This whole discussion seems a set up for dissapointment. Nothing about it & it was never more than another internet rumor. "Nikon lied to us! I"m selling ALL my Nikon stuff." when thisĭigi-back never appears. Know it will a)meets your needs, and b) you'll think it's fairlyĪnyone buying an F6 with expectations that it will have a digi-back
Plan to surprise all the F6 owners with a digi-back. So, for the sake of discussion, let's pretend Nikon has a secret IMHOįor Nikon to build in significant capabilities and not advertise it Manufacturing companiesĭrive every Yen/Dollar out of a product to maximize profit. Seems highly unlikely they would make provisions for such a greatįuture addition and -not tell anyone. And, with the possible exception of an N/F85 (?), I suspect that Nikon's film body R&D is finished.
There may or may not be a new version of the N/F80 (it would be nice!), but I seriously expect that the modular F6 is dead. I think the announced F6 answered the questions in that it is the new flagship comprising both the F5 and the F100 in updated form. There were also rumors of new versions of the N/F80 and the F100 bodies. I'm sure that Nikon experimented with a wide variety of options. There were significant rumors of a modular F6 body in prototype form. Buy a F6 because you want a great FILM SLR and nothing more. All this even though Nikon actually said nothing about it & it was never more than another internet rumor. I can hear the cries now, "Nikon lied to us! I"m selling ALL my Nikon stuff." when this digi-back never appears. How do you know it will a)meets your needs, and b) you'll think it's fairly priced?Īnyone buying an F6 with expectations that it will have a digi-back one day are bound to be dissapointed. So, for the sake of discussion, let's pretend Nikon has a secret plan to surprise all the F6 owners with a digi-back. IMHO for Nikon to build in significant capabilities and not advertise it is a real stretch of the imagination. Manufacturing companies drive every Yen/Dollar out of a product to maximize profit. Seems highly unlikely they would make provisions for such a great future addition and -not tell anyone. Nikon plans a digi back, wouldn't they say so?!! Given the 18 connections for the MB40, let's assume two possibilities: A) individual circuits and B) shared circuits.Ī) system ground (1), battery power (2), two-position shutter release (3), AF start (2), eight-way multi-selector (9), front & rear command dials (4) equals a total of 21 connections.ī) combined system & signal ground (1), battery power (1), two-position shutter release (2), AF start (1), eight-way multi-selector (8), front & rear command dials (2) equals a total of 15 connections.Īssuming option (B) with a system ground, then give the battery power its own independent circuit, add a signal ground for the eight-way multi-selector, and a signal ground for the shutter, AF button, & command dials and you've got your 18 connections. What are the extra contacts going to be used for, I wonder? Nikon cameras up to this point only have 8 pins in the bayonet
Think we can strongly suspect some type of upgrade in the future.Īlso worth mentioning is the 11 pin contacts on AF-S lenses while I'd like anyone with the vertical battery gripįor the F6 to tell me if it has 18 gold contacts also. The camera hasġ8 gold contact points which it can connect through to communicate Put the electronics into a vertical grip type unit. If Nikon was to make a digital back for the F6, they would need to I'm not saying this is the case with the F6, I'm only pointing out that sometimes contacts do serve a purpose but not for the consumer. Eventually, I got what seemed like an acurate answer identifying several diagnostic and calibration loops and telling me that the contacts mated to a machine at the factory used in calibration and quality assurance. about extra contacts in a prior model and whether they were for some future add on.