Nikon WT-3

[TODD_DeChalus]

Wondering has anybody seen how it going to be connected I have to D2x and it goes to the bottom but I just got the D200 and was going to buy the Vertical Grip and wondering should I wait in the event it connect the to bottom as the D2X Help [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

[ThomasSapiano]

[ QUOTE ]
Wondering has anybody seen how it going to be connected I have to D2x and it goes to the bottom but I just got the D200 and was going to buy the Vertical Grip and wondering should I wait in the event it connect the to bottom as the D2X Help [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

While we don't really have a whole lot of official information, it will most likely come in the form of an alternative vertical grip. There really aren't that many other places that it could be mounted, and the D200 sales materials showed it as a grip (line drawings in the diagrams showing all of the available options).

As for holding off on the standard grip, that's really up to you. Chances are that the additional electronics will likely restrict it to holding a single battery instead of two, so if that is an important consideration the existing grip might still be worth it (for situations where you don't need the transmitter but would like longer battery life). Also, from the most recent rumblings it sounds like the WT-3 won't be available until at least the fall so how urgently you'd like to buy the grip is also a concern.

Unfortunately, the only people that can speak authoritatively on this topic are likely under NDA so we can only provide best guesses based on the information currently available.

[TODD_DeChalus]

Thanks still waiting

[ThomasSapiano]

Originally Posted by TODD_DeChalus

Thanks still waiting

The FCC approved the WT-3 a couple of days ago (August 4th), so it looks like they're getting close to releasing it. Information about the transmitter (including the manual) can be found at the following location:

Click Here

[ThomasSapiano]

Wrote up a quick article on this topic:

Nikon WT-3 Summary

The major points are:

• Form factor identical to the MB-D200 vertical grip - offers the same suplimentary controls.
• Only accepts a single battery (vs. the MB-D200's two) to make room for the additional electronics. As such, battery life will be reduced compared to a gripless D200.
• Significantly more powerful radio than the WT-1/2 (a little more than 4x) so range should be greater. Most likely because the battery is mounted directly in the WT-3, so it can draw power directly rather than through the camera.
• Provides a Fast Ethernet port (100Mbps) in addition to its wireless support. Allows higher speed transfers when a wired connection is possible. Unlike USB 2.0, Ethernet cabling can make much longer runs and its unshielded cables and easier to work with.

[DouglasUrner]

Tom, many thanks for the info on the WT-3! Do you know if the Canadian version will be the WT-3 or if you will have the 'a' version too? I wonder if they are shipping to stores now, or if the FCC required changes and we'll have to wait some more. The ethernet port is a very cool feature.

Doug

[ThomasSapiano]

Originally Posted by DouglasUrner

Tom, many thanks for the info on the WT-3! Do you know if the Canadian version will be the WT-3 or if you will have the 'a' version too? I wonder if they are shipping to stores now, or if the FCC required changes and we'll have to wait some more. The ethernet port is a very cool feature.

Canadian standards for the 2.4GHz ISM band are basically the same as in the USA, so the WT-3A will be sold up here. From the WT-3 manual (page 1):

The WT-3 is for use in the country of sale, the countries of the European Union (EU) and European Free Trade Association (EFTA), Thailand, Japan, and Hong Kong. The WT-3A is for use in the country of sale, Canada, and the United States of America.

As for availability, all this means is that the US government has given them authorization to sell their product. It doesn't directly tell us anything about the status of their production lines or whether it's gotten authorization in other countries. With that said, companies usually time their applications so that this information doesn't pop up until they are ready - so it probably indicates that they are very close

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