The Nikon D7100 will be out soon if Nikon want to hold onto their Market share
Nikon have a well-deserved reputation for offering high quality cameras across the spectrum, from cheap and cheerful consumer to professional. They, like other manufacturers, are suffering from the increasing speed at which technology revolutionizes the industry. The flurry of camera launches and technological leaps have left manufacturers chasing consumers whose expectations are constantly being raised. Nikon have had their share of successes – from the playful and innovative J1, J2 and V1 cameras, to the D800 and D4 which have pushed the boundaries of what could be achieved.
As with most industries, it is the mid-market which offers the greatest profits and is the most competitive. The Nikon D7000 D-SLR is only a couple of years old, yet such is the pace of innovation, this high quality camera is starting to look jaded. The D7000 functionality is impressive, but there are now cheaper cameras who are ready to steal its thunder.
A 16 megapixel file from a Nikon sensor, especially if shot through a Nikon lens would expect to be more than satisfactory to all but the perfectionist, but now, its cheaper sibling the D3200 offers a 24MP file and the D800 can produce a huge 36MP file. Most of us wouldn\’t notice the difference in quality, but 16MP just doesn\’t meet customer expectations. And whilst few cameras match the D7000\’s 1/8000 shutter speed how may photographers will ever want it?
Camera manufacturers also know that buyers are excited by burst speed and the D7000 is pretty good at 6FPS, but the J1 and V1 have blown all others out of the water with speeds of up to 60 FPS. Of course quality suffers, but the headline captures the imagination and sells the camera.
Again ISO is flexible enough – 100 to 6400 as standard settings – but with the Nikon D4 able to shoot in almost complete darkness, more is expected.
The Video in the D7000 is full high definition and great quality. Video, of course, is a big selling point these day, with social networking sites making uploading so quick and easy. However, many cheap cameras – even compacts – offer HD and if you are going to edit your film with a song or soundtrack, that the D7000\’s external stereo Mic feed may seem superfluous.
The tragedy of the D7000 is that it is an excellent camera which can be used for most types of photography. However it is threatened by cheaper cameras that offer flashier headline statistics, file size, burst speed or ISO. Nikon can not afford to loose ground in the consumer rich mid-market and so they are going to upgrade to D7100 earlier rather than later.
Learn more about the Nikon D7100. Check out Jeremy Bayston\’s site where you can find out all about Nikon\’s plans with the D7100 digital camera and when it will launch.
