Nikon D400 or not?

Thom Hogan had told us a few weeks ago that he was thinking Nikon would soon bring a Nikon D3x, high-end pro photo camera with a 35mm Full Frame sensor (it’s here). But he was also saying that there should be a Nikon D400.

Let’s say it straight: No D400 is sight yet… except a recent post at Nikon Rumours that pretends to describe the feature list of this supposed Nikon D400. I have a lot of doubts about its reality (and certainly more than that about the precision of this so-called information) but here is the proposed list:

Price (MSRP): $1,999.00

Photo David Wong

Photo David Wong

Feature list:

  • New 14.8 megapixel DX format CMOS sensor effective 14.3 megapixel
  • Self-cleaning sensor unit: vibration of the low-pass filter (in front of the sensor)
  • ISO 100 – 6400 (ext. ISO 25600 & ISO 50)
  • 14-bit A/D conversion
  • 1080p Movie capture at up to 24 fps with stereo sound
  • Nikon EXPEED Plus image processor (30% faster than previous EXPEED chip)
  • Super fast operation (power-up 13 ms, shutter lag 40 ms, black-out 90 ms)
  • Kevlar / carbon fibre composite shutter with 200,000 exposure durability
  • Multi-CAM3500DX Auto Focus sensor (51-point, 15 cross-type, more vertical coverage)
  • Auto-focus tracking by color (using information from 1005-pixel AE sensor)
  • Auto-focus calibration (fine-tuning) now available (fixed body or up to 20 separate lens settings)
  • Vignetting control in-camera
  • Automatic chromatic aberration correction
  • Custom image parameters now support brightness as well as contrast
  • Seven frames per second continuous shooting (nine frames per second with battery pack)
  • LCD monitor: 3.0″ 922,000 pixel
  • Live View mode with either phase detect (mirror up/down) or contrast-detect AF, face detection
  • ‘Active D-Lighting’ (adjusts metering as well as applying D-Lighting curve)
  • Detailed ‘Control Panel’ type display on LCD monitor, changes color in darkness
  • Buttons sealed against moisture (weather-sealing)
  • Same ultra-fast startup and shutter lag as D700
  • Scene Recognition System (uses AE sensor, AF sensor)
  • Picture Control image parameter presets
  • Card slot: UDMA compatible single CF
  • Virtual horizon indicates if camera is level (like an aircraft cockpit display)
  • Extensive in-camera retouching
  • HDMI HD video output
  • Magnesium alloy body with connections and buttons sealed against moisture

Nothing is impossible here, but it looks a lot like the wet dream of a Nikon lover. It’s even got a little more “low-end” features than would be expected at this price level.