How many upgrades do we really need??

[akshun]

OK, so ive been seeing alot of posts regarding which lens to by? and which body is best?? should i wait?? and so on....

I own a D300 and D700 with a wide variety of lenses(everything from 14mm-300mm FL) along with a good tripod and

remote.

I shoot a little bit of everything, animals,people and landscapes.

 

My question is what do most people on here prefer or want to see in their DSLR??? what is your favourite or most

useful feature? what will be the new standard?? etc..... i have been extremely happy with my images, i get a huge

smile on my face when i put the files on computer and get to see all the fine details, sharpness,colour reproduction

etc.. and wonder "how much better can it get?"

 

I would start by saying, how about hand warmers, super lightweight bodies and lenses for portability,Enel4a batteries for

all models, rather than higher speed, resolution and iso capability(6400) seems outrageously high already, i mean, i

wanna see my subject if im gonna shoot it anyway.

Im not looking for right or wrong answers here, just a general vibe amongst us all.

[photo5]

<p>I feel like there is nothing that I need that my D300 can't do already. The D300 has brilliant image quality, works well, is fast, handles well, and has amazing battery life. The only thing I'd like is a smaller camera with the same features and performance. The D300 is a big camera, and often times I'll leave it at home in favor of my small and compact Nikon P6000. The F100 has the perfect feel to me, I'd like a D300 type camera, FX format, in an F100 sized package. Technology is bound to improve over time, allowing Nikon to fit the same components from a D700, with improved image quality, into a body the size of the F100. That's what I am waiting for. D700 is too chunky, and too much of a compromise in terms of normal ISO image quality and a very poor viewfinder coverage at only 90%, and off-center at that. Nikon really screwed the pooch with the D700 viewfinder, it was a huge disappointment.</p>

[Peter_in_PA]

<p>I feel totally satisfied with my D90, but who knows what will be on the next round? I mainly wanted CLS flash control, better high-ISO performance, faster frame rate, and the occasional video (I got video of my son's very first ride on a bike. Beat that!).</p>

<p>But I don't need even more high-ISO, I don't need 1080i or p, I don't need more megapickels, I don't need.</p>

<p>But then it pales in comparison to one of the music programs I used to use. They upgrade every year... period. Regardless of whether it needs it, and you need to pony up every year to stay current. I don't use it enough to need it, so I don't bother.</p>

[kfoster70]

<p>I love my D300. If I had to change anything Id give it a round larger viewfinder with 100% coverage.</p>

[Two23]

<p>I would like a camera to be able to handle a LOT more contrast than what current ones do.</p>

<p>Kent in SD</p>

[mihai_ciuca]

<p>I agree with Dave. I love to do street photography. My D700 is bulky... I'd say that F100 is maximum size for a smaller FX body I will purchase at any time in F mount. Could have a inferior AF module, could have burst rate 1 image per 1 second... but to be small, at least same sensor with D700... and to give me compatibility from AI to G lenses.</p>

 

<p>I also want FREE CaptureNX3, improved for windows users and developed as well for Linux users. Nikon will not make money selling software but can boost camera selling if offers a free copy of Capture NX with each new camera aquired.</p>

 

<p>Then I still want my 35mm f1.4 AF-S prime...</p>

 

<p>Are my expectations too unrealistic? :-)</p>

[dan_wolfgang]

<p>As Dave said, the D300 is a great camera; that's what I use as my primary DSLR. An observation based on my experience with several SLRs and DSLRs: autofocus performance is really important to me. I don't shoot much that taxes the AF on most cameras. I'm sure I could get 90+% of the photos I do with any AF or MF camera. But having a strong and fast AF system (such as the F100 and D300) sure makes using the camera into a better experience. Focus just about always locks fast, the first time. So, as awesome as the D300/D3 AF is, if it gets better, that's awesome!<br>

Their are a few things that would make the D300 better for me</p>

<ul>

<li>The D300 can be a Commander for CLS. That's great. But it'd be awesome if a SU-800-style non-flash commander were also built in. (Yes, I know how unlikely this is to happen, but it'd be nice.)</li>

<li>Swivel LCD. This was by far the best thing about P-n-S cameras, several years back. I loved it. I'm happy to see the feature being added to a few DSLRs now.</li>

<li>A higher ISO and lower noise would be great. When camping with Boy Scouts, I enjoy taking night-time photos. At ISO 6400, f1.4 is sometimes a problem because of shallow DOF. ISO 25600 would be great.</li>

