screen divided in three sections left right + middle ( and top bottom + middle)
I see some lenses that when focused on the sides the middle gets vague…
Also a easier to reach implementation that remembers the former zoom strength.
It could be beautifuly combined with a touch screen also…
I agree splitscreen it is a strong addition to the d810 especially for TS lenses.
I do a lot of manually focusing and there’s a feature I’d like to see in live view mode and wonder what others think of it. Namely, there would be a magnified view mode in which the magnified view would be superimposed (sort of like a double exposure) over the full frame view. I would like to be able to accurately adjust focus at the same time as having the overall framing in view. Of course you’d be able to move the focus area around with the navigation buttons. Furthermore, when this mode is invoked, full magnification would be immediately chosen and you would not need to repeatedly press a zoom button. No matter how steady you hold the camera, the magnified view will move versus the full frame view and this will allow the human brain to keep the two images separate.
Tougher Remote Control Multi-pin Receptacle:
In the dark I pressed a little to hard to attach the radio remote shutter control receiver. It wasn’t quite lined up and dislodged the pin receptacle. Of course a radio remote inside the camera would solve that, but…. for us remaining less digital, analog types, a sturdy receptacle could help in the transition for us slow adapters. If this “Mansurov Model D820” comes to pass, it may be the only thing to dislodge me from my life-changing, phenomenal D800.
Hei Lung
I’d like to see more innovation personally.
There is no reason why we can’t have modern, customisable LED displays rather than crappy 1980’s Seiko watch LCDs. I’d like to see live DoF display like on the Batis.
The battery grip is a modular item; why not have custom grips, for example to integrate audio recording electronics? Anything which brings functionality into the body and allows for less gear in the field would be welcome.
Global shutter would be great. Currently we’re being swamped by a million different modes, where the real solution is to have one which works. Global shutter is difficult so instead we get increasingly complex workarounds.
Better wireless integration / mobile device integration. Sorry Nikon but those expensive accessories need to be phased out. Put all the functionality into the camera.
I’d love to see 4K at 60fps and very high quality; but this puts massive pressure on the processing and storage circuitry, and would probably allow the D8xx higher stills FPS than they want it to have (and adds significant cost). I know many people don’t value DSLR for video but I do, and there’s no reason a DSLR can’t be amazing for video and stills.
What about making the grip either modular, or producing the body in 2 or 3 different sizes of grip? As people’s hands are not 1 size neither should the camera body be. You drive a car and you can adjust steering wheel, mirrors and seat position to suit.
“I know many people don’t value DSLR for video but I do, and there’s no reason a DSLR can’t be amazing for video and stills.”
As I understand it, video in a stills camera is limited to 30 minutes for tax/regulation reasons.
That’s one limiting factor.
The other is that implementing ridiculously high quality video is putting the cart before the horse in a stills camera as well as making the horse too expensive to make or sell. If you are so keen on video, get the right tool for the job.
The same with some other suggestions…anything is possible nowadays if enough R&D money and resource is thrown at it. But whose going to pay for your personal flights of fantasy?
Multiple, customisable grips, live (heads up presumably) customisable displays, fully integrated audio or, better still, a flip out propeller where the pop up flash used to be, to instantly turn your camera into a photographic drone. Yes, technology is wonderful. All you need to complete the wish list is a man servant to carry the 50 pound lithium-ion battery pack.
Good evening
I’ll take 1,2,3 (although I’m not sure if I’d ever able to take advantage from such a refined metering) 7,8, 12, 13,15,16,17 but in general what I’d love is: having a viewfinder as large and bright as possible (well beyond the classical 0.7x, why not a High Eyepoint like in F3, something in the 0,8x – 1x range… in the end photography is about VIEWING your subjects and nothing is more exciting than a HUGE and super bright viewfinder, able to be used for manual focus, also in the dark (here I’d add some kind of help for mf lenses, usually so ditched or relegated to be used with live view (for me useless, because it slows down everything))
but I know that Nikon won’t ever listen to me here and favor Zeiss MF lenses against its own.
ps: why don’t add a direct menu just like on a smartphone share images adding the usual social, mail and eventually a dedicated site ?
I would like the camera to record the angles that the image is off from level and flat. That would facilitate automatic correction in post.
I doubt if sending this list to Nikon will change anything. As Pascal commented, the D810’s successor is probably very far along in the design stage (if not already in production). And Nikon doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to communicating with their customers.
