[Landscape Fans]

It seems that Nikon is quite messy in naming his DSLR.
D3, single digit, top model
D700 or D300 follow D3, but has 3 digits.
D90, 80 lower class than D700 but has 2 digits
lowest class has 4 digits.

what do you think ?

[h0001244]

haha......
And I have no idea why Nikon starts a series in a large number that makes its successors difficult to be named...
eg. D70 -> D80 -> D90 then D95 then??? D96...D97?
eg. D700 -> D800 -> D900 then?

[Landscape Fans]

Not even this.
"Correct" naming method should be somewhat like this:

e.g.
D 3 > D 30 > D300 > D3000

It is more logical like Canon.

but nikon do it differently

D 3 > D700 > D90 > D3000/5000

[snoopybee]

If you knew about Nikon's history and their product evolution, you would know why they came up with such a funny convention.

[h0001244]

May Snoopybee Ching explain where the D700 name from? How it related to the previous film products?

[black_jack23]

係囉~Nikon真係唔掂
睇吓Canon
1D 1個digit top model
5D, 7D 1個digit 又係top model
50D, 60D 2個digits 中階
450D, 550D 3個digits 先係入門
1000D 4個digits 係......

[snoopybee]

Do they need to "relate" to previous products?

Canon's development of the DSLR started quite late, that's why they can layout a better framework on their product lifecycles. For Nikon, they started 60 years ago, with all the historical "burdens", e.g. FM, F2, F3, then F801 as a higher end model ...etc, they just have to make things fit in the hole rather than to have a "good planning".

Afterall, it is just a "model name", and Nikon (even CANON) NEVER define that a D3 > D700 > 300 ..etc. It's just one's assumption that there needs to be some kind of relation in between.

One day, if Nikon is bold enough, they can change their names to :

D3 grade : Nikon apple
D700 grade : Nikon puppy
D90 grade : Nikon shuttle

and so on.

[wklouis]

最初NIKON出DSLR, 應該係源用菲林機改良出產,
所以最初出產的DSLR以相近似的型號命名.
除著不斷出新, DSLR開始變得現在的模式.

[h0001244]

Snoopybee Ching,

I don't mean that the product has to be directly relate to the previous product. Just see your comment below and think that you have the idea how the naming did base on the history and their product evolution.

<<<If you knew about Nikon's history and their product evolution, you would know why they came up with such a funny convention. >>>

[h0001244]

For Canon it's more obvious
EOS 1 -> EOS 1D and EOS 1Ds
EOS 5 -> 5D 5DII
EOS Elan 7 -> 7D
EOS 30/33 -> D30 (not 30D)
EOS 300 -> 300D

There was EOS 3 before, so people expect to have 3D later

[snoopybee]

I didnt mean I know how they make up with their naming convention.

What I meant is that if one know (and appreciate) Nikon's nomanclature is "evolved" from the old days, you will understand why it seems that "they have no standard convention".