Originally posted by Asahiflex
Maybe, but not for users of old glass. Please try to understand the appeal of the current mirrorless market. It's not because of the lack of the mirror, but the fact that all sorts of lenses fit those cameras, both old and new. Nikon is not known for being highly adaptable to all sorts of glass. There's a reason indie filmmakers prefer Canon. Nikon has the worst registration distance in the market.
Well... as a D700 owner, I'm not sure what you are getting at here?
I have a growing collection of manual focus Nikon Ai-S lenses, and use them regularly. The camera meters properly in all metering modes (matrix, center-weighted and spot), and works in full manual or aperture-priority. The lenses work wonderfully. And they are a joy for me to use due to the solid build and nice focus feel.
With regards to full frame cameras, Nikon has backwards compatibility just about as far back as they can go...
The current
consumer APS-C/ DX DSLRs have been crippled by removing the AF drive motor, and lack the capability to meter with old lenses. However, the current pro and prosumer models can mount and meter everything except the old invasive lenses (fisheyes) and non-converted pre-AI lenses. They can also drive the old AF lenses because they have the AF motor and drive screw. (Converted pre-Ai, Ai, Ai-S, Ai-P, AF, AF-D, AF-I, AF-S - that's a lot of Nikon/ third party glass...)
The
older consumer/ prosumer bodies are a mix of capabilities.
Removing the AF drive motor is useful in making a smaller camera. But I believe Nikon made an error with the decision to remove the ability to use the older lenses, and have actually caused
some people to get other cameras due to this decision.
As for Pentax going FF? I'm not sure they'll go there. Wouldn't mind seeing it. And I think they could make a FF model a little smaller than Canon or Nikon - but there is a limit to how much smaller you can go, just due to the increased space required for the larger sensor and support structure.