My comments on your list:
1. Excellent suggestions, also can we have accurate display of raw files in review, i.e. not of the jpeg? Might be a limitation of LCDs though.
2. Also good, but with #1 we can do this ourselves, I think.
3. I also find the menu banks confusing, but it seems there is a group that like them vs. the preset system.
4. Or just get rid of sRAW, it serves no real purpose. If it stays, make a 1/4 resolution sRAW option with binning.
5. Another good suggestion, assuming this feature can also be used with T/S lenses.
6. Should be easy to implement, why doesn’t it already exist? Rather than 5 second increments, I’d suggest a log scale e.g. 30, 40, 60, 80, 120, etc. or user programmable.
7. I don’t really care about this one. Do the simulated lower ISOs reduce dynamic range?
8. Nope. Not going to happen with an optical viewfinder. You won’t stabilize the viewfinder image and you won’t get the photo you were expecting, i.e. you lose the WYSIWYG feature that is the SLR’s advantage. On the future mirrorless cameras, on the other hand, it’s a possibility. I do wonder about durability of those systems and if they introduce alignment problems when they are supposedly off, leading to inadvertent tilts for example.
9. No IBIS, so not going to happen on a DSLR. I’d be more interested in alternatives to Bayer such as Foveon.
10. I dislike cameras that only offer USB charging out of the box (Sony RX100) but your suggestions make sense. The big problem is you have to include charging circuitry, which will add weight, cost, and heat, especially for the big SLR batteries. Nikon may also be worried about potential (pun not intended) compatibility problems or even damaging the battery or camera with a poor quality USB power source.
11. Red to preserve night vision? And obviously needs to be easy to turn on/off. How much are you willing to pay to add a backlight to every control though?
12. No, the camera should use low power bluetooth to get GPS info from your phone or tablet. Sadly, since Canon included GPS, Nikon may feel it’s necessary to follow suit, adding to the bulk, power usage, and price of the camera.
13. I believe the iOS problems were caused by Apple’s decision not to include all the features of bluetooth in their phones. I think Nikon’s method is designed to use as little power as possible but only Android devices have the necessary features
14. Or just use an app on your phone/tablet/laptop? Nikon does like to sell pricy little accessories though. As far as removing the 10-pin, remember that Nikon’s mantra is backward compatibility as much as possible.
15. Having EFCS with live view would seem a no-brainer, but see the next point.
16. I think there might be a sensor limitation, either heat-related or needing to reset (zero the pixels, I don’t know what it’s called) in a no-light condition.
17. In your example, wouldn’t flash duration become a problem?
18. Very useful to have, but the sealing and durability issues are still a problem. I can see Nikon getting sued the first time someone breaks their pro camera’s LCD.
19. 4k is undoubtedly already on the required features list for any designer, although I think the video camera boat has already sailed as there are much better video options now than using a DSLR. Wouldn’t producing 1080p footage with proper binning be as good as downsizing 4k?
20. Yes, please! For the live view focusing. Focus tracking in video sucks with my D610. I doubt if you’d need it to calibrate the AF module, contrast detect focusing should work just fine for that. Nikon already knows how to do mirrorless AF, the 1 series reportedly works very well. And Nikon DSLRs reportedly already can use scene detect with the exposure meters to do face detection. You probably need set the camera to automatic modes for that to be used though.
21. I think this has been available in the past? Useful and not too hard to implement anyway.
22. Potentially very complicated. It would be nice to be able to do this in the field: while using a tripod, focus on a truly stationary object using live view, switch back to reflex view and push “calibrate”. Done, you’re locked in at the distance you’re working at. The camera should be able to store focus information at multiple distances and, for zoom lenses, multiple focal lengths.
23. In complete agreement with you here. The mixed card slots on the D800 were one reason I decided not to get it. I also don’t like CF cards, the pins in the camera are too fragile.
And my own additions…
AF module from the D5.
Live view focus peaking.
Automatic focus stacking, like Iliah suggests.
And focus bracketing.
It’s a computer that takes photos, we should be able to bracket anything.
It’s a computer, it should be programmable, maybe connect to a computer and make your changes, take out menu items you don’t need/use and put in things that you do need.
Higer megapixel count, I know this isn’t popular but it needs to compete with Sony and Canon.
