If the photos are usually quite clean and do not look like “discreetly stolen”, it is difficult to say if this is an accidental leak, an organised leak or a sophisticated hoax.

Or, was it the shooting of a commercial film for the upocming Nikon D400, Nikon D5000 or Nikon D65 (or anything else)?

Beware: I only provide the more interesting picture. The others are provide more information about the actor than about the camera.

1. Leica announces the end of its R-Series manual focus SLR cameras. Probably to be replaced by something else at the same level.
2. Nikon has now discontinued the Nikon D40, after a very long and successful life. No replacement announced yet.

• 12.3 MP (possibly the same sensor that comes with the Nikon D300 and Alpha 700, in its simplified version)
• No built-in AF motor
• A new built-in flash
• A tilt-and-swivel type of LCD screen (possibly the feature that everybody will be showing this year)
• Video mode(s)
• LiveView

Along with it, people expect to see the Nikon D400 that we discussed several times here on YLovePhoto.

And a price list from Nikon Japan shows the existence (soon to be official) of a possibly great new lens: AI AF Zoom-Nikkor ED 80-200mm f/2.8D. Nice!

Who will be the first to bring this innovation? And I really think it is inevitable that it will come soon on our reflex cameras. Even if only because it reduces the number of needed buttons and it brings a certain flavor of technical progress that should appeal to most of the camera enthusiasts buying SLR cameras (just think about the unrelenting success of video modes which should -as a matter of fact- only be considered as anecdotal on a photo camera).

I think that it’s possible to list the best candidates for this:

• Low- to mid-range camera at Sony, like a Sony Alpha 400
• Entry-level camera at Nikon, like a Nikon D65
• Lowest price cameras at Samsung and Pentax, Pentax K3000, Samsung GX-3000 (and maybe even a mid-range option for these brands are striving to distinguish themselves technically from the market leaders)
• A complement to Panasonic DMC-G1 under the name of DMC-G2 or DMC-G3

This is all mere observation of technolody presence among the compact models (such point-and-shoot cameras like the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T77, the Nikon S60 Coolpix, the Samsung NV34HD or the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX580). And there is more reality to these remarks than to most predictions about the launch of presumed major products at the next PMA fair in Las Vegas.

Now, this has a clear impact on the decisions in photography-related companies. Who would want to spend millions of dollars on advertisement, press information, etc. if the potential customers are not even listening because their attention is focused on managing their day-to-day life or a foreclosure? Additionally, many camera manufacturers see their prices forced up (at the worst possible time) by unfavorable evolution of exchange rates (everybody is speaking about the world-wide price hike-ups of Nikon, Sigma and a few others). So, many marketing departments of photo companies are reviewing their launch calendar.

It seems that one of the first companies to have made a decision here is Canon. The word is out that the Canon EOS 500D is currently pressured for a delay which would make its launch more in line with a less depressed market. It may be pushed from this Winter to Spring or early Summer 2009 (Northlight Images even say Autumn). Of course, this goes with the possibility for the designers to add new features if it is still possible to use this delay. This could be a good financial and technical strategy.

However, there is a lot of pressure mounting inside Canon in order to close the gap created by Nikon with the launch of the Nikon D90, Nikon D700, Nikon D3x. The Canon 500D with video features would be a good answer.

It is also said that the Pentax K30D may be delayed. Or is it that Pentax is unsure about what to include in the package right now?

Sony has a lot of things to send to the market in 2009. Scheduling the launches in steps could be natural if they need to spread the costs, but I doubt they will adopt such a strategy. Despite the financial issues they recently disclosed, they seem quite able to pursue their usual strategy of “maximum impact” which supports well the simultaneous disclosing of a wealth of products. Nevertheless, it could lead to a step-by-step availability.

Nothing seems to be said of Nikon delays. Is it because they are perceived as having such an impetus that they can’t stop pushing new good products to the market?

Whatever happens, recession is a factor that the marketing department of any major camera company must take into account. There is little doubt that 2009 (and possibly 2010) will be a bad year for all consumer-oriented industries. Since no part of the world will be doing really better than the others, this brings the need to be cautious. Let’s hope that camera brands will not stop showing us good (better?) cameras.

Last minute note: Nikon Watch just announced that both Nikon and Canon were posting decreasing profits.

Even better, here are its features:

• 12MP CMOS sensor
• Continuous shooting at 3fps
• 9-points CAM 850 autofocus, 1 cross type
• 720p video mode
• LiveView
• Dust reduction on the sensor
• Probable release: PMA 2009

Source: Photography Bay.