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A rumour but then I have been right twice before

The question that I keep coming back to is this: If this new N-mount digital body is not going to incorporate a full-size chip and is going to have a sub-$2000 list price, then why discontinue the ND? The N1 was not discontinued when the NX was introduced. Nikon did not deep-six the D1x when the D100 came out. Phasing out the ND makes more sense, however, if the new model is going to have a full-size sensor. At $2K, the ND would simply not be able to compete.
 
"...I think the notion of an under $2,000. N Digital led to the speculation that it would most likely not be a full sized chip...."

We do not have any valid information, so all I can say is my personal opinion as a speculation what would make sense from my point of view and what not.

A price below 2000 USD for a fullsize chip seems today very low, but IMHO the N-camera will be available earliest next year in spring/summer. So looking at this time frame, it looks not that cheap anymore. I am sure that Canon comes inbetween with a new fullsize chip model and Kodak presented already the 14K chip for a lot less than the Canon 1ds (in Europe, the Kodak costs around 6900 Euro, the 1Ds 9900 Euro).

So we can see here already the first step into a new price war which will peak next year, if more players push into the market. Canon will try everything to keep the crown, but this will only be posssible with a very aggressive price tag, similar with the Canon 10d strategy.

Contax had no luck in marketing their first ND, so in my view it would make sense to offer next year a fullsize chip with a very aggressive price to get attention and trust back again. If they would only offer an expensive "me-too" product, they will have a hard time to sell their stuff and it would risk the survival of the complete N-system.

But a fullsize chip can be designed in different ways. It does not have to have 10MP on it. It can be also another 6MP to be able to offer it that cheap. But to be honest, if there will be a Canon fullsize 11MP camera for let's say 5000 USD and a Kodak 14MP for i.e. 4500 next year, I do not see th point to make a fullsize 6MP chip more expensive than 2000 USD. Even with the Contax name on it.

As I mentioned earlier, I do not think that it would be smart to offer anything else than fullsize for the N-mount. This is the reason why this system exists. Everything else (smaller) they can offer with the older manual focus c/y mount. It would not make sense to do it differently IMO.

Regarding the 35/1.4 with N-mount. I agree that there are many people who would love to have that one, but the question is whether the same people have in the current economical situation the fincial strenght to put the money tomorrow morning in cash on the dealers table. If there are not enough sales with this lens, which will be always more expensive than a Canon equivalent, it would not help anybody.

So the question is which lens can be sold at a reasonable price in large quantities to give Kyocera the possibility to take a deep breath for the more expensive stuff in R&D. And I think this will be in the FFL-line similar to the manual focus line lenses like 25/2.8, 28/2.8, 35/2.8, 85/2.8, 135/2.8.

We have to be aware that the sales numbers of the N-systenm are currently not very motivating to develop very expensive new lenses. The 400/4.0 was in my view a big mistake - at least in the current stage. There are not that many people who can use it. If we ignore for a moment the price tag and the fact that we have almost the same range already with a lens for the Contax 645.

"...Why would a 35/1.4 N be too large? And why would it cost $3,000.? Wouldn't it be more like $1,000. to 1,300.? For ex&le, the Canon 35/1.4L version fits nicely on the 10D...."

Look at all N-lenses currently available. All lenses are very large - even the 50/1.4. So it is unlikely that a 35/1.4 would be any smaller. If you compare it with the old manual focus system, the size-difference of all N-lenses is tremendous. There are different reasons for this, which will be discussed in detail in one of the upcoming interviews with Zeiss in this forum.

The prices would be not that cheap (up to now, I do not think anyway that they will offer this lens), because it is a Zeiss lens. You always had to pay a premium for it. The manual focus version costs in Europe 1800 Euro. It is very unlikely that a N-version would cost less. But US prices are always significant cheaper. So a N35/1.4 might cost in the US around 1800 USD - if it will be offered at all.