Most importantly, make the same (identical!) camera body at each level with different sensors. So rather than D500 and D810, you have a series with DX sized sensor, lower resolution FX sensor, and high resolution FX sensor. All have the same control layout, menu, accessories, etc. Do the same for the Pro body, e.g. D5D (DX), D5S, D5X.
I started making this list before I realized there were 23 points. And I *had* to comment on all of them. No, I don’t have OCD, why do you ask? Congratulations to anyone who read my whole comment!
I use Sony rather than Nikon—but I do like Nikon gear, that’s why I’m here :-)
And I love this idea from Brian (104):
“It’s a computer, it should be programmable, maybe connect to a computer and make your changes, take out menu items you don’t need/use and put in things that you do need.”
I think the same, expecially because it is currently possible via Camera Control Pro 2, if running on a computer.
But what Nikon should understand is that you don’t carry a computer attached to the camera when you go for shooting, and that using Camera Control Pro 2 is great in studios and not by walk.
p.s. As my suggestions regards programming the camera, or quickly recalling settings, I don’t know what all of you think about my (82) – I’ve dreamed to have it but no one has this feat! – and for U modes instead of banks (53.1).
From my point of view the usefulness of banks is that the camera is *always* in a bank mode, no never really store user presets.
This doesn’t mean that if the camera had the U “user mode” and you swith OFF and ON again the camera you loose all of what you have changed, U mode should only be a “starting point”, so a reset way to “user preferred defaults”.
For example, if in U1 I’ve set 51 AF points and after having switched ON the camera and “loading” this preset I’ve changed to 21 AF points only, when I switch OFF and ON again I want to see 21 instead of 51 (as banks do), but I *also* want to have a reset to 51 AF points shortcut.
It’s very simple to do, really, expecially nowadays where not only the hardware can be programmed (like EEPROMs) but also GUIs and SW can “save” (config) files.
Hope I’ve not been boring :-)
Sorry, I ment “uselessness” instead of usefulness
You had me worried for a minute!
Yes the banks are useless as they ‘bank’ nothing.
In my view the best option would be to have programmable banks with the choice that they either revert to baseline settings when the camera is switched off or retain changes as a new baseline.
I work exclusively with four manual focus Zeiss lenses on a D810 and would hugely appreciate if Nikon would make the D820 better for manual focus lens users, whether in an innovative, creative fashion, or by ‘going retro’ with a fully functional possibility of installing alternate focusing screens for users like me. I suspect that those who need, or otherwise will significantly benefit, from this recommendation, especially working professionals, are many. My faithfullness to the brand will fade the longer Nikon fails to heed this serious need
This is the one area mentioned in all the comments
which cannot be bypassed by manual operations or
in postproduction.
Focusing accurately manually though the viewfinder is
the one feature that make me even thinking about changing
to Mirrorless.
You can already change the focus screen in the D810
Just make the speed into 7 fps and I will be happily dumping my D500 & D810.
If Canon can do it in their 30MP cam, I believed Nikon has it already in their pocket.
-auto-adjustment of the focus distance to have the biggest DoF
-focus-stacking mode in camera with automatic merging of the pictures
-possibility to set any exposure time for long exposures (like 45 seconds, 15 minutes…)
#24 – hybrid or even just EVF only viewfinder.
Basically in reading your requests I was thinking Sony A7 RII already has that after almost each one.. After shooting Nikon for over 25 years I dabbled in Fuji mirrorless a couple years ago. Fell in love with the new technology and then just shot Nikon for pro work and Fuji for personal. Well after using Fuji more and more I began to just dislike the whole DSLR experience from led chimping to big, bulky, heavy, no EVF, no peaking, no focus magnification, etc. Well, then decided to rent the Sony to try out. Loved it and the image quality the best I’d experienced! Sold all Fuji and all Nikon bodies and kept a couple Nikon lenses to use on the Sony like 14-24mm f/2.8. Sold Nikon D810, D750, and D610. Now using A7rii, A7ii, A6300 and A6000.
I have a lot of fondness toward Nikon and the cameras they produced over the years but honestly after using the Sony now for about a year, I like the Sony mirrorless experience way better. I shoot professionally everything from commercial, architecture, people, lifestyle, travel and outdoor adventure and I prefer the Sony for all these genres. Sure there are trade offs like handling and maybe not so perfect for events but trade offs I’m willing to make or work around. I also find the Sony raw files better and easier to finesse in post.
