Digital BW, The Print

>At one point Nikon had said they were 'committed' to the smaller sensor
size.  I don't know if that's changed.

>It will be interesting to see the comparisons between the new Canon and the
Nikon D2x since they both have the same pixel count.

>Tom Baker

They are . . . and they aren't (I could run for president, couldn't I?).
They have been working for a very long time on a full frame sensor but just
can't get it to click vis-a-vis manufacturing and price point. The D2X is in
serious trouble . . . a potentially large market, the working pro of which I
is (great eengleesh, no?), does not appreciate the life long promise we have
had from Canon, but more importantly Nikon, of the "continuation" of their
system.

I think Canon had a lot of really big testicles when it dumped it's FD
system years ago . . . it was a huge gamble on their part, but they had done
a vast "test" marketing prior to the move (the A series cameras were not
much more than a way to feel out the idea of electronic cameras . . . the T
series just firming up their ideas) . . . they leapt . . . a few jumped
ship, but their new evolution worked very well. Nikon on the other hand was
commited to it's life long promise of "non-obsalescence", a SEMI-promise
they keep to this day. However, their dedication to their never-ending lens
mount doesn't hold, especially in the mind of those who have invested a
large sum of money into some esoteric, extreme, exotic, really, really,
sharp and wonderful, but now maybe obselete? lenses.

As I remarked, Canon's success with producing full frame chips is about 25
per cent . . . their rate of success with 1.6 chips is the same as Nikon,
about 70 per cent. If Nikon comes up with a higher "productivity" (which is
what I suspect their loooooooooong delay is all about) they will take back a
lot of the market from Canon. They ARE working on a full frame camera (now
that the Kodak joke is defunct they especially need another "flagship"),
when it arrives is another issue . . . tomorrow?, next week? next year???

As an aside, but pertinent to this, for years I shot with Nikon gear . . . I
eventually made a switch to Canon, not because of what the pixel counters on
this list hiding in the bathroom with their newest computer rags think, I
went because of SERVICE, something a working professional needs . . .
something that Nikon with it's smug attitude (and a YELLOW film manufacturer
that I can think of) seemed to neglect . . . ooooh, we are gods, worship our
product. I eventually returned to Nikon, but in the process ended up with a
lot of Canon gear floating about . . . the upshot? I have both systems . . .
my biggest problem? They don't focus the same way . . . not pixel BS, not
MTF curves BS, not autofocus speed BS, but a simple real life problem . . .

Paul Aparycki