Thom HoganNikon Still Holding Out on DX
June 13, 2013 (news & commentary)--Nikon issued a press release today celebrating the 80 millionth Nikkor. After the introductory paragraphs we get two example paragraphs: one devoted to recent FX lenses, one devoted to recent CX (Nikon 1) lenses. Apparently Nikon only thinks they've made historic lenses back in Ye Olden Dayes, and recent FX and CX lenses.
Well, true, they have. They've only got 16 DX lenses in the lineup after 14 years of making millions upon millions of DX cameras. Of those 16 lenses, we have four primes: fisheye, normal, and two Micro-Nikkors. We have exactly one f/2.8 zoom. But we do have two choices for wide angle zooms, three choices for consumer telephoto zooms, and six variations on kit zooms. Pathetic.
So what's the deal here? Where are the DX lenses? My best guess: Nikon knows that the DX cameras will be the first to convert to EVF and no mirror system. They'll need retuned focus motors to match the new focus system, much like the CX lenses. But that's just a guess. It could be that they're just incompotent, that they're being mean, that their beancounters aren't counting correctly, or that they think that DX is beneath their best lens designers, and that FX and CX are bigger challenges.
Fortunately, a little DX love is almost here. B&H has started
accepting preorders(advertising link) for the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM at US$799, so this lens is getting close to release. This lens is looking like it might be the fast mid-range zoom of choice, especially at the price it's coming to the market at.
With the right lenses, Nikon might have been at 85m sold now, not 80m.