Not trying to ruffle feathers, just thinking out loud and honestly. I’m hoping I see more innovation from Nikon (and Canon too – what’s up with the lackluster new 5D IV? CF cards? Two different cards? Non-standard video crop mode? Expensive in today’s market. What were they thinking?). I may be back as a Nikon customer some day but between offering products I don’t really want, not listening to customer input, not listening to Thom Hogan and a hostile warranty policy, I’m most likely sticking with Sony for good or would consider Canon if they brought interesting cameras to market.
The A7rii and other cameras are due to upgrade soon along with rumors of a pro-level A9 introduction, and I’m pretty sure there will be even better cameras and new innovation. Where will Nikon and Canon be then? Way behind imho. Scott Cramer – www.instagram.com/adventure_photo – Vail, Colorado
Just a follow up question to Nasim’s great article:
As far as I’m aware, Nikon have not confirmed that a D820 is coming, although I did limit my suggestions above to an assumption that it was an update of their hi-res Pro body that was imminent. Now, what if Nikon were still considering which model to update next, which would you want them to prioritise?
(a) D810 update on the basis that it remains a hi-res specialised model.
(b) DF update.
(c) D750 update on the basis that it remains a mid-res semi-pro model.
(d) D900 creation as a new Pro allrounder body. For example, a D4s or D5 sensor dropped into a D500esque body.
I guess most people would want Nikon to prioritise the model closest to the one they currently use or favour most.
That’s just a guess though…not evidence based.
Absolutely, and in my case the model that hits the mark the current bodies haven’t yet for me. I found the D810 too hi-res and therefore slow for me, the DF too plasticky and therefore unsafe in outdoor use, and the D750 ergonomically too small, so a completely new D900 as described would be my preference.
I think anyone would like the update of the camera he uses or he wishes.
For me, D8xx are currently to hi-res; I needn’t to print large, so 16 – 24 Mpxl is all I need. But I don’t like D6xx AF and other feats, neither Df.
Df is expensive for me, but I liked somehow the concept and style. I never had one in my hands, so I cannot judge its ergonomics, if is better/worse/in par with other “same styled” cameras (like Fuji, Sony). They tend to propose the style SLR had in ’70s.
I like some D750’s features (like the sensor, the AF module), but still, never had one in my hands, so it’s only a thought, but it misses some feats D8xx have, like max shutter speed.
My ideal camera (might be D820) is not too hi-res and has good dynamic range and noise performance for relative high ISO (i.e. 6400-12800). And has the possibility to shot fast a burst of frames where I slightly vary the aperture (to control the dof) mantaining the same exposure I liked.
Also, has a good way to manually focus, so to do this quickly without putting away the camera from the eye.
My ideal camera, also, has a big and hybrid viewfinder, or a best in class big EVF, so to allow to focus and frame still with low light. And, finally, is not to noisy when I press the shutter button :)
Am I desiring too much?
Hi Nasim,
Nice wishlist, most of it can be solved in software and if Nikon pays attention I would like to ask for ISO bracketing mode…..
ISO bracketing is the prioritised bracketing method in P, S and A exposure modes when Auto-ISO is on.
As for the tilt screen, why not have an articulated screen like in the D 5100? This is much more versatile.
As for the tilting screen, why not have an articulating screen as in the D 5100. It is so versatile.
Select-able ON/OFF) IBIS would be a welcome addition to the D820 up to and including perhaps a 70-200mm lens, more telephoto would not benefit from IBIS and OS would need to take over.
Since the sensor plant in japan was damaged it is likely that the D820 will have the older 42 megapixel sensor, or a 47.x megapixel variant with a 20.4 megapixel crop mode similar to that of the D500, there is also details about the pixel density or pitch angle being flatter than normal for a full frame sensor. The D820 frames per second will be more in the range of 5 to 8 fps depending on the mode. AF will be the same as the D5 or D500 but with a few more AF points in full frame mode.
The storage medium is still a mystery and will most likely be XQD version two with SD backup.
With IBIS there is the potential for a Pixel Shift or HDR mode similar to that from Olympus and Pentax. File sizes for pixel shift are rather large and will be more for landscapes.
As for high ISO and dynamic range that will depend on the processor and programing and will have to wait for more details.
The Pentax K-3 and K-1 have some of the most ergonomic bodies on the market but i can not complain about the feel of the d800 or d600 series.
Nasim
Sell your Nikons and buy a Pentax K1, which has almost all of your requirements.
….except a professional system and a full line up of lenses and accessories.
