Nikon patents in Japan have been decoded at NikonRumors.com and relate to (you guessed it) a mirrorless camera system.
The system is not APS-C based like the Sony NEX or Samsung NX10 and Nikon are not joining Micro 4/3rd’s. Instead they are set to produce the smallest possible interchangeable lens camera, with 49mm lens barrels (think filter thread size of the Olympus EP1 kit lens).
To achieve a small lens barrel, Nikon have chosen a much smaller sensor than APS-C and it is probable that stablisation will be in-body. Nikon’s sensor will be close to the 2/3″ RED Scarlet and 16mm film (c-mount) cameras. It will be a smaller sensor than in the Panasonic GH1.
Here are the specs we know from the patent. As always, it is possible the final specs will change.
• 17mm sensor
• 10-29mm F3.3-5.8 zoom kit lens (approx. 28mm equiv. at the wide end)
• Silent AF and iris operation for video recording (like Panasonic 14-140MM HD lens)
• Small 49mm lens barrel (39mm diameter at the mount)
• Simplified mount attachment, with mount release button on the lens
• 18mm flange back distance (similar to Sony NEX)
It is expected that Nikon will cap the sensor to 12MP to avoid detrimental low light performance compared to the immediate competition featuring larger sensors.
But fear not, because a smaller and lower resolution sensor can have big gains for video.
As 1001NoisyCameras speculates that one of the reasons for Nikon settling on 12MP is to enable 4K video (4096x3072p). 12MP is 4K – no scaling required. Right now, for example on the GH1 4K has to be downsized to 2K for HD which is 1920x1080p. Since it is evenly divisible, the GH1’s scaling has less moire and aliasing than on the Canon 5D Mark II, 7D and 550D with their higher resolution 18MP and 22MP sensors. 12MP seems to be the sweet spot for 2K and 4K video orientated sensors.
Canon and Nikon have not made any significant advances with their DSLR video modes since the first outing in terms of hardware. The 7D and T2i remain reheated from the 5D Mark II with the addition of 720p and dedicated record buttons and 4K is extremely difficult to do on much higher resolution, larger sensors. Possibly the reason Canon and Nikon have been so quiet all this time is that they have been working away behind closed doors on significant advances to video on interchangeable lens cameras.
YouTube going cinematic?
During a keynote at VidCon YouTube recently announced support for 4K video, which seems ridiculous at first glance but won’t be if there is suddenly a major consumer product like the Nikon Mirrorless Camera on the market doing 24fps continuous shooting from a smaller, less power hungry sensor.
YouTube also announced their intention to setup a $5 million grant to fund original content ‘that appeals to advertisers and the audience’. This, says YouTube will ‘act as a catalyst by infusing additional funds into the production budgets of a small group of YouTube partners who are at the forefront of innovation’.
This may be a signal that YouTube are moving more toward targeting the kind of creative community that flourishes so well on Vimeo and provides that site with much better original content than the stuff done by the masses on YouTube.
