3 Reasons the Rumored Nikon D400 DSLR Camera Is Still Shrouded in Mystery

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The digital photography world has been waiting for nearly two years, anticipating an upgrade to Nikon’s D300S DSLR. The replacement is widely rumored to be a Nikon D400; but a quick search of the Internet shows multiple sources have been announcing the pending introduction of the D400 throughout 2011, which didn’t happen. Virtually none of the people who spend much of their time tracking these hot rumors has been able to discover, and then reveal, details of the D400’s features and specifications. As of the writing of this article (January 19, 2012), no one, but Nikon, seems to know much of anything about this new camera.

An example of how unreliable such information sources can be is the great disparity of the reports about the size of the D400’s sensor. During March 2011, some were reporting a 14.8-megapixel, DX-format CMOS sensor. By July, the sensor grew to 24 megapixels and was expected to be a Sony sensor, the same as the company’s is putting in its Alpha 77, which still hasn’t been released either. Other sources seem to agree more with the 24-megapixel story. If the Nikon D400 is so equipped, then it will be almost the equal of the full-frame Canon EOS 5D Mark II.

The most plausible reason so little is known about the Nikon D400 is that Nikon (as well as Sony and Canon) are still in the process of recovering from the devastation to their plants and production schedules caused by the 2011 Southeast Asian monsoon floods and Japanese earthquake/tsunami. This, of course, has delayed the announcement of many other major Nikon cameras, including the D4 and D800. Sources also report the possibility of a replacement for the D7000 scheduled for an August 2012 release.

Information about the Nikon D400, including details, release date and price, appears to be less important to Nikon than bringing the D4 and D800 to market. Reports indicate that the company won’t release the D400 until after the D800 and D4 announcements, which aren’t anticipated until March 2012. One source thinks it will be in Nikon’s best interest to release the D400 before the London Olympics. The delay may not be one of production, therefore, but negotiating marketing deals for tie-ins to the Summer Games.

Continue to check with PhotographyTalk.com regularly for more information about the Nikon D400 DSLR, as it becomes available.

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