Nice camera though.
I’d add a manual aperture dial (as with the D4S) for use in manual mode.
I just need faster frames per second shooting in full frame and a larger buffer. If it shot even 7 frames per second and had twice the buffer it would be the ultimate sports camera. I wish that the d810 was a little less noisy in low light situations as well. The main reason I use this camera preferentially is that the way Nikon gathers information from the Sony sensor is incredible. If the d820 gets a faster continuous shooting mode and a bigger buffer, I’ll be the first in line to trade in my d810.
We all have dreams. The truth to the matter is you can never have enough and quality photos are mostly from your techniques. If you have the vision into the future, the mirrorless is the principle concept that would rival the DSLR in the next ten years. So why is Sony willing to let Nikon use its sensors? Because Sony has the vision to see that the DSLR would be no longer relevant to new camera technology and Nikon would not be a competitor. At some point we are all going to get what we ask so these new features are going to be there but the danger Nikon and Canon face is not to be taken lightly. The EVF alone creates enough benefits to defeat the DSLR. I am no Sony fan boy and I own a ton of Canon, Nikon cameras and lenses but I am worried that in the very near future they will lose their value. My vote is to have Nikon and Canon swiftly shift to mirrorless as they will be things of the past after Sony has established their lens selections and better user interface. For now, the D820 should add a EVF and have two view finders as I can barely see in low light from the mirror or review my photos in bright sun light. With this advancement Nikon and Canon can gradually shift their design to mirrorless. Yes, I like the higher DR, ISO etc and that is something you automatically will get as they are already working on them , including the tilt screen.
I like your list of up dates for a D820. I use the D810 and D500. AFFT is an issue for even very expensive prof. long tele lenses. Needed AFFT even shifts with f-stop, (due to lens field curvature). Another issue that needs to be improved is that many Nikon lenses show a focus shift depending if the auto focus is approached from near to far, or far to near. For example, I recently tested two new Nikon 300mm f4E, both had this issue, (gear play?).
I would add to your wish list the ability to use EFCS for multiple images while keeping the mirror up until wanted back down, (like the old film cameras).
One issue I have with the D800 is the speed of the HDR bracketing. It needs a half a second interval between shots, this is too slow. It should be able to do 0.1 seconds or lower intervals.
I would love the D810 successor to have a body as similar to D500 as possible; no flash, a tilting screen, a good wifi solution for using a smartphone as a fully operational remote, weather sealed, D5/D500 autofocus system, 5-6 frames per second, same card solution as D500, same button placement as D500, the same sensor (or improved) as D810, no need for more pixels, improved menu-system and finally a more rugged body (like the F100 / F6 / D500). This way we could have the D810 successor as nature tool and D500 as a sports/action tool. And not be to confused switching between them. Of course lit buttons on the back
To save the day for Nikon, your list is spot on. I would only suggest a couple of additions: 100% mirrorless. It’s the future tech and form factor. With that, a robust battery (w/USB charging) is required. Lastly, take a page from Pentax and give us a retro knurled metal body with DIALS! to create a more elegant and rapid interface. Everyone who touches the latest Pentax offerings fall in love with the highly useable retro wonder.
Please, even with a higher ISO capabilities, keep the built-in flash! No matter it drains the battery, makes the camera body less solid, when there is no good light and you have an unexpected portrait to do, the pop up flash saves the day, or the night, better speaking.
What if you never do portraits or hardly ever use flash?
It’s just an amateurish nuisance.
So a built-in flash is a nuisance just because you never use it ?
No, but it is a silly bit of plastic which is forever in danger of being broken off. A feeble little pop up has no place on a professional grade camera – which is why the D4 and other pro cameras do not have a flip flash.
If you want amateur features you might be better off with an entry level camera?
It is true, the built in flash becomes handy many times, specially when you are shooting a backlight portrait.
I have a D700 with a built-in flash that never offered any kind of problem to me. Also I have two external Nikon flashes that are my preference of choice when I need them. However, it happened that sometimes on casual family trips I didn’t carry my external flashes, and in those situations my built-in flash was handy to do some nice backlight portraits that I appreciate very much. Even if I get a D4 I would like very much to have a buit-in flash.
“However, it happened that sometimes on casual family trips I didn’t carry my external flashes, and in those situations my built-in flash was handy to do some nice backlight portraits that I appreciate very much.”
