Play it again Sam: Nikon pre-empts Canon's 5D MKII with D700

Nikon is seriously kicking butt this year. Rumor has it that the releases of the D300 sent Canon back to the drawing board for the 5D MKII. Well, before Canon can even catch a breath, Nikon has done it again with the D700, which the folks at DPreview got a copy to play with today.

Full specs on the "5D MKII Killer" can be had at:

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0807/08070103nikond700previewed.asp

So what does Canon do? I think most people who've shot Canon for a while know that the company is a big fan of field-proven, rock solid, CONSERVATIVE upgrades. This is not a bad thing, since Canons just plain WORK--like Macs. My guess is that whatever Canon may have re-planned for its second iteration of the MKII is probably pretty conservative, and it's possible that this has been eclipsed by Nikon's most recent broadside. What can Canon do? It's entire semi-pro to pro camera line is based on full functionality at the top and crippled functionlity at the bottom. It's hard to imagine them putting a 1D focus system into the MKII.

Canon is pretty good at keeping secrets, so no one has the slightest inkling of what the MKII will look like if it is unveiled in September 2008. Meanwhile, fanboys can only speculate about what might be included.

I decided to post my own fanboy laundry list of what I want in the MKII. At first, I was pretty conservative in adding new functionality, but then making the list started getting fun (and quite ridiculous). Here's what it looks like now:

• Image sensor cleaning / dust and hot pixel delete via firmware
• 16 megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor
• ISO 50 - 6400 (with boost up to ISO 25600)
• Support for EF-S lenses
• 51 focus points (15 cross-types for lenses F1.4 and faster)
• Dual Digic III Processors
• 14-bit A/D conversion, 12 channel readout
• Kevlar / carbon fibre composite shutter with 200,000 exposure durability
• Pop-up flash
• Weather sealing
• Real-time contrast-detect live view with second dedicated full-frame CMOS sensor
• Virtual horizon (can overlay on live view)
• Highlight tone priority
• Dual card slots supporting both CF and SD
• 5 frames per second until memory card(s) is/are filled
• Programmable auto ISO
• On-screen white balance toggling
• Intervalometer
• 360-degree swivel 3.0" 920,000 pixel TFT LCD with glare-resistance coating
• Self-timer allowing single or multiple shots
• Face tracking for up to 10 faces
• In-body image stabilization (Stabilizes along X, Y, and Z axes; can toggle off when IS lenses are used)
• Battery compartment allows either BP-511 or 4 AA batteries
• Top control panel LED shines blue in dark (shine duration can be toggled)
• Flash sync supported up to 1/2000 of a second
• 256 MB of internal memory for voice annotation
• Date imprint stamp option
• HDMI video output
• 10 customizable shooting banks for picture style, ISO, etc. presets
• Digital help menu accessible

Oh, and the release price should $100 cheaper than Nikon's at $2,899.
Ridiculous, I know, but it's so nice to daydream.