D700s Release Date

D700s release data? I get that question every week.  Guys/gals, I have no inside information, but what I know is the following:

The Nikon D3 was announced August of 2007

The Nikon D700 was announced July of 2008

The Nikon D3s was announced October 2009

The Nikon D700s …

Nobody knows.   But when I saw people on forums and on blogs saying the D700s should release soon back in summer of 2009, I knew they were wrong simply because there was no way Nikon was going to miss out on D3s sales.  So I said in a blog post last summer that the D3s would release first simply based on corporate philosophy. Nikon looks at everything in dollars and cents regardless if timing for us makes sense (and in a way timing for them doesn’t always make good business sense, but they ignore common sense just as Canon, etc. does at times).

Fast forward to pre-PMA.  It was quickly approaching and the same level of anticipation began online hoping for the Nikon D700s.  Based on past camera releases it was very unlikely they would have announced the D700s at PMA given the D3s had only been well stocked for a few weeks across the country.  Still no D700s release dates and I’m not at all surprised.

Given “Photokina 2010″ is later this year, they ‘may’ wait for that event to announce the D700s.  ”May”.  Personally I think that would be a mistake given the pent up demand for the D700s.  The amount of google searches that happen daily for D700s – Nikon D700s – D700s Release Date etc is astounding.  People want that full frame with insane low light capabilities, video and an autofocus system that is so far above and beyond the Canon 5D mark II that you can’t really compare the two cameras equally.  From a stills only comparison, the D700s wins over the 5D mark II in dynamic range, autofocus and low light abilities (the sensor will be the same as the D3s when the D700s releases, hence the ability to compare).  However, for video… to be fair, the 5D mark II’s video quality and resolution are currently beyond that of the D3s and likely the D700s when released.

If you are wondering why I’m even focusing on the D700s, well… I want one      My D3 is awesome, but I’d love to have video in it.  I was going to get the D3s and sell the D3, but opted to just wait and add a D700s as a backup body instead.

Of course Nikon might just skip a generation and release some other camera with a new moniker ( D800 etc. ).   I have no inside info.  I’m only referencing the D700s because it makes logical sense to just follow the D3s as they did the D3 with the D700. Hopefully they don’t take the nearly 11 months they did with the D3 then D700 schedule.  If they do then Photokina 2010 is a logical place to do so.  Seems far to predictable for anyone to be surprised if they wait… so why wait? Capture pre-summer sales and get the thing announced in the next 60 days and shipping before summer begins.