Nikon of Europe "leaks" D80 photos

So much for Nikon’s count down to the unveiling of their next new model. A site called the Daily Tech has posted photos of the new 10MP Nikon D80 due out in a few weeks.

Last week, in a post I called Nikon ups the ante, I mentioned that Nikon was following Sony’s lead by using a Flash presentation to tease viewers with subtle clues about the upcoming “affordable” 10MP camera. Now Nikon of Europe has spoiled the unveiling by simply posting a series of photos of the new camera. The Daily Tech has republished those images on their site.

The actual specs and features set of the new dSLR are still unknown, but Nikon has already revealed that the D80 will have a 10.2MP sensor — which most observers speculate will be the same sensor used in the Sony Alpha. In fact, the photos of the D80 bear a strong resemblance to a certain 10MP dSLR that is often reported on in these pages.

Although the purpose of this site is to report on Sony and Minolta SLRs, the Nikon D80 is relevant because it obviously competes heads up with the Sony A100. Nikon has not leaked what it considers affordable, but the price of the D80 may affect the price of the A100 in the near future.

Up until now, the Alpha A100 could bask in the sunshine of being the newest dSLR around and being the lowest price 10MP SLR as well. The D80 now becomes the next new thing — and if it is priced right, it may steal the A100’s thunder in the price category as well.

Now, we’ll have to wait and see how Sony responds to the Nikon’s new 10MP challenger.

Until nest time, stay focused! — Tom

DailyTech – Nikon D80 D-SLR Images Leaked

technorati tags:Sony Alpha, A100, Nikon