[Pavel]

Here is the latest, and it is meaty:

http://nikonrumors.com/

[Toad]

Interesting. The 85mm F1.4 looks pretty cool. 30 million pixels on one of the cameras - not sure I need that many...

[Pavel]

Frankly, 12 mpix is plenty for me. I would just like greater dynamic range. Offer me a camera with 15 f-stops DR and I will trade. For me it is the lenses that would grab me. I have Nikon 70-300 and I love it. Compact (sort of), sharp from 70 to 200, OK from 200 to 300. Not that expensive. However, having a bit more reach (120-450) would certainly appeal to me. Something crisper than my Nikon 18-70 would be nice, although it is not a bad lens. I would also like to think in terms of dual use, in case I break down one day and switch to the FX format for lower noise at higher ISO (like D700). But like Matthew says, collecting camera equipment is a separate hobby from photography. I must say that I am lucky to have really exceptional toys that I do have now and i can only wish I could do better with what i have.

[matthew]

I'm certainly interested to see what Nikon comes out with, both as potential additions to my collection as well as from a camera-store-sales perspective. It sounds exciting, and I hope it comes true.

One thing that I'm seeing now is that there's a rumour that the 200/4 Micro has been discontinued. This is a lens that I want, but can't swing the fundage for right now. I'm one of the three people in the world who prefer the old AF-D lenses to the new, faster, quieter AF-S G lenses. Having an aperture ring makes the lens compatible with my Olympus bodies (with an adapter, naturally) and since macro lenses are best used in manual focus anyway, losing the AF isn't a big loss.

(Or I could just save a whack of money and get the Sigma 180/3.5 and just happily use it on only Nikon bodies....)

Some of the other AF-S lenses are also interesting; the 35/1.4 would be a nice wide-angle, and the 70-200 could certainly use a redesign. Some of it feels like wishful thinking, though - a 24-135mm lens described as "lightweight and affordable zoom with high image quality". Those three things just don't happen together, certainly not in a 5x zoom.

I've recently reduced my camera collection by one, and it's a nice feeling. I'm now down to only eleven.

[Toad]

One thing that I'm seeing now is that there's a rumour that the 200/4 Micro has been discontinued. This is a lens that I want, but can't swing the fundage for right now. I'm one of the three people in the world who prefer the old AF-D lenses to the new, faster, quieter AF-S G lenses. Having an aperture ring makes the lens compatible with my Olympus bodies (with an adapter, naturally) and since macro lenses are best used in manual focus anyway, losing the AF isn't a big loss.

Matt: Buy a Tamron 90mm F2.8 macro. Its is one of the sharpest lenses I own with wonderful bokeh and half the cost of a Nikon - a real jewel.

Zig used to use this lens almost exclusively...

[matthew]

Toad, I've played with the Tamron 90 a bit, as well as seeking out its images - I agree that it's a great lens. (Not just great-for-the-money.) But in my case, it would be a little redundant - I already have the AF-D 85mm f/1.8 and the 85mm f/2.8 micro perspective control. I've yet to actually find anything that the tilt-shift can't do, and if I need a long tele-macro then I have the Sigma 150 on my Olympus - I'm really just looking for a long lens, and it was either going to be the Nikon 200/4, or the sigma 180/3.5, or I'd skip the macro function for the sigma 100-300/4, or the sigma 120-400, or the ...