That’s just fine for you and it illustrates my point perfectly – it’s an amateur feature for casual or supplementary use which is why you don’t see it on pro grade cameras. Pros have no use for it and find it a nuisance. The fact that some enthusiasts find it useful on occasion won’t change that so don’t hold your breath if waiting to see this feature included on a professional camera from Nikon, Fuji, Canon or Pentax.
Betty, the pros also have families, and sometimes they also don’t want to carry all their equipment.
We are going round in circles.
The fact that pros have families doesn’t mean that professional grade cameras should have consumer features incorporated in them.
Neither did I say you were not allowed to carry a camera with a pop-up flash for your family snaps.
I just said the pop-up flash isn’t a feature of pro grade cameras (and shouldn’t be) – for very good reasons.
buy D5 or D500, no flash…
We are still going round in circles…
I have a professional camera thank you.
And a Fuji for casual photography.
If you want a camera for family snaps, do the same.
It’s small, light, high quality and has a pop-up flash.
I thought that ‘professional’ is a photographer, not camera, you proved me wrong, thank you…lol
Well, as with your other circular reasoning, you are wrong.
A professional is someone belonging to a profession.
This generally implies a higher level of training, competence and ethical and practical standards than ‘the man in the street’.
A professional camera (or other equipment) is equipment made primarily for use by professionals or people aspiring to professional standards.
As a rule, professional equipment is made to higher standards of quality, precision and reliability than a consumer item in the expectation that it will fulfil the greater demands that a professional may put on it.
I hope I have increased your understanding.
ha ha ha…you’re so full of yourself…
Maybe, but it’s better than being full of crap…?
Really I don’t know wich are the good reasons that must prevent a profi or semi-profi camera of having an emergency “built in flash”, that could be also useful in other situations. You mention that they could be broken, but for sure not so easily. I never in my life saw a camera with the built in flash broken, so even if possible that’s not so common. If a go with my family on holidays or on a family short trip, I also want to have my better camera with me. I would like to have a second very small camera only when is strictly impossible to carry my main camera, or when I’m going to work and I’m not supposed to do photos. Greetings.
“Really I don’t know wich are the good reasons that must prevent a profi or semi-profi camera of having an emergency “built in flash”, that could be also useful in other situations.”
I have tried to explain it to you.
The world of professional cameras is not built around Jorge’s need to do family holiday snaps….?
Perhaps you should take it up with Nikon, Canon, Fuji and Olympus and explain to them how they have got it all wrong?
Ok…..but still you didn’t tell me wich are those reasons. Nikon, Canon, Fuji and Olympus never included a built in flash in their flagship cameras, but always there is a first time : )
Just today the built in flash of my D700 became very hand when my daughter asked me to make a backlight pic of her.
Jorge
>>Ok…..but still you didn’t tell me which are those reasons. Nikon, Canon, Fuji and Olympus never included a built in flash in their flagship cameras, but always there is a first time : )<>Just today the built in flash of my D700 became very handy when my daughter asked me to make a backlight pic of her.<<
How nice. I hope it came out well for you.
“Ok…..but still you didn’t tell me wich are those reasons. Nikon, Canon, Fuji and Olympus never included a built-in flash in their flagship cameras, but always there is a first time : )”
Professionals often need to light a subject a long way away, as well as diffuse, bounce or direct light from different directions (and still have enough power) – as well as provide a touch of fill light when necessary.
A professional flash has the power and flexibility do all this and more. A little pop-up flash doesn’t. The Laws of Physics prevail.
When Nikon et al have figured out a way to overcome them, no doubt your dream will come true – but don’t hold your breath….
“Just today the built in flash of my D700 became very hand when my daughter asked me to make a backlight pic of her.”
How nice. I hope it came out well for you.
It came good. Thank you very much.
It’s good to have light where before there was only darkness…?
Nasim
I can think of nothing to add to your wish list.
A practical, realisable recipe for a near perfect camera simply by implementing or improving technology which already exists in one form or another without breaking the bank.
How about touch screen focus? :)
I mean the LiveView focusing: focus on the spot you touch.
Let us hope Nikon listens.
Unfortunately, you may wish for the world. Nikon will ultimately structure the camera on current technology. I’m not sure how much input the general masses dictate to the camera maker. The unforeseen camera will no doubt feature upgrades but, not to the point of making a camera overshadow flagship D5 product. These are the economics of Nikon’s thinking. We shall all see soon enough.
I wish the software gradual ND filter.