Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Keep an eye out for the Nikon D5300!


After a lackluster D610 announcement, rumors are that Nikon is gearing up to drop the D5200 replacement, aptly named the D5300, tonight at midnight EST.

There have been enough credible leaks that the updated specs are about 99% accurate to be as follows:


  • Expeed 4 Image Processor. This is the first camera to see this new iteration of Nikon's famous imaging processor. It could mean an extra boost for high ISO shooting as well as quicker processing. 
  • D7100's 24MP Sensor. Although the D5200 and the D7100 shared sensors the D5300 gains the added advantage of doing away with the AA/OLPF "blur" filter resulting in sharper images. 
  • 1080p @ 60fps. A first for Nikon is the ability to shoot full 1080p HD video at 60fps. Great news for videographers. This is likely to do with the new Expeed 4 processor.
  • Built-in WiFi and GPS. This is pretty big. Many people have been after Nikon to do away with the add-ons and build in these features that come with many of Nikon's entry-level cameras. 
The D5300 will retain many of the features that made the D5200 a great camera. The 39 point AF system, 3.2" Vari-Angle monitor, and a relatively speedy 5fps. 

Being that the D7100 has stellar image quality I can only hope that the new Expeed 4 processor pushes the IQ even further making for cleaner images even at maximum ISO settings. 

While the D7100 has the edge on build quality and button ergonomics I can see the D5300 being a pretty capable camera for a lot of photographers. It will be a no-brainer as a second body for D7100 shooters that need a backup but don't want to drop the cash on a second D7100 body. 

Hopefully the D5300 will be everything the rumors say it will be and maybe we'll be in for a few surprises as well. Keep an eye out on the Nikon Press site for the official announcement. 

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