</ul>

<p>There are probably a few other features that I've thought of occasionally that would be nice. All-in-all, however, Nikon will have to make some big improvement to the next generation of cameras to make me upgrade from the D300.</p>

[hans_janssen]

<p>A one hand(right) iso setting, that would be an improvement.</p>

[waltflanagan]

<p>Read Thom Hogan's Open Kamera article. He wants to redefine the camera as a modular programmable system.<br>

http://www.bythom.com/design2010.htm</p>

[senthil1]

<p>As they say, necessity is the mother of invention. However, many times it can the other way around too - we don't realize the usefulness of a feature/camera until its there for us to use.</p>

<p>Having said that, I really want to see better AF system with focus points spread thruout the frame as its on D300 but on FX body, of course with at least D3s high ISO performance, preferably better :-)</p>

[ptkeam]

<p>Geez, I'm totally happy STILL with my (gulp) two D70 bodies. I'd kind of like to have more megapixels, but even that wouldn't be an absolute must. I've gotten gorgeous results 16x20 and below with my 6mp D70. And let's be honest, how many people habitually print larger than that on a regular basis. <br>

Lower noise @ high ISO's would be nice, but then Noise Ninja does a pretty fantastic job for me. <br>

When it gets right down to it nothing has come along that makes me feel I ABSOLUTELY have to plunk down a thousand bucks OR MORE for a new body. (Nothing else out there by the way syncs @ 1/500 sec. with flash) <br>

I have assembled a collection of good lenses and I use good technique while shooting -- exposure, focus, camera handling, lens choice, good in-camera composition to minimize cropping.<br>

I'm a happy camper (with a thicker wallet)</p>

[kevin_delson]

<blockquote>

<p>I would like a camera to be able to handle a LOT more contrast than what current ones do.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>No problemo compadre'..all ya gotta do is spend a little more. ;)<br>

<a href="http://www.photokina-show.com/0351/leaf/digitalcameraback/leafaptus75s/">Link</a></p>

[mark_drutz]

<p>As I get older, weight becomes more important. My D90 does everything I need it to do, I just wish it were lighter. The same for some lenses. I like superzooms. I prefer my D90 with my Tamron 18-270 VC, but I often use my D60 with my Tamron 18-200 (not stabilized) because the combination weighs 11 oz less. It doesn't sound like much, but after two or three hours around my neck, I appreciate every ounce saved.</p>

<p>Other than weight, I'd always like higher ISO's with less noise. I'd also like built-in stabilization mainly because non-stabilized lenses are smaller, lighter, and less expensive than similar stabilized ones.</p>

[rossb]

<p>I would like to have some time to go shoot. I am good with most any camera that works properly.</p>

[Matthew Brennan]

<p>I love my D700 and have printed off several larger prints lately including a couple of 24 x 16 prints and I'm stunned by my own talent... <strong>:-)</strong> I'm getting what I want from my D700 and a wide array of lenses right now.</p>

<p>I can't see myself upgrading my D700 until it dies and by then I want to see a lot more of the high ISO noise reduction that this camera's sensor is renowned for.</p>

<p>As for lenses, I'm also satisfied - no more NAS for me until in the very distant future I can upgrade my manual focus 500mm Ai-P for and autofocus model. (I'm determined to experience an AF long lens before I die...)</p>

<p>Making some larger sized prints recently has really driven it home to me that what I have is fantastic gear to both work with and to enjoy the results with. Holding the hard copy in your hands is <em>really <strong>"it</strong></em><strong>" </strong>as far as I'm concerned.</p>

[ArthurRichardson]

<p>I'd like an upgrade of me.</p>

[john_narsuitus]

<p>

<p>“…what do most people on here prefer or want to see in their DSLR???”<br>

Better manual focus features<br>

100% view finder coverage<br>

Interchangeable view finders like the Nikon F, F2, F3, F4, and F5<br>

Interchangeable view screens like the Nikon F, F2, F3, F4, and F5<br>

.</p>

</p>

<p> </p>

[emiliogtz]

<p>Thinking about it, I just want an optional focusing screen that would give me a bright, clear view through the finder. No focus points, no fancy icons, no LCD overlay, no distracting lines whatsoever. Just plenty of light.<br>

<br />I would pay a premium for that.</p>

[james_kennedy9]

<p>My suggestion for an added feature is one I had thought of previously and I will use this thread to state it. In my D300, I can shoot B&W and select a filter from the D300 menu. I rarely do this and instead follow the convention wisdom to do such processing on the computer.</p>

