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Nikon have today announced a new APSc sensor compact with a fixed 28mm equiv. f2.8 lens.
It's very compact and the sensor if it's the same as the proven 16mp unit they have used in DSLRs, will be capable of producing very good results. But the price... £1000 and the optional viewfinder at $450 [probably £400] couldn't make your eyes water more if it fell into them.
It looks like a nice camera, but I'm not sure why they've introduced it with a fairly wide optic - not very fast one at that. Any thoughts? Will the price rapidly fall to a point where it might be a bit more tempting to the target audience [compact second camera for DSLR shooters].
It is very small, but I can't help thinking they're literally asking too much for too little...
The price will fall a bit over time, but I wouldn’t expect bargain-price fire sales the like of which have hit many mirrorless cameras. It’s probably a fairly costly camera to make, and it’s got the weight of Nikon’s brand behind it to keep people interested. It’s also attractive in an uncontroversial way, unlike some flops (the Pentax K-01), and it probably works pretty well, unlike some other flops that got the basics wrong (some Sigma DP-series cameras).
The lens is interesting. I think Nikon did an 18.5 mm f/2.8 for a few reasons:
• the focal length is very useful for snapshots in urban environments, which is the natural habitat of this camera
• this type of lens can be made much smaller than zooms or faster primes without serious compromises in image quality
• it’s a classic focal length: the wide choice for many photographers in the good old days. People are used to it, and the Japanese are particularly fond of it, much like Europeans and Americans are especially fond of the 35 mm. Needless to say, Japan will be a big market for any flagship compact by a Japanese brand
• it’s about as wide as you can go in a fixed-lens camera made for snapshots. Anything wider risks being seen as specialist (okay in a zoom, but not a fixed prime)
• with a large, high-quality sensor, you can crop to get a narrower angle of view if you really want a 35 mm or even 50 mm equivalent
There will be widespread outrage at the fixed 28 mm prime (and price, perhaps?), but largely from people who had no intention of buying this kind of camera anyway. That is the way of the web.
I kind of like the silver model, though I can’t afford it (and I already have a lovely Ricoh GR Digital IV that serves a similar purpose).
With the price falling in the cost of full frame sensors, surely this is where manufactures should be looking.
Personally I can`t see it being a big seller, not with a fixed 28mm eqi lens.
Should have gone with a 35 to 40mm equ lens.
Quote: Personally I can`t see it being a big seller, not with a fixed 28mm eqi lens.
But let me guess, Paul: you’ve no intention of buying a ~£1k camera with a fixed prime lens in the first place, am I right?
By my reckoning, 28 mm-e is ideal in a fixed prime camera. It’s not for nothing that many others past and present have also opted for 28 mm-e lenses in their premium compacts, including Ricoh and Sigma, and even Nikon with its 28Ti film compact.
You’re right it won’t be a big seller, but it’s a start for Nikon to reclaim lost mind share among aficionados of fine cameras. This group, properly tapped, is a real money-spinner.
Quote: But let me guess, Paul: you’ve no intention of buying a ~£1k camera with a fixed prime lens in the first place, am I right?
No I love them, and I still used a fixed lens rangefinder (for film) I`ve always wanted an x100.
They got it right with the x100, a 35mm eq lens, with the option to go wider if you want to.
Quote: If I had a spare £1k I'd be getting a ex-1 , Nex 7, e-pl5 or NX300 etc with a small prime lens
I know where you could get a GF2 with the 14mm (28mm eq) pancake, for less than £200 
Hmm looks like there`s only one left, at a bit other 200.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B0057LZHA0/sr=/qid=/ref=olp_tab_used?ie...
Those e-x1 bodies are down in price to about £700 now.
Get a cheap adapter and fit almost any lens you like.
With the kit lens its still less than 1K
http://www.wexphotographic.com/buy-fuji-x-e1-silver-digital-camera-with-18-55mm-...
This new Nikon is a much smaller camera than the Fujifilm X100. I like the X100, mind you. A friend has one and I’ve shot with it indoors and on walks around Paris. It’s a lovely camera to use, with a remarkable viewfinder. However, it’s compact only in name.
The Coolpix A (maybe it’s time to retire that awkward ‘Coolpix’ name?) is a very small camera: a good deal smaller than even the Samsung EX1 dandeakin mentions above, despite having a sensor about eight times bigger. This extreme compactness is only possible with a fixed, moderate-speed prime lens.
Quote: Those e-x1 bodies are down in price to about £700 now.
Get a cheap adapter and fit almost any lens you like.
With the kit lens its still less than 1K
http://www.wexphotographic.com/buy-fuji-x-e1-silver-digital-camera-with-18-55mm-lens/p1532704
Can't justify it on top of a D700 and a load of FX glass.
Mind you, now I'm thinking...
Not sure I'd buy the Nikon A even if it was £300.
Better off getting the x10 or saving a little more and getting the new x20
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