My own whimsy.

<p>So, with the release of a D800 and a D4 there has been a lot of talk of these cameras and their features. Whether high ISO performance will be OK, 36mp and lenses, etc etc. Without having these cameras available to try out, for most of us, it seem all a bit whimsical so I thought I would venture down my own whimsical road just to see what kind of responses I get.</p>

<p>I am not planning on purchasing another camera. I just did that. But, if I were too some features I would like are:</p>

<p>1) No pop-up flash. I want to be able to use PC-E lenses on a D80/90/7000 size and price range body. It would be amazing if it had a IR light for remote flash triggering though.<br>

2)The ability, when using P exposure mode, to specify a preferred aperture range. Just because my lens can be stopped down to f1 or 2 or whatever doesn't mean I always want to use it there. Or I don't even need to be able to specify a preferred range, just the ability to tell the camera to go for less shutter speed and more fstop.</p>

<p>I think that is all I have. Maybe a distance readout or recorded in the EXIF. Is that even possible??</p>

<p>Thanks for humouring me guys.</p>

<p>"The ability, when using P exposure mode, to specify a preferred aperture range."</p>

<p>Nikon has had this feature in the past....with the camera in P mode, you could change the exposure by f-stop/shutter speed *groups* - if you wanted to do so.</p>

<p>Without a soon-to-be-on-the-market camera to use....it's only a guess.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>With many cameras, you have a somewhat "highly advanced" P mode. Just use the preset modes for portrait, landscape, macro, and many others. All of them gives you <em>"the ability, when using P exposure mode, to specify a preferred aperture range". </em>With that "old", "flexible" P mode you did a very close or even the very same thing... to choose a wide aperture for portraits, a fast shutter speed for sports, a closed diaphragm for landscapes, etc. etc.<br>

And with a very little effort, you can jump to the aperture priority mode. It is maybe the step #2 for a begineer in photography; I think a potential D800 or D4 user should be not a first time photographer, so this features are not a must in this cameras.<br>

About the pop-up flash, please put me down on your list. I hate it.</p>

<p>I'm just curious why you dislike the pop-up flash? There have been many times with my D200 where I came across an unexpected situation and was quite glad to have the pop-up flash around.</p>

<p>Re: Variable Program mode. Have you tried rotating the shutter setting wheel in P mode? It does exactly what you want. As a bonus the setting goes away next time you turn the camera off, which is a good feature with P mode because it's only there for "ever ready" use. It shouldn't be your main go to mode.</p>

<p>I can see the point about the popup flash, but most users that are willing to pay the price of a PC-E lens are going to be making full use of it on a full-frame or pro level body. It's also doubtful that any IR commander worth having would take up less space than a little built-in flash. Maybe the provision of some sort of socket on top of the camera to take either a flash or IR commander would fit the bill - then perhaps we could call it a "Hotshoe"?</p>

<p>I know about program shift, and the scene modes (I guess I could try them). As for program shift, it starts at low f-number, high shutter speed, and you have to shift it from there. It doesn't hurt me to do this, and I can just leave the camera on and it stays where I left it, but I generally have to shift 4 or 5 steps whenever I go to use the camera. Its not really a big deal, but it would save those 4 or 5 steps.</p>

<p><q>And with a very little effort, you can jump to the aperture priority mode. It is maybe the step #2 for a begineer in photography;</q><br>

I wouldn't want to label anyone's ability as a photographer based on what exposure mode they use on the camera.... but that would be a different discussion.</p>

<p>As for pop-up flash, its not that I dislike it, just that I use it so infrequently that I wouldn't miss it. There are no other reasons, aside from PC-E lenses and marginal weight and size reductions. Of course the hotshoe would stay! This probably wouldn't appeal to very many people...</p>

<p>I never use the pop-up flash as a flash, but I've found it comes in handy as a commander for other flashes now and then, but only because I'm too cheap to pick up an SU-800 or PWs. I can remember shooting a feature film once, with the Canon 7D and 5D MkII, we were using old Olympus lenses, and we had follow focus rings on them, which fit just fine under the 5D's no flash prism, but wouldn't fit under the 7D's built in flash. The DP was very frustrated with this as was I, so I feel your pain. However, for most people the pop-up flash provides much needed light now and then.</p>

<p>The pop-up flash can be left in its position and it shouldn`t disturb. The lock in my camera is too sensitive to my taste, many times I have to close it because it pops. Not a big problem.<br /> The thing is that I`d prefer to have a 100% viewfinder instead (I don`t know if the flash is the culprit, the D800 has "near" 100% coverage and a pop-up flash), or an <em>IR-only</em> transmitter -without any flash light- (or any other triggering system).<br /> Most of the times I prefer to use remote heads. With Nikon heads I prefer to use the pop-up as the controller, with the SG-3IR thing. I`d not say it is an elegant solution. I wonder why there isn`t a dedicated accessory like a small filter mask to replace the plastic cover of the flash head. In this way, we could leave it attached, to close and open the pop-up flash with it.<br /> The pop-up flash is too close to the body, it projects a shadow with most of my lenses. Only small zooms or primes can be used. Even for the few times I have to use a head-on flash with my primes, I prefer to use a higher powered SB-800 unit.<br /> And why not, it is a flimsy looking, non-elegant solution on supposedly high end cameras. Personally, a 5D looks much nicer without it.<br /> I wonder why Nikon include this feature in cameras like the D700 and D800. If they did so, for sure the reason is that most people like it.<br>

---<br>

Daniel, it`s not my intention to mark the photographers with the mode they use... but I suspect the reality is what it is! :) (<em>No pun intended</em>).</p>

<blockquote>

<p>The thing is that I`d prefer to have a 100% viewfinder instead (I don`t know if the flash is the culprit, the D800 has "near" 100% coverage and a pop-up flash)</p>

</blockquote>

<p>From Nikon's Website:</p>

<blockquote>

 

<strong>Viewfinder Frame Coverage </strong>

</blockquote>

<blockquote>FX (36x24): 100% Horizontal and 100% Vertical Approx.</blockquote>

<blockquote><br /></blockquote>

<p>Where did you get the idea it wasn't 100%?</p>

<p>Skyler, thanks for the clarification. I have just checked it. I was confused with the (many!) different format options, where only (full) FX have (aproximately) that 100% coverage.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>I want to be able to use PC-E lenses on a D80/90/7000 size and price range body.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>How about a body with tilt/shift sensor - wouldn't that be cool? </p>

<p>No worries! I am curious why the other formats don't have 100% coverage, after all how could a 100% FX viewfinder not have 100% coverage on an image that is 50% its size (DX example)?</p>

<p>That is one thing I love about Nikon, so many different crop options.</p>

<p>Don't want pop up flash? Me neither! Just have to pay a little more. That's what they meant when they said less is more.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>"I wonder why there isn`t a dedicated accessory like a small filter mask to replace the plastic cover of the flash head."</p>

</blockquote>

<p>There is. It's called an unexposed and developed piece of colour reversal film!<br>

(Or a fully fogged and developed piece of colour negative film.)</p>