<p>But if we can have in-camera filter options, why not in-camera polarizing filters that could be selected and the amount of polarization controlled by one of the control wheels, while you evaluated the effects via live view? That way you would always have such an option no matter what lens you are using. And it would be useful for both color and B&W. When I have a lens hood on the lens, which is just about always, I find it very difficult to adjust a polarizer without getting fingerprints all over the filter. I don't know is such a filter is possible with current technology but I don't see why not.</p>

[richard_cochran]

<p>I'd like a viewfinder that's at least half as good as the one on my F3. Maybe a quarter as good would be a significant improvement.</p>

[bob_sunley]

<p>John Narsuitus replied:</p>

<p>" “…what do most people on here prefer or want to see in their DSLR???”<br /> Better manual focus features<br /> 100% view finder coverage<br /> Interchangeable view finders like the Nikon F, F2, F3, F4, and F5<br /> Interchangeable view screens like the Nikon F, F2, F3, F4, and F5"</p>

<p>I guess I'll just keep using my F bodies. :)</p>

<p> </p>

[Andrew Garrard]

<p>I've done this before, but here are a few quickies. Firstly, I'm a happy D700 owner (I'd far rather have a BIOS upgrade than pay for a D700x - I've even asked Nikon if there's any way I can contribute to writing BIOS code...); the weight helps stability and balance on big lenses, and I'm used to it now. Anyway, here goes:<br>

<br>

Most trivially, I second the request for right-handed ISO changing. The hand-hop shuffle when holding a 150-500 in your left hand is precarious. This could be done in the BIOS by letting one of the programmable buttons work as a replica ISO control (and let the ISO, WB and Qual buttone be reprogrammed).<br>

<br>

Another BIOS option: Let the auto-ISO vary the shutter speed with lens length. Like Canon, only with a "program shift" offset. It's a pain to fiddle with the auto-ISO when zooming.<br>

<br>

BIOS update 3: Pentax, I believe, effectively give you two-wheel control of any two out of aperture, shutter and ISO. This feels like the right way to do it to me (as an option).<br>

<br>

BIOS update 4: Let live view split the screen into four, each with a different location and zoom on the image. This means you can pixel-peep and control depth of field, and would make a huge difference to tilt/shift lens usage. (I jumped to Nikon when the D700 came out partly because of the lack of live view on the 5D).<br>

<br>

Actual hardware update: Since the camera has an RGB meter, why not have three rows of LEDs for the exposure in the viewfinder, rather than just brightness? Bonus: if you can control the intensity of the segments separately, have a (brightness rather than height) histogram mode.<br>

<br>

Big hardware request: mount the sensor and shutter on a tiltable plane (I'm thinking worm screws on micromotors) and give the camera rear movements. If it can autofocus-tilt, bonus. Sadly, I think it'll be a bit expensive and delicate (although I think some of the medium format guys should consider it), but I'd love to see it; it would actually make me buy a D700x, whereas a 24MP sensor wouldn't.<br>

<br>

There are probably some more obvious ones that I've forgotten.</p>

[james_kennedy9]

<p>Andrew, I think I may have some of your desired features on my Canon Powershot A650IS since I went the CHDK route. I can now use it for raw (CRW) or DNG, have a live histogram, bracket, HDR, focus shift for macro, read battery status to the nearest one percent, do time lapse, and I know the temperature at the CCD, and much more.</p>

[Andrew Garrard]

<p>Hi James. Yes, it's a curse to me that the Canon compacts (and, to a lesser extent, DSLRs) are programmable, and the Nikon DSLRs aren't. I'm an embedded graphics software engineer - I'd be perfectly happy to hack the bios on a D700 to do what I want (especially the split live view), if there was a project for doing such things. Unless there is, and I've missed it; I've not actually tried to crack the D700 BIOS myself, and I'm a little unwilling to brick a D700 trying to get it right starting from scratch. In the meantime, you have my envy - except that it's hard to hack a Powershot to behave quite like a D700. :-)<br>

<br>

I've passed on the request list to Nikon in the past, but I doubt they're interested in improving the software of existing models when they could get us to pay for an upgrade. I did suggest charging for the BIOS difference between a D700 and a, er, D701. I doubt Nikon have the resources or managerial will to do it, but sadly they're also probably unwilling to let the unwashed masses do it on their behalf.</p>

[dan_south]

Stuff that my D700 can't give me:

 

- Live View that I can use simultaneously with Mirror Lock Up and the self-timer

 

- An accurate viewfinder

 

- HD video at a high frame rate with continuous AF and no shutter roll

 

- 36 MP FX clean to ISO 3200

 

- An anti-aliasing filter that doesn't degrade sharpness