Again this is all speculation and not based on any kind of insider information. Just my 2 cents...

Dirk

P.S.: The N24-85 is good in handling with the NX, although I prefer the combination with the N1. But with the NX it looks "strange because of the size of the zoom
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For what it is worth I share Dirk’s view that Contax are unlikely to offer a new camera with a smaller chip.

Contax broke new ground when they introduced the N-Digital and the price of $7,000 probably reflected what the market would pay rather than what the camera actually cost to develop and produce. Where they went wrong in my humble opinion is that they increased the size of the chip without increasing the number of pixels on that chip. What you ended up with was a camera that had ostensibly 6 Megapixel image capture but at a pixels per square inch density of a 4 Megapixel camera. When you start comparing models with differing size CCD’s the PPI figure is just as if not more important than the actual pixel count in my opinion. This may explain why some ND owners have let us say – ‘issues’ with image quality.

Today $2,000 will buy you a brand new Canon, Nikon, Fuji or Kodak with at least 6 Megapixel capture, albeit on a smaller chip. Olympus is once again treading its own path with the 4/3 system and is unlikely to influence the market.

I believe that Contax may offer a camera with full size CCD and a pixel count of around 9 to 10 Megapixels thus placing it right up there with the opposition and attracting film users who have already invested in the N mount lenses.

While we are in the prediction mood I reckon that very soon digital SLRs will lose the TTL viewfinder. When you consider that a zooming high eyepoint viewfinder would suffice over 90% of the time and that you have the LCD screen to fall back on when it does not, then why have a complicated and costly mirror and pentaprism apparatus?

Clive
 
Clive,
I always wondered why a mirror pentaprism apparatus was necessary in a digital camera. I do not agree that the TTL viewfinder will go. I think a TTL LCD may replace the mirror pentaprism apparatus.

Howard
 
To Clive & others,

I have a really hard time accepting that Contax will produce a digital SLR camera that is actually CHEAPER than comparable models from Canon or Nikon based on number of pixels. Yet I hope I am utterly wrong.

Now if they took away the TTL pentaprism focusing would we not be taking about a digital Contax G? I would welcome such a camera even if it was not "full frame" and had new dedicated lenses. And a "DG" would not need rangefinder focusing so you could use telephoto and macro lenses. I like to think of taking the basic Canon G series cameras, giving it an interchangeable mount, an 8-10MP chip (not from Philips), and the Contax touch. Think of all the fast zoom and fixed lens possibilities....

Jim Hully
 
Jim,

ths is actually not cheaper as I stated it before. 2000 USD for a full-size 6MP chip in one year is hardly cheap, if all others ask for a 11MP or 14MP camera between 4000-6000 USD.

I would bet that a Canon 10D (not full-size 6MP)in one year will cost not more than 999 USD. Actually I thibk that Canon will offer instead of a reduced 10D a improved model with an even better MP/camera price relation than the 10D.

So just IMAGINE what MIGHT be offered from the ncompitition in 12 months, and everything will look differently.

P.S: A filter size of 82mm is not really small
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But I agree the overall lenght is very small for the N24-85 zoom.
 
> ths is actually not cheaper as I stated it before. 2000 USD for a > full-size 6MP chip in one year is hardly cheap, if all others ask for > a 11MP or 14MP camera between 4000-6000 USD.

One thing to keep in mind, is that for most people, an 8x10 is as large as they will ever go, if even 11x14. So, in reality, unless you need to crop...a 2k x 3k sensor (6M), assuming 240PPI will give you a image size of 8.3 x 12.5, which will fit very comfortably on 11 x 14 paper...

Austin
 
> I > think it a TTL LCD may replace the mirror pentaprism apparatus.

For some applications, certainly...but a little LCD the size of your mirror/focusing screen will never give you the resolution/clarity you can achieve optically. But, that may not be as necessary for an autofocus camera.

Regards,

Austin
 
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