No Nikon D200

With all the hype, rumours and fake images bouncing around the net (along with the knowledge that Nikon was having several press conferences today), I waited with baited breath for Nikon to announce the D200 - supposedly a 10+ megapixel digital camera based on a Nikon F6 body with other goodies such as an enhanced version of the Speedlite commander mode (found on the D70) and a larger viewfinder. Even Thom Hogan mentioned the D200 on his site, which added a fair amount of credibility to the rumours.

Of course, it turned out that Nikon were just announcing some updates to its range of sub-par Coolpix consumer digital cameras. Normally, this would be good news (well, better than nothing at all) but the thing is that - apart from the excellent Coolpix 8400 and 8800 - the entire Coolpix range is rubbish. Basically, their interface requires far too many button presses and menu navigation in order to get anything done. And from the looks of it, nothing's changed.

Looks like we'll have to wait till around Christmas for any D200 announcement (if it even exists).

Not that there's anything wrong with my Nikon D70, mind you. But it would be cool if Nikon released a professional digital SLR that doesn't weigh over a kilo or require a dedicated suitcase to carry around.

Going to a Canon camera launch in KLCC tomorrow at 10am. just after rush hour. Soooo looking forward to it...