Are they trying to force Canon into prematurely releasing another one of their full frame cameras? This could get good. :P

in the schoolyard :)

Almost more fun to watch that fight than the news of the Flagship coming lol!!

Carl

This is very good news. With Nikon releasing the D700 it's gonna force Canon's hand somewhat, there was speculation that the 5DmkII would try and counter the high ISO dominance of the D3. It may indeed do just that, however Nikon has it's own 'reasonably' priced 'entry' FF camera (I don't mean entry like D40- just not 1Ds mkIII or D3 level). With the release of this camera, Canon's 5D mkII had better be good, the cannot afford to just coast along. That won't work anymore.

As for Sony, I don't think the D700 will hurt the A900s sales- as Carl says they are aimed at slightly different markets, and there is a very good chance that the A900 will create it own niche. The real danger is if both Nikon and Sony go after Canon- that would be interesting.

Interesting times are ahead for sure.

Andrew

If is true that Sony will launch other Alpha (a800?) FF, I hope this camera be a 14 or 16MPx..., this will be a very strong hit.

If Canon and Nikon are busy firing volleys at each other, they're not paying attention to what Sony is up to. Realistically, Canon should be far more worried about Nikon regaining the kind of market share it used to have than what Sony is doing at the moment.

Gone are the days of numerous models with one or two features to set things apart. I think the market is mature enough to demand quality and reliability of full featured DSLR cameras. Another thing is the listing of official resolving power. For example the Nikon D200 I have been working with lately is rated at 10.2megapixel but the NEF raw files are closer to 12 to 15mb in size.

We have entered the area of fully meeting and matching the film cameras resolving ability. That is to say the small format camera, not medium and large formats. Yet they too have digital functionality now by several producers of capturing devices.

Canon must have had dozens upon dozens of various models in film and that can not be sustained in digital. SONY has sort of realized that I think because it tried to come out with models that are really not that far apart. Having to many models is not any insurance of sales. Something for everyone is a shotgun approach to a market of savvy users of high tech toys and tools of the era. . . It appears a DSLR has one to two years on the top and then is pushed aside for bigger and better. Sort of a Moore's Law of the Camera world. But just how far can we push the resolution before it begins to collapse upon itself do to the size factor? Even at full frame which is about to become the new standard 4000dpi begins to reach to ceiling.

Have to do my film fanboy thing here.

We have not matched film for resolution, not yet. 24mp is near there..to the best emulsions. What people forget, is the other stuff. I dont feel bayer is the way forward myself, its too limited in its tonal reproductions. Dynamic range..also an issue, a 24mp FF with similar DR to what is currently on offer, is not good enough IMO. Companies need to set a higher benchmark for image quality, and that is not just resolution. Res is a false prophet in many ways, its just one part of image quality. I am looking for negative film like digital, until then..I will not be satisfied ;-)

Back to FF digital, whoever brings FF to the mass market will do the best. I suspect Canon are doing something big, they have surely been too quiet. The A900 isnt going to be the camera to do massive damage in the FF market, A mount isnt big enough yet to exploit it. It's a different story for Nikon, they have a larger user base, and the D3 and D700 will sell well. D700 is a bit high in price, but if it drops to sub £1500, or lower..it could be a huge threat. Nikon are getting tough now, expect Canon to respond very strongly.

This leaves sony with a need for a lower level, semi pro like FF body. Without the uber 24mp res, 12-16mp would seem about right. I am constantly amazed some just pluck the big numbers out to get a thrill. I am not interested in meeting or beating film res, I am interested in meeting and beating overall IQ of film, or getting very near. 16mp is plenty for me, if its got the colour, the DR and latitude to dish it out.

Sony need a FF that is priced well, decent spec..and has no obvious flaws. The next 3-4 years will show a steady increase in FF bodies, and lower prices. When FF hits sub £1000, you know things are really heating up.

However, sony are in a fairly decent position, they can still push APS (APS is fine..its sticking around..ala cost), they have a good range of stuff, with some price adjustments..they can do well. Out of all this, with the megapixels going up, and the FF coming in, I would not want to be Olympus, they are surely the big loser over the long term in all this. But I would like to see sony not just do mp, but more.