D7500 - Nikon gives and Nikon takes

[Øivind Tøien]

"Maybe in the future Nikon will add stop down metering of manual lenses to D5600 successor as well; there should not be any hardware reason not to. ..."
Nikon will only be convinced to allow this for E-type lenses.

To stop the lens down the body needs a preview button, missing on the D5x00 and below...

It is worth noting that the Nikon 1 series bodies (my reference is AW1)  will allow metering with non-cpu lenses with FT-1 (which does not have the aperture coupling tab) both in M and A mode, but then the lens is kept stopped down to the aperture set on the lens the whole time.

[Bjørn Rørslett]

That is the material point. As long as there is a stop-down lever under user control, Nikon goes all the way to prevent metering at working aperture.

[Akira]

Such "knower's" function like the stop-down metering would not be incorporated on the mid-range or entry-level models, sad to say.

One of the bigger problem with the stop-down metering on the (D)SLRs is the stray light entering from the ocular.  The potential users of (D)SLRs are not likely to aware of the necessity of controlling the stray light.  Also, when the lens is stopped down, the influence of the stray light will be bigger, because the amount of the light from the take-up lens is reduced.

All these problems will only contribute to the higher rate of wrong exposure, which should lead to the increased users' claims.

The mirrorless cameras like Nikon 1 has no such issues from the outset.

[David H. Hartman]

Is Nikon considering to limit its manual focus lenses, ai and non-ai, to maybe a few specialist cameras, the Df2, or rid off it permanently, it has been my fear for some time now?

I doubt Nikon would drop non-CPU support entirely at this time. They have to wait for people like me to die first. I would be shocked if the D5s and the D810 and D750 replacements do not continue to offer traditional non-CPU lens accommodation. Given the enthusiasm here for the Df I would consider dropping non-CPU support from the Df replacement to be ritual suicide.

Dave Hartman

[richardHaw]

they are just preventing the D7500 from eating into D500 sales 

[Fons Baerken]

I doubt Nikon would drop non-CPU support entirely at this time. They have to wait for people like me to die first. I would be shocked if the D5s and the D810 and D750 replacements do not continue to offer traditional non-CPU lens accommodation. Given the enthusiasm here for the Df I would consider dropping non-CPU support from the Df replacement to be ritual suicide.

Dave Hartman

Not uncommon within Japanese culture, ritual suicide.

[David H. Hartman]

I thought that, that was in the past.

[Ilkka Nissilä]

Well, Nikon still have D500, D610, Df, D750, D810/A, D5 with Ai coupling. That's quite many models and used market on top of that. I don't think Ai coupling is going anywhere on the higher end models. D610 successor, if there is one, might be on the table for a similar treatment but surely the user reaction matters.

[Akira]

Not uncommon within Japanese culture, ritual suicide.

There have been countless cases of wrong business decisions causing the failure of the companies or industries all around the world.  Nothing to do with the Harakiri tradition.

[richardHaw]

was with prof Goto the other day and the insights into the Df development is amazing. it was a product born out of pure passion because they know that many people still use non-Ai lenses

this made me conclude that the Ai coupling tab will not get thrown out of the design in higher-end cameras because they know that people still use them and that Nikon still manufactures Ai-S lenses 

I can see that they are trying to put the D7xxx line lower in the product totem pole.

[Akira]

I can see that they are trying to put the D7xxx line lower in the product totem pole.

Perhaps they changed their look on the D7x00 series from the highest-end DX model to the upgrade model offered for the D5x00 and D3x00 users.

[Fons Baerken]

Perhaps they changed their look on the D7x00 series from the highest-end DX model to the upgrade model offered for the D5x00 and D3x00 users.

Before we go completely off topic Akira, i thought of Yukio Mishima.

[Akira]

Before we go completely off topic Akira, i thought of Yukio Mishima.

I know, but that's nothing to do with the business decision.  Maybe we'd better refrain form going in this direction any further.   

[Akira]

To resume, my only interest with regard to the release of D7500 would be the capacity of the new EN-EL15a.   

[simsurace]

Back in 2011 I upgraded from D90 to D7000 mainly due to the presence of Ai-coupling on the D7000.
I did specifically not want or need a D300s.
The same is still true today. I don't need the features of a D500 for what I do.
Were I using a DX system for the stuff that I do (which is basically impossible because a full lens line-up does not exist for DX), I would opt for D7xxx instead of D500 the same way I opted for D600/D750 instead of D800/D5 etc.
If there is nothing in-between D5xxx and D500, they are pissing off many people for whom the D7xxx would be the ideal body.
You do not push people to a significantly higher price point and heavier body just because of a single feature (that you previously introduced).
That is a major error I think, and whatever data was used to back up this decision is highly questionable.
Nikon is very out of touch with its user base.

It's not only old-time photographers that are using manual lenses.
I did not have any Ai-s Nikkors when I started, unlike some people that have been using Nikon for several decades.
I bought them each for specific reasons and because they are an amazing value for the money.
The D7000 gave me a possibility to use them much more effectively.