Tell Nikon What Features You Need

K

Ken1212

Well-known member
If Nikon is willing to listen, which so far they have been very slow at doing, what features would you like to see in future cameras. Particularly the higher end APS_C such as the D7200 and the Full Frame Cameras. I will start with the following:

1. Aperture control in live view.
2. Articulated Screen.
3. Zebra, Focus Peaking
4. Touch Screen
5. Enhanced servo continuous auto focus
6. 4K Video
7. 120/FPS in 1080p.

I feel the first 5 are critical features, in fact the GH4 already has most of them and more.
 
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There are about ten thousand posts here regarding "what we want from Nikon", and the more real-world "why doesn't Nikon listen"? I think the list above has appeared in various threads with various features for years now. Canon's about the same, the only DSLR manufacturer that seems to be paying attention is Samsung with their early firmware updates that addressed filmmaker concerns added an SDK (that's a milestone) and made lots of us say "Wow, they're in this for the win".

In fact, you just listed many of the reasons the NX1 is so popular now.

Unless you have an upcoming meeting or contact with a Nikon regional sales rep, R&D manager, or imaging executive (for example, on EOSHD there are often opportunities to add to lists for people meeting with or interviewing various manufacturers), it might be better to name these threads "here's another what I wish Nikon would do thread".

If you are actually submitting this stuff to Nikon (tech support doesn't count!!), yeah, I'll toss in a few. But we're going on, what, 5 years or more of DSLR video and in many ways we haven't evolved very much since the T2i. Certainly not 5 years' worth (minus the NX1 and the GH4, subjectively speaking).

Not trying to be an ass, but the thread title suggested I could actually tell Nikon the same endless listing of desired features repeated endlessly here and all over the web! (Let us know if this is the case and who you're doing lunch with!) They've heard it all though, over and over, and I assume DSLR video is a very small slice of their market segment, or they all have massive head injuries (my money's on the market value) - just look at the D7200 "update".
 
The D750 has the first two.

EDIT: mistakenly said the D5500 had aperture control in LV.
 
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Who knows why they are so clueless? How about a cinema full-frame mirrorless with features comparable to an NX-1 and that Nikon color mojo? They could own this market, so either it's not big enough for them to mess with, or they simply don't get it, probably both.
 
D3-ish 12mp +Nef recorder.

Centre crop 1080 200 nefs per second
DX 60 nefs per second 4k
FX 30 nefs per second 5k

Recorder also accepts TC and XLR

Pelicle mirror for AFc in video mode.

I think Jannard and I have had the same vision for the last 8 years :)

Job done.

S
 
@Curtis Mack oh now curtis, you dont believe a large company like nikon with years of being in business doesnt know whats going on in the world? whats going on with the competition? dosnt have a RD team who scope the net and see comments and want to innovate off peoples ideas?

they dont throw in all the bells and whistles because theyre cheap fks. how much does it cost to add a pc sync port to a camera or flash? you payed $2300 (D750) and $350 (SB700) yet its not enough. you get a pc port on $100 full featured yongnuo/shanny flashes.
do you think that they forgot to add aperture control to the D600/10 (or the other cameras) by accident? no its purposely done. they make a DF camera that has great low light abilty but an AF system that cant work in low light. and they took out video as well
. I think its quite pathetic that ther flagshp $6500 camera has worse video than their cheapest camera. (D3300)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxHK5OSUXr0 starts @ 1:50


they will continue to fall and their stock will still stay at this stage because
1-theyve betrayed their loyal customers (D600 oil issue D750 light leak SB900 overheating D800 af points 24-70 stiff zom ring)
2-theyre prices are through the roof and 3rd party companies offer MORE for less. art lenses, tamron, flashes, grips, batteries
3-they dont innovate or deliver what people want. unless you call a dog camera and selfie stick innovation

quarter after quarter theyre in a downward spiral.

you get what you give nikon.
 
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I've watched these same threads go on and on for years now - used to be about Canon, then Nikon got included.

Yep, those big manufacturers are clueless, they're screwing their video customers, etc. etc… all this is based on the assumption that DSLR video is such a big part of their market that they're idiots to ignore us.

I kind of doubt that's the case… I doubt that people wanting video features like the ones that end up on these lists are a big enough drop in the bucket to assign R&D to it, to revamp software architecture and manufacturing for it, to take up space in available firmware memory, etc. I also assume that launching a new body is something like launching an Apollo spacecraft to the moon, where every ounce of weight had to payoff big time. Some engineer wants to spend time and money "fixing" the live view issue, and wants software coders to redo existing code to make it fit and hardware to figure out which interface buttons work it, etc… someone crosses that off the "worth-it" list.

Video in DSLRs began as an afterthought ("we're sending a stream to the screen, why not send it to the card as well?") and I assume it's an afterthought to much of the market, whether it's the soccer-mon/hobbyist for the little bodies or the pro still shooters for the big ones - apparently video is "good enough" for much of the market, it's a surprising freebie that was thrown in with their still camera. Why do I assume that? Because they don't add these features, year after year, release after release.

If there's a flaw in my logic, it's that some cameras got clean HDMI, some got aperture control in live view, some got video improvements as sensors improved and some didn't. Not a lot of rhyme or reason to it.

Does Nikon have a staff of people that search these forums to find out what video shooters want (per Rocketman's comment)? I somehow kind of doubt that.

Nikon could easily create a dedicated video camera (as Canon has) with a really gorgeous look. Obviously they don't want to roll those dice - someone looked at all their marketing data, crunched the numbers, and said "we could lose ten million bucks if it goes south".

Like I said a few posts above, these threads are getting silly. Want a DSLR where the manufacturer seems to be interested in pro video needs? Get a GH4. Hate the tiny sensor and color science? Try an NX1 - if they continue with their firmware and SDK attitude, might be a new era for DSLRs - or they might leave the market in a few years. Sick of wishing for bells and whistles? Rent an Alexa, or buy a BMC model and at least your wish list will shrink.

That, or actually find a way to open a line of communication with Nikon or Canon. Contact their PR department, find out the names of their regional sales people, etc. But I think you'll find the answer is that as a huge corporation, they're not interested in 100% service to a niche market of users. Since they treat us like a niche, I have to assume we are.
 
Michael Carter said:
Since they treat us like a niche, I have to assume we are.
Click to expand...

The volume sellers/profit drivers are clearly consumer APS-c DSLR's and lenses - that's what fueled the DSLR boom. The niche markets are holes in the product lineup, but can they be filled profitably? For Nikon it doesn't seem to be the case when it comes to more video focused cameras.

Canon introduced the Cinema line and it seems to be doing well with broadcasting, reality TV and rental houses. But until the MKII's came out they were still 2x the price of a 5d3 - or more, they don't care about the lower end of the market. Now they have the 50mp bodies with no focus on video - another niche. I've always said I believe the next 5d will be split in two - one more stills focused for the wedding shooter types and one more video focused because that $3k price point makes it viable. I doubt we'll see much below that if the XC-10 is any indication.

Sony put out a half-assed effort with the Nex-VG camcorders. Something with the A7s sensor and A6000 AF would be something special. They no longer seem to be interested in the lower end either. I'm guessing the sales projections just don't support it. The D750 and the NX1 mop the floor with all the VG cameras anyway, no loss for me.
 
It has always been my feeling that Nikon use Sony chips and are contractually excluded from creating a kick ass videoDSLR.. or Nef shooting Alexa/F55 killer.
 
morgan_moore said:
It has always been my feeling that Nikon use Sony chips and are contractually excluded from creating a kick ass videoDSLR.. or Nef shooting Alexa/F55 killer.
Click to expand...
I have no more paper evidence than you, Sam ... but basic logic and a comparison to other markets - let's say, 4K TV or smartphones - would suggest that a fully competitive photo/video industry by this point in time would have several dozen of 4K capable DSLR/DSLM cameras, each with a different set of features and price points. Instead, we have several from Panasonic, dipping to as low as U$800 with the lens included, and Samsung. In actuality, there's nothing on the market in the same form from any of the other major manufacturers, as if Panasonic held some sort of an exclusivity on 4K codec or a suitable video processor. And so, we must conclude that these boys play by their own rules.

PS. There was a bit recently on some photo rumor site where a Sony rep was asked about making more affordable standard zooms and he said, "Well, ya, people keep asking for them". In that case, I would not be surprised that, while Canon and Nikon stay away from producing the most modern bodies, Sony has to sacrifice too and stay away from manufacturing their own set of zooms. If you look at their latest releases such as the Batis line, they are all primes.
 
Dunno why I get so irked when there's yet another DSLR wish list post, especially with some assumption that it will make a difference.

I think the best answers are:

"Look what Samsung did right out of the gate (and in the weeks that followed)", and

"Niche markets are often best served by niche vendors" - for all their flaws, false starts and omissions, BMC has really kicked some serious ass - and they do maintain some dialogue with their market.
 
All manufacturers get feedback from their customers but, as said above, the video market is a niche and the professional DSLR video market is even a smaller niche, while still photography is a pretty big business and the smartphone industry a humongous business. As in any niche market, products earn premium markups over those areas where each competitor is more or less homogenized with additional economies of scale.

BTW, in the high end home audio biz, the markups are absurdly high but the number of units sold is absurdly low.
 
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