That is a very interesting article. What it tells me is that the K20D is a perfectly capable performer with possibly the best image quality of any camera available today, but that the D700 showcases tomorrow's technology standard. My expectation is that the next sub-$2000 Nikon will have the D700 full-frame sensor and imaging system. If and when the other camera companies follow suit is anyone's guess.
The situation reminds me of the late 1970's when exposure automation was coming onto its own. The photography world was turned on its ears in 1978 with the release of the Canon A-1 featuring the full set of exposure automation that we all take for granted on modern cameras: aperture-priority, shutter-priority, and program. Within a few years, the program mode had migrated to the serious consumer-level AE-1 Program and the standard of technology for consumer-level SLR cameras was changed forever.
I suspect that this comment may bring on tons of flame and a whole bunch of technical explanation as to why APS-C at 14.6 megapixel is the ultimate standard, why full-frame is not needed, blah, blah, blah. The photography press in 1981 was full of the similar stuff claiming that program exposure was a fleeting fad and that existing aperture-priority and shutter-priority systems were all that any serious photographer would ever need. For sure, those comments were perfectly true...except for the part about program exposure being a fad. In the end the market dictated the system we enjoy today. (Well sort of enjoy...I for one am an old AV and manual exposure Luddite.)
Steve
(Salesman to customer, "The xyz model you are holding has the same sensor and feature set as the world's most-respected professional digital SLR, but at a price the serious amateur can afford...")
Last edited by stevebrot; 12-01-2008 at 12